Tarot Ten of Fire, Wands: Oppression

Ten of Fire, Wands: Oppression

Minor Arcana, Third Decan Sagittarius corresponding to Saturn in Sagittarius.

Tarot Ten Fire and each of the Minor Arcana cards numbered Ten express attributes of Malkuth, tenth sphere on the QBL Tree of life, whose title is Kingdom

Sephirothic Planetary Correspondence

There is no  planetary correspondence allocated to Malkuth the sphere is ascribed to its corresponding element Atziluth Fire, Briah Water, Yetzirah Air and Assiah Earth.

The four Tens represent the physical characteristics of their element, a fixed completed force or conclusion. 

Astrological Decan Allocation

This card is allocated to the third decan of Sagittarius whose planetary attribution is Saturn.

The Malkuth Saturn combination in Fire is the formula for Oppression.

With Ten Wands we witness the weight of materiality acting upon a question or individual.

It represents a condition achieved when only force has been applied. The dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima as an example. 

The ethereal swift loving freedom of Sagittarius is impeded by the weight of Saturn and Malkuth. This is a cruel overbearing force primarily directed towards selfish ends and it is selfishness that is the root of this cards influence. There is only lust as a result which ultimately leads to its own self destruction. If ill dignified the card can express generosity but its trend is towards disinterestedness. The third decan Sagittarius can represent failure due to selfishness at the beginning of projects.

Considerations

This card is Oppression 

Malkuth and Saturn in Sagittarius are indicators of conservative restraint taken to an extreme that desires to quash originality and growth in others and subconsciously in one’s self. 

Time and again through our journey of life we are exposed to convention which restricts or ridicules those who aspire to be more than how they presently see themselves. It takes a person with a strong sense of self and a wily personality to navigate an escape from this tyrannical labyrinth.

Ten of Fire is powerful opposition to achieving objectives.  In this environment we require the qualities of the previous card Great Strength Nine of Fire. It is not just physical strength that is required but also strength of character and belief in self to confront and overcome ridicule, to rise above the views of conventionality from family and society. This attitude is well articulated by Bob Dylan in his song “It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding” verse 12 with the line “But rather get you down in the hole that he’s in”, because then they have an excuse for not having to work to get out themselves. Ten of Fire can evoke the chimera of the Dark Night of the Soul, a feeling that all is lost which can  only be mitigated by our honest and truthful admission of our selfishness.

Personality Type

The character qualities of the court card Queen of Earth are those best suited to receive and translate the specific ancestral voice of this decan.  This Queen expresses quiet qualities but is also ambitious in practical pursuits. She is kind and generous tempering the selfish drives of Ten of Fire. She represents a personality quietly going forward in her desires while being conscious of the needs of others. She has a strong instinct and acumen in problem solving rather than what is considered intelligence.

Decan Signature

In our failure to understand what any minor arcana card is saying, we should allow ourselves to be driven back to our specific inner voice of the decan for resolution.

In this example of Ten of Fire, the conjunction of major arcana cards Temperance and Universe, corresponding to Sagittarius and Saturn is the specific signature of this decan and will be projected through the personality type represented by the Queen of Earth. The elemental quality of Queen of Earth corresponds to Water of Earth.

It is through experiencing her personality that we can resolve the root influence within ourselves that was the cause for us to evoke and  fall victim to the thraldom of the forces this card represents.

Each of the elemental Queen court cards correspond to the Water aspect of their respective elemental suite.