Majors v Minors: Diana reads for Rose Lalonde

[Diana]

Hello Rose Lalonde !

What can I do for you in this lovely room that kare has prepared for us ? She's decorated it very nicely, did you notice ? And there's even a Chinese teapot full of hot tea and homemade ginger biscuits waiting on the table. Lovely atmosphere to do a reading and to try and honour the Tarot.

So take a seat, let's have a cup of tea and I'll pull some cards for you.

[Rose Lalonde]

Tea and ginger biscuits sound very nice indeed. A friend recently sent me new tea to try, so I've had tea on the brain lately.

I'd like to ask about advice for the next few weeks of work as our company ends one major project and begins another. Like most people probably, there are things about my work I love, and things I definitely don't. Some of the things I don't love are recent additions to my job description that may be temporary, or management may decide it's the new status quo.

The short version, actually phrased as a question, is -- How can I best approach the next few weeks at work as we head into a new project?

Thank you.

[Diana]

As you can imagine, I will be using a TdM.

I just can't do my readings with the other tarots. I think I've figured out why. It's still a little vague, but I'm on a trail. I've taken out my magnifying glass and my hunting cap. I'll probably make a post about it. Because I'm a bit of a chatterbox. And it may lead to some interesting discussions. Or not.

[Diana]

Rose Lalonde : the actual spread caused me a bit of a dilemma. But in the end I plumped for the classic Past/Present/Future. But I shifted them a little bit in time. Past would be past/present; Present is present/leading to the future; Future would be well, the future. In the time frame you mentioned. I wanted to see the progression. The progression would indicate the best approach to take I thought.

I used the Isis Tarot of Marseille. Because it already had the major and minors separated and I thought that was handy.

Three rows. First the majors. Then the minors under them. Each position therefore is a pair of cards and they complement each other - the Majors not taking precedence over the Minors - they are equals.

Your question is : How can I best approach the next few weeks at work as we head into a new project?

How can I best approach the next few weeks at work as we head into a new project?

LE PAPE V / LA FORCE XI / L'EMPEREUR IIII

Let's have a sneak peek at the Majors.

Le Pape in the present/past indicates to me that you were very much appreciated by your superiors or managers or whatever. You're certainly an asset in their eyes. And I think they believe you are capable of doing more. Is that maybe why they added some new additions to your job description? The cards seem to indicate that you are in a strong enough position to negotiate these with your manager or boss or whoever decides on these things.

Although I think the Isis addition of bees in their TdM is unnecessary, I think that in this case it is useful. Bees are known as hard workers. The Strength card (in this case you - you're in a strong position) is eyeing the future project - and it looks interesting. The Emperor, your boss, is looking at you, and I think almost hoping that you'll take some initiative. Or at least, would appreciate your taking initiative. (The Freemasons like bees too - they're part of their symbology but that is neither here nor there).

Is there anything that you could be doing now to already ensure that the future will be interesting and beneficial for all ? I have a feeling that things will end up getting upgraded for you if you can grasp the opportunities in front of you. The Emperor not only represents your boss, but also you. It's like a sign that there is the possibility of being in a position of more responsibility.

Now let's get to the Minors :

5 of SWORDS / 7 of BATONS / 9 of DENIERS

Very nice cards. The 5 of Swords below the Pape V. So the numbers reinforce each other and confirm each other. I have always been struck by that middle sword of the 5 of Swords - the one that is just piercing through at the top. It's not yet very apparent - but a head has been raised above the others. Something is breaking through. It's a very auspicious card.

But it's still only breaking through. That's sometimes not enough. Here however it's followed by the 7 of Batons. Which is one of the more exciting cards of the Baton suits. Things are being readjusted, realigned. There is movement but it's not always apparent. Things are being put in order. There's no tension nor struggle. But the Baton suit does refer to work and often hard work, and therefore that 7 of Swords must be prepared to work quite hard to achieve its goals. It can't rest on its laurels. But normally it doesn't, it feels kind of compelled to push further.

