Ten of Wands - Oppression, Suppression, Repression

Here we see Jason surrounded by burning wands looking very despondent. I ask myself why doesn't he just bust himself out of that inferno, how did he get in there, and who put him in that position?

The way I see it is there could be three answers to this question. 1. Someone who's taken him hostage wanting to do him harm. 2. Someone who's punishing him for something he's done or perhaps not done. 3. He's unknowingly placed himself in there.

All these answers relate to how people can be oppressed,  suppressed and finally how we can suppress our thoughts and feelings so much and for so long, that our feelings reach the level of repression and we are left unaware that we've crossed that line. We're completely out of touch with our feelings and are unaware that this has happened.

It's been said many times if you don't deal with your emotions they will deal with you and come out side ways. I know through my own personal experience to be so true, as a recovering person for many years.

If we are being oppressed and feeling over burdened, we have to find a way to change this, whether we're doing this to ourselves or someone else is doing this to us. If we are constantly stuffing and suppressing our feelings, after this eventually leads to repression, which is very unhealthy and can lead to serious mental health issues.

Ten of Wands - Rug Wrassling and Even My Coffee Needs a Coffee

The initial impression you get from the Ten of Wands is a very bleak one. Jason is in a bad way psychologically. He imprisoned really, surrounded by burning wands, with his grand ship the Argos in the background damaged and run aground on the shoreline.

Jason finally, after all his obstacles struggles, in his quest for the Golden Fleece, is now in his possession. He doesn't however, appreciate his great accomplishments and is feeling despondent and dissatisfied with life in general, wondering what he can do now. You could also say, he's feeling sorry for himself.

We can all feel this way a some point in our lives. The adventure and quest is what is often more appealing to us. The Adrenalin rush that comes from accomplishment can be addictive, leaving us wanting more.  Once the goal has been achieved and completed there can be an anti-climatic reaction, and we're left feeling let down and burdened, perhaps with feelings of self-doubt. a loss of identity and with feelings of self-pity.

Taking responsibility for our attitude, turning our feelings of frustration, disappointment, and burden into a positive experience, enables personal growth, if we are determined to be propelled forward in doing so.

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to do something I really didn't think I wanted to take on as I wasn't certain I was qualified. Part of me felt I could do this because I've had enough life experience, but my fear of failure and responsibility made me rather hesitant, so I said initially no, when asked. But I decided to step up and do the right thing for myself and for everyone else concerned. I'm happy I accepted the challenge, and I'm looking forward to it, determined with confidence and optimism.

Now this takes me to today, when I spent a good part of the morning and afternoon rug wrasslin' with this huge rug I spot cleaned clean by hand, using baking soda, vinegar and dish soap and then rinsed with my garden hose. Then i tried drying it over the railing of my deck. I had to drag it into the house, because it was giving rain later tonight.

The thing was way too big, heavy, and cumbersome trying to hang it over the banister in the hall. So then I again dragged it back outside thinking I'd attempt to hang it on my clothes line. Nope, clothes broke. I fixed the clothes line with a handy new mini-winch gizmo I've had in my junk drawer forever. The reason I'd never replaced it, was because I was doubting I'd be able to replace the antique rusted winch, after all don't you need a man to fix this, so I never bothered. But now I had to fix my clothes line regardless, cause a single country gal can't live with out her clothes line and there's no man to be found!

When you live alone, you end up having to do it yourself much of the time. It can create a lot of anxiety. You can feel burdened, mostly by over whelming negative feelings of self-doubt, that can translate into wanting to just through in the towel. Some folks might say that's strength, but for me I think it has a lot to do with my stubborn nature.

So long story. I have a enviable clothes line, a clean rug hung over my perfect Maple tree! No sign of rain with a beautiful breeze.

What I continue to learn is, I never know what I can accomplish, big and small, if I just  bravely embrace and open myself to new experiences. This makes me stronger when I take responsibility to complete the tasks at hand, and unburden myself. And coffee always helps!

Ten of Wands - Discernment Vs Hyper-vigilance

Jason looks to be contemplative, depressed and even bored by those burning wands surrounding him. Perhaps he's feeling upon his return from the big adventure, and having finally laid claim to the much coveted and sought after Golden Fleece, it's all a bit anticlimactic. His harrowing adventure is over, and he's asking himself what now?

Fact is though he's worn himself out. This mammoth undertaking has taken a toll on him in more ways than one, it's affected his friends and his great vessel the Argos, is no longer sea worthy and beyond repair.

We all have moments like this. After we've accomplished goals that have greatly challenged us to a point were perhaps we've wondered if we can overcome all these challenges and knowing we have more to face. There are moments of doubt. We might wonder if we've taken on too much, and sometimes we have. I know I've certainly had times like this, and it can be hard to admit that we need to stop what we're doing and take a different course of action; one that is healthier and results in us being happier.

