Other Approaches Are Possible

Regarding the Ten of Wands, Lettie Jane Rennenkamp in her Many Queens Tarot asks us, “Are you trying to do too much?” and “You have been letting go of some of your burdens, do you feel lighter?” She also lets us know that “Other approaches are possible, you can ask for help. Don’t defined the need to be perfect.” While a huge part of our daily dive into the cards is day-specific (I engage a brief ritual prayer and invocation before pulling a card for the collective and we explore the card’s astrological correspondence to this specific day) there is always much to be learned about the card itself and its home-base astrological placement on any day through reading this column.

We take a three-pronged approach to each daily card draw.

1. We will learn about the card itself
2. We will learn about it’s astrological home-base and why we may be directed to tune into that placement within ourselves today
3. We will calculate where the home planet and sign are today and figure out their angle/aspect and what it indicates. If it isn’t obvious from the daily astrological chart, I will literally use a protractor to determine the angle.

Our card for today is the 10 of Wands. A Tarot card which we see displaying similar imagery across many decks, our protagonist (self) attempting to manage, push, carry, a heavy burden all alone.

1. The Ten of Wands most simply, tells us to slow down, delegate, stop working so hard. Her more complicated request is for us to know our own limits. This can be related to general work and life things, but an undercurrent of the 10 of Wands has to do with addiction. She urges us to set boundaries and relinquish part of our load. Sometimes the fiery enthusiasm of fire element (represented by the suit of Wands) can tip over (as the 10 does) into over-enthusiasm- we take on more than we can handle and eventually the pressure begins to affect us in various ways, burn out, addiction, resentment and having our imaginations stifled, just to name a few. Today this card guides us to do only what is necessary, don’t be afraid to say no, don’t be afraid to share responsibilities. So let’s see how the astrological correspondences can assist us in tuning in to what’s really most important today.
2. Saturn In the third decan of Sagittarius — “The Lord of Oppression” — Here we have the opportunity to look at a couple of Saturn’s traits that can be particularly oppressive to care-free gregarious dreamer traveler Sagittarius. First imagine Saturn’s rings as restrictive binds. Saturn is also a planet (like Earth but even more so) that actually has atmospheric gravity. Because of this, Saturn can be a real drag sometimes, making our thoughts heavy and our ability to hope and dream can become quite limited.
3. Saturn Novile (40 degrees from) the third decan of Sagittarius — The Novile aspect points to a more mystical concept of oneself and life. This is classically defined as ending one life phase and beginning another and carries the energy of both endings and creation simultaneously. Here we have the opportunity to step through the Sagittarian portal of possibilities- curiosity, honesty, exploration, playfulness. These things all already exist within life but we have to actively choose to grow more curious about the unfamiliar in order ameliorate or fully end the more damaging aspects of Saturn’s force upon us. Of course, balance is always necessary and Saturn’s offering off structure and discipline is also really important in this journey with the Ten of Wands. Inevitably, one choice will always lead to the loss of another. The 10 of Wands asks us what we are willing to lose in order to birth something better.

I will also just note that the moon phase and sign today (January 5, 2021) is a waning gibbous moon in the sign of Libra. This is a wonderful opportunity to ride with the momentum of these forces to unburden ourselves. As we know, Libra always gives us the chance to “tip the scales” per se, to quite significantly shift the balance in terms of what we are carrying. The waning gibbous moon offers us a monthly opportunity to do a bit of banishing- to send “bad luck”, damaging habits and toxic people away from our lives. Through the lens of the Ten of Wands, I ask you to tune in to whether any of those things describe the burden you’re carrying. As the card itself mentions addiction, perhaps toxic habits may be a good focus for today. Also as relates to toxic people or relationships in our lives, the “habit” there can be a damaging behavior or mindset that keeps us stuck in those dynamics.

If you’ve enjoyed today’s column, I invite you to join my weekly email group where we practice the mystical art of scrying to improve our psychic senses and deepen our relationship to the Tarot. Sign up here to receive that email in your inbox every Saturday.