Reading Career and Money Questions
Career and money questions above all need to land in something practical. Read the cards as an action that can be taken: whether to hand in your resignation, whether to take on this job, whether to touch this money.
The three layers of a career question
However a career question is phrased, it breaks down into three layers: the environment, yourself and timing. Each position in a spread covers one of these layers, so when reading, first work out which layer a card is speaking to.
The environment layer: the company, the industry, your boss, your coworkers, the market. It shows whether the outside world is offering opportunities, and what kind. Spread positions such as "environment," "outside influences" and "obstacles" fall here. The eighth card of the Celtic Cross and the "triggering events" position of the Pentagram both belong to the environment.
The self layer: abilities, condition, ideas, whether you are ready. Spread positions such as "present situation," "attitude" and "your abilities" fall here. When court cards appear in this layer, they are usually read as the mode you need to switch into: the Knight of Wands says it is time to charge ahead, the Queen of Pentacles says it is time to hold steady.
The timing layer: act now, or wait. This covers positions such as "outcome" and "near future," plus the ratio of upright to reversed cards across the whole spread. If more than half are reversed, the time has not come yet; shore up the self layer first.
Only by reading the three layers separately can the answer land on an action. If the environment offers an opportunity but you are not ready, the action is to prepare. If you are ready but the environment offers nothing, the action is to look for an opportunity or to wait. If both layers are in place, the timing layer decides whether to move this month or next. For spreads made specifically for career questions, see Career and Year-Ahead Spreads.
Where money readings land
For money, look at the Pentacles first. Pentacles are Earth, and they describe how money comes in, how it is kept and how it is used; the suit as a whole covers the whole life of money.
- Ace of Pentacles: a real, solid income or an opportunity that can be turned into money. It is a seed, with the harvest still to come.
- Two of Pentacles: juggling money between two ends, income and spending looking for balance; money is moving but none is being saved.
- Three of Pentacles: earning through skill and collaboration; the money comes from what you make.
- Four of Pentacles: guarding wealth. You can save, but you may also hold on so tightly you do not dare invest.
- Five of Pentacles: short of money, or feeling short of money. This card is often misread as bankruptcy. It is more about a hard period and the feeling of being left out in the cold. The church is right there; help exists, you just have not gone inside.
- Six of Pentacles: money flowing between giving and taking, as in loans, financial support, paying wages. Look at which side you are on.
- Seven of Pentacles: waiting for the harvest. You have put something in and it has not yet come back, and you are weighing whether to continue.
- Eight of Pentacles: a period of heads-down work on your craft. The returns are slow but steady, and what you are building is the skill that will raise your value later.
- Nine of Pentacles: prosperity earned by your own efforts, independence, room to spare.
- Ten of Pentacles: family wealth, long-term assets, matters involving family and inheritance.
If a money question produces a spread with no Pentacles at all, that is an answer in itself: the matter does not yet come down to money, or money is not the main point of it.
A few Major Arcana cards are often misread where money is concerned. The Wheel of Fortune means a cycle turning to another phase, which may go up or down; look at whether it is upright or reversed and at the cards beside it. It does not mean "you're about to get rich." The Devil is usually read in money matters as being tied down by money: heavy spending, heavy leverage, investing when you know you shouldn't. It does not point to a windfall. The Magician is the ability to turn resources into money, provided you actually get to work.
Changing jobs, starting a business, getting promoted: which cards to look at
These three situations ask about three different things, and the same card calls for a different action in each.
Ace of Wands. When changing jobs, it means the spark of a new opportunity has been put in your hands. Take hold of it first: sign up, apply, go and talk, and do not wait until you are perfectly prepared. When starting a business, it means you have the idea and the enthusiasm, but only the spark and no fuel; neither the money nor the shape of the business has settled. There need to be Pentacles in the spread to carry it before there is anything to build. For a promotion, it means a new role or direction is emerging. The heat is real, so go after it.
Three of Pentacles. When changing jobs, it means the new place values your skill, and you get in on your professional ability rather than your connections. When starting a business, it means you need partners, and finding the right people matters more than finding the right project. For a promotion, it means your work has been noticed, and your share of the credit in a joint effort is being counted.
Eight of Pentacles. When changing jobs, it usually says don't rush: you are in a stage of building your skills, and leaving now would be a shame because your progress in the craft would be cut off. When starting a business, it means polish the product until it is solid before you rush to expand. For a promotion, it means it will come through accumulated effort; if it is not your turn this round, it will be next round.
The Emperor. When changing jobs, it points to the structure of the new employer: lots of rules and a clear hierarchy, which suits someone who wants stability. When starting a business, it means you have to be the one who sets the rules, and management and order are this stage's lessons. For a promotion, it means moving into management, with power and responsibility arriving together. Reversed, in all three situations, it reads as something wrong with the order: pressure from above is too heavy, or you cannot keep things under control yourself.
The Chariot. When changing jobs, it means go, and once the direction is set, do not look back. When starting a business, it means pushing forward on willpower, keeping control even when the two horses pull in different directions. For a promotion, it means you will get it through drive, but watch out for charging too far. Reversed, the direction is confused; stop and set it before moving again.
When reading these cards, finish by landing on an action: send out résumés this week, or finish building your skills this quarter first; find a partner first, or make a prototype first. At the end of a career reading, the querent should know what to do tomorrow morning.