Eight to Ten: The Finish

Eights are about effort and movement. The Eight of Wands has no people at all: eight staffs fly through clear sky. Speed, news on its way. The Eight of Pentacles shows a craftsman carving coin after coin: progress through practice. The Eight of Swords shows a blindfolded figure among eight swords, but her feet are free and the swords don’t close her in. The movement there is the chance to step out. The Eight of Cups shows a figure walking away from eight stacked cups: leaving what no longer fills you. Ask: where is the energy going, and what effort does it need?

Most Nines show one person on their own, at a high point of the suit. In the Nine of Pentacles, a woman stands in a rich garden with a bird on her glove: enjoying what her own effort has grown. In the Nine of Cups, a man sits smiling in front of nine cups: satisfaction. In the Nine of Wands, a tired figure with a bandaged head guards eight staffs: holding on near the end. In the Nine of Swords, a figure sits up in bed, face in hands, with nine swords on the wall: worry at its peak. Ask: what has peaked for this person, and is it fulfilling or wearing?

Ten takes the suit as far as it can go. In the Ten of Cups, a family celebrates under a rainbow of cups: belonging. In the Ten of Wands, a figure stoops under ten heavy staffs: a load at its limit. In the Ten of Swords, a figure lies under ten blades, but the sky at the horizon is turning yellow: the worst is over. In the Ten of Pentacles, an old man, a couple and a child gather by an archway: wealth passed between generations. After Ten comes a new Ace, so ask: what is complete, and what might begin next?