Now this is only my take on this reading. I hope others will step in and give their take and then we can see how we differ, why we differ, what is our rationale for our interpretations and then maybe come to a nice cohesive and orderly reading. So I’m not laying down any rules here – just sharing how I would read it.
I’ve invented a question by an anonymous querent. Here it is :
So two cards were pulled with the positions :I’ve been headhunted by a recruitment company and they’re wanting me to try out for a job at a prestigious multinational company. Everything about it looks good on paper. The job description, the career advancement possibilities, the salary, the working conditions, even the location. It sounds sort of a dream job for me because I really want to work myself up in my profession and in my present job there’s no chance of that. The job prospects to climb the ladder in this multinational look very promising. They even have internal trainings for company advancement.
For the moment, the position in the new company is similar to the one I have, which is office manager and chief administrator, but view that I work in a very small company, there’s no way I can advance my position without sacking my boss – lol !!! I like it here, but I’m starting to get a bit bored.
But something keeps on nagging me in the back of my mind that something isn’t right here and before going to the interview, I’d like to know if the cards have any insight ?
1) Outcome for the person if they are accepted for the position – 8 of Cups
2) What needs to be known that is not known ? – 9 of Swords
Now the two cards must be read together. But I do like to look at them separately as well, before seeing how they fit together.
So here is an 8 of Cups. 8s remind me that I can look to Justice VIII and The Moon XVIII. So we will be having here either something balanced and fair (justice) or something more uncertain or even perhaps deceptive (Moon). This helps me to figure out later when I’m doing the synthesis of the two cards whether the 8 of Cups should be read more positively or negatively, upright or reversed.
Then the Cups are containers. They hold something very precious. They are a reserve of something. In this reading, would this represent all the resources that the querent would be bringing to the new position as well as what they will be receiving? In which case it’s either going to be something beneficial and harmonious - or the cups may very well not contain what is expected. Perhaps the containers don’t hold much water ?
The Water element in a professional reading can be a bit of a warning sign. If the querent were a psychologist, or an artist, it would be lovely. But Water for a prestigious multinational makes me immediately think that there is no place really for Water to flow there. Multinationals work with stringent internal rules and regulations. Where would the Water go ? The number 8 which is a number of equilibrium and balance, although far from being static and which does indeed imply some movement and motion, is definitely not the most revolutionary of numbers.
If we look at the way the Cups are placed on the cards, with the vegetation in the place where it is, it seems that there is some kind of very strict hierarchy. Three at the top, three at the bottom and two in the middle. The middle row seem sort of stuck between the other two rows. Nicely protected. Everything is quite in order and things seem to have a structure of their own that has been put in place which works well. But it doesn’t really look like the middle tier has anywhere to go. As the querent’s description of the post indicates that they will be in the middle tier, there is no clear sign of career advancement in the company as the querent mentioned. The only chance is that one of the cups in the top tier retires or leaves the company. Most likely the middle cup – as it already shows a sign that it may be being pushed out by that sort of elongated white and red leaf or whatever it is.
So now I’m going to go over to the 9 of Swords. For the moment, I’m still looking at it separately and not taking into account the first card.
Now 9s are very nice numbers. Because they imply that a cycle is soon over. All the little seeds are ready to sprout. So this is quite auspicious for this reading.
And Swords ? Well, I’ve recently changed my frame of reference for Air/Fire, and so for me Swords now represent Fire. So much energy in fire ! So much passion. Indeed, the querent is ready to move on and has the energy required to do so. The upright Sword is already apparent. It’s ready to grow and expand.
But we have a problem here. Fire and Water are not friends. Not AT all. This should I think make any Tarot reader sit up. These two elements cannot work together if they get too close to each other.
This 9 of Swords is the position “what is hidden, what is unseen ?
I fear here that the querent will find themselves in an atmosphere and a place that will be completely foreign to them. That will make their whole lives get out of balance. That they will be sitting waiting for a long time for their career advancement which may never materialise or at least not for a very long time. That the pressure (Fire) and requirements of a multinational will be too much for the querent who is used to a more relaxed and almost family atmosphere. That the querent will end up by burning themselves – burnouts are frequent these days.
Brandishing 9 Swords all the time is exhausting. It can be done however if the resources are available to keep up the strength required and if one has time to recuperate. But with Fire and Water… there aren’t many resources to draw on. They certainly can’t turn to each other for help. And in a multinational, if one doesn’t have strong allies, it’s unlikely one will get very far. It’s all about being buddies with the right person and playing golf with them on Sundays.
I think the querent is dreaming of something that will make them eventually lose a bit of their soul – represented by the Cups/Containers/Water. The 9 speaks also of the Hermit and of course the Sun. The sun burns – this could speak again of a burn out. The Hermit, when he comes out of his forest or cave where he goes to renew himself, he has to shield his eyes from the bright sun and take out his sunscreen (full protection).
I’d advise the querent to have a very close look at what the personal consequences for them would be if they took on a position which seems in the long run to be very different to what they think.
However, the 8 of Cups and the 9 of Swords do indicate that it is time that the querent looked for another job. He’s done his time in the little company he’s in and he is ready for bigger adventures.
