How to not let layoffs get in the way of your New Year
Hope is still very much a thing, even when the Corporate Lords have ruled to lay their employees off at the worst time possible.
It’s 2025! First of all, congratulations for getting here: we tend to forget that in the last 5 years only, we got through a pandemic, multiple global lockdowns, an ongoing war, and another ongoing, horrific massacre.
We may also tend to forget that at least since the pandemic, the companies we work at have gone through rounds and rounds of layoffs. I managed to escape them twice over the years, but third time’s the charm, so this late November it was my turn as well. Now, my approach was the Jesus, take the wheel one: not that I’m religious, but since there’s nothing I can do to avoid being laid off, I can’t help but being okay with seeing where the Universe takes me next.
However, *checks privilege*, I am lucky enough that I do not have tons of people (or pets) depending on me, and worst case scenario I guess I could always go back to my native village and learn how to fish, or start a skincare snail farm in my . But a) not everyone is in this position, and b) I myself am not exactly thrilled at the thought of potentially having to leave Germany and move back in with my parents as an adult. So, naturally, I pulled some Tarot cards.
I asked my Tarot: will we get through this [insert swear word here]?
Since I wanted a detailed answer to this question, I used the old, reliable, Celtic Cross spread.
First, there are four Major Arcana: The Hermit, The Tower, The High Priestess, and The Sun. So many Major Arcana in a reading usually mean that something important is afoot: so if you’re feeling like you’re dealing with something that sometimes feel bigger than you, that’s totally valid.
Center crossing - our situation
The Tower crossed by the Two of Coins: very fitting. The Tower is a crumbling building on fire, struck by lightning: it’s a card of dramatic change happening when we don’t feel ready for it. Sounds like a layoff, doesn’t it? As we try to deal with our new unsettling reality, we’re likely scrambling to find a semblance of control: updating our LinkedIn, reviewing our resumes, applying to all jobs we see. That’s the Two of Coins: we’re trying to keep up with all these practical things while, in our current state of mind (and mood), we’re keeping it together with spit and a prayer.
Rest of the Cross
As a result, how do we feel? Overwhelmed: see the Ten of Wands as the Conscious card. This feeling is exacerbated by our Unconscious, the Six of Cups. It’s a card of sweet childhood nostalgia, and in this context it speaks of the successful future we grew up to expect, given our lucky Millennial childhoods. Meaning: if you grow up thinking you’ll do amazing, even better than your parents (e.g. financially), every proof to the contrary will feel even more bitter.
The Hermit, to the left of the center, may have contributed to our current situation. Could it be that while we have no control over layoffs, we perhaps chose to ignore some signs? It’s not a matter of being guilty of something, but rather of asking ourselves if there were any signals that we were too focused on ourselves to ignore (for me, there were).
That said, our Trajectory card looks great: the Six of Wands is a knight who’s seen many battles and has come out the other side with greater experience and understanding of herself, and keeps moving forward. It’s saying, You’ve been through worse, and you will make it through this time as well.
The column
I LOVE this progression from the Six of Wands to the Seven. The latter is our attitude: not only will we rise from the current slump, but we’ll also be confident and even looking forward to facing our new challenges!
We move on to the Page of Cups: our Environment, aka the people around us. Court cards can be real people, and I think the suggestion here is to surround ourselves with creative folk: we often gain clarity when we’re not hyperfocusing on the problem. So pick up a couple of people and go ceramic painting: you might be surprised by sudden epiphanies.
The Hopes and Fears card is the High Priestess. She’s the card of intuition and listening to our gut, which is often much quicker at grasping a situation, compared to our brain, slowed down by self-doubt, fear, etc. This card could represent the fear of following our instincts; for me personally it is however the hope to finally learn to trust my gut without having to justify myself rationally. It’s time to look inward: is there something we wish for, which we’ve been denying?
Finally, the Outcome card: The Sun. I was SO relieved to see the Sun tying the whole reading together! It’s a card of joy that comes from a deep understanding. I think it’s telling us that no matter how messy everything feels now, with a bit of patience we will be able to turn around and see the pattern: if we don’t see it now, it’s just because we’re still too close.
Reading recap
This is an extremely positive reading! It shows that we’re ready to face our challenges, even if we don’t feel it, and that this whole rather unpleasant situation is actually going to lead us to victories (Six of Wands) and a much deeper understanding of our path (The Sun).
Some resources!
I fully believe that this time we’re getting back from the corporate world can also be a gain, if anything because it is so very rare that we can get some time back to ourselves. I’m leaving here a couple of resources I have loved and found useful: one is a bit woo-woo (in a lovely way), the other is more practical. I hope you’ll enjoy both!
The episode Life after Layoff: The Woo-Woo + Not-So-Woo-Woo Ways to Find your Purpose, from the Seeking Center podcast, is a warm and comforting listen. I’m also recommending the Laid Off Life Substack by the guest, Ami Angelowicz!
If (re-)writing your CV is the bane of your existence, then you’ll love this interview with former Amazon VP Ethan Evans on the Getting Better Substack! I’ll definitely be re-reading it when I decide to re-write mine.
Finally: a little sprinkle of hope
When everything looks bleak, I like to remind myself of these words by the writer, columnist, podcaster Elizabeth Day:
Remember when you’re having a tough day, that you got through 100% of you worst days.
Hang in there, talk soon!
Angelica / Maeveryn
Thank you for the rec, Angelica! Sending you all the best vibes on your journey. Looks like a really positive tarot spread.
Lovely!