Tens are about completion. Not completion in the sense of being done with a thing and having nothing more to do with it. No, this is about completion that is a culmination of everything that has come before. We have finished this part of the journey and are completing, all the while knowing that we are not starting over from scratch, we are starting over from a point of experience and hard won knowledge. There is a distinct difference.
The 10 of Runes is about oppression from external forces. Let’s look at the card more closely.
A bear is dressed like the grim reaper. He stands with scythe in front of a stock ticker for the NASDAQ. His keyword is Consequences. He also stands in front of a mass of lava from an erupting volcano. The keyword here is Destruction. Standing on top of this volcano, feet firmly planted in the hot mire, is the multi-colored sacred cow of money or finances. The keyword here is Oppression. Rising above all this is the phoenix, a mythological bird of rebirth, hope and survival.
Now… most people dread seeing this card come up. I would encourage you to shift your perspective to a more resourceful one. While this card shows us that we are under oppressive energies that have, most usually, the consequences of destruction, it is not just showing us this. It also shows us that out of the oppression, consequences and destruction rises rebirth, hope and survival. There is another side to this story. It is one of overcoming, learning from our consequences and being smarter and taking destruction and creating beauty and regrowth from it.
On a personal note: typically Tarot cards will show this card with the negative connotations associated with it. It is up to the reader to encourage the Querent to try to find something here besides destruction and doom. As a Querent, however, if you are presented this card, you only seem to think and take away negativity. As an eternal optimist and someone who loves balance and making things easy for most, I had to add the phoenix. It was appropriate for me.
Let’s look at the symbols on the card.
Saturn, Fire and Sagittarius are at the top of the card. The runes under Saturn are: Nauthiz (personal growth and life lesson, consequences from past actions), Jera (cyclical process, right timing), Perthro (evolutionary force, doom). The runes under Sagittarius are Thurisaz (destruction by natural forces, regenerative catalyst), Ihwaz (movement toward Enlightenment, destruction), Hagalaz (crisis and catastrophe, changes for the long-term good).
The Tree of Life path is Malkuth (kingdom) in Atziluth (emanation).
What do you see in this card? How would you interpret it?
Until tomorrow… Love, light and blessings!
Journey Through Tarot 
It is nice to see the “other side” of this oppressive card in the card itself. I’ve recently seen an interpretation, I think, of the Wildwood 10 of Bows that emphasizes the reward the man will have at his village when he arrives with all these resources for getting food, etc. And I’m still finding the references to postmodern life refreshing (NASDAQ). Also, the use of the Bear as Grim Reaper. Now that I think of it, it’s as if all the 10 cards are actually different frequencies of the energy of the Major card, Death XIII.
Lady Joanne I do love your comments! I couldn’t get on with the Wildwood Tarot. It just didn’t speak to me. But yes, the 10s are that way inclined. It isn’t really about the ending… it’s about the transformative beginning! Love, light and blessings!
Yep, everything runs in spiraling circles, of course. The 10s relate to The Universe, the Fool, the Aces as well. I have also put the Wildwood away. I love Worthington’s illustrations, but the author’s environmentalist agenda gets in the way a lot of times, I think. The Stone Age illustrations don’t always match up well with 21st century environmentalist concerns. They were in survival mode back then, those people in the cards.
Nice write-up on the 10 of Runes/Wands, Jean. How come you decided to go with Runes for Wands? Like you, I also associate this card with Phoenix energies.
Hi Lisa!
How wonderful to see you here! I’ll answer both of your comments in one.
I used the Runes for Wands because that is what my inspirational intuition led me to do. As this deck and book was delivered to me in a dream, I am following my intuition for all of it. I don’t decide, I just accept what I am led to and do. It’s a fabulous arrangement! There has been such serendipitous and synchronous moments so far!
The phoenix was appropriate here. It is a fire animal and it balances the bear and the cow nicely. Again, this was inspired.
I realize these are small cards. I make them this way so people won’t be too tempted to do a runner with them. That is why I take the time to ‘see’ the cards in the write-up.
I have plans I am working on that will enable me to publish larger, watermarked cards on a website I’m developing. Watch this space as there will be more information as I get closer to having it up and running!
Thanks again for your comments, Lisa! Love, light and blessings! ♥
ps. I like what I see… just wish I could click to enlarge the card image. Kinda difficult to make out parts of the card…