When it comes to career choices and personal development, a lot of us are quite clueless, my friend Lisa feels the same, so (of course) she turned to Tarot for some insights.
The good thing is, she already knows the future she wants (unlike me 😅), but she is not quite sure how the road ahead looks like. If you also wonder about the same thing, then this spread, Shooting Forward, is for you.
Let’s start with the signifier card and The First Operation. I use signifier cards in my readings, I think it acts like an anchor throughout the reading.
Lisa already has a preferred card in mind, Strength, and I honoured her choice.
If you prefer not to use signifier cards, you can skip this step.
In The First Operation, Lisa’s signifier card showed up in H1 (second pile from the right, representing love, marriage and relationship), now some people would say it’s a sign that we should stop this reading, because the signifier card didn’t show up in I (first pile from the right, representing personal development). However I don’t agree, to me, when the signifier card shows up in H1 during a career reading, it means interpersonal matters are the key focus here, the people and emotions involved will affect the outcome. This means, Lisa needs to spend more time and energy nurturing relationships if she wants to succeed.
Now let’s look at the outcome.
Card 1: Dream Job – Judgement (Rev.)
Well, we’re not off to a very good start. A reversed Judgement indicates that Lisa has made the wrong judgment regarding what her dream job actually is. However, this does not mean that this particular job/path she chose is wrong, it just means, what this path entails, may not be entirely what she thought it would be.
This card in reverse, also calls Lisa to take a deep look at, and come to terms with her fears and desires, to ensure that she chose this new job, not because she wants to run away from the current problems, but to fulfil her true purpose. She needs to put her demons from the past to rest (put her mistakes from the past to rights), in order to free her future from the old patterns and obstacles. These past patterns and obstacles most likely have something to do with her professional relationships.
Lisa admitted that one of the reasons why she thinks her current career path is no longer for her, aside from hitting the glass ceiling 1.5 years ago, is the people she works closely with on a daily basis. “Have to work with morons who constantly fail to grab the point, and are afraid to make decisions or take responsibilities, really puts me off”, she said. Aren’t we all, Lisa, aren’t we all…🤣
After going through some key reasons together, Lisa’s convinced that she’s not making a major career switch based on the wrong intentions, and she still wants to pursue this new path. But she’s rather scared to leave a job, which she knows inside out and provides her with financial security. She is also uncertain if her family would support her decision, and how it will affect her relationships with them (signifier card in H1). Interesting enough, another message from the Judgement in reverse is, if you decide to take a leap of faith, against all judgment, you need to let go of what has been, say your goodbyes and make your peace with the past. You’ve made your choices in the past, now you’re free to choose anew.
Card 2: Path Forward – King of Wands (Rev.)
Going forward, Lisa will encounter a negative conflicting relationship with an authoritative male figure, likely a mature male with light complexion in a leadership role, who’s a Fire sign. Lisa mentioned that her current manager from senior management, is a disciplined and judgemental Sagittarius. It’s intriguing how her current manager would play a part in this, considering her new job is not at the same company and not even in the same industry. She mentioned it’s possible that he will not take her resignation well and will make it very difficult for her to leave. Or she might meet another manager who shares the same traits as the current one in her new job.
Nevertheless, it’s quite doubtful if we should interpret this card literally. Instinctively, I want to take the figurative meaning of this card. Considering both the first card and the dominant fire element in the second card, I would say the path forward is tough, as a mature adult, we sometimes lose the courage to confidently handle the fire within ourselves. We need to grit our teeth and carry on, purposefully. I suggested Lisa to recognise all her new (challenging) tasks as opportunities. She needs to be willing to walk through fire to fulfil her heart’s desire.
Card 3: Your Qualities – Queen of Cups
Lisa is an attractive and loving woman with moderate complexion, I was not surprised at all when I drew this card for her. It literally represents her: a tough, effective but also very nurturing lady. She’s intuitive, has great interpersonal skills and charisma, but can be moody and have a fickle temper sometimes. She is an idealistic dreamer, has high privilege and status in life over others, can be overprotective when it comes to loved ones. Her major traits as shown by this card — strong people skills and charisma, make her a perfect fit for the new career.
It’s rather fascinating that Dali painted a moustache on the Queen of Cups. It’s not only because this Queen, unlike the ones from other suits, is sensitive and emotional, and at the same time, is also reserve and tough; it also serves as a reminder that if Lisa wants to thrive in a male dominant world, and to have an intact inner life, she needs to be both open and coherent, to be both hard and soft, to have both female and male qualities.
Card 4: Source of Help – Page of Wands (Rev.)
The Page of Wands upright in this position of the spread, would suggest that Lisa will receive aid from a young woman with light complexion, who might be a Fire sign. However since this card is in reverse, it hints that Lisa is afraid to explore the unknown. She needs to take greater control over her own life instead of waiting for external assistance. She also needs to be more articulate about her needs and boundaries.
To be able to go beyond our limitations, we may need to surrender to our own flame and passion unconditionally, and keep the enthusiasm going. Hold on tight to what makes our hearts sing.
Card 5: Needs Attention – The Moon
The moon represents repressed weakness and shadows, Lisa might have unforeseen perils ahead, these perils are possibly related to relationships or problems regarding emotions (signifier card in H1 & Card 5 itself). i.e., Objections from her family, unable to answer to them in case of failure (Card 1), conflicts with male superiors at her work (Card 2), unmanageable expectations from herself and others (Card 4). Lisa must go with her gut instinct when it comes to people, and do not get too carried away with unrealistic fantasies (Card 3 & 5).
The full moon lures hidden things into the open, with the potential to shake us up emotionally. When facing these perils, do not lose courage. Do not be gripped by emotional tension. Lisa must accept all of her emotions that surface in this journey, be at peace with herself, open up her heart, communicate clearly what she needs/doesn’t need, and really listen to the people around her, why they behave the way they do, truly understand why they want the things they ask for (from her).
Inner Orbit 