10 of Wands indicating fascist/ism?

[Eric13]

Fascinating new, or so perspective of the Ten of Wands, especially with the RWD. Where-as one could say, "well, you've been through a lot of struggle, but the end is near," could also be said that no someone is really forcing you into something you don't want to do. Doing it against your own will. And that's not right.

Also fascinating how that word, fascist, has been used so much these days. At the time the RWD was being developed fascisim itself was on the rise in Europe. 

[Marina]

36 minutes ago, Eric13 said:

Fascinating new, or so perspective of the Ten of Wands, especially with the RWD. Where-as one could say, "well, you've been through a lot of struggle, but the end is near," could also be said that no someone is really forcing you into something you don't want to do. Doing it against your own will. And that's not right.

Also fascinating how that word, fascist, has been used so much these days. At the time the RWD was being developed fascisim itself was on the rise in Europe. 

 

Very interesting perspective indeed! I am reminded of the following quote from Orwell's 1984: "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face— forever."

 

Because that's the point of fascism - not merely to kill or physically obliterate individuals (that would be a mote 10 of Swords situation), but to keep them alive being oppressed forever. No renewal is allowed, whenever someone tries to rise against the fascist regime, they get stamped own - but enough of them is kept alive, so that they are in this situation forever. It's a murder of the spirit, not of the body, which also gels well with the Fire association of the Wands suit.

[gregory]

On 8/12/2021 at 6:01 AM, Nisaba said:

No, but what a brilliant idea! The card would describe the general population, though, not the political hierarchy. If you've got the Magician or the Devil looking at the Ten Wands, then yes!

 

I agree. The ThumbPuppy has expounded my views rather well. Especially the completion bit.

 

4 hours ago, TheThumbPuppy said:

I think it would be unwise to equate two symbols just because they look the same. Semiotics is crowded with cases of similar or identical symbols with different meaning depending on their context.

 

For instance, the pentagram has a myriad of meanings depending on the context. The planet Venus, the feminine principle, the Vitruvian man, the Celtic goddess of war and fate, and so on. These meanings share the same symbol, but the symbol does not embodies all its possible meanings simultaneously.

 

 

 

I think that connecting the meaning of an armful of wands to il fascio, as used by the fascists, although somewhat similar in look, would be a mistake similar to equate the magic pentagram to the pentagram representing the planet Venus. They may look the same (or similar), but they are not the same.

 

 

If we look at the meaning of "oppression" of the 10 of Wands and want to connect that meaning to fascism, I'd like to point out that there are many other types of totalitarian regimes or movements that share that same meaning:

• totalitarian regimes throughout the political, ideological, economic, and religious spectra throughout history
• totalitarian movements that even today target and oppress those who don't agree with them

On that premise, if you get the 10 of Wands how could you differentiate between all the possible options and determine that it represents fascism instead of another totalitarian regime or totalitarian movement?

 

 

My third point has to do with the context of "oppression" represented by the 10 of Wands. I like the traditional view where all 10 cards talk about a form of "completion". In the suit of Wands, completion take the form of something that is difficult to achieve, and although we're very close to attain it, there are still many tasks before we reach our goal. In this context I see oppression as the weight of responsibility and sheer work to finish the project, and not the oppression that a totalitarian dictator, regime, or movement may apply to the individual.

 

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

I just went through a number of pages of 10 of wands draws on my blog and found 4 where the wands were bound to the carrier, none where the wands were themselves bound.

ThumbPuppy makes the valid point about multiple meanings for a symbol, to which I'd add, outside of single draws, the meaning always is dependent on the query and the relationship in the spread. You can make one card mean anything.  There was a good article in Llewellyn's Tarot Outside The Box (2004)  where as an experiment Valerie Sim took a standard rws deck and applied Death to every card. Perfectly doable. 

[katrinka]

13 hours ago, TheThumbPuppy said:

I think it would be unwise to equate two symbols just because they look the same. Semiotics is crowded with cases of similar or identical symbols with different meaning depending on their context.

 

For instance, the pentagram has a myriad of meanings depending on the context. The planet Venus, the feminine principle, the Vitruvian man, the Celtic goddess of war and fate, and so on. These meanings share the same symbol, but the symbol does not embodies all its possible meanings simultaneously.

 

Exactly this.

There are some things that have already been mentioned here, but I want to reiterate: We also need to consider that a fasces is generally depicted with the rods tightly bound together and most often surrounding an axe. (More information and images here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasces ) It bears no actual resemblance to the 10 of Wands in the RWS:

 

And, as noted, even if it the card did depict an actual fasces, the intent of the image is not always fascism (although it has become quite tainted.) It began as a symbol of strength through unity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Man_and_his_Sons

Here is a somewhat absurd and unintentionally humorous painting from the first wiki link called The Apotheosis of Washington. But note that Lady Liberty holds a fasces and wears the Phrygian cap of the French Revolution:

 

Not all sticks are fasces, and not all fasces are intended to convey fascism. I'm aware that many here like to use free association in their reading. I don't find it to be an accurate technique, but if you're getting good results with it, by all means continue. Just bear in mind that it's a reading technique, not a means of identifying what the card depicts. Saying the full moon reminds you of a pizza pan is not the same as saying the artist's intent was to draw a pizza pan in the sky. 😉

 

Edited October 13, 2021 by katrinka

[Eric13]

Hmm, what timing. I did my first full moon reading in a while last night (posting in the personal readings section later) and wouldn't you know it, this card popped up!