Back to Work.

After 12 days of not having to work and 12 days of relaxing and replenishing my psychic brain circuits I will be returning to work on the 14th of December. I wanted to ask the cards what awaits me or what do I need to be prepared for when I return; more precisely how should I prepare for what awaits me. I used the Alchemical Tarot Renewed by Robert M. Place since I discovered this morning that its corresponding application is available to download from the App Store. I do not much like the idea of learning to work with a deck from an application but since this is the only format currently available I thought I might as well get it so that I can start using this wonderful deck.
I asked the cards: What do I need to know about my workplace next week? I devised a simple two-card spread taking advantage of the beautiful rose image on the back of the cards. This second edition of the deck has a non-reversible card back with a single rose. I thought of this image as being either more positive or more negative depending on its position. So I swirled the cards face down on my bed using the so called 'wash' technique. This resulted in some roses being upright and some being reversed. I pulled and collected the cards back together reforming them into one deck and separated the upright and reversed roses into two smaller decks. Each of these decks were cut once and then the top cards of the two decks were placed next to each other. The card to the left represented the 'negative' aspects (reversed roses) and the card to to the right the positive aspects (upright roses) of the situation. Here I use the term 'negative' to suggest opportunities or areas which may affect me more profoundly; things I may not have wanted to face or confront in the past.

   

Five of Swords                                  Four of Staffs

There were no cards from the Major Arcana which I am not surprised about at all since I am not dealing with or expecting any major life influences or transitions at the moment. The card from the 'negative' deck was the 5 of Swords. Traditionally, I would associate this card with defeat, (mental) pain, victimization as well being stubbed in the back, negative thinking or depression. This card depicts a blacksmiths who is trying to fix broken or negative swords. This may sound rather positive compared to its traditional meaning; however the card was drawn from the 'reversed rose' pile so in this context I'd better interpret it in terms of things at work that may have to be fixed, holes in the system and perhaps a lot of mental effort and energy that will have to be used to improve things at work. On a more personal level this card may be telling me that I may view things negatively once I return to work; or simply this card just shows me back at work. Looking at the card that was drawn from the 'upright rose' pile I have all the right reasons to stop thinking negatively and view things in a more positive way. The 4 of Staffs (or 4 of Wands) is traditionally associated with initial success, completion, celebrations but in this card it emphasizes the mutual loving aspect of this card between the masculine and the feminine. If I recall correctly, according to Waite this is the only card in the RWS deck that has the same meaning in its reversed position. So this card then signifies an environment that is loving, balanced, with a certain feel-good factor. So in summary, there is the possibility of negative thinking within a positive environment. And now I am thinking: 'How typical is that of me?' Perhaps these two cards are saying that I should not think negatively or just look for faults and problems that need fixing, but instead try to be more positive since my workplace will be supportive and loving. Well, that surely is great news and we shall see about this next week upon my return to work.