Deviant Moon - Ten of Wands

teomat

Under a full moon, a 'croc' man walks along a path, carrying a bundle of ten wands tightly but awkwardly. They look as thought they could slip out at any moment, but going by the man's fierce expression, you wouldn't be inclined to help him pick them up.

He clings to them as if they are valuable - which they may be - but they are only deadwood. What does he need them for? For a fire? For a building project?

He's somewhat like the miser on the Four of Pentacles (in the RWS), although rather than not being able to share his possessions, this man is unable to share (and lighten) his load. Have the wands been forced onto him, or is his inability to ask for help causing him to suffer alone.

The LWB says he's a worker on his way home. So was his work to cut these wands for his house? Is he an overburdened father trying to provide for his family?

There's a sense of loneliness in this image - he carries these burdens alone and without complaint. Though everyone thinks he's managing OK, the load weighs down his heart. Perhaps we see someone suffering, and yet we're reluctant to offer help? He may look scary, but we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.
 

bumble bee

10 of wands - deviant moon

10 indicates the end of a cycle. Time to go on to another cycle. He has carried these long enough. He carries the weight alone - he should have
some help. Maybe he needs to break away from a self destructive relationship.Speak up and get the help you need or move on.
 

callistoluna

The creature in this card is a little unusual looking, in my opinion - no other person/creature in the deck looks like this one - he is singular in his look. The only other creatures who come close are the 9 of wands (and it is a mask that this one is wearing) and major arcana card XIII ("Death un-named).
Maybe the 10 is a continuation of the 9? The creature in the 9 is sitting in front of the eight wands (leading up the stairs) with one next to it a light. Maybe when the light goes out, it picks up all the wands it has collected and goes on it's way. There could be the 10th one on a stair that is not pictured, and the mask has become the face of the creature in the 10 because it has been wearing it for so long?
The wands in the 10 look dry and dead. In the other wands cards, the wands are functional (being used as tools or have leaves on them so they are alive and being used). In this one they seem to be a burden on this creature - maybe this is a meaning in itself - you have to use your wand energy as it becomes available - you can't save and store it because it will lose it's freshness/spontaniety after a time - intuition and creativity is spontaneous! It is not meant to be held on to, clutched at like it's going out of fashion....
Feedback and opinions welcome on this - I like to stare at the image and see a story to the suits and I refer to the creatures in this deck as "it" unless I think they look particularly?obviously masculine or feminine. In this card, I think it could be either or.
 

callistoluna

callistoluna said:
The creature in this card is a little unusual looking, in my opinion - no other person/creature in the deck looks like this one - he is singular in his look. The only other creatures who come close are the 9 of wands (and it is a mask that this one is wearing) and major arcana card XIII ("Death un-named).

AND there is a creature the same in the 5 of wands....didn't see that one until I pulled it this morning.
 

.traveller.

This image reminds me of a workaholic, so focused on the task at hand that everything else is disregarded. From an outsider's perspective, we can say "Oh, he needs help. He should ask for help. He shouldn't carry so much. He's overloaded." However, from the perspective of the workaholic "I do the work because it needs to be done. If I don't gather the firewood, then there is no fire. If there is no fire, there is no supper."

Or in real world terms, if we don't do the work then the bills don't get paid... and we all know what happens when the bills don't get paid.

Overburdened perhaps, but maybe a necessary burden as well.
 

kaushalyaandfrank

From the LWB:

Although he struggles, his abilities are sufficient to manage his heavy load.

Having a burden to bear, but being able to handle it.


Aside from the positive spin as to being able to handle the burden, the creature is a "he" :)