Comparative Tarot

Description: The Protagonist is alone in a forest clearing. There is a suggestion of autumn, or at least of death, for the largest tree is almost bare of leaves. The leaves that do remain are green, though. The ground on which she is standing is bare; no grass, just dirt. In her right arm she holds a bundle of seven wands, the eighth in her left hand. Two more wands lie on the ground, as well as four pentacles and two goblets, one overturned. It's as if the ritual is over, and she's been left to clean up by herself.

My impression: The energy has been raised, the spells have been performed, the ritual is over. Now it's time to clear out all the detritus, to use the busy-work of cleaning up to ground yourself so you can go back to the "real" world and start a new cycle. Sabbats mark the end of one phase of the year, and the beginning of a new. They are celebrated in order to acknowledge what this particular cycle has brought and/or will bring. They are a marker of time. The barrenness of the trees and grass, the overturned cup, the other tools laying on the ground, all contribute to this feeling of endings. However, the Protagonist is holding just one wand in her left hand. In magic, you use the left hand for banishing; you go widdershins to close the circle. One cup on the ground is still upright, indicating that a new cycle will begin because this cycle has ended. There can be no life without death, no beginnings without first an ending. Cleaning out the detritus in our lives leaves room for new life to blossom. So, my interpretation is to take this moment to acknowledge where you've been, what is coming to an end in your life, and to recognize that this ending was necessary for your continued growth.

LWB: "Tens sum up the energy of the completed suit and demonstrate where we find ourselves once we have worked our way through all the situations and patterns we needed to change in our lives. Tens can be both success and failure, but even that failure has inherent within it the power to heal and be reborn." Wands represent the "challenge to find and identify oneself without labeling, to be certain of one's ethics and standards, and to solidify and understand one's beliefs and values in life."

Atalantaix