Post 2: Insight to the Present

Reflections

​

My Interpretation:
I am in a situation that is mentally and physically taxing.Temptation to roll over and simply bear it to avoid trying to find a new job is present, but the Seven of Swords says I must not give up, as there is a solution on the horizon provided I am mentally resilient. Crossed with the Ace of Swords, the cards imply that I should try to see this as the beginning of a new journey forward rather than leaving a secure but toxic present.  “Bear in mind that [position 2] may not relate to the question the Querent is asking, but rather the one they should have asked.”  (Wigington, 2019). The Empress in position four says that I've suffered through the process of learning self love, through creative block and bad relationships in the past. Wheel of fortune in position four. The workplace has changed and I have changed in the recent past. The Page of Wands inverted shows indecisiveness and planning over action, which I am guilty of now, and it suggests I will continue to be if I don’t change something. The Three of Swords says that in my current situation I am unhappy, and perhaps grieving when this job was good for me and fun to attend. But I must learn from this sadness, recognise that it’s time to move on, and not give up on finding a job that treats me well like this one used to.

​

The queen of pentacles, I think, represents the upper management at work right now, happy to pile on abuse to low workers.The four of cups showed that I have been spending time introspecting, and perhaps warns me that I am spending more time thinking than acting, and refusing the opportunities given to me. “The Four of Cups can appear when you are bored or dissatisfied with your everyday life. You may feel disengaged, apathetic or unmotivated – maybe life has become dull. [...] You may have found yourself disconnected from your emotional self and inner truth, and need to re-establish this connection so you can get a greater sense of purpose and direction.”   (Four of Cups Tarot Card Meanings, n.d.) The Hierophant in Hopes and Fears position represents that I fear putting myself in other people’s hands to be abused again, but I also hope to be able to trust enough to do that. To find a place that is safe enough. The nine of swords in the final position was complicated, because an inverted nine of swords have two meanings that actively defy each other. I actually took this polarity in the context of both the Wheel of Fortune and the Seven of Swords to mean that depending on how I approach this issue and whether or not I give up will depend on the side of the polarity I end up on.

Technical

These are more about the cards themselves, the meanings that they have, and my skill in memorizing and associating them.

​​

While the individual cards are still fairly unfamiliar, I am getting better at untying the meanings of the cards through looking at their numerical value and suit, and applying that to the image to get an estimate of what the card might be trying to tell me. For example I have not encountered the Three of Swords before, but in knowing that the threes represent growth, and swords represent thought, I was able to guess that the card represented gaining  learning through reasoning out pain and grief. There was also a lot of blue in this reading, something that Wiate has confirmed to represent clarity and thought, which helped me identify this was a reading that implied I needed to do a lot of thinking about my situation.

​

This is a great reading to practice reading cards in relation to other cards in the reading, which I feel I did very well here. I feel my number association was strong in this one, as well. I could see how the numbers and suits formed the card’s meaning and was even able to glean some (such as the sevens and threes without aid. The Seven of Swords being my quierier was really relevant, I felt. “The Sevens in the Tarot share the communal meaning of don’t give up. In the Seven of Swords, it refers to not giving up mentally. It is time to find another path, or a different solution to the problem.” (Fenton-Smith, 2008). It implies dishonesty from someone around you, and a situation that must change, even though it seems hard. Considering both myself and a friend have found ourselves trapped in a toxic workplace by being led-on, lied to, and unfairly treated, the message was clear. I saw the connection between the Empress in my past, who has an emphasis on “giving away your personal power by placing too much emphasis on another person’s emotional or material needs, thus neglecting your own.” (Empress Tarot Card Meanings, n.d.) when reversed, and my fear and hopes towards the Hierophant. The presence of the Seven of Swords also influenced my reading, as I took that to mean that the problem is still possible to change through perseverance of the mind, so I took cards within the reading to be advising me on how to examine my situation and help me try move forwards despite hardship. This especially influenced how I read the final card, which generally has a double meaning, to mean whether or not I give up will depend what end of the meaning spectrum I end up on.

​

Reflection through Reading

This is more about my performance, and how I interpreted the cards and linked them to my personal circumstances to find meaning and advice for self-reflection

​

The Celtic Cross, but it’s nature, gives a very in depth answer to questions, but I find I didn’t strain too hard to find meaning in the cards. I think this reading asks me to reflect on my past, present, and consider what I want for my future, and how I want to strive for it. The urges to not give up and strive for something more were many and frequent. Self reflecting with the cards didn’t solve my problem, but it did make me feel a bit better. I took this week off work due to a lower lumbar strain and it helped me see a few truths about just how badly it’s affected my body and mind.