Mary El Tarot - Ten of Disks

Bat Chicken

http://www.mary-el.com/disks2.html

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!

Revelation 6 : 5 - 6 (N I V )

The scales in the hands of the ram/goat carry the Tree of Life itself – or at least the lower section below Da’ath. The Black horse is Famine. The goat is a symbol appropriate for the material Malkuth in Assiah Ten of Disks. It is also the symbol of Capricorn – a winter solstice sign. I am going to take a stab in the dark here and relate famine to this sign in that nothing grows in mid-winter. The last harvest is done and there was a loss so there is a deadness, emptiness before it can be seen that the potential for the next cycle lies before us.

I find the relationship of this Ten of Disks and the Black Horse a little curious. Famine is the opposite of the traditional meanings. Perhaps it is the flipside of the dual experience of wealth? Perhaps it is the fact that material wealth often results in Spiritual famine? The latter idea is not overly suited to the Malkuth in Assiah heavy 10 of Disks unless it is a criticism.

Another thought… Wealth descends into greed. Historically the wheat shortages never translated to luxury goods for the rich like oil and wine. So while the poor suffered, the rich were business as usual…

I am a little curious as to why the whole Tree is not present as it is on the RWS and Thoth. Ideas?
 

Flaxen

http://www.mary-el.com/disks2.html
I am a little curious as to why the whole Tree is not present as it is on the RWS and Thoth. Ideas?

The top of the tree seems to be implied in the handle - the way it curves and ends directly above the other spheres and Kether seems to be the pommel. Are they not shown because they are 'hidden' from us from our earthly perspective? It is a struggle to see across the abyss.
 

Bat Chicken

Oh yes! You're right! Brilliant observation....
 

cSpaceDiva

The rider on the black horse is a mountain goat, creature of earth. His numerous horns are long, curly, and twisted, emblematic of his experience and mastery of the physical world. Instead of a simple 2-sided balance (depicted on the RWS 10 of Pentacles), 7 blue disks with an inverted pentagram are dangling from a hanger-like structure held by the goat. These are arranged and interconnected as the lower 7 Sephiroth of the tree of life and represent the realm of the actual/manifestation. The first 3 Sephiroth, representing the realm of potential/Spirit, are not depicted individually. I am inferring that the suit of Disks is more concerned with the portion of the tree below the supernal triangle.

It is also worth noting that the goat (or possibly the horse?) has large, dark wings, though neither the riders in the 10 of Cups and 10 of Wands nor any of the other do not have wings. Is this goat another version of Baphomet from the 9 of Disks?
 

cSpaceDiva

I find the relationship of this Ten of Disks and the Black Horse a little curious. Famine is the opposite of the traditional meanings. Perhaps it is the flipside of the dual experience of wealth? Perhaps it is the fact that material wealth often results in Spiritual famine? The latter idea is not overly suited to the Malkuth in Assiah heavy 10 of Disks unless it is a criticism.

Another thought… Wealth descends into greed. Historically the wheat shortages never translated to luxury goods for the rich like oil and wine. So while the poor suffered, the rich were business as usual…

I agree, it could be a commentary on income inequality or class based society. As the rich get richer (traditional depiction of 10 of Pentacles), the poor get poorer/hungrier. As you said the luxury items like oil and wine remain unaffected/undamaged.