The Ten of Wands stands for materialization on the spiritual level of human expression. Ten of Wands upright: inspiration. Ten of Wands reversed: lack of inspiration.
The sphere of materialization on the Tree of Life earthens or grounds but also materializes, meaning it collects the influences of the spheres above it and gives them a form. As such, it stands for the end result of the activities of a Tree of Life, like a fruit or produce.
We are not used to thinking of grounding as a power, but rather as an event. This is one reason Arthur Edward Waite called the Ten of Wands an obscure card.
Materialization is indeed one of the most mysterious powers. According to the string theory, all sub-nuclear particles consist of vibrating filaments. The power of materialization produces these vibrating filaments and combines them into atoms, molecules, and chemical elements to produce stone, wool, water, and all other physical phenomena. For this reason, ageless wisdom assigned the title resplendent intelligence to Materialization, honoring the fact that our universe is a play of energy.
Materialization turns the intentional activities of the spiritual Tree into an inspiration for the creative-feely level. In the context of art, the Ten of Wands is the Muse.
Inspirations are promises. The higher self wants us to experience something and sends an inspiration our way. This is where the secondary meanings of promise of fortune, success, or good faith come from.
To receive an inspiration from the higher self is an honor. An inauspicious Ten of Wands may indicate pride, which is the opposite of honor. The ego’s pride may block inspiration that don’t fit to its agenda. An inauspicious Ten of Wands may also indicate that the querent fears inspiration because they can be life-changing.
Last but not least, an inauspicious Ten of Wands may indicate that the querent is spreading herself too thin. The higher self continuously broadcasts its inspirations to all souls. Sensitive souls may pick up inspirations they are not equipped to bring about. We need to learn to dismiss inspirations that we cannot accommodate, however tempting they are.
Ten of Wands Symbolism
The ten wands in the card are arranged in two triangles and a square. The upper triangle represents Cosmic Intention, Ideation, and Context.
The square stands for the intentional powers of Grace, Law, Empathy, and Motive.
The lower triangle turns a motive into a goal (Eight of Wands), charges it with energy (Nine of Wands), and wraps it up (Ten of Wands), which, as mentioned, becomes an inspiration for the highest sphere of the creative-feely level.
The Five Psychological Core Meanings of the Ten of Wands
We derive the psychological meanings of Tarot cards from their position on the Tree of Life.
According to the Enlightenment Tarot framework, the Ten of Wands represents Malkuth of Tiphareth, i.e., materialization on the intentional-spiritual level of human expression.
Every Tarot card represents a faculty or power of consciousness. We can use faculties of consciousness constructively and destructively, which produces either a fortunate or an adverse state of mind. Hence, every Tarot card has five core meanings. Here are the five core meanings of the Ten of Wands:
- Power of consciousness: Materialization (of intention)
- Constructive use: Inspiration
- Destructive use: Oppression of inspiration
- Favorable internal experience: Inspiredness
- Adverse internal experience: Uninspiredness
Reflective Questions
If the Ten of Wands appears in your spread, you may want to ask yourself the following questions:
- In which areas of my life am I receptive to inspiration and in which ones I’m not? What about inviting inspiration also for the uninspired areas of my life?
- Do I have too many goals and am I spreading myself too thin, and how does this impact achievements?
- How do I respond to new inspiration? Do I embrace it or do I feel overwhelmed by it?
- In recent times, how often did pride get in the way of inspiration? What opportunities did that spoil?
Ten OF Wands Summary
The Ten of Wands symbolizes the climax of the activities of the spiritual Tree which produces inspiriations. Inspirations kick off meaningful creative pursuits that enrich our soul.
Where Do Tarot Card Meanings actually Come From?
The meanings of Tarot cards come from various sources. The most common are:
- The position of the Tarot cards on the Tree of Life
- Astrological correspondences (signs, planets, & houses)
- The symbolism of Tarot cards
- Intuition
- Meanings that pertain to fortune-telling
Most of the Tarot card meanings you can google are astrological correspondences and go back to the Golden Dawn and Arthur Edward Waite. Astrological meanings dominate at present because Astrology is a divination tool and favors fortune-telling. But these meanings are unsuitable for (psychological) Tarot readings.
If you are interested in an overview of the astrological correspondences, you can download a high-resolution chart by subscribing to the Enlightenment Tarot.
Tarot card meanings are a bit of a mess since the meanings that pertain to their position on the Tree of Life are mixed up with astrological correspondences, symbolic interpretations, and fortune-telling connotations. That’s tedious to memorize. Further, tarotists’ opinions, knowledge, and linguistic backgrounds shaped some of these interpretations. Last but not least, many meanings are fuzzy, contradictory, and overlap. If you want to understand why they overlap, read the article How to Deal With the Overlapping Meanings of Tarot cards.
The meanings of the Enlightenment Tarot are based on an objective, holistic framework: the Tree of Life and the four levels of human expression. The resulting meanings are transparent and logical, and hence, easier to memorize.
What do Various Tarotists Say about the Meaning of the Ten of Wands?
Let’s explore what different tarotists wrote about the Ten of Wands.
Usually, tarotists consider the astrological significance of Tarot cards. The Ten of Wands corresponds to the third decanate of Sagittarius, ruled by Sagittarius and Jupiter and sub-ruled by Leo and the Sun.
