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While some people may know exactly what they want from a life of work, many look to tarot to help them make sense of their careers, including when to make the decisions that can affect their careers. Even if you’re not using tarot already to help inform those big decisions or when it may be time to line up something else, it’s likely that you’re leaning on mentors, friends, and family to help make those tough decisions.
But did you know that you can use tarot to help you decide what to do, or at least to help point you in the right direction? However, you’ll have to know where to look. There are career symbols in tarot cards that just about anyone can leverage — and all you need is a deck of tarot cards and some basic knowledge of the career tarot spread to gain those insights.
How To Read Tarot Symbols for Help With Your Career
Reading career symbols in tarot cards all start with the deck. If you are using a Rider Waite deck there are 78 tarot cards total. As each card is drawn, it provides more insight into our behavior and decisions as well as anything that might be holding us back.
Furthermore, the Rider Waite style decks contain 4 suits of cards. These suits are related to the Self, the Persona, the Anima/Animus, and the Shadow. Each has relevance to our normal, everyday lives, as well as a unique insight.
The Persona has to do largely with the public self that you put out into the world. It’s not necessarily who you are, but it’s likely how others may see you.
The Anima or Animus represents the masculine and feminine traits inherent in all of us, as well as how they interact.
The Shadow speaks to our animal instincts, such as our creativity, fear, and other powerful forces. Lastly, the Self illustrates the coming together of the unconscious and conscious mind, including self-awareness and oneness.
Because most people are not necessarily in tune with the multidimensional aspects of themselves, a tarot reading can provide real help with a career just by utilizing the symbols seen in the cards. Whether one is having difficulty in making a decision or having a hard time seeing all the different options, a career tarot reading can be a real help.
What To Know About Career Symbols in Tarot Cards
The Major Arcana Tarot Cards
People have used tarot cards to guide their relationships and careers for hundreds of years. A reading from hundreds of years ago may not necessarily have the same considerations as a reading today. But the same concepts and career symbols still provide insights.
It all starts with the major and minor arcana, which splits the tarot deck into two main types.
The Minor Arcana Tarot Cards
There are 22 major arcana, in a standard Rider Waite tarot deck. The major arcana represent major life lessons and can be complex. They give deeper meaning to a spread whenever they’re drawn in a tarot reading. The majors bring power to a spread. They can be read as an exclamation point when they land in your reading.
Drawing something like The Magician can symbolize power and potential. But it’s up to the reader to understand the context of the spread. Sometimes, drawing one card over another can influence insights gleaned from the reading.
The rest of the cards are known as minor arcana cards. These are the daily life cards that show what is currently happening, even things that may not be consciously known.
When looking for career symbols in tarot cards Minor arcana or the suits are also important. The suits include the Suit of Pentacles, the Suit of Swords, the Suit of Cups, and the Suit of Wands.
- Swords relate to behavior and typically mean the decision-making process or strategizing.
- Cups often symbolize feelings and intuition, particularly with regard to your relationships but also things having to do with your career.
- Wands speak to passion and energy. therefore, it could represent the desire to double down or to seek out something new.
- Pentacles represent money and all the things we do to acquire it.
Career Insights via Tarot
If you’re having trouble making a decision or understanding all the important factors involved. A tarot spread can provide career help with practical solutions that you may not be able to uncover otherwise. In that sense; the Tarot gives impartial input into the decision-making process. It allows anyone to ask tough questions.
While most would benefit from a professional reading. It is possible to do a reading yourself in the comfort of your home. You’ll need a tarot deck, of course, and you can use the guidebook that comes with your tarot deck. This will help you build your understanding of the basic definitions as well as the career symbols in tarot cards.
Start by asking a question, such as whether you should pursue a new career or if you should explore advancement opportunities at your current place of employment. There’s virtually no limit to the number of questions to ask, but the important thing is to decide on a question that, if answered, could give you real insight.
After asking a question, shuffle the deck and start drawing cards. You can draw from the top, from the middle or anywhere you’d like, selecting one card or a specified number. For this example, let’s start with a simple three-card spread, which requires drawing three separate cards. The first card will symbolize the actions that you can take, while the second card will show you how to protect yourself during the process and the third card will help you deal with the change.
After drawing each, turn them over to reveal the career symbols within the tarot cards. Remember that major arcana cards are more important, showcasing the overall theme, while the minor arcana cards have to do with the day-to-day.
You can always keep asking questions and trying to develop your understanding as you practice. For many, tarot is a lifelong pursuit, and it could take quite a bit of practice until you reach a point where you’re comfortable in your readings and insights.
To learn more about the meanings of tarot cards, let Tarot Guru be your guide.