Getting addicted to a state of hyper-vigilance is not healthy, and only brings a brief happiness, until we can find the next high.
We might feel if we can't have that adrenaline rush that comes from danger or taking on too much, we feel end up feeling bored and depressed.

But I don't think this is boredom. In actual fact, this is just life, and living in the moment where things go quiet, and there are rewards to be found in reflection, or simply to relaxation and taking time out, to get comfortable in our own skin. Go for a long walk outdoors in nature that heals the troubled soul. Listen to our heartbeat and that still quiet voice that can bring discernment.

Ten of Wands - What's The Next Big Thing?

Geez, it almost pains me to look at this card. It's not as negative or overwhelming as it appears, and isn't what it seems, but it is a situation for concern.

Jason has his Golden Fleece, and his great vessel, the Argo, is worse for wear after the long and intrepid voyage. Now his fellow Argonauts seem nowhere to be found. Perhaps they're burnt out, and gone back to their ordinary lives, having grown wearisome of Jason, and his next big adventure. Jason appears to be almost imprisoned, and overwhelmed by his own creative thought, surrounded by the ten blazing wands. The Golden Fleece appears to be discarded on the ground and all but forgotten.

At the beginning of the quest, Jason's expectations were extremely high. He was full of excitement, expectation. with a thrilling and contagious sense of great adventure. He'd been buoyed up by his mates, who believed in him, and that he'd be victorious. He was THE MAN!

The triumphant victory of obtaining the Golden Fleece and overcoming everything else along the way has left Jason feeling that it is all rather anti-climatic  He is no doubt thinking to himself, ok what now? What's the next big thing? It that all there is?
This kind of thinking is a self-inflicted pressure we can impose upon ourselves when we achieve our goals,  have found ourselves the center of attention, with people singing our praises. Being in this state of hyper-vigilance, and an adrenaline rush, is addictive. We find we are always looking for the next bigger and better thing.This state of hyper-vigilance can be very exhausting, for yourself, and for others.

There might be feeling of boredom, when in actual fact, you might find that boredom is the opportunity to simply live life on life's terms. Finding a deep contentment and serenity that extends it's hand to us, if we can accept it, is what I believe to be, one of the best secrets to happiness.

Finding The Light In The Dark - Ten of Wands

There are those of us who are afraid of the darkness, or find it oppressive and depressing. Some embrace the darkness, especially those who live in the North. They find a beauty, and peace in the dark of the North, that many Southerners may never experience or fully understand. I was blessed to have been able to have lived in Northern Canada for three years. Initially it was an adjustment, but I adapted quickly to the lack of daylight. I will say the excess of light in the Summer months made up for it, and because of this, I actually found it more of an adjustment when I moved back to the South,  if you can call Nova Scotia being the 'South'.

An over active imagination can contribute to our fears of the dark, but if we can learn to embrace the darkness we will eventually find the light, and be able to overcome our fear of the unknown.

Upon first impression, the Ten of Wands, the last numbered card of the suit of Wands, gives a feeling of heavy oppression, because it speaks of taking on too much, and feeling overwhelmed. We have lost enthusiasm for our once new creative project or undertaking. Here we see Jason surrounded, and bound by burning Wands, with the Golden Fleece on the ground, and the once great Argos is beached and wrecked in the background. You would expect a different scenario after Jason's accomplishment.

Being surrounded by the burden of the Wands on fire, we ask ourselves, what now, and how am I going to get out of this situation? Will I ever get back to were I was once was creatively? We all experience what some call creative blocks, or what I call a kind of spiritual dryness where depression can follow a particular creative or happier time. Often when we are feeling oppressed, this can lead to suppression, and eventually unconscious to repression all this can stifle our creativity, and happiness.

We may feel like, some how we have lost our way, and are out of touch with ourselves, maybe we are feeling burnt out, under the weight of many burdens.
Although this fire can hurt us, if we let it, it still provides us with a light that points to the way out, and can illuminate our path on the pilgrimage of life.


For me, the Winter Solstice is the time to deeply reflect, take an inventory of my life at present, to prioritize, and to apply the slogan, ' first things first'. I need to discern what it is I need to unburden myself from, and perhaps add to, or reorganize my life in order to restore my vision.

When we hit the darkest low points in life, I do believe, we can only go down so far, before we begin to come back up, as my strong mother, and wise mentor would always say, in so many words.  The darkest hour is truly just before the dawn, when the restorative life giving warmth of the sun, will come shining through.

This past year has been a difficult one for me personally, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Today seemed to be the culmination of a rough past two weeks. As I was writing this post, there came a knock at the door, and I found a very dear, kind friend, who reached out in generousity, and I was overwhelmed with emotion, in  great gratitude.

