Ten of Wands Reversed

I have a thirty-page book proposal due in ten days. I have no idea what I'm proposing, I don't know how to get started on a book proposal, and I am so out of my element in this grad school program that I don't know up from down half the time. I am on the verge of a reversed Ten of Wands situation - so overburdened and scared by the amount of work, I'm ready to just toss in the towel and give up on grad school altogether.

But that's not all the reversed Ten of Wands suggests. It also portends looking for help, sharing the work load, and giving up and doing laundry instead. I don't want to do laundry, so instead I'll look for help - I'll study some literature on book proposals, ask some members of my cohort what they're up to, and copy something off the internet (hey, I never claimed to be original at anything!) Then maybe I'll eat a pot roast and watch The Intern. ...and then I'll get started on the book proposal.

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The Ten of Wands upright is about overburdening ourselves and working too hard.

Reversed, there are a few things that might be happening with the huge amount of work you have to do:

1. You could be taking on too much
2. You might be avoiding your responsibilities
3. You may be beating a dead horse

 
Questions answered by the reversed Ten of Wands:
 
Who? The most overworked person
What? Wrong priorities
Where? The office or workplace
When? The middle of December; Never; When you start doing the work you’re putting off
Why? “Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it.” ~Ann Landers
Yes or No? Yes, if you do the right work

The reversed Ten of Wands as:
…an action?

• Ask for help
• Give up

 
…a place in your house?

• The laundry room
• The garage

 
…a place in your city?

• A storage facility
• An industrial park
• City Hall

 
…a place in the world?

• Hong Kong
• The East coast of USA
• Tokyo, Japan

 
…something to eat?

• Duck pâté
• Pot roast
• Baked Alaska

 
…something to clean?

• The laundry room
• The kid’s room

 
…where to find your missing item?

• In a pile of laundry

 
…a movie theme? Martyrdom; overburdened

• Limitless
• The Intern

 
…a new career?

• Healthcare worker
• Oil rig or iron worker
• Busy, irrelevant work

 
The reversed Ten of Wands
Before any card: Share the workload of (card)
After any card: Unfinished work; burnout