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Tax Return

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Interpretation & Meaning

Tax Return - a card from the inclusive oracle deck

The most terrifying night of the year entails neither tricks nor treats.

Glued to your desk and dressed as your most anxious self, you’ll get a visit from the ghost of past income, eager to torture you with tricky math problems and merciless bureaucracy. Putting numbers on papers and signatures on lines is the excruciating exorcism that will either defeat your demons or throw you in their jaws.

If Judgment Day is TBD and Karma doesn’t have a tight schedule, Tax Day must be the next best universal emblem of cosmic justice.

When this card shows up in a reading, it’s time to follow the rule book by the letter, no matter how inconvenient it might seem.

Whether it comes from an ethical code or from established legal guidelines, the right thing to do will shine bright and demand that you follow the implicit and explicit rules of the world you’re in. Upsetting the status quo might be tempting, but sticking to the tried and true will eventually lead to a greater reward.

This is also the card of repercussion and accountability: you’ll face the direct consequences of your actions and be reminded that you reap what you saw.

Tax Return ensures that you can reach a fair and rewarding outcome by preserving the status quo, playing your part and following the rules of the world around you.

Keywords: cosmic justice • compliance • doing the right thing • following the rules • playing your part • repercussions • consequences • karma • accountability • responsibility • fairness • meritocracy • tried and true • status quo • conventional wisdom • morality • conformity • integrity • sense of duty • tradition • dependability • role compliance

Practical References

Places Office, Courthouse, Jail
Work
Tax Examiner, Legal Professional, Judge, Attorney
Situations & Life Events Being Prosecuted, Legal Case, Being Convicted, Tax Day, University Exam, High School Test
Activities Taking a test
Archetypes The Good Citizen, The Follower, The Complier

Interpretation within the Game of Cracks

The Soil
In the Soil position, this card suggests a regulated environment with strictly defined roles and upheld traditions. It might refer to something as small as a family or as big as a society. It could also represent legal procedures, bureaucracy, exams that need to be judged.
The Knot
As the Knot, this card symbolizes the tension between moving forward and preserving the status quo. In order to advance in your journey, you need to abide to societal or practical sets of rules that are bigger than you and for which you'll be judged
The Eye
When this card shows up as the Eye, it can represent a disciplined person, someone who plays their part and complies with the rules of the society they're in.
The Fall
As the Fall, this card warns you against blindly following rules that are flimsy or too clear cut. Remember that every situation has nuances and it doesn't always make sense to apply the rules in a black and white manner. It also warns against complying to a role that might be as dysfunctional as it is comfortable.
The Hook
When this card appears as the Hook, the problem at hand can be solved by following the implicit or explicit rules of the situation you're in. Taking accountability for your actions and accepting their repercussions is the most important thing.
The Fruit
In the Fruit position, this card suggests an outcome that manifests itself through an official judgement, a legal validation or a set of rules that will structure the life of the consultant. The consultant will reap exactly what they have sown and play a role that is defined and important.

Homework & Practice

In order to embody the teachings this card, you can:

  • Ask yourself how your actions measure up against society’s ethical principles. 
  • Write down the 5-10 most important principles of the community, society, company you’re immersed in
  •  Write down what people expect of you as a partner, worker, family member and reflect on why it’s important for you to meet those expectations. What would happen if you didn’t? What would happen if everybody in the world didn’t?
  • List five times when your actions had negative repercussions and you had to face the consequences

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