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Iu2019m not usually the type to blame the universe for my problems. I mean, sure u2014 Mercuryu2019s retrograde gets a little heat when my phone glitches or my ex texts me out of nowhere. But for the most part, I like to think I steer my own ship.<br><br>That was, of course, until the night I pulled the 10 of Wands.<br><br>If youu2019ve never had your tarot read by a slightly mysterious woman with crimson nails and a voice like silk, I highly recommend it. Thereu2019s something both terrifying and liberating about having your future laid out on a tiny cafu00e9 table between two candles and a cup of peppermint tea.<br><br>This is a story about that night. And about him. And about what the 10 of Wands Tarot Card Meaning taught me about love, myself, and what happens when you finally decide to drop the weight youu2019ve been carrying for far too long.<br><br>I was already in a weird headspace when Mia dragged me to The Velvet Moon. Itu2019s this tiny, dimly lit coffee shop-slash-bookstore that doubles as a tarot salon on Thursday nights. The air smells like incense and espresso, and itu2019s the kind of place where no one looks twice if you show up in pajama pants or sequins.<br><br>u201cI just need answers,u201d I told Mia, dramatically stirring my chai latte.<br><br>u201cYou donu2019t need answers, you need to stop texting Daniel,u201d she shot back.<br><br>Fair.<br><br>Daniel wasu2026 complicated. We had one of those whirlwind, no-one-understands-us-because-weu2019re-so-special, on-again-off-again things that every 20-something seems to get tangled up in. The highs were dizzying. The lows felt like someone yanked the floor out from under me. It was messy, addictive, and, as everyone else could clearly see, exhausting.<br><br>Which brings us to the tarot table.<br><br>Her name was Celeste. Because of course it was.<br><br>She didnu2019t ask for backstory. She just told me to shuffle the cards while thinking of what I wanted clarity on. Naturally, I thought about Daniel. About every half-sincere text and every time he called me at midnight because he u201cjust needed to hear my voice.u201d<br><br>I drew three cards.<br><br>The Lovers. The 10 of Wands. And The Star.<br><br>Celeste raised an eyebrow. u201cHeavy.u201d<br><br>I swallowed. u201cWhat does it mean?u201d<br><br>She tapped the first card. u201cThe Lovers is obvious. A connection. Deep, complicated, passionate.u201d She moved to the 10 of Wands. u201cBut this? This is whatu2019s killing you.u201d<br><br>She slid the card toward me and I took a closer look. A figure carrying a bundle of heavy sticks, his head down, his back bent. The background was a town, so close but so far. I felt my chest tighten.<br><br>u201cThe 10 of Wands Tarot Card Meaning is about burden,u201d Celeste explained softly. u201cCarrying more than you should. Taking on emotional weight that isnu2019t yours. Being so weighed down by responsibility, guilt, expectations, or heartbreak that you canu2019t even look up and see how close you are to peace.u201d<br><br>I stared at the card.<br><br>She didnu2019t have to mention Daniel. The message screamed from the table.<br><br>I left The Velvet Moon feeling both lighter and heavier, if that makes sense. Like someone had confirmed what Iu2019d known all along but was too stubborn (too hopeful?) to admit.<br><br>Daniel wasnu2019t my person.<br><br>And I wasnu2019t going to find the love I deserved until I put down the damn wands.<br><br>Youu2019d think it would be easy after that. Spoiler: it wasnu2019t.<br><br>I went home and deleted his number. Blocked him. Unfollowed him. Then spent two hours crying into a bag of sour gummy worms because even toxic habits have a weird kind of comfort to them.