How to use Tarot in business

If you’re reading this blog and hoping that I will spill the mystical secrets about a fortune-telling tool for your business, you have come to the wrong place. Tarot is less about predicting outcomes and more about aligning yourself with what is in your best interest. 

Before you can understand how to use Tarot in business, it’s important to understand how your intuition guides you in making decisions in business. Harvard Business Review offers a great explanation on using your intuition to make tough decisions: “While it’s true that intuition can be fallible, studies show that pairing gut feelings with analytical thinking helps you make better, faster, and more accurate decisions and gives you more confidence in your choices than relying on intellect alone.” 

Tarot is a tool that exercises that intuitive muscle by uncovering creative blocks, examining challenges, exploring opportunities or unlocking subconscious fears that tend to hold us back. Tarot doesn’t lie, because it is not a consultant afraid of losing a job. Instead, Tarot dares to ask the tough questions and to push you outside your comfort zone. Tarot empowers you to make tough decisions and to own your mistakes. 

Here are a few ways to use Tarot for yourself in business.

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Tarot for Setting Business Goals

Setting business goals for your business means you need to know what you want. It’s not enough for your business goal to be, “to make money.” The SMART goal setting strategy teaches you how to make Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timebound goals. When it comes to manifesting your dreams and goals, it’s important to visualize what that looks like. That’s where this Tarot spread comes in.

I always start a Tarot reading with some meditation. I close my eyes and take deep breaths. I envision my question. For me, I like to start with what business success does not look like. It means that I’m constantly worried about money, I’m over-worked and I am ignoring other parts of my life. From there, business success means I have time to myself — to drink a cup of tea and to read a book; to spend time with my kids; to take online classes; etc. 

How to read this Tarot spread:

Do you notice the position of the cards? The 1st question — What does success look like for my business? — is on top of the 4th question — What advice might my future self have for me about the success of my business? The 1st card is meant to represent your conscious mind, similar to the fifth card position in a Celtic Cross spread. This question represents what is likely already in your awareness. The 4th question is below the “conscious mind” and might represent what’s in your subconscious, what’s below the surface and what might represent a far-off, impossible-to-reach goal. When you read those two cards, think about the story it tells — this is what will likely happen in business and this is what deep down I hope happens in my business.

The 2nd question — How will I know when my business is a success? — and the 3rd question — What does success mean to me? — represent how you can integrate your intuition into actions. The 2nd question signals when you are on the right path. And the 3rd question is a reminder of how success should align with your Higher Self.

Tarot for Business Strategy

The SWOT Analysis is a common marketing and business strategy that stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. You can use this Tarot spread when you’re evaluating your overall business model, when you’re assessing your marketing strategy, when you’re researching your competition or when you’re trying to make a really challenging decision.

How to read this Tarot spread:

There are a few ways you can do this spread:

1. Pull 3-4 cards for each block in one reading 
2. Pull 3-4 cards for one block at a time. So, when you’re finished, you will reshuffle and pull 3-4 for the next block.
3. Pull Tarot cards for the following questions in each grid or you can use these questions to pull clarification cards:

The 1st question — Strengths — and the 3rd question — Opportunities — are on top of the 2nd question — Weaknesses — and the 4th question — Threats. Strengths and Opportunities are how you should pivot your insecurities. These questions should be at the forefront of your mind when making decisions. Weaknesses and Threats, then, should be seen as challenges that can become a catalyst for your success. They represent what you should work on in your business. Ask yourself:

• “How can I turn my weaknesses into strengths?”
• “How are my weaknesses my strengths?” 
• “How can threats become an opportunity?”

Tarot for Business Decision Making

Tarot often refers to life lessons as cycles. Do you have a tendency to repeat the same mistakes? In business, I have made the same, rather large mistake twice: having a business partner. I ignored all of the red flags. I jumped into these relationships without doing my homework. Both times, these professional relationships led to hurt feelings and financial loss.

In Tarot, that could be described as the Tower card moment, a lightning bolt hitting a large stone tower with flames jutting out the windows and people falling. Many people consider The Tower a bad omen. Indeed, the 16th card of the Major Arcana is often described as chaos and sudden upheaval. When it comes to cycles in life, however, the Tower card is a necessity. It’s the moment of revelation, a driving force for significant change and growth in your life.

How to read this Tarot spread:

When I look back at these experiences, there is some regret but there is mostly gratitude. I’m thankful I went through these difficult times, because they helped me grow my business stronger and better than before. That’s the inspiration behind the due diligence spread — a metaphysical background check — to help guide you into any professional relationship, whether that’s a potential partnership, new hire, new customer or new investor. 

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The reason I became an entrepreneur was in part because I wanted a flexible schedule to be a work-from-home mom. When I dug deeper, I realized that I started my own business because I had experienced a series of toxic work cultures. (At one job, the head of my department once called a meeting with my supervisor to discuss how I furrow my eyebrows!) Now that I am the head of a marketing agency with employees, my biggest fear is fostering an environment where someone feels as frustrated and confused as I once felt.

How to read this Tarot spread:

While this spread is great for established businesses with spreads, it works in other professional dynamics as well — networking, referral partners, vendors, past toxic work environments, etc. Try to be as objective as possible. Don’t assign judgment or blame. At the same time, hold yourself accountable. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior or anything else unless you give them permission.” What could you have done differently? Or how has a toxic work situation affected your current business relationships?

If you are in a high stress situation looking for some answers, compartmentalize your emotions so you can see your situation through an unbiased lens.

Tarot to align your business with your Highest Self

How to read this Tarot spread:

This Tarot spread for business works great if you already have established core values or if you are trying to define the core values for your business. Core values may seem like a fake corporate buzzword. In actuality, they are guideposts for how to choose clients, projects, employees, resources and more. Core values represent your ethical business practices — how you envision your Highest Self.

The 2nd question — What goals will help me grow my business smartly? — and the 4th question — What makes my business vision unique? — are higher than the other questions. This symbolizes your Higher Self. The 2nd question (your goals) drives the 4th question (what sets your business apart).

The 1st question — How might my business evolve? — and the 3rd question — How should I grow my business to align with my core values? — are your subconscious understandings of the trajectory of your business (what will likely happen with your business and how to ensure that you’re following your core values).  

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Tarot for Reflecting on Your Business

Whether weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually or all of the above, it’s always good to check in with your business goals. Are you on track to meet your financial projections? Are you feeling extraordinarily stressed out? Are you losing focus?

Entrepreneurship is closely tied with personal development, because there are tangible consequences to your actions. If you neglect your accounts receivable, you will suddenly find yourself behind a tax deadline, potentially racking up fees with the IRS. If you choose the wrong vendor, you could be throwing a wrench in your budget. If you forget to update your contracts, you could be facing a lawsuit.

How to read this Tarot spread:

It’s important to be specific with the date range. I would recommend using this Tarot spread for quarterly reviews at first. This spread is great if you’re business is stagnant — not seeing any new clients, losing some current clients or a general feeling of boredom with your business.

For all of these spreads — and especially this one! — record the business Tarot reading in a journal. If you decide to use this Tarot spread in the future, look back and note which cards you pulled, your general feelings, observations and thoughts.

Why you should use Tarot for your business

Owning a business requires entrepreneurs to be self-aware and self-accountable. As a business tool, Tarot helps keep you on track with your goals by developing that intuitive muscle every business owner relies on.

In any business it’s easy to get caught up in revenue goals and comparing your business with other similar businesses. Tarot helps entrepreneurs to define success on their terms. Tarot empowers professionals — whether you own a business or not — to bring balance in their lives by aligning their decision to their Highest Good.

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