The Crescent Moon Bear- Catherine Meyers

Ten of Wands - Obstacles and Struggles

The Ten of Wands is the card of obstacles and struggles and biting off more than you can chew. The feeling of being burnt out, because of taking on too much responsibility.

 Exercise is an important tool to prevent stress and can release the pressure. Our physical health affects all other aspects of our life, the emotional, mental and spiritual parts of ourselves all come into play here. We need to relax and take time out to care for ourselves. Self-care is not selfish, otherwise we will feel the weight and oppression of being overburdened, which will directly effect our relationships etc. It is impossible to feel creatively inspired or free to express ourselves, when we are in this stifled state.

I've had fridge and oven issues today. I finally figured out my oven problem and managed to get my bread into bake after an hour or so of fiddling with the fuses. Not high up on the grand scale of things that are really stressful, but I felt this way today and this was added to my stress of last night, when I had fallen in my bedroom. I had a large heater that should have been removed, as it was cluttering my bedroom and so I tripped on it and I came crashing down onto the floor. I had a few bumps and abrasions. More than anything, my ego was a little shocked and bruised.

Many of us can cope with the major events and the big struggles of life. It is the little stresses and annoyances of life that can drive us crazy, if we let them. And so it goes.

 A good friend who is an elder, and a lovely woman who has read Tarot Cards for probably 40 years, suggested to me, that if I wanted to clear or cleanse my deck, that I put them in the fridge. This is what she has done over the years, she said. Well, I don't know why, or how she ever decided that this was a good idea, and I am not sure why I thought, what the heck, maybe she knows something I don't, so I'll give it a go.

After my bread had finally baked, I wanted to get busy with posting on my Tarot blog, and thought I'd draw a card from my Mythic Tarot deck to write about. When I went to do this, my deck was no where to be found. I usually keep the cards in a special box wrapped up in a cloth on my kitchen table.When I went retrieve my deck, it was simply no where to be found, and it sure was not where I was certain it would, or should normally be.

It must have been close to two hours I was searching all over the house, looking in the most unlikely places for my cards. I'd even gone outside to look in my car.

I thought I would just forget about finding them. I knew they had to be somewhere. I was beginning to get frustrated, being at a complete loss as to where on earth they could be. I was clueless, and was asking myself, how could this have happened?
It was  now getting close to supper time, and found myself looking into the freezer compartment, only to find my Tarot Cards sitting safely in the freezer, staring back at me. I swear, I could almost imagine them having a good laugh, and mocking me saying, How could you be so dumb as to put us in here! Get us out! We're freezing!
 Of course I immediately realized I'd completely forgotten I had placed them in the freezer compartment of my fridge yesterday. Needless to say, I won't be doing that again! Whether the cards were cleansed or clear, I don't know, but my head was muddled and confused having wondered for hours what could have possibly happened to them. They seemed to have mysteriously disappeared from the house.

Commencing to write this blog post, it got me thinking about superstition and myth surrounding Tarot cards and readings.

I am not a superstitious person at all. There are many superstitions and myths, when it comes to Tarot Cards. For instance, here is a list of some of them I have heard of, and know.

1. The deck you use should be given to you. This is balderdash. I have three decks, two I purchased. It so happens the third was given to me by a friend, because he didn't have any use for the deck, as he didn't read Tarot Cards. I use it because I like it. There is something to be learned I believe by whatever Tarot deck you use. I actually draw on all of my decks for card meanings, and the readings I do for individuals.

2. Stick your Tarot Cards in the freezer to clear or cleanse them from, lets call it past readings residue. I would suggest, this is going to do nothing. I can personally attest, if you choose to put them in the freezer, just don't forget them, or you will spend hours searching the house, top to bottom, looking in the most unlikely, and ridiculous places for them, or you may even suspect someone has entered your house and stolen them! Of course you could report it to the police, but they'd more than likely be of the opinion you were off your nut.

3. Wrap your Tarot Deck in silk and put them in a oak box. This is not important or necessary. I have mine wrapped in a cloth, and in a cloth box, or decorative wire box where I have my regular deck. It is simply important you respect and take good care of your cards, so they don't get dirty and ruined from misuse. It's a good thing to develop a familiar relationship with the cards.

4. No Tarot card reader should be predicting physical death. Many people are fearful of the Death Card. It does not signify death. It does represent going from one phase into another, a transformation, a major change or renewal of sorts. There is a termination of an unendurable situation.
The ethics of Tarot reading  and readers is to " do no harm ".

5. Reading Tarot cards is not fortune telling, nor does it predict the future, and I have no crystal ball!
 
These are just a few I have come across. I'm sure people have heard of other superstitions and falsehoods about Tarot cards and readings. I would be interested in learning about any that my readers might be familiar with regarding Tarot cards. I'd love to hear from you! Please share your comments.

In the mean time my friends, when you find yourself over whelmed by obstacles and struggles remember this quote.