Ten of Wands: Modern RWS Tarot Card Meanings
‘Ten of Wands’, Rider Waite Smith tarot deck.
Upright Ten of Wands Meanings
Keywords
Burdens, Responsibility, Overwhelm, Hard Work, Oppression, Burnout
Generally
The Ten of Wands signifies a period of being heavily burdened and overwhelmed by responsibility. It represents the final, difficult stage of a long struggle, where the weight of your duties has become oppressive. This is the energy of an employee taking on the work of three people, a single parent juggling endless tasks, or a project that has become so large and complex that it is crushing its creator. It speaks of hard work and the heavy price of ambition.
In a Love Context
In matters of love, this card often points to a relationship that has become a significant burden. One or both partners may feel oppressed by the weight of responsibility for the relationship's success. This can represent the overwhelming duties of parenthood, the struggle of caring for a sick partner, or a partnership where the hard work of maintaining it has overshadowed any joy. It is the energy of a relationship that feels more like a duty than a pleasure.
In a Money/Career Context
This card represents being completely overwhelmed and burdened by your work. It might be taking on too many projects, working excessive overtime to the point of burnout, or the oppressive responsibility of a high-pressure leadership role. It can also signify a business that has grown so large that it has become an unmanageable burden for its owner. The card points to a situation where professional ambition has led to an unsustainable level of hard work.
In a Spiritual Context
This can signify a spiritual path that has become an oppressive burden. It may represent a spiritual practice that is filled with too many rigid rules and duties, the heavy responsibility of a leadership role in a spiritual community, or a "dark night of the soul" where your spiritual journey feels like a crushing weight. It is the energy of spiritual burnout, where the work of the soul has become a source of oppression rather than liberation.
In Common Spread Positions
As Advice
Delegate responsibility. Lighten your load. Acknowledge your burnout. Ask for help.
As (Ultimate) Outcome
A period of intense struggle and burnout. A project completed but at a great personal cost.
As Obstacles
Being overwhelmed is preventing success. Too much responsibility. A refusal to delegate.
As Hidden Energy
An unacknowledged burden. The slow creep of burnout. A situation is more oppressive than it appears.
As Resources/Alliances
Your own immense stamina. The ability to handle great responsibility.
‘The Ten of Wands’ Reversed
Keywords
Letting Go, Release, Delegating, Unburdening, Collapse, Failure
Generally
Reversed, the Ten of Wands can point to the act of finally letting go of an overwhelming burden. It signifies delegating tasks, releasing responsibility, or the moment of collapse when you can no longer carry the weight. This can manifest as quitting a stressful job, finally asking for help with a difficult situation, or a project completely failing under its own weight, which brings a sense of release.
In a Love Context
This card often signifies the release of a burdensome relationship. It can be the end of a partnership that had become too much hard work, one partner finally refusing to carry all the emotional weight, or the act of delegating responsibilities more fairly within a couple. It represents the moment you decide a relationship is no longer a burden you are willing to carry.
In a Money/Career Context
This can mean quitting an overwhelming job, delegating tasks to your team, or a major project failing completely. It might represent the realisation that you have taken on too much work and need to unburden yourself. It is the energy of letting go of an oppressive professional situation, either by choice or by collapse.
In a Spiritual Context
This can mean releasing a spiritual practice that has become a source of stress rather than peace. It may represent letting go of a spiritual burden or a dogmatic belief system that has become too oppressive. It is the energy of finding freedom by laying down a spiritual weight you can no longer carry.
In Common Spread Positions
As Advice
Let go of your burdens. Delegate. It is time to stop carrying everything yourself.
As (Ultimate) Outcome
A necessary release. The collapse of an unsustainable situation. A burden finally lifted.
As Obstacles
A refusal to let go of control. An inability to delegate. A fear of what will happen if you are no longer carrying the weight.
As Hidden Energy
A secret desire to quit. An unacknowledged burnout is about to lead to a collapse.
As Resources/Alliances
Help comes from finally letting go. The freedom that comes from admitting you cannot do it all.
Additional Notes on The RWS ‘Ten of Wands’
Waite’s Divinatory Meanings of The Ten of Wands
"The card signifies oppression, but it is also fortune, gain, any kind of success, and then it is the oppression of these things. It is also a card of false-seeming, disguise, perfidy. The place to which the figure is moving may suffer from the rods that he carries. Success is stultified if the Nine of Swords follows, and if it is a question of a lawsuit, there will be certain loss. Reversed: Contrarieties, difficulties, intrigues, and their analogies." (The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911)
RWS Ten of Wands Symbolism
A.E. Waite’s Ten of Wands depicts a single figure whose body is bent over, struggling to carry a heavy bundle of ten wands. The figure's face is obscured, but their posture clearly communicates a sense of being overwhelmed and oppressed. They are walking towards a town or city in the distance, suggesting they are close to the end of their journey, but the final steps are the most difficult. The scene is a powerful allegory for the burdens of responsibility and the oppressive weight of hard-won success.
Meditations On The Ten of Wands
What burdens am I currently carrying, and are they all necessary?
Is there a situation where I need to ask for help or delegate responsibility?
Has my ambition or success become a source of oppression rather than joy?
