10 Batons - how may it be read?

I have, on a rare occasion, taken the central background as though it was foreground, and seen instead of ten Bastons seven 'candles', reflected below with another seven - an implied Menorah and hence also a full created Tree of Life, with its reflection below.

The ten to me often symbolises completion, and also manifestation.

Batons I relate often to the land, to physical work, and to artistic or creative endeavours.

The ten Batons may therefore also indicate that something which a person has been sweating and working on is, with the support from the spiritual hierarchies, begin to take place and manifest within the world. Events around one may be altering in order for the creation to manifest.

I have included, for the sake of study and reflection, versions of the Dodal, Payen, Conver (from the pear-woodcut), and Hadar...

what an innovative approach to sparce symbolism

I see the seven candles now, I hadn't noticed them before and yet they are so obvious!

I see the Batons as relating to creativity and energy but also with a kind of strength or staying power. They constantly renew, encourage and push that little bit further, until completion, then the cycle starts again. There is no rest it's a constant progression.

I find the knitting together of the Batons important, that is where the fire is and where the power comes from. The fire gathers strength through the cards 2-10 and by the tenth card there is alot of force and drive behind the energy, so this is like the make or break time...... it's the end, and then the beginning of the next endeavour.

I am looking specifically at the Heron Conver, so another scan:

Candelabrum

Menorah: in the Jewish religion, a special candle holder with
places for 7-9 candles, which is used in religious celebrations.

1. With 9 branches used during the Hanukkah festival.
2. With 7 branches used to symbolize the 7 days of creation.

Seven:

http://menorah.literature.at/img/menorah.jpg

http://www.twisty.org/illustrator/menorah.jpg

Nine:

http://www.berrypatchfarms.net/menorah.gif

jmd said:

I have, on a rare occasion, taken the central background as though it was foreground, and seen instead of ten Bastons seven 'candles', reflected below with another seven - an implied Menorah...

Click to expand...

Why not just use either the VII or VIIII de Batons for this analogy?

One approach to understanding the inner workings of the Marseille
batons is to sketch the 10 as a template, and then, beginning with
2 ~ shade in the areas for each card, 2 through 10, to reveal the
symetry within the pattern and how it actually works in each card.

Only the 10 will have all its batons shaded in, with the others being
completed (as one may visualise or discover by shading in sketches)
by various combinations of the 10 batons or the spaces in between.

When Fulgour asks 'Why not just use either the VII or VIIII de Batons for this analogy?', the answer is rather simple: because this was the first thread that has lent itself to it - no other reason.

Of course, as Menorah, only the ten Batons depicts this.

I once made a collection of images that captured something
of my feelings about 10 de Bâton and its many possibilities:

Aeclectic Tarot Forum - Ten of Wands
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=28775

...no abruptness was intended... but perhaps that's what happens as I try and do too many things at once - a certain un-intended and unwritten tone comes across. I do not see the contradiction I made - but am simply perhaps not seeing the obvious.

Personally, I consider the suggestion Fulgour makes for a template with the ten bastons, and then for only some of these to be coloured in at a time, in order to see how the two, the three, etc, may come to the fore to be excellent. And then to also make such comparison with a three, five, six, etc. to see if and how the template is different from the other numbered cards, and possibly why (in terms of its making).

With regards as to how it may be read, I only suggested the Menorah simply because with this card it does indeed suggest itself if one reverses one's normal visual orientation to the card.

I also totally agree with Moonbow* regarding the importance of the 'knitting together of the Batons'. To me, this may suggest the enclosure of a container (a weaved basket) or hedge.

The weaving, as I also suggested in my rendition (based on the Payen six Batons) for the Aeclectic Community project, also suggests 'the skills with which one may transform one's environment through the building, construction and transformation of the various raw materials at one's disposal'.

thanks jmd

If # = Batons (10) then we do see 7 internal spaces:
# 1 # 2 # 3 # - # 4 # - # 5 # 6 # 7 #
And we might even count the two dashes to get 9.

I'm going to politely assume, jmd, the Air element?

Considering the inherent symbolism of each view,
and representational meanings of each branch:
Is there a further analogy beyond the physical?

Thanks for pointing out the seven candle like shapes JMD, had not noticed that before. The reflective element between top and bottom [as above, so below] suggests to me the 10 digits of the hands and the 10 digits of the feet, fingers and toes, and the place of the covenant woven in the body between them. What are the differences between the versions? The most obvious is that the two X are replaced by crowns in the conver. 'Aterah' crown being the place of the covenant?

Kwaw