16. Office Blues
I want a change of pace, but is it a good idea?
Edward Hopper, ‘Office at Night’, 1940, above.
Dear QOC,
I've been working with the same group for over 10 years, and am comfortable and relatively stable, but becoming a bit bored. I interviewed for a short-term role yesterday which could be fun, or could be a step towards my career shrivelling up.
I currently work with lovely people, and the new group are a bit of a mystery in terms of culture. But it would expand my horizons somewhat. They might offer the role to someone else, of course, but if it’s offered, should I take it?
—Tired of the Treadmill
Almost everyone I know has mentioned recently that they feel like they’re spinning their wheels at the moment. It’s been a long year of enforced nothingness; not relaxation, but tense, nervy waiting-around. That tension is draining, and seems to spill into every aspect of life, particular since so much of what we do for nourishment (dinner parties! movies! Pilates!) has been taken off the plate.
I’m not sure to what extent this feeling might be fuelling some of your current restlessness—but even if is a factor, it doesn’t invalidate the question. If nothing else, this year has been useful for thinking about priorities, and how we go about the business of our lives. Things are beginning to open up a little, which means new possibilities and potential new beginnings.
This spread seems pretty unambiguous to me. The King of Batons, as powerful as he is, looks fairly glum. Batons are a symbol of desire and creativity, but the King’s baton is comically large; it looks like a ski-pole, but he is not using it to fuel forward motion. Instead, he leans somewhat heavily towards the Queen of Cups, her equally enormous goblet in his line of sight.
The golden cup, which takes up the entirety of her gaze, stands for emotional and spiritual fulfilment. Though she’s angled towards the King, the two do not make a matching pair; she is soft and flowing, and he is dressed as a sardine can. His armour, his heavy hat-crown, his shod feet, all indicate protection over ease of movement, whereas the Queen is freer in her body. She is more vulnerable, but she is also more capable of action.
The sword over her left shoulder, if she brought it down, would seperate her cleanly from the King—but he would not be hurt at all. So I don’t think the lovely people you currently work with would see your moving on as a severing of your relationships, which sound like a wonderful aspect of the current gig.
Despite the Queen’s relative freedom, she is fixated on the cup, which looms over her like a spooky shadow in the next card in the guise of the Ace. The Ace of Cups is one of those declarative, no-nonsense cards that anchor a tarot reading to established symbolic meanings. Aces augur beginnings, and a narrowing (or purity) of focus.
Though the Ace of Cups is commonly read as symbolic of romantic or spiritual love, the key to understanding its significance lies in the fact that unlike the Baton, Sword, or Coin, it is designed to contain and to hold. Whatever you pour into the cup provides much of its meaning, and keeps the balance between novelty and continuity stable. The double focus on Cups makes me think that you have, in your secret heart, made up your mind already, and that this tarot consultation is akin to flipping a coin.
In any case, I think you should go for it. The idea of career longevity is kind of crumbling anyway—now could be a really good time to test out your wings, and see if what you’re yearning for is as good a fit as you hope. I’ll keep my fingers crossed they offer you the role.
xx