Time Out

I was up early this morning so that I could get my lift to the small coastal town of Broadstairs for my meeting. A couple of years ago, I worked in a boy's grammar school not so far from there and I used to love getting the train down in the morning. On the way back, it would sometimes run parallel to the beach. The whole journey was so nice and relaxing and the complete opposite of being on a packed commuter train, going into the dingy brick world of London which I am more used to. I didn't see the sea today, but the seagulls were out and there was that sense of space and airiness which I associate with the coast.

My meeting wasn't as long as yesterdays. It probably only lasted for a couple of hours. I met my agent for the project, who I clicked with instantly, and my point of contact at the school - a twenty-something P.E. teacher. He was very relaxed and open to all of my ideas, so I will set about starting my illustrating next week. I was a bit worried about how I was going to get the commission done in just a day, but he kind of sneaked a little more time out of my agent for me with a wink. Of course, more time means more money.

The 8 of Coins (or Pentacles) is about work, skill, focus, and diligence. This job is a different kind of proposal for me, so the card looks at broadening what I already do and learning something new. I see it as my turning up on time, asking the relevant questions, taking notes, and recording what preparatory material I will need with my camera; I actually used the agent and teacher as models for my illustration. In the book that comes with the deck, it says that Spinel, the crystal associated with this card, stimulates creativity and will power. This is a card which I always think of as 'just getting on with things and not pussyfooting about'.

After my tiredness yesterday, I have to say that I don't feel that much better today. I dozed in the car this morning and slept on my way home. When we got back, I went straight to bed and slept for hours. I woke a couple of times, and on each, my body felt drained and my hands ached. Have you ever been so low in energy that you feel as though you are sinking through the bed? That's how I felt. I see The Hanged Man as a step back out of my day for a couple of hours. I was so tired that I had to abort the mission for the afternoon and take some time out.

My boyfriend has just arrived and is having something to eat. As we sit here and watch the devastating film of the earthquake in Japan on the news, we have a quiet evening planned. At the moment, I couldn't envisage anything else.


Photography from The Tarot of Gemstones and Crystals by Heinrich Hugendubel Verlag