Fairy Lights Card Pair:Ten of Swords and xxx

Hemera

Ten of Swords and 5 of Chalices form a pair and such an interesting pair,too! There is a lot going on and I think this pair raises lots of questions.

Questions:
* Are they friends or foes? Are they opposing or balancing one another?
* Is the angry man with his three headed beast threatening the girl? Has he driven the girl to that precarious situation? Or has he come to rescue her?
* Or maybe he is actually envious of what the girl can do and angry/envious because he can proceed no further?
* Which one is actually the stronger one of the two? The girl seems unafraid of the man and the beats. She is not interested in them at all in fact, but is more focused on her hanging/climbing process.
 

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Wintergreen

The Ten of Swords was the very first card I drew for myself from my new deck. I had asked what I needed to get myself out if a certain situation, and when I looked at its pair, things became clear!

The ten features a three-headed dog. In mythology, this is Cerberus, guardian of the entrance to Hades. Its said that each head has a taste for meat, and so he allows only spirits to cross the river Styx, and devours the rest.

The accompanying dark figure is then either Hercules engaged in his 12th task of bringing the hell-hound to the surface, or a demon of Hades patrolling its borders. I guess the interpretation would depend on the context.

The light & quick figure on the right could be Psyche, who outwitted the beast in her quest to visit Persephone in the underworld. It could simply indicate that there is an escape even though things seem dire, if you're willing to take a risk.

Inspired by the context in which I drew the Ten, I'd see this pair as indicating that oppression has pushed you to the edge. To remain in a trapped position will result in being devoured by these oppressive forces, but with some creativity, courage & trust in your abilites, you can devise an exit strategy that will put you beyond the reach of the oppressor.
 

Wintergreen

Looking at the tableau from the opposite point of view, perhaps the figure of light has just finished climbing up to this plateau, and her task is to confront the beast. Perhaps she is spirit and will be allowed to pass into the realm of the underworld, there to confront her shadow. Perhaps she is flesh as Psyche was, in which case she is hopefully armed with the 3 honey cakes for the beast that will distract him long enough for her to pass.

This could indicate an initiatory experience, a test or a trial to come for the querent, a difficulty to be overcome on a journey.
 

Hemera

Thank you for adding mythology into the picture! I love your take on the card!:love: More to add to my notebook.
 

Wintergreen

Thanks Hemera. I'm pondering the friends/foes, balancing idea also. Light & dark. Angry thoughts & ease of heart.
 

Laura Borealis

I like these interpretations. I would not have thought of Psyche and Cerberus.

I just got this deck, and of course the first thing I did was match the cards up. When I first saw this pair, I didn't see the two figures in opposition. I thought, "Two different approaches to a problem." One, to fight it, the other to avoid. Either approach could be positive or negative, depending on the situation.