Today's draw was, I believe, guided by other forces than my own--of course, the Tarot has a tendency to do that, doesn't it? Today, numerologically, is a 10. The card is a 10. The focus of our community at this time of the year naturally falls to the upcoming anniversary of the death of Cuchulainn, Roy Moorman, whose legacy is our community center, Crone's Hollow. Seeing this card fall made me feel that I could do no better for today's entry than simply to post the entire comprehensive description and interpretation written by my dear friend and fellow Crafter, Griffin ap Ced, upon submitting this card for the Maninni Three. So--here it is, and well done by all concerned. Bears thinking about...January 4, 2010
10 of Coins (Earth Suit)
(This card is dedicated by EarthHaven Coven to our beloved Brother, our Man in Black and Elder of the Ced Tradition…Roy “Cuchulainn” Moorman Born Nov 18th 1957 Died March 1st 2010
The card is a modification of the 10 of Coins from the Ced Tarot Deck, concept conceived and designed by Griffin Ced, Magister of EarthHaven Coven and Father of the Ced Tradition.
Illustrated by Arnett Taylor, from the Clan of Tubal Cain.
This version is made specifically for the Utah Maninni Three Tarot Project.
The Utah Maninni Three Project. “The Goddess Utah”) How this card represents a part of the Goddess Utah is that this card is representative of Home, Hearth, Family and its Legacy being passed on. The Ced Tradition follows a family structure, headed by Tradition Clan Mother and Magistra Rita “Morgan” ap Ced, at Ced’s Mother Coven, EarthHaven, in SLC. Within the Goddess Utah EarthHaven Coven, as the oldest publically known Coven in Salt Lake City and perhaps all of Utah, is rightly seen to be a Hearth of one of the established families of Goddess Utah.
Description of Card:
The Card is set as the Sun goes down and a Silk Moth (psychopomp) flies in the winds of change. Below the sky, the wealth of the Hearth, Home and Family is depicted with the family assembled at a rich feast, with both the youngest and the oldest sitting at the table. The bald head of the old man sitting at the head of the table could indicate him as Father Time, Saturn himself who always presides over the passing of family legacies.
In the foreground we see the Guardian or Man in Black standing ward at the threshold of this happy family scene. In the background we see the Castle; a Home structure that is defendable and expresses physical as well as financial security. However, this is a liminal transitional period where the Legacy is to be passed on and as such the home, hearth, family and related events must be well guarded.
In the Ced Tradition the circle with the cross is the symbol for Earth, and its color is White. Within the card ten such white crossed circles illustrate the ten coins of earth. This color choice for earth goes to our quarter system and basic cosmology as well as the system of magic we work. In Ced we view “Earth” not in the elemental sense, but rather as the expression of Spirit within Manifest Life and therefore represented by the color association of that Spirit, it being the color holding the most manifest quality of Light, that being White.
White being the Ced color for Earth, it also becomes the color associated with the Suit of Earth and for this reason the frame around the card is white. The upper left and lower right medallions within the frame depict the number 10. The upper right is the symbol for Virgo and the lower left is the planetary ruler for the Virgo Decan that this card is associated with. The top centre medallion depicts the symbol for Mutable, the quality associated with this specific card’s Decan. And of course the lower centre simply states Coins, the name of the Earth Suit in the Ced Tradition.
As this card of Earth is mediated through the Ced Tradition of EarthHaven, it seemed correct to call this card the Ten of Coins. The Coin being associated with finances of course, but also associated with the incurred cost of action and karma or cause and consequence which is central to the ongoing building and manifestation of a Family Hearth and Legacy.
The Home, Hearth and Family could be interpreted in a myriad of ways. The Home could be any structure, vessel, lair, cave or enclosure that holds the financial security of a tribe, family or group of some sort. An upright and/or well-aspected card shows all the positive qualities associated with the concepts presented within this card . A reversed or ill-aspected card would emphasize negative qualities. The instability of the transitional state latent within the card, opens the possibility for the hand of fate interfering in an unexpected manner. For example, gambling problems in the financial arena or an unexpected or unhappy event that could unsettle the harmony of the family, such as a fatality.
Card Associations:
This Minor Arcana Card is associated with the Mutable Decan of (Earth) Virgo.
20-30 degrees Virgo.
Virgo = Mutable Earth.
Planetary Rulership of Virgo = Mercury.
Planetary Rulership of Decan = Venus.
Uniting these associate qualities lends this card the quality or expression of Venus within a Mercury ruled Mutable Earth Arena/Context.
Associated Decan interpretations:
Financial security, money and home are predominant themes. However, this decan is artistic and more loving and friendly or less self-centered than the other decanates of Virgo. Uninterested in routine, this decan needs a creative outlet. The Picatrix interpretation is that the third Decan of Virgo is associated with slothfulness, old age, loss and even depopulation.
Additional Card Interpretation;
The strong House or Household focus, especially the economic aspect, in conjunction with the slothfulness, old age and even loss, leads me to view this card as one of an established and secure legacy being passed to support the family’s interests in a positive manner. The Decan influence of Venus within a mutable earth Mercury setting leads me to see this card as also having aspects of artistic expression and even inspiration or insight that liberates this castle, home or hearth from the black and white world view that imprisons the fate of so many. There is life here and riches of one sort or another within this happy family.
The mutable aspect of this card indicates transition, which is further confirmed by the numeric influence of 10. The quality of this number expresses the completion or end of the first Decad numeric sequence, as well as the beginning of the next Decad set. This repeating of Decad sequences (0, 10, 20) expresses the repeated return to the fulcrum point of zero, between the end of each numeric Decad sequence and the start of the next Decad set.
This brings to the 10 of Coins card, as with other cards associated with 0, 10 or 20, a liminal quality rightly interpreted as an association with a threshold of some sort. For this reason there is a Moth depicted in this card, as the Moth is a psychopomp. With this card having such a strong sense of the Hearth, Home and Family, along with a strong transitional threshold quality, it is only fitting to place the Guardian of the Threshold as the foreground focus. Protection and warding of the wealth associated with the hearth, home and family is extremely important in transitional periods, such as the completion yet liminal point in time this card depicts.
