10 of Wands: Sagittarius III
Decan ruler (Chaldean): Saturn
Hermetic title: Oppression
Corresponding majors: The World [Saturn] + Temperance [Sagittarius]
Dates: December 11- December 20
Striking the Target
We have arrived at the final decan of Sagittarius. The northern sunlight is steadily diminishing, to reach its nadir at the conclusion of this period. The arrow, propelled with ruthless swiftness by the archer's strength, buries its shaft in the bulls' eye with a fatal thunk. Half the zodiacal year is spent, and we shall see no more of the fiery suit of wands till spring. Everywhere, folks are straining at max capacity. Somewhere along the line - probably back in the 7 - someone said "Failure is not an option!" and now, everyone is paying for it.
The Heavy Lifting
The Hermetic title of the 10 of Wands is "the Lord of Oppression". While all 10's are extreme carriers of freight, none are as burdensome as the 10 of Wands. Why is that? Well, let's look at the themes we've explored in the wands suit - dominion, virtue, completion, strife, victory, valor, swiftness, strength - and now - oppression. These are stations along a journey of conquest. Certainly, some are more easeful than others. But the ambition and determination of the suit were only ever going to end one way: total domination. In this dynamic, both oppressor and oppressed bear burdens, though they are of different kinds. The tyrant has sacrificed his humanity for an end that justifies the means, and now he must forever defend the shell of his victory. The subjects, meanwhile, have lost their freedom and autonomy. As they strain under the yoke, the seeds of their eventual uprising already germinate.
It's generally accepted that Smith took her inspiration for the 10 of Wands image from the 10 of Swords in the Sola Busca Tarot. Black-and-white images of the Sola Busca deck were produced in 1907 and exhibited in London; the Waite-Smith collaboration took place in 1909. When you compare the two, the color palette's different and, of course, one has wands and one swords. But the framing, the body language, the awkwardness of the image is the same. If the bundle were on his back, it would be heavy but manageable. As it is, the bundle is precariously balanced, ergonomically ridiculous, and what's more, it's blocking his sight. Who carries anything like that?!
The fact is, those sticks are coming down. And the question I’ve been asking my clients for over 20 years is this: Where are you going to drop them? In front, or behind you? Drop them behind you, and you move on - less empowered maybe, but baggage-free. Drop them before you, and you get to do this all over again.
The other thing to consider is this: what are wands made of? Wood - fuel for the fire. The main source of heating in my house is a wood stove, and at this time of year, firewood is a big part of our lives. Back and forth to the woodpile to the woodbox and the woodbox to the stove (when we're not neck-deep in that other winter task, shoveling the driveway) - it's cyclical hibernal drudgery! One thing I'll tell you about building a fire is that if you load in too much wood, it won't light. Fire feeds on earth, but it needs air to breathe. (More about that later.) So too can ambition stifle the talent and inspiration that surrounds it. But should you manage to ignite your 10-too-many wands, you will have a true conflagration on your hands! It will not stop until it has exhausted itself by destroying everything in sight, and that's a message of this card too.
Going for the Gold
Images from this decan are widely varied. Some are violent, some are louche, but all portray in one way or another a state of unchecked will. There's something else they have in common: "a man whose color of complexion is golden," "a man wearing a cap of gold," "a man similar to a golden color". Gold, we know, is a color of kingship, wealth, and power; and while decan ruler Saturn traditionally corresponds to lead, it's sometimes linked to gold as well.
As practitioners, we often aspire to become one with our Will - to align our purpose with our whole being. But what if our indomitable will is fused to our ego? What is it runs unchecked? To me the image of the man whose skin has turned to gold, who is crowned with gold, seems like a Midas figure. (Also, in the triplicity decan rulership scheme - as opposed to the Chaldean system, which I generally use - the sun is in charge here.) Commentators say the decan signifies "exerting efforts in disgraceful, shameful and harmful actions"; evil desires, evil effects, following one's own will (sequendi voluntatis suas) and determination, activities for evil things, hatred, evil conduct. When the ends justify the means, cruelty and unintended consequences may well follow.
Sagittarius, as indicated previously, has an occult connection to the Temperance card and the rainbow. And as we all know, a pot of gold resides at the rainbow's end. What will happen if we try to chase it down? Will it prove to have been an illusion? Will the rainbow vanish beneath our feet, sending us tumbling to the ground? What will we give up, in our quest to make it our own?
In practice, I have experienced the Saturnine ruler of this decan as a ruthless taskmaster. On 10 of Wands days, there are more chores than can comfortably be done by one person. You take on another and another, chasing that hit of dopamine from accomplishing them - the gold at the end of the rainbow - only to find yourself depleted at the end of the day, with no sweet downtime as reward. This is the workaholic's card, the "just one more" syndrome.
Saturn is an agricultural god, so I have often lived this card outside, carrying kindling or firewood or raking piles of dead leaves or clearing spent raspberry canes or fallen tree limbs. It's rarely a card of new growth so much as dogged cleanup - especially physically taxing chores which take you well beyond your current fitness level, leaving you with a bequest of sore muscles and stiff joints the next day.
The Takeaway.
Since I started recording my draws, the most I've ever drawn any two-card combination is four times. (Only four? you say. Yes - there are 3003 two-card combinations, and given the probabilities I will be lucky if I see all of them in this lifetime.) These "frequent fliers" inevitably have a message for me. One of these repeat combinations is the 10 of Wands + 0, The Fool. The Fool corresponds to elemental Air; the 10 of Wands to leaden Saturn in fiery Sagittarius. In the 10 of Wands, the flames are nearly out, crushed or deprived of oxygen. The embers require the bellows-breath of the Fool to re-ignite.
When you draw the 10 of Wands, be mindful of Saturn, Master of the Hourglass. He will take all the time you offer him, and more. The 10 of Wands often comes with a sense of suffocation, being smothered in obligations. In order to make sure you have a little leeway to breathe freely, play by his rules and schedule the downtime.
Finally, remember that those sticks are going to fall someday - there’s just too many of them to carry - so consider carefully whether you are going to drop them in front of your own stumbling feet, or behind you so you can move on.
Who would fardels bear,
To groan and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
- Hamlet (III.1) by William Shakespeare