Returning to Work

A new mother (A) has some apprehension about returning to work. She says it’s like a fresh start, but she has some concerns. Reading done the evening of Tuesday, April 26, 2011 with Shadowscapes Tarot.

Spread: Walk in the Woods

1. Stepping out into the crisp Autumn air, you go for a walk in the woods. This is where you are starting from.

2. As you walk down this path, you hear a twig cracking in the brush. These are the fears you will encounter.

3. So you wrap your shawl tightly around you, and grasp it tightly as you quicken your pace. This is that which you will find comfort in.

4. Off in the distance you see a deer with it’s fawn crossing appearing in your path. This is what you don’t expect.

5. A wise owl swoops above your head and lands on a far up branch. This is what you will learn along this path.

6. As you reach the end of your journey, you ponder all that has happened and what has resulted. This is the outcome of your journey.

Reading:

1. Where you’re starting off from: Tower RV
There was a recent situation of a coworker spreading bad gossip. The situation is over and this gossiper is no longer working on the same team as A, but its aftermath is still affecting the A’s relationship with her colleagues. This is at the root of A’s concerns about returning to work.

    

2. What you fear = Lovers
This indicates a strong partnership with others. A interpreted this card pretty quickly: it concerns her partnerships with coworkers, one in particular, whose relationship with her was negatively affected by the gossiper mentioned above. A really wants to rebuild this relationship, so we drew two more cards for advice:
What to do about this situation = Wheel of Fortune RV
What NOT to do = Death RV
A should not focus on “restarting” the whole relationship over, but rather acknowledge what it has been and know that it can (and will) change in due time.

  

3. What will comfort you = Sun
A thinks that her own confidence and self-assuredness will be her source of comfort through this situation. This interpretation also came to A pretty quickly. (Interestingly enough, this occurred in a reading for her new baby, indicating a gift from the baby’s father and A’s husband. However, we think this is pointing to her own strength and confidence rather than comfort being provided by her husband.)

4. What you don’t expect = Hanged Man
The ability to let go of one’s control over a situation and accept what is there and what is happening. The best quote for this card: the serenity prayer.

   

5. What you will learn = Knight of Pentacles RV
Clarification card = 5 of Cups
The Knight of Pentacles RV card took us a little while to figure out in this position. When I described the clarifying card, we saw a new concern come up that she had not mentioned at the beginning: often when losing a case (she is an attorney) she finds it to be a personal insult or attack. She thought she had developed an understanding with the jury, and then they make an opposing decision. A described this as a feeling of being stabbed in the back. We decided that these cards mean she will learn to strengthen her Knight of Pentacles qualities at work (methodical, thorough, slow but steady on the course) instead of taking work too personally. It calls for her to shift her focus to what she brings to her work rather than the outcome — which is out of her hands and she must accept, like the Hanged Man.

6. Outcome of this journey = Queen of Pentacles
The outcome of her return to work and getting resettled into her job and career looks promising. The way things are heading, she will come to embody the qualities of the Queen of Pentacles: trustworthy, dedicated, financially secure, etc.