Performance
Spotlight, proving ground.
Performance, in a musical sense, usually refers to a theatrical presentation; it can also refer, though, to a level of accomplishment, as in “job performance.” Both aspects are in play when the spotlight is upon us: it’s both a time to shine and a time to be scrutinized. Tanking, of course, is always a possibility—the pressure can be enormous.
Performance is an Elemental card, and indicates a time when we are called to step up to the plate, to rise to the occasion; to share our talents, to speak our truth, to further ourselves or the end at hand. We may, however, find ourselves on a proving ground.
Where the need to perform operates unconsciously, we find the ham: one who performs out of an unconscious need to impress others, or remains constantly in character out of fear of exposure; or is simply lost in the drama of their own inner theater, and incognizant of their surroundings.