Some Thoughts on Work

and the tarot cards which speak to it

Barbara Ellmann, THE COLORS OF THE WAY, THE WAY IS EVERYWHERE barbaraellmann.com

This week I've been thinking about work. What is working too hard? What does it mean to “take time off”? The strikes in France regarding raising the retirement age have got me thinking about the concept of work versus stopping work at a certain time in life. My husband Chris has been feeling the working too hard vibe lately. He does it to himself. We own our own business so technically the only person who tells him what to do is him, and sometimes (okay often) me. I also own the same business, but mostly I’m excited for each day’s variety. I like to be at work. But I like to be at home too. I have my tarot/enneagram business which is another passion, and I like communicating with you in this quasi-formal way each week. It doesn’t feel like work. It feels like balance.

This isn’t to say I don’t stress out at times. I can be a royal bitch when overwhelmed. But I like getting shit done, and I do feel like I am contributing to a legacy institution in Seattle. Retirement doesn’t seem appealing. I like the variety of my days. When I was in the corporate world for twenty years, I think retirement would have seemed extremely enticing, the opportunity to engage with other work, hobbies I might have called them then, which are now actual work I get paid for.

My in-laws wanted a traditional retirement, stopping work in their early sixties. He was an engineer, she a teacher and later principal. Now they travel, play golf, read, enjoy their grandchildren and experience a kind of rest I think they dreamed of and planned for. Conversely, my ninety-two year old father and his seventy-two year old wife continue to work hard. They are both extremely passionate about their work, and rarely skip a day of writing and painting. My dad is driven to finish his many works in progress, even though there is no real finish line. Barbara still teaches and paints most days, and her time in her studio is at the top of her list of priorities. A grid of some of her encaustic work is pictured as the header of this newsletter. When I think of their work, I think it is the process of living. Work is life, in a good way.

Work in the Tarot

I went through my Rider Waite Smith deck and pulled out the cards that represent work to me. Eight cards total, but certainly not an exhaustive list. What is interesting is that they are equally wands and pentacles, life force and energy, earth and resources. They represent effort and collaboration, success and exhaustion. Work can mean all these things to us at different times wherever we are in our processes. Perhaps the Nine of Wands has just had enough, is ready to be done, while the Seven of Pentacles is proud of his accomplishments and still holds his tool, taking a short break. I love the Three of Pentacles, the card of collaboration, working together for a common cause. The Eight of Pentacles reminds me of my Dad and Barbara and their work ethic—the worker in this card is toiling but having a good time doing it, completely engrossed. The Ten of Wands is burnout, taking on too much. The Seven of Wands is that point or points in our work lives when we have to fight to persevere to get to the end of what we are doing.

I like looking at these eight cards. I need to think on them, perhaps put them in some kind of order, but I think they represent the different aspects of work for us beautifully. What card speaks to you? Do you like your work? Do you wish you worked differently or had a different job? Are you at a point of success, like the Two of Wands and wondering what the next step might be? Maybe you are a little worried about money, like the Four of Pentacles, and need to guard your resources right now?

Offerings

I have a bit of room in my calendar right now for tarot readings and enneagram consults. If so inspired you can sign up at my web site.

Our next tarot circle for paid subscribers only will be on April 16th at noon.

Huge Recommendation

My wonderful friend Erin Jean Warde’s new book is available for pre-order now. It lands on April 18th. I can’t wait to get my copy and share my thoughts with you. You can preorder it at a big discount here: Sober Spirituality You can also check out her Substack here: gather the inklings

xoHanna