<br><br>But little by little, life started feelingu2026 easier.<br><br>I stopped checking my phone at midnight.<br><br>I said yes to brunch invites and movie nights without secretly hoping Iu2019d have to cancel because Daniel texted.<br><br>I started flirting with a guy at my local bookstore who wore glasses and smelled like cinnamon and who, shockingly, never left me on read.<br><br>And when I pulled out my old deck one evening for fun, guess what card showed up again?<br><br>The 10 of Wands.<br><br>Only this time, it made me laugh.<br><br>Because I realized how long Iu2019d carried things that didnu2019t belong to me. How Iu2019d convinced myself that love meant holding someoneu2019s mess even when it crushed me.<br><br>Celeste had been right. The 10 of Wands Tarot Card Meaning is a warning u2014 and a promise. A reminder that we all have limits. That sometimes you have to lay things down to move forward. That being strong doesnu2019t mean breaking yourself for someone who wouldnu2019t do the same for you.<br><br>Fast forward six months.<br><br>The bookstore guyu2019s name is Leo. Yes, like the zodiac sign u2014 and yes, he lives up to every fiery, passionate stereotype. He makes terrible dad jokes, cooks a mean carbonara, and he sends me actual good morning texts. Not u201cu up?u201d Not u201cwhatu2019s good?u201d But proper, heartfelt, sometimes silly, sometimes sweet, always thoughtful messages.<br><br>One night, while we were watching a horror movie (against my protests u2014 Iu2019m a jump-scare wimp), he asked about the tarot thing.<br><br>I told him the story. The cafu00e9. Celeste. The 10 of Wands. Daniel.<br><br>When I finished, Leo reached for my hand.<br><br>u201cGlad you finally put those wands down,u201d he grinned. u201cOtherwise you might not have had a hand free for me.u201d<br><br>Cheesy? Absolutely.<br><br>But in that moment, it felt perfect.<br><br>Life isnu2019t a fairy tale. I still get overwhelmed. I still overthink. I still have days where I miss the drama, the intensity, the chaos of what Daniel and I were.<br><br>But now, when I feel that weight start creeping back, I think about that card.<br><br>About the burden I used to carry. And how good it feels to walk free.<br><br>So if youu2019re reading this, take this as your own little cosmic nudge. Whatever your 10 of Wands is u2014 a person, a job, a fear, a past version of yourself u2014 itu2019s time to set it down.<br><br>The town is right there. The peace is waiting. You just have to lift your head and walk toward it.
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I WAS ALREADY IN A WEIRD HEADSPACE WHEN MIA DRAGGED ME TO THE VELVET MOON. IT’S THIS TINY, DIMLY LIT COFFEE SHOP-SLASH-BOOKSTORE THAT DOUBLES AS A TAROT SALON ON THURSDAY NIGHTS. THE AIR SMELLS LIKE INCENSE AND ESPRESSO, AND IT’S THE KIND OF PLACE WHERE NO ONE LOOKS TWICE IF YOU SHOW UP IN PAJAMA PANTS OR SEQUINS. “I JUST NEED ANSWERS,” I TOLD MIA, DRAMATICALLY STIRRING MY CHAI LATTE. “YOU DON’T NEED ANSWERS, YOU NEED TO STOP TEXTING DANIEL,” SHE SHOT BACK. FAIR. DANIEL WAS… COMPLICATED. WE HAD ONE OF THOSE WHIRLWIND, NO-ONE- UNDERSTANDS-US-BECAUSE-WE’RE-SO-SPECIAL, ON-AGAIN-OFF-AGAIN THINGS THAT EVERY 20-SOMETHING SEEMS TO GET TANGLED UP IN. THE HIGHS WERE DIZZYING. THE LOWS FELT LIKE SOMEONE YANKED THE FLOOR OUT FROM UNDER ME. IT WAS MESSY, ADDICTIVE, AND, AS EVERYONE ELSE COULD CLEARLY SEE, EXHAUSTING. WHICH BRINGS US TO THE TAROT TABLE.
BLUE MOUNTAIN SO IF YOU’RE READING THIS, TAKE THIS AS YOUR OWN LITTLE COSMIC NUDGE. WHATEVER YOUR 10 OF WANDS IS — A PERSON, A JOB, A FEAR, A PAST VERSION OF YOURSELF — IT’S TIME TO SET IT DOWN. THE TOWN IS RIGHT THERE. THE PEACE IS WAITING. YOU JUST HAVE TO LIFT YOUR HEAD AND WALK TOWARD IT.
