Today, I drew cards to give me some ideas about the coming week. As far as I know, this is an ordinary week for me. I work Monday to Friday at my pedestrian job in corporate IT; on my personal time I manage my household, cook, entertain (distract) myself, work on my art, or read.

This week does have a few exceptional events in it. Today, we are attending a Super Bowl party, which will be a lot of fun but which does present the possibility for some turbulent family dynamics to surface. Tuesday, I have another therapy session, which is always an adventure as one never knows what direction the session will go and what demons may surface. Wednesday, I have a psychiatric evaluation to see if I can get some ADD meds, as my therapist and I both believe that I have been undiagnosed for decades and that a lot of the problems in my life probably stem from some version of that disorder.

In terms of the work life, I have been managing several highly ambiguous tasks for a very difficult client. I have also been steadily accumulating a backlog of work that needs to be done, and done well, before people get mad at me. I have also been experiencing a lot of complex emotions about my work for reasons I won’t dive into here.

So, here’s the spread. Card 1 is an overview of the week’s energy. Card 2 represents the challenges that may come up this week. And card 3 represents the guidance that the cards have for me. Let’s see what we pull. This week, we’re using the Thoth Tarot, which I have often found to be both direct and accurate, and we are using both the Thoth handbook and Angeles Arrien’s interpretation of the deck to read the cards.

Overview: 8 of Wands (Swiftness)

The 8 of Wands in the Thoth Tarot is captioned Swiftness. This card represents the need for swift action and direct communication. The skillful application of direct communication can transform blockers into energetic action, represented by the block transforming into a diamond on the card art. This card tells us to avoid procrastination and covert communications, both of which are things I personally struggle with. I would say this card speaks to me especially in the sphere of my working life, where I can see a great need for swift and decisive action coming this week to avoid uncomfortable fallout on some of the things I’ve been working on (and procrastinating).

Challenges: Queen of Wands

The Queen of Wands in this deck represents knowledge of the self and self-discovery. Per the Thoth handbook, the Queen of Wands also represents adaptability and steady force. She can be kind and wise, but she can also be obstinate and domineering if irked. This card can represent personal growth, the process of becoming who you are, and – possibly important in the therapeutic world – the Anima figure. I read this card as representing some possible challenges in therapy, and also some possible challenges with one of our customers, who is definitely domineering and obstinate.

Guidance: Death

Death is not the card I would have necessarily chosen for the Guidance section, but it is an interesting pull. The Thoth guidebook says that Death is not so much representative of literal death as it is representative of the alchemical process of change. A better name for the card might be Death and Rebirth.

Death tells us that it is time to embrace the process of detachment and release. It is time to release old habits, old ways of working, or old worldviews. It is time to use the scythe of our better judgement to harvest and release that which is not working. The process of releasing and letting go of that which no longer serves us can breed a newness of life. Every ending, even literal death, is a new beginning.

Arrien suggests some affirmations to use when the Death card presents itself:

I am excited about growing and becoming more of who I am.

I can let go with ease and dignity.

Arrien also delves into the numerology of the Death card. Death, the thirteenth card, is related to the Emperor, the fourth card (13; 1+3 = 4). To embrace our Emperor energy, we must be willing to continually embrace a process of becoming that includes change and growth. We must know our boundaries, be open to what the world shows us, and be willing to follow our inner compass.

Overall Read

The Eight of Wands tells me that this week will require swiftness. The overall vibe of the week is to get shit done. Accomplishing tasks will require action and directness, not subtlety and slowness. This action may be needed to deal with transformational energies in my personal and work life, and those transformational energies may require me to release things which no longer serve me and to embrace changes which find their way into my life. The universe ebbs and flows; energy comes and goes; personal and professional growth require change and direct action. This is good advice to bring into the week. Let’s see how it goes.