I’ve written interpretations for every card in the Wild Unknown Tarot. As the box of the deck states, there are no rights or wrongs. These are simply my perspectives on the tarot card meanings. I hope you find them useful!
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Ten of Wands :: Wild Unknown Tarot
Creator’s Keywords: burden, the hard road
Carrie’s Keywords: overextending, energetic clutter

Ten of Wands Tarot Card Meanings in the Wild Unknown

 
The card is dominated by a black lined background which reminds me of heavy rain. The dreariness is so thick that you can hardly see the dark wands scattered about. It’s hard to find the way forward when all you can see is a cluttered bundle of wands.

This card brings back to mind the cross-purposes we saw in the Five of Wands. But in the five, the wands still seemed to have a fighting spirit. In the ten, the wands look almost as though they have given up, they lay about in utter disarray. They’ve reached a dead end, they’re overextended.

The suit of wands is about enthusiasm, instinct, personal energy and movement. Tens are about taking the suit to its logical conclusion. Thus in the Ten of Wands, we see a depiction of burn out. What was once excitement has become too much of a good thing. There is no focus, the excitement has essentially imploded upon itself.

This card reminds you that enthusiasm is not the only necessary ingredient! The fiery energy of wands can lead to taking on more projects, tasks, and plot lines than you can reasonably follow through with. When you reach this maximum capacity, everything becomes slowed and burdened. It is now necessary to prioritize and declutter so you can get on with the good stuff.

Ten of Wands Tarot Card Meanings in General

 

With the first person perspective of The Spacious Tarot you really get the sense of carrying all those wands. There’s still some vigor left in the background (the red haze) but pressing on is a lot to navigate. The Waite-Smith tarot version shows a person hunched over, trying to walk forward with a huge bundle of wands in their hands. However, all those wands obscure the person’s vision, so it seems as though they are not making much progress!

In some instances, the wands represent energies you consciously chose to bring into your experience. Being a multi-passionate person is great… until you find you have so many hobbies and interests and projects that you’re not actually getting anywhere with any of them.

But this card can also show those experiences in which everything in life just seems to happen at once. You might feel like you’re putting out metaphoric fires right and left, and this can be quite exhausting. In such instances, this card can be a sort of warning sign, reminding you to take breaks, to delegate responsibilities, to not expect yourself to do EVERYTHING.

In a reading

 

The Ten of Wands may be an indicator that there’s some energetic clutter taking up space in your life. It may now be necessary to tie up loose ends and let go of things that no longer light you up. Reaffirm your priorities and, as they say, be careful about biting off more than you can chew.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, especially if you feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle. Manage your expectations of yourself and others. It may also be necessary to adapt a broader perspective. Instead of fixating on all the clutter in your view right now, take a step back and look at the bigger picture. An unobscured view could do you wonders!

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