Thanks Satori and Flaxen, those were both terrific readings! You are both obviously quite talented at this!
The first thing that popped for me was the color blue. The bottom of the mandorla in the World card shows us the blue leaves, with the figure inside. I see this as you, making your self transparent to your boss...by opening up to the boss (the nudity) you may have sort of shown your soft underbelly to the wolves.
This captures my feelings exactly. My employers depend on me, yet I am totally vulnerable to them... I'm an independent contractor so they can stop using me tomorrow if they want. I know I'm valuable to them, but they know I need lots of work. Of course I can stop working for them anytime as well. It's sort of an unhealthy codependence. What a soap opera...
I love how the mandorla is now the bent staves, and I heard distinctly, "like bending over backwards" [....] but see all the little snipped buds, no growth can be possible here.
Excellent visualization!
Then in the last card, Strength, no longer felt like strength, it felt like they were forcing you to be a certain way, that now that they knew your secrets they were going to exploit you for their own use, for their own reasons, because they can.
I can see why you would say so, although in my particular situation I lean more towards Flaxen's interpretation, i.e. they're not necessarily vindictive, it's just kind of the nature of the business and human nature -- although of course that's still not a reason for me to keep exposing that soft underbelly.
I felt like there are opportunities for you outside your company, they show up in the four corners of the World card. They become the 4 snipped buds in the IIII of Swords...less compassionate, more unified. You don't fit in at this company, you move from being the free spirit you are now, to a snipped yet beautiful flower, and finally, to a beast they want to tame and control, the poor lion.[...] It is so striking to look at the cards and see the 4 creatures become the buds. You as the central figure seem to be losing a battle, you are almost dehumanizing. Changing from card to card though you try to retain some semblance of beauty and strength. The central card is so poignant. I almost hear you saying well I might be changing, they might be manipulating me, but at least I'm still worthy, I'm still beautiful in my own way.
I agree... your interpretation is remarkable, and I also think this particular card combination is also remarkable in itself. That's a really neat set of developmental processes that you've spotted. My hat's off to you!
The progressions from card to card are amazing. You move from a free spirit to a controlled beast, while the Boss lady becomes more real, and solid...the blue taking a new form and controlling you more and more.[...] Does this make any sense?
Yes, very much so! I particularly like how you worked color into the reading, that's something I need to work on in my own readings. Lots of food for thought.
The first thing that jumped out at me was the card and word 'Force'. Here the woman looks resolutely determined to force that lion into submission. There is an element of indifference about it - she looks like she doesn't care one way or the other but knows that life is easier once the lion is controllable. I see this very clearly as your employers forcing you to behave in a way that makes life easier for them. It looks a bit like she is about to give the lion a dose of some nasty medicine - perhaps to help keep it docile. I wonder if you have been treated to this 'medicine' yourself in the form of soothing platitudes - words/actions aimed at keeping you sweet.
Flaxen, you've hit the nail on the head. They are very nice to me and treat me very well... but I know that they're giving the best work (which brings the best compensation) to someone else.
The 4 of swords speaks of restriction and being forced to fit. However, this is not a sustainable situation and sooner or later the sword will break. It also speaks of a struggle that has been going on for a long time and one you cannot seem to break away from. Do you feel trapped in your current job?
I like my job, but the constant contact with the same employers, along with the constant paranoia on my part (a lot of it justified, but probably some of it imaginary on my part as well), is getting on my nerves.
The World suggests to me the promise and optimism you had when you began your employment.
Excellent interpretation! It's a straightforward interpretation but it actually hadn't occurred to me.
It feels like the four figures around the edge were your future employers assessing you and seeing your potential.
Interestingly, they are three brothers and their mother, totaling four. (I hope they're not reading this!
Fortunately none are interested in tarot.)
Unfortunately, they seem to have crushed the spirit that once shone so brightly for them. I don't think this was intended - it feels like something that just happened because you became another cog in the machine. They became indifferent to your fate once you had walked through the company doors.
As mentioned earlier, I think this hits the mark. They're not bad people, but our respective positions necessarily place us somewhat at odds vis-a-vis our conflicting interests. Flaxen, you have some eerily effective "hits" here!
Here was what I had come up with for these cards before I posted them:
I had described myself as nonconfrontational, and that's the key to how I see the World card in this reading. I like for everything to be balanced, without my having to get my hands dirty by interacting with people to make it so. I usually go out of my way to be cooperative and cordial with everyone when it comes to my work, and to give them the best effort I can, and I expect them to treat me well in return. But as is shown on the card, by isolating myself, i.e. refusing to confront people directly to ask/insist on what I want, I'm cutting myself off from the possibility of having any control over the situation. The card shows a balanced situation, but the central figure is cut off from the other four and doesn't really have any power to affect them.
In the next card, the trump card suggested by the 4 would be the Emperor, and so in this case I interpreted the card as forceful or authoritative words, presumably the words I should be speaking to my employers. The flower might represent the harmonious relationships which I am reluctant to jeopardize. By speaking out, I risk losing that harmony (symbolized by the cut stem). However, that might be a sacrifice I need to be willing to make. Similar to how Satori saw the card, I too noticed the design resemblance to the previous card. It's like a vicious parody of the World, except with sharp blades instead of organic leaves surrounding the precious center. The card seems to say that the harmonious relations I find so precious are not actually worth the effort to save.
Then we come to Strength. The thing that really struck me about this card is that the central figure from the World, who had kept a wall between herself and the creatures around her, is now physically interacting with one of those creatures. She has stepped out from her confining cage and is taking matters, literally, into her own hands. So unlike Flaxen's and Satori's interpretation, I saw myself as the central figure, and the situation or my bosses as the lion. This card shows an idealistic vision of me "handling" the situation (in two senses of the word!). Following on from Satori's observation of the nude World dancer showing vulnerability, the Strength lion-tamer is now clothed and self-protected.
Overall I would say my interpretation boils down to a message that (as both Flaxen and Satori suggested) the situation is untenable, and I must speak out and accept the consequences whatever they are.
Interestingly, although we each interpreted the cards in some cases very differently, the same general message emerged for each of us.
This was a lot of fun. Much appreciated.