The 9 of Deniers below the Emperor makes me think that the last Denier, the 10th missing one, is the shield of the Emperor. This seems to me to mean that there will be some very interesting and also financially sound projects that will be put in place and that you will be paying a key part in their fruition. You'll be receiving the support of those in charge (Pape and Emperor) but they'll be expecting you to deliver.

Whether you want to deliver or not, the Tarot gives no advice. But it does give you a little bit of advice all the same. It says "stand up and be counted".

There is another layer to this reading, but it is slipping through my fingers. So I believe I need to wait for your feedback before it becomes clearer.

[Rose Lalonde]

This is encouraging and gives me a direction to go. I will of course leave detailed feedback, but I wanted to get your reading for this week up first, so having just finished that, I'll now think on this and reply again soon. I just wanted to let you know straight away that it's helpful, and I appreciate it.

[Rose Lalonde]

Rose Lalonde.jpg


LE PAPE V / LA FORCE XI / L'EMPEREUR IIII

Let's have a sneak peek at the Majors.

Le Pape in the present/past indicates to me that you were very much appreciated by your superiors or managers or whatever. You're certainly an asset in their eyes. And I think they believe you are capable of doing more. Is that maybe why they added some new additions to your job description? The cards seem to indicate that you are in a strong enough position to negotiate these with your manager or boss or whoever decides on these things.

I've been working for the same company for decades, and I'm often told by my co-workers that I underestimate how well management thinks of me. When I talk about worrying about upsetting a supervisor if I can't meet a certain deadline, someone will reassure me that it will be fine. That generally comes from someone at my same level in the company rather than from above. (Like the two of us below Le Pape on the card). Management has the habit of speaking well about us not to our face but in conversation with others. Anyway you comments here are in line with what my fellows encourage me to believe, and I probably need to chill out a bit and remember what you're saying.

Although I think the Isis addition of bees in their TdM is unnecessary, I think that in this case it is useful. Bees are known as hard workers. The Strength card (in this case you - you're in a strong position) is eyeing the future project - and it looks interesting. The Emperor, your boss, is looking at you, and I think almost hoping that you'll take some initiative. Or at least, would appreciate your taking initiative. (The Freemasons like bees too - they're part of their symbology but that is neither here nor there).

The bees as hard workers makes sense. (In my favorite deck, they appear on the Empress as wild bees and Emperor as a man-made beehive.) Bees work tirelessly for the good of the whole hive, and I definitely get that at our non-profit with small staff. We're united in a belief in what we do, but there's so much to get done year round with a small staff. I'm quite sure they're hoping I'll take initiative as you say. Whenever a new program or grant-funded initiative is added, someone has to coordinate it, and they're always happy when we jump in and make it work. As for the future project looking interesting -- it does, but the shine is a bit tarnished by the practicalities of fitting it into the schedule.

Is there anything that you could be doing now to already ensure that the future will be interesting and beneficial for all ? I have a feeling that things will end up getting upgraded for you if you can grasp the opportunities in front of you. The Emperor not only represents your boss, but also you. It's like a sign that there is the possibility of being in a position of more responsibility.

Is it wrong to say that at this point I don't want to be in any more of a position of responsibility than I already am? I think you have really nailed the expectation and atmosphere at the office. The only trouble is that after years of additions, I work unpaid overtime to meet deadlines, and I'm afraid more responsibility would have the work/life balance more out of whack. And even more important to me than that is the fact that the quality of my work suffers when I do too many things at once for quick deadlines. Then I feel embarrassed if there are mistakes or something has gotten lost in the shuffle. It's important to me that my work is well done and that Le Pape and L'Empereur think well of it. There's some anxiety in meeting the deadlines with quality work.

Now let's get to the Minors :

5 of SWORDS / 7 of BATONS / 9 of DENIERS

Very nice cards. The 5 of Swords below the Pape V. So the numbers reinforce each other and confirm each other. I have always been struck by that middle sword of the 5 of Swords - the one that is just piercing through at the top. It's not yet very apparent - but a head has been raised above the others. Something is breaking through. It's a very auspicious card.

