Robin Wood Tarot - Ten of Wands
Robin Wood
Deck: Llewellyn
Book: Livingtree Press

Description:
A bearded man, dressed in simple peasant clothing, carries a bundle of ten crystal-tipped staffs in front of him as he trudges along a winding road toward a castle or mansion in the distance.

From the book:
Key word: Overload

Upright meanings: Too much success becomes oppressive. Heavy burden. Martyr complex. Too much willingness to carry others' responsibilities. Taking on more than the seeker can handle

Reversed: Selfishness, shifting responisbility to another. Passing the buck.

My thoughts:
One of the first things I notice about this version of the 10 of Wands is that the man is dressed like a farmer or simple laborer while the staffs he's carrying look like something that would belong to someone wealthy. Is this a burden he's carrying for someone else? And if so, is he being paid to do so? How much? Is it worth it? Or is he enslaved and forced to carry this burden against his will? Or is it possible the burden belongs to him and represents a sudden windfall that will ease his financial situation if he can get the staffs all the way home? If so, maybe that's why he's clutching them so tightly and is unwilling to let even one staff go to make the burden easier.

He's holding the staffs so tightly in front of himself that it's doubtful he can even see past them to his goal. He's simply putting one foot in front of the other. It looks to me like there could be other ways to carry the staffs that would accomplish the goal of getting to them to the building in the distance while being less physically uncomfortable and which would allow the man to keep his eyes on his goal instead of on his burden.

This version of the 10 of Wands would prompt me to take a look at the burdens I've chosen to take on in my life and to ask myself some questions: Why am I carrying them? What do I hope to accomplish? Is this burden really going to help me reach that goal or am I carrying it from habit? Do I need to carry the whole burden or could I release some of it and still reach my goal? Even if I do need to carry the whole burden, is there a way to do it that would be less painful or restrictive than the same old way I've always done things?

Deb R.