Thoth – Rider-Waite

Wealth: Material Success, Establishment, and Restlessness

The Ten of Disks. Wealth. Material Success. Performance. Establishment. Restlessness. Jealousy. Permanence. Greed. Boredom. Dissatisfcation. Having it All. The Futility of Having it All. The Ten of Disks corresponds to the Sefirot of Malkuth: Reality, the Root, the Sum, and the Origin. The Ten of Disks represents what happens when the energy of practicality and the material world interacts with… reality and the material world. As such, as these two ideas are harmonious with each other, the Ten of Disks is more positive than the other three Tens (Oppression, Satiety, and Ruin). The Ten of Disks represents what happens when someone filled with practical wisdom, prudence, power, and the ability to work with others and to shift and change with the times lives and interacts with reality. This card represents the final culmination of the Suit of Disks when applied to reality, and it results in Wealth for the exemplar of Disks. They have Performed their roles well and been rewarded for it; even if their heart isn’t in their Performance. They have had great Material Success, and have been able to Establish themselves and their descendants as important. In this sense, the idea of Malkuth as being about rebirth becomes apparent as well; passing on one’s wealth to one’s children starts the cycle of material gain again, keeping the energy of Disks alive.

This card, then, represents Having it All, but also represents the negative consequences of it as well. You may have everything, but others may be Resentful of it, or Jealous. You may not be able to stop your desire to accumulate things, and may become Greedy or perhaps Restless and Dissatisfied; you have had Material Success, yes, but what about spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and purposeful fulfillment? In this way, this card also represents the Futility of Having it All; this card serves as a reminder that there is more to the world than the material.

The Rider-Waite art shows an old man, with two of his descendants before him, hinting at ideas of Permanence and Establishment; his line will live on. He lives in great luxury, wears fancy clothes, and even has two dogs attending to him. He has succeeded in life. Yet at the same time, he isn’t really doing anything – he had it all, so he has nothing left to do. He is Bored. The Thoth art shows ten Disks arranged in the shape of the Tree of Life, representing completion. As the last numbered card of the final Suit, this card has a special meaning with regards to the Sefirot, as finishing the cycle – and starting it again. Behind these ten bright coins/Disks is a pile of other coins, representing having lots of wealth.

In a reading, this card asks you to examine the role of Material Gain in your life; have you or anyone near you experienced it? Do you consider yourself wealthy? Do you have everything you wanted (materially), and yet still feel dissatisfied? Do you feel as if you’re performing a role you don’t really feel in order to obtain material wealth? Does your heart lie somewhere else? Reversed, this card’s energies are blocked or twisted somehow; is your wealth inaccessible? In areas you wouldn’t normally look? Are you wealthy and satisfied?