I don't know what led me to this drawing. Perhaps I was inspired by the lone moth in the Ace of Cups I drew many weeks ago, a free creature enslaved by its desire for illumination. Perhaps it was the Puma's Moth King sneakers, a limited run which apparently I'm a year late in discovering, and which I'll bitterly have to make do without. Perhaps it was this month's BPAL's new series of fragrances based on moths and butterflies (scroll down). These are limited edition as well, but I guarantee you I'll be smelling like the "Great Grey Witch" for many months to come.
Partly I wanted to make a version of this card that effectively communicated its meanings without resorting to the rather strident traditional imagery. And what are those meanings? Funny you should ask, as this week I added a label to the site which gives you three basic meanings for each card (for a particular reading, just choose a card from the sidebar). The Ten of Swords entry says:
1. Surrender
2. Undisciplined thought
3. Failure of a plan or project.
So there it is. At a certain point things become get so intense that there's nothing left to do but quit struggling and face the facts -- you're pinned. Whether the cause of the derail is natural or unnatural, personal or professional, this is totally irrelevant and you will gain no peace of mind from twisting about trying to understand the significance of it from your current position.
The Ten isn't pure doom and gloom -- just as every cheerful card carries its own warnings, every "dark" card contains the key to its own shackles. In this case you are urged to cultivate stillness, reflection, and humility, in hopes that you will actually recognize your next big idea when you see it, and follow it out of darkness into the light.
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