10 of Wands & The Hanged Man
10 of Wands & The Hanged Man
Analysis:
Both figures have blond hair and a similar style of dress (tunic, tights, belt).
Crosses are evident in each scene. In the 10, we see a figure holding a stack of sticks that cross over one another. Their arms are also crossed in front of them holding the bundle. In The Hanged Man, we see a figure hanging from a T-shaped tree, arms crossed behind their back, and leg crossed as well.
In terms of contrasts, the 10 of Wands depicts someone who is totally encumbered with their load - burdened and bearing the weight of things. In The Hanged Man, we see the total opposite. Someone at rest, suspended in time and seemingly at peace.
While The Hanged Man is a Major, there is definitely some wand-like activity happening in the card. Just look at the tree they are is hanging from - it has the little leaves and all!
The 10 of Wands is attributed to the 3rd decan of Sagittarius, which is ruled by Saturn, which itself is linked to the symbol of the Tau cross, depicted on the Hanged Man. The elemental juxtaposition of fire (wands) and water (Hanged Man) can also be seen in the Temperance card, which is linked to Sagittarius as well. In addition, the number of Temperance, 14, can be linked to Osiris, an important deity of death and resurrection (i.e. Hanged Man) in our Western mystery traditions. In Egyptian mythology, Set cut Osiris into 14 separate pieces and scattered them in the waters of the Nile, wherefrom Isis collected them - minus his phallus, which was eaten by a fish - and resurrected him with the help of Nephthys and Thoth.
If you take the numbers assigned to each card and add them together (10 + 12) you arrive at 22. The number 22 points to the 22 Majors in tarot, the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet and 22 paths on the tree of life.
Further to the numbers connection, we could suggest that the 10 of Wands depicts the Sephirothic energies in a raw, unstable form, but if we work our way up the Tree, traversing the 22 paths represented by the Majors and undergoing the necessary initiatory experiences, we can thereby create a stable psycho-spiritual "structure" that can withstand the hardships of life. (The number 22 can further be reduced to 4, which is also linked to the symbol of the cross, and the 4 harmonized and equilibrated elements.)
What do YOU see???
Possible Interpretation:
Ultimately, we see a very Christ-like narrative playing out here. If you look at the cards as a storyboard, then we have someone literally walking themselves to a cross, carrying the burden of that cross every step of the way. It's much like the story of all of our lives. We are so so attached in this life. Attached to ourselves, to our property, to our guilt, our grievances, our history, our opinions, our relationships (no need to go on, it’s endless). What if the point is to form these attachments, only to have to relinquish them all? To fully involve and immerse ourselves, and then just as fully commit to releasing all that we have immersed ourselves in? We come here to learn, experience and thus accumulate. But, maybe there comes a point where we’ve acquired so much that we can no longer bare it, and then we must begin the sometimes long and arduous journey toward releasing it all.
We often see the 10 of Wands as having accumulated too much, but maybe that "too much" can also be our gateway to "something greater". Tim described it the other day as "taking out the trash", and I think that quite fits. It is often in crisis that breakthroughs occur - when we think we can't take one more step, that inspiration suddenly finds us. Remember, the word "sacrifice" comes from the Latin "sacrificium", which translates to, "to make sacred". In other words, it is not a true sacrifice unless what we give up is replaced with something of even more value. Like Odin who hung himself from Yggdrasil (a sacred tree in Norse cosmology), giving up his eye in exchange for wisdom/divine sight. We aren't just letting go for no reason - we're doing it because there is something to be gained.
The Hanged Man echoes the sentiments from mythology and religion, and knows the message to be true. There is a reason they look so at peace, a halo surrounding their head, poised in gesture. The Hanged Man is all of us who have reached such a breaking point, who are ready to make that "sacrifice" and let go of our ordinary way of seeing things, in favour of new and extraordinary views, even if they appear to come at a cost on the surface.
“Buddhism teaches that joy and happiness arise from letting go. Please take an inventory of your life. There are things you’ve been hanging on to that really are not useful and deprive you of your freedom. Find the courage to let them go. ”