This merges the aspiring benevolent forces of Sagittarius with the rulership forces of Leo, whereby the aspiring benevolent forces dominate.
What Paul Foster Case Said About the Meanings of the Ten of Wands
For the Ten of Wands, Paul Foster Case offered the keyword fullness of power.
Fullness of power or rather fullness of intent hints at the power of materialization which wraps up the activities of the spiritual Tree.
These are Paul’s auspicious meanings: generosity, success and honor in connection with the law or religion or philosophy, the possibility of a position of responsibility, and gain through travel.
Generosity is a character trait of Sagittarians. The other attributions go back to the seventh house of experience, which rules religion, philosophy, and long journeys.
Paul gave two sets of inauspicious meanings. The first includes oppression, ostentation, dogmatism, and overbearing pride. The second comprises burdens of ill-regulated power, the burden of too many responsibilities, having too many irons in the fire, and lack of order in the querent’s affairs or activities.
The first set of inauspicious meanings goes back to the negative character traits of Leo natives, i.e. the character traits of selfish rulers.
The second set indicates the consequences of accepting and pursuing too many inspirations, for which the querent may lack the talent, energy, skill, and/or experience.
What Arthur Edward Waite Said About the Meanings of the Ten of Wands
Arthur Edward Waite connects this card with honor and good faith.
Receiving inspirations from the higher self is indeed an honor. And we should always give the higher self the benefit of the doubt that it knows best what’s good for us. Having faith in the higher self lightens the load of incarnation.
Arthur agrees this card indicates oppression (a negative Leo/rulership trait), but adds that it promises fortune, gain, and success. The promise of success goes back to the power of inspiration, but mind that success is still a long way away. Arthur mentions that the place which the figure is approaching may suffer from the rods that he carries. This hints the typical win-lose approach of greedy people in power.
Arthur thinks an inauspicious Ten of Wands can also indicate deception, disguise, disloyalty, intrigues, and betrayal. These are the adversities that the people in the rulership game face.
Last but not least, Arthur thinks that if the querent’s question in one of a lawsuit, there will be certain loss. This seems off since the house of lawsuits is that of Libra, not Sagittarius.
What Etteilla Said About the Meaning of the Ten of Wands
Etteilla, a French occultist and the first known professional tarotist, offers the meanings of lies and obstacle.
Lies fits to intrigues – the Leo connection. Materialization produces solidity, which can resist us and offer obstacles we need to overcome during our creative pursuits.
What Papus Said About the Meaning of the Ten of Wands
Papus, another French occultist and the founder of the Martinist Order, offers the meaning of uncertainty.
This is an inauspicious meaning, which is one-sided. It also seems off since Materialization solidifies, which counteracts uncertainty.
What Gregor Mather Said About the Meaning of the Ten of Wands
Gregor Mather, the founder of the Golden Dawn, claims that an auspicious Ten of Wands signifies confidence, security, honour, and good faith. We already covered honor and good faith. Security is a fitting meaning since Materialization produces stability.
Confidence feels off since it is a response to verification which is a matter of the higher self and takes place on a lower level of human expression.
Gregor’s inauspicious meanings are treachery, subterfuge, and double-dealing. These meanings pertain to the Leo connection and the adversities people faces who are involved in the power game.
What Mme. Le Marchand Said About the Meaning of the Ten of Wands
Mme. Le Marchand, a 19th century, celebrated Parisian fortune teller, said that the Ten of Wands signifies a long journey by train and great advantages therefrom.
This goes back to the seventh house of experiences and long journeys ruled by Sagittarius.
The Psychological Framework of the Enlightenment Tarot
Every Tarot card represents a faculty of consciousness. We can use a faculty of consciousness constructively and destructively. This produces favorable and adverse experiences.
We can express faculties of consciousness on four levels:
- The spiritual level (wands/fire/intention)
- The creative-feely level (cups/water/imagination)
- The intellectual level (swords/air/intelligence)
- The bodily level (pentacles/earth/bodily action)
The four tools on the magician’s table symbolize these four levels:
- The wand (spiritual)
- The cup (creative-feely)
- The sword (intellectual)
- The pentagram (bodily)
These tools correspond to the four so-called elements: fire, water, air, and earth.
For this reason, the Enlightenment Tarot wands are made of fire, the cups consist of water, and the pents are composed of earth. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to illustrate something made of air, since air is invisible. For that reason, all swords are made of crystal to show at least transparency.
The Enlightenment Tarot derives its meaning from the Tree of Life and the four levels of human expression. This is an objective, holistic framework that reveals the psychological imports of Tarot cards and their faculties of consciousness. Read more about this framework in the article The Psychological Framework of the Enlightenment Tarot.
The Enlightenment Tarot project attempts to rediscover the original meanings of the Tarot cards that pertain to their position on the Tree of Life. These meanings are simple, clear, and easy to memorize.
*This framework is compatible with Paul Foster Case’s qabalistic system.
Do you want to Learn more About The Enlightenment Tarot?
If you want to delve deep into the psychological meanings of Tarot cards, read the book Tarot of Life.
If you are curious about how the Enlightenment Tarot came about, read this article.
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If you are looking for a psychological Tarot deck, you came to the right place. The Enlightenment Tarot derives the cards’ meanings from a holistic and transparent framework that is easy to learn and memorize. All major and minor arcana carry psychological titles, and the court cards display psychological profiles. Have a look at the Enlightenment Tarot deck here.
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