18 February 2021
Context
Welcome to Day 49!
Have you ever thought about the magic of a physical body of a sentient being? To think that it only takes six to twelve weeks to heal a bone which has been snapped. For all the whining that’s been happening on this blog about how happy life would be without an ankle in a cast, the healing is really nothing short of phenomenal! It really is like magic.
To think, that the bone heals itself to the point of being “whole”. Okay, there are a couple more weeks once the cast has been removed. You have to admit that it’s still pretty impressive. Even the three months to get back on track is still super amazing. Not to mention, access to skilled expertise.
Just when work looked overwhelming and never-ending, there was a glimmer of hope when there was an offer to take one of the larger projects away. The offer was like a greek god bestowing ambrosia on a dying soul. Now all that needs to happen, is for the troublesome child (project), to stop crying or for someone else to baby-sit it. The noisy baby project was meant to be a “part-time babysitter role”, it’s working out to need a lot coddling than expected! It was part of the reason for the work cloud to appear so dark and gloomy.
The rest of the day was about routine. Routine is comforting in some respects, provided it’s a routine created by yourself. Things like checking emails, answering phones, responding to instant messages, attending meetings add to a feeling of control It’s not great for making progress or developing new ideas.
Speaking of routine, let’s see what the cards have to say!
Today's Cards
The Cards - Analysis
Just looking at the day’s cards compared to yesterday’s cards makes you wonder whether the cards were even shuffled very well. Let me assure you they were. In addition to the Washing Machine method there was also a long standard shuffle plus a fan-out and select.
An overview of the last four days shows Participation has shown up 75% of the time, its attention seeking by sitting itself in position three two days in a row. Friendliness and Moment to Moment have hung around the front and centre positions.
The Source has moved from being a recent has-been to an up-and-coming Outcome. And the same people that thought my façade of control was crumbling on Day 046, have welcomingly stepped in to assist with my burden. There are no complaints from me!
The cards displaying Thunderbolt at both the times when this group engaged with me, the card shows up. Their assistance is in response to me lamenting the volume of work on my plate. When we spoke it was Day 046 and again today. The rumour mill is running well and to my advantage – this time.
Today's Analysis
The card in the Now position is Moment to Moment. It’s influence was strong and taking one step at a time is the best way to tackle a big pile of work. That saying of, the only way to get to the top of a mountain is one step at a time comes to mind (it goes something like that, anyway).
Second card is Friendliness and it is in the Influence position. Friendliness you could argue is from the interactions with work colleagues when I vented my predicament. Their influence hangs over me now, making it easier to take each step at a time. Alternately, if you wanted to view this card as a Blocking position, it’s being distracted by friendly interactions preventing me from moving further along.
The Goal position from yesterday has not changed and remains Participation. Therefore the Goal has either not be fulfilled or it has some longevity. It’s surprising that more cards do not remain the same, my life doesn’t move that fast. Participation, is connecting with like minded people in this case. Participating as part of a team that helps each other out. Life can be hard, it’s better to try and build connections rather than eschew them – that’s today’s take on it.
Distant Past, of position four has the card of Sharing. The friendliness shown by others and the Goal of Participation is here to help me a direct result of me sharing feelings on my workload. Sometimes (usually), this is something that receives no traction because everyone else is feeling it too and the capability to facilitate help isn’t available and it becomes a matter of “deal with it, princess”. Osho’s interpretation of this card is different but today, my interpretation seems more applicable.
Conditioning is in the Recent Past position and was in the Now position on Day 047. This seems to imply that whatever Conditioning I was shackled with I’ve broken. It might be that I was feeling self-conscious about being looking like the crumbling Thunderbolt.
Totality is in position six of Future Energy. Totality seems to imply that in surrendering some of the pre-existing work the move into the new role is more final. I’m used to having an escape route, that’s just the nature of project management, make sure there’s a plan B.
Position seven is Feelings/ Immediate Future and has the card of Breakthrough. The day was a lot more positive. Just by letting me know that the big project would get lifted saw my productivity increase; that was a Breakthrough in itself.
Other People’s Views is position eight and has the Thunderbolt card. The image on the card has everything going all over the place. The figure is being rebuilt as everything that it knew has changed. This is like a bushfire clearing the forest floor of debris so new shoots and plant species can grow. As opposed to the other day, where the crumbling was seen as detrimental, this time the stripping away of unnecessary baggage. It’s all about perspective.
In the Hopes & Fears position is the Politics cards. It’s not a particularly pleasant looking card but sometimes it’s necessary to play politics. While there are several areas at the moment where I feel I need to tread cautiously, the focus of today’s reading is around assistance. More precisely a burden being lifted by the mere mention of assistance.
The Hope is that the assistance has come in ernest and there are no strings attached. However, on the cynical side the Fears is that it will come with strings or that it’s simply a carrot. Worse, it could arrive once I’ve started the project. Much worse for me, as letting go is a little more difficult at that point.
Finally, it position ten which reflects the Outcome. The Outcome is The Source, which is all about getting back to what drives me. Why drives me now may be different to previously, fundamentally however, it’s simply about having the time to connect with my source.
References
Osho, Osho Zen Tarot – The Transcendental Game of Zen, St Martin’s Press, ISBN 0-312-11733-7
