Minor Arcana – Ten Batons

The Ten of Wands card portrays a man walking towards a nearby town. The man is shown to carry a very heavy bundle of wands or stick.

These represent the fruits of his labor. The man seems to be overburdened with the weight of his excess baggage. However, he is also aware of the fact that the town he is heading towards is not far away.

Summed up the card tries to portray the story of a man who has worked hard and finished reaping his harvest. Now he is struggling to enjoy the fruits of his labor by trying to bring it to the local market for consumption. The element associated with this card is Fire.

Upright Position: There are two perspectives from which the interpretations of this card are viewed. One part of the assessment is that the subject is being overburdened with work - the source of oppression being some outside factor. The card signifies that the subject is over stressed and too exhausted by the burden that she/he has been thrust upon. There is much more in the plate than the person can handle. The finishing line is nearing; however, it is difficult to ascertain if it can be reached under this much of strain. The key here is to prioritize and manage the time accordingly leaving some breathing space.

The other way of looking at this is that the person has completed a cycle of action - of hard work and labor. Now it is time to reap rewards of all the efforts. The subject is believed to be nearing the finish line. However, the subject is also being aware of the responsibilities that he has to carry on for ongoing success.

Reversed Position: Reversed this card indicates that the subject is trying to evade responsibilities. It may also indicate broken promised, unexpected bad news and overwhelming efforts that do not lead to satisfactory results.