There has been a shift that makes me wonder if something might be changing behind the scenes that will be helpful... a new staff person possibly. But I don't hear about these things until it's decided and been announced to the staff, so I will have to wait and see what the signs are pointing to.

But it's still only breaking through. That's sometimes not enough. Here however it's followed by the 7 of Batons. Which is one of the more exciting cards of the Baton suits. Things are being readjusted, realigned. There is movement but it's not always apparent. Things are being put in order. There's no tension nor struggle. But the Baton suit does refer to work and often hard work, and therefore that 7 of Swords must be prepared to work quite hard to achieve its goals. It can't rest on its laurels. But normally it doesn't, it feels kind of compelled to push further.

Yes, pushing further. I watched a documentary once on Studio Ghibli (the respected Japanese animation house that produced Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, among other films). They had a sign in the office that said something like, If you aren't inspired to give everything you have, then please resign. It struck me when I saw it that my own office is similar, although the sentiment is unspoken, and I definitely believe in, and am inspired by, what we do, but at some point taking on more starts to feel like it's no longer feasible.

But I think where I work, I need to embrace this 7 of Batons attitude you describe of working hard to achieve goals and not struggling against the inevitable additions to my job description, OR I have to decide that I've reached a limit and look elsewhere. I like where I am, so I'm not ready to do the latter, which means there's no point in holding fretting about the former. The lack of tension you mentioned. Work with the situation at hand.

The 9 of Deniers below the Emperor makes me think that the last Denier, the 10th missing one, is the shield of the Emperor. This seems to me to mean that there will be some very interesting and also financially sound projects that will be put in place and that you will be paying a key part in their fruition. You'll be receiving the support of those in charge (Pape and Emperor) but they'll be expecting you to deliver.

This seems very likely. The work is generally interesting and the causes important, and with the deadlines I meet, there is a strong expectation to deliver. Everyone at my company works to a lot of set deadlines, including the management, so we're together in that, and there will be support, as you said.

Whether you want to deliver or not, the Tarot gives no advice. But it does give you a little bit of advice all the same. It says "stand up and be counted".

I will certainly try.

There is another layer to this reading, but it is slipping through my fingers. So I believe I need to wait for your feedback before it becomes clearer.

Ah, but you've perfectly captured the atmosphere in my office, and I think this is a good reminder for me of something I should know by now -- that this is the nature of the company, and I need to work within that dynamic with a can-do attitude, or I need to make a decision that I can't anymore. There's no changing the place so that I can keep the parts I love and not the parts I don't. I've tried before, but things are still as they were. It's a place of great conviction and energy and shared hard work. It's someplace that's about the community and integrity, and only comes down to money duet to staying afloat and being able to keep up the standard of what we provide. I admire that, and in that respect, I'm quite lucky in my job.

Thanks, Diana, for a great reading that takes an accurate pulse of my workplace. Your reading helps me see it clearly, which in turn clarifies where I am in it all. Thanks very much.

[Diana]

Thank you for the extensive feedback.

I think I missed the mark a bit, but not too much. That 5 of Swords is hugely significant.

If you'd be willing, perhaps you could give some more feedback in a few weeks? So I can see how much I was on or off the mark ?

[Rose Lalonde]

If you'd be willing, perhaps you could give some more feedback in a few weeks?

Hi Diana, I know you're away, but I wanted to get back to your question... The upcoming change was revealed: we've hired another consulting firm who will run focus groups and make recommendations for changes in 2021. We won't have their initial report until August, so I don't know what that outcome will be.

Hope you are enjoying writing.

[Diana]

Thanks for the update Rose Lalonde. I don't know how relevant the reading is for you in this light though.

The book is coming on splendidly by the way. I sent a chapter to a fellow TdM journeyer and their encouraging words exceeded my expectations and made me feel all warm inside. So I'm feeling more confident that it may well turn out to become a worthy addition to the TdM literature. I would like to finish it by the end of summer. I'm really enjoying this new adventure.

I wish you all well at your job.