Archimedes and I are missing You!

I am still reading Josephine Ellershaw's book, Easy Tarot Reading. I am trying to learn the two spreads she includes within it, named The Life Spread and The Anchor, since I prefer them to the Celtic Cross. The Life Spread has five areas, labeled General, Work, Home, Love and The Future. Each has four cards within it. Three make up the bottom, moving in time from left to right, and a card crowns each, called the key. I have used this layout for today, so that I can practice some more.

The key card in today's reading is the 9 of Cups. I guess that's me. It looks as though I am feeling pretty chuffed with myself sitting in front of those nine cups, doesn't it? Well, I suppose I am. I had a meeting this morning, regarding a one off job I will be doing next month. It revolves around Charles Dickens and will incorporate creative writing, drama, and other art-based exercises. Two of my friends have started up their own company and asked me if I would help them with this project. I have worked with both of them in schools before and am very excited to join them again, so you could see this as a wish granted for me today. It isn't much of a strain to see this relationship in the 6 of Pentacles. I am helping them out, but ultimately, they are doing me a big favour by giving me work. They are both very kind. They picked me up today and will help get me to the school on the day.

As the 7 of Pentacles might suggest, this kind of work has been a long time coming. However, my previous experience is now bearing more fruit. I am hoping that should they get more contracts, they will be able to provide me with a little more work. We joked about how I could become their social secretary if they do, tweeting schools, keeping a Facebook page in order, and writing updates of their business on a company blog and documenting all of the projects covered. I think that we were only half joking, since I know that is something I would personally enjoy to do and I think they understood the need for a role like that to aid publicity. The Knight of Cups is a symbol of creative invitation in this scenario.

This kind of thing feeds me. I need work like this to get me buzzing again as it helps me to feel better about myself. We had our meeting in a hotel coffee shop. We have met there a few times before, but on this occasion, there was an empty space where Annie once sat. We had initially used the hotel a year ago for a training day, and to our surprise, the hundred or so teachers we had trained were coincidentally in the hotel conference room today. They were watching a film of the project that the three of us ran with them a year ago. Since we were there, we were invited to go in and see it, but to be honest, I am glad we couldn't. I think that seeing Annie on the film might have moved me too much at this point.

When we got into the car, my friend said she had something for me. It was the bear that I made for Annie last year, which she had called Archimedes. She had found him at the flat after Annie had died and didn't want him to get thrown out with other stuff so asked if she could bring him back to me. I know that Annie loved him. She sent me a message on Christmas Day, wishing my parents and I a festive day from her and the bear, so as much as it was nice to have him back as a memento of my friend, seeing him again was kind of tinged with sadness. He is sitting on my ottoman at the moment. I am not quite sure how, but he has his back turned and head bowed. I think he's missing our friend, as we all are.


Illustration from The Radiant Rider Waite, based on the drawings of Pamela Coleman Smith and redrawn byVirginijus Poshkus.