Don't feed the monster - 5 of Wands

Oh, boy, the Lord of Strife. In the 5 of Wands  from the Cosmic Tarot, we see two young men in a circle of stones doing battle against one another. They probably won't do one another serious or life-threatening damage, but those sticks surely hurt. The pink colour of the card is a sickly hue, more like a pale red, signifying anger and upset. Angel Paths Tarot says, 'This card will often come up when some-one is very unhappy with a working situation - there is, perhaps, a clash of personality with somebody else; or perhaps the individual is unhappy with working practices. Often in this situation there's a tendency toward rashness and loss of control which can lead to further problems.' I think this interpretation sounds applicable. My manager (who is leaving soon) has a meeting coming up today during which she will try to iron out with another manager, in another team, the division of duties between myself and that team. Where I work, there used to be an entire team of people. Now there's only me. I have been led to believe that this person will want her team to do all the 'big projects' and leave all the admin tasks to me. Also, I know that my manager and this person have had personality conflicts in the past. So although I won't be directly involved in the conflict, it will impact my working life. 

The advice Angel Paths Tarot offers is to arm myself with a sense of humour, be on the lookout for 'bad attitude' in both my colleagues and myself, and try to get through the day doing those tasks that are most enjoyable and leaving the more frustrating stuff for another day. She offers an affirmation that she says is designed to be hard to say, to try to help us laugh: 'I meet conflict and obstacles with equanimity.' 

The 5 of Wands, according to Golden Dawn tradition, means Saturn in Leo. 

'Saturn in Leo has a strong need for recognition. They clearly want to be the leader. They expect a lot from themselves and others. They have a limited sense of humour and can appear cautious and reserved. Leo Saturn can undermine their goals by undervaluing themselves, an attitude that can sabotage all they work towards. Their feelings of jealousy and lack of spontaneity can push others away. The often put up a coldness toward others to protect themselves. Their challenge is to connect with others and find value in themselves. Cooperation may be a challenge for them. They may be over-cautious. Life challenges them to properly use their personal power, creativity and ego. If they learn to successfully deal with these issues, they will have a joyful life of vitality and spontaneity.' ~ Always Astrology 

What is this card suggesting I can do today, then, that would bring me pleasure and have a positive impact on my future? I can remember that struggle and strife are inherent to life. I can avoid being drawn in to conflicts, particularly those that are not my battles, such as the one happening today. I can avoid becoming, as James Ricklef suggests in his book 'The Soul's Journey,' 'fascinated by the arguing going on over there.' Just being a 'mesmerized onlooker,' says Ricklef, allows negativity to creep into you and stirs up bad things. I can also avoid jumping to conclusions based on this perceived conflict going on around me, and possibly about my role. (Not me, but my role. The conflict started before I was even recruited, when the role was created. Not something they included in the job advert or interview!) Ricklef suggests that if I withdraw my energy from the power struggle, it will collapse. At the very least, I can take steps to insure that I do not feed it with my energy. I should withdraw both my curiosity and my speculations from this situation, and just get on with whatever tasks end up being assigned to me.