Couple; dogs; Odysseus; skull; Tree of Life
Ros, did you draw this card in isolation or as part of a larger spread? If the latter, for what position?
I've always thought of the younger couple as circling/orbiting each other, rather than disconnected or facing off. They recall the Three of Cups, in which we see fullness/completion of another kind -- very strong and very "tight" (three being the least number necessary to create an enclosed space), as opposed to the "looseness" of material abundance (which seems less...controllable?). The Ten feels close, claustrophobic: lots of "stuff", though not necessarily in a bad way. The old man is surrounded by comforts, as if wrapped in a thick blanket -- not at center stage, but definitely cared for.
I tend to make much of the white dogs. I see them as a sort of pure spirit; the people in this image, to me, are not at odds with the material world, but draw strength from it. It's like those birds that are always twittering around Snow White, or the medieval belief that unicorns were attracted to virgin young girls -- that natural spirits are attracted implies purity, a resonance or alignment with natural forces. The dogs are at ease, playful, affectionate, so the scene must be somehow *right*. All the characters form a kind of chain -- young man connects to woman, to child, to dog, to old man, to other dog. (I also tend to think of the child as looking at the aged man, noticing him, including him.)
I like the Odysseus reading and can see it in the R-W rendering, but personally I'd shy away from it. When Odysseus returned home in disguise, he was *uneasy*, not-secure, for his roles as husband and lord were being threatened by a line of persistent suitors. For him, the big battle, in which he eventually expelled the suitors and reclaimed his position, was yet to come. I agree that this card is more about this man than about the younger couple, but I think of it as a card of resting contentedly on the sidelines, letting others continue what's begun. Ten; completion; no more strife, no more plot twists.
To me the dimness of the wall images (skull, &c.) represents the distant past, the world outside the walls, struggles overcome. This is the burden that the old man has already carried. He has created a strong home in which his family can grow in peace and security, and now he can pet the pets and just "relax with his thoughts". The only negative I generally read here is the danger of complacency or insularity -- i.e., things may be good and comfortable within this home, but growth requires adversity, adventure, novelty, discomfort. Basically, a good, warm, secure card, though with the usual caveats about warmth and security.
Wish I could offer some wisdom on the Tree of Life; I pursued the Kabbalah zealously for a while, but I never could connect it with my here-and-now. I'd expect to see the Tree in Swords, rather than in Pentacles, but I suppose rendering it in any other suit would pose logistical problems! :} AEW might say the Tree transcends/exceeds all suits.
Still, I might make one point about it: The discussion of this card has touched several times on the themes of inheritance and transfer, and to me the essence of the Tree is just that kind of *flow*: a shift in focus, or energy/essence moving in a mass among points. Concentration shifts from one space to another -- old man to young couple, young couple to child, sephira to sephira, point A to point B. This may or may not be the origin of your reader's association with relocation, but it does seem to tie the card thematically to the Tree of Life.
Hope this helps! I don't have much experience with this, so I'd be glad to hear thoughts. Best wishes!
