TEN – Completion and the start of a new cycle

The number ten must have signified the limits of our counting for millennia – our ten fingers. Ten contains all natural numbers – 1+2+3+4 = 10, and is represented by an equilateral triangle.

Ten serves as the basis for the now ubiquitous decimal system (as opposed to fractions), simplifying mathematics and allowing the formulation of far more complex mathematical systems. In addition the number represents a spiral of achievement: once 10 is reached, we progress on a higher level until 100 is attained – and then on again to 1000. On that note, many different cultures have utilised this decimal system for their military structure – the Romans had decans (in command of 10 men) and centurians (oddly, in charge of 60). The Turkish army had ‘on bashi’ – leader of 10 and yűzbashi, leader of 100.

Many other traditions placed great emphasis on the number 10. In Hebrew tradition there were the Ten Commandments, and also the ten sephiroth of the Qabalistic Tree of Life, which depicts the ten cosmic emanations of the godhead. In ancient India there were 10 books in the early Rgveda while Buddhist tradition, like the Hebrews, also has ten commandments. In Islamic tradition there are ten senses – five inner and five outer, and 10 mystical leaders each with 10 gifted disciples. And of course, 1 and 0 form the binary system upon which our whole digital age is based.

In the Major Arcana of the Tarot, the Wheel depicts the Wheel of Existence – both the end and beginning of a cycle. Originally called the Wheel of Fortune, the card has slightly negative connotations and a punitive moral tone, i.e. even when you’re at the top, the path inevitably leads back down to the bottom again. The Intuitive Tarot views things more optimistically. Right in the centre of the image we see the Yin-Yang symbol, the balance of dark and light, male and female – the promise that down is inevitably balanced by up, and that both are part of the Whole. Around the spiral, moving into the centre, are figures on the Wheel: some with their heads in the direction of the flow, others facing away, fighting the current. Either way, we all get to the same place eventually.

The Tens of the Minors reflect different aspects of the number. The Ten of Rods (Wands) and Swords depict the feelings of despair and pessimism that often accompany the end of a cycle. In the Ten of Rods, a figure is seen struggling under the weight of ten large planks of wood. In the background a storm is building but on the horizon is a small city. The traditional meaning of the card is about obstacles and feeling completely blocked. However, there is just a hint here that we don’t have to carry our burdens. If we decide to walk away from the planks they are sturdy enough to stand on their own, and can often be used as the structure upon which to build a better life.

The Ten of Swords is a real challenge. The traditional meaning is that this is the nadir, the worst of times – often, it is seen as a collective low, for instance the recession. Still, this intimates that things can only get better. In the illustration, the figure is struggling to stand with ten swords in his back, but none of them is a lethal wound; he is not down and out (unlike the Rider Waite, where the figure lies slain with blood running from his body).

In happier mode, the Ten of Cups is a card of relationship – the highest and the best a couple have to offer each other. In the Intuitive Tarot the couple is shown looking into each other’s eyes in confidence and love. They are equal partners, with different gifts to offer the other. Their arms curve around an unborn child – although this can sometimes be a shared project rather than a physical child. In other decks, for example the Rider Waite, the Ten of Cups is shown as a happy family who look with confidence into the future, surmounted by a rainbow.

The Ten of Discs is also depicted as a family in the Rider Waite deck, but if you look closely you see there’s no real connection between any of the family members, and it’s all a little florid. This probably reflects the point that, if you have things too easy for too long, stasis and stagnation will follow. This can also be seen in the Intuitive Tarot, where the Ten of Discs is seen as a slightly ambiguous card about the family. This deck is concerned more about genetic inheritance and the long march of time leading up to our contemporary era; sometimes even cellular inheritance. We see the timeline curve off to the right into the unknown future, where we have the opportunity to make some major shift in approach.

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Tagged as: Numbers, Numerology meaning, Tarot Card Meanings