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I. The Description of Ten of Arrows Wildwood Tarot
On the card, there is a man teaching his son how to hold and shoot arrows with a small bow. On the background, there is an abstract pattern – a wheel with spokes made of nine arrows. The tenth arrow is being placed on the child’s bow.
II. The Meaning of Ten of Arrows Wildwood Tarot
A parent is imparting ancient skills, wisdom, and methods with love and tolerance. Guidance and communication are needed between generations in order to take advantage of help in using old skills in new ways.
III. The interpretation of Ten of Arrows Wildwood Tarot
As younger generations absorb and apply more complex technologies at complicated speed in strange situations, the gap between generations becomes larger each year. As we interact with today’s young generation, we need to make an effort to realize the need to pass on classic knowledge, skills, and discipline. With the beginning of the industrial revolution, the traditional relationship between father and son was gradually broken.
Cohesive experiences like hunting, fishing, looking after pets, and fields are slowly eliminated. Likewise, with the girls, the mysterious femininity is gradually disappearing as traditional social roles are evolving and changing. In addition, personally guided relationships between generations of women are becoming rarer. All generations are lost because the age gap becomes too wide and skills, intelligence, and talent are slowly fading.
Only when no more children forget that: The first fish he caught, the first goal he scored, thanks to the training and encouragement of his father, do we realize: Responsibility becomes good parents and pride in their descendants’ success is truly a gift. We are losing the gifts of a shared, patient experience, created through guided interactions out of dangerous social situations.
IV. The guideline of Ten of Arrows Wildwood Tarot
An older man assists his son with archery skills. Behind the two figures, we have nine arrows depicted on a standard, similar to that found on the sail of the Six of Arrows – all aimed to a central point of focus. The tenth arrow is that which the child is about to shoot. He is dressed in brown, symbolizing the return to earth, the dying leaves of autumn. His age represents the end of a cycle. The child is wearing green, the color of healing, of peace, of the new leaves of spring. His age represents new beginnings. What the elders are teaching, young people recall the lessons we have learned from the challenging and painful experiences of our lives. If we join spiritually, with our pain, by the movement of the Wheel (denoted by the circle of arrows on the wall), we will be changed by our difficulties. We take what we learn and use it to enter a new positive phase in our life, where we are less likely to repeat the past.
As we have advanced from Imbolc and the point of the spring equinox and now move onwards to the guardians of Beltane, we have encountered the suit of Arrows. Here we have meditated upon the absurdity of injustice, our frustrations, struggles, insecurity, and jealousies. But we have also experienced the joy of the Breath of Life, Transition, and Dedication.
We can see how the points of the nine arrows create a central star reminiscent of The Pole Star, one of our initial Wildwood journey cards. Just hold the guiding message of The Pole Star as we work with the Ten of Arrows. We see that the older man is not telling the child what to do, but physically assisting and guiding the child – a hands-on approach that allows the child to learn by example.
In the Ten of Arrows, we must ask ourselves – what are we passing on to the upcoming generation? Do we leave them with the frustration, struggle, and injustice, or do we pass on what we have learned of the Wildwood – the guiding principle of The Pole Star: the beauty of inspiration, the importance of transition, and the hope that dedication to the path brings? What are we telling our children? How does it stack up against what we actually do? The Ten of Arrows reminds us that we are modeling behaviors for our own children. So, where shall our point of focus be?
V. Keywords and extensions of Ten of Arrows Wildwood Tarot
The air element, Learning from your elders, Keeping open communication between generations, Studying from those of more experienced and knowledgeable, A strength of the bond, The preservation of knowledge.
