3 Career Tarot Spreads to Guide Your Work Life

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Lou specializes in Tarot, spirituality, wellness, and new-age content. Aside from her focused development in spirituality, Lou enjoys writing freelance articles and ebooks on meditation, wellness, and crystal healing. She loves working on projects that help spread positivity and is passionate about helping others find their own spiritual paths. She believes that starting your spiritual journey can significantly impact your overall health and lead to a more fulfilling life.

Career Tarot Spreads Up Front

My favorite career Tarot spread is the general five-card career Tarot spread. I use it time and time again for both myself and my friends and family as it allows the querent to understand the direction of their career and what they can do in order to move forward.

Three-card Career Tarot Spread Explained

I always like to start a Tarot guide with a simple three-card spread. If you are new to reading Tarot, it is best to begin with three-card spreads as they are not too overwhelming but still allow you to receive guidance from the Tarot.

In this three-card career Tarot spread, the cards pulled refer to:

Card one: your career path
Card two: your current position
Card three: how to progress

The first card pulled refers to your career path and the journey you are on. It can reflect any issues or uncertainty that you have or are facing and the direction you are going in. If you are not in the right career, this issue will turn up in this position.

The second card pulled reflects where you are right now in regard to your career. It is usually pretty self-explanatory, referring to your current attitudes and emotions in your work life.

The third card is all about how you can progress in your career. It usually links back to the other cards, providing you with guidance on how to move forward.

Three-card Career Tarot Spread Example

So, let’s do an example to explain how we can use this spread in a reading. I am going to do this reading on myself and see what the cards tell me!

For the first card, I received the Knight of Wands. This card reflects my career path, and the Knight of Wands represents passion and energy, so I think it is a really nice card to receive in this position! It shows how I have pursued my career and have not been afraid to mix things up! I really think that this reflects the journey I have been on. I was working in hospitality for years but then decided to move into content writing a few years back. It was something I wanted to do and began slowly getting freelance work alongside my hospitality work. Then, I was able to move fully into writing and give up my other work.

For the second card, which represents where I am right now in regard to my career, I received the Sun. This is a really optimistic card and reflects how I am excited and hopeful about my career. I love the work I do, and I am really passionate about it. So, the Sun definitely makes sense in this position. We should also note that this is the only Major Arcana card in the reading, and this suggests that my current position and what I am doing right now with my work are really important to my long-term career.

So, how about the third card? This card represents what I need to do in order to progress in my career, and I have received the Three of Pentacles. This is a card that reflects teamwork and cooperation and suggests that I can learn from people in my life who are more experienced than me.

Of course, being a freelance writer is a pretty solo kind of job. I don’t have colleagues to work together with. However, I totally understand why I have got this card. Right now, I work for a company that allows me to talk to other writers and editors and learn from them. I believe this card suggests that I need to be more active in this aspect and connect with my fellow content writers. They are able to teach me more about the craft, allowing me to move forward with my career!

Five-Card Career Tarot Spread Explained

This five-card career Tarot spread delves deeper into your career and the path that you are on. It allows you to understand how your actions impact your job and what you can do in order to succeed.

The five cards pulled in this spread refer to:

Card one: Your current situation
Card two: Where you wish to be
Card three: What you need to work on
Card four: Your positive behavior
Card five: Your negative behavior

Five-Card Career Tarot Spread Example

Let’s look at an example for this spread in order to figure out how we can interpret different cards in different positions. I decided to do this Tarot reading for my housemate. She is currently finishing up her Ph.D. in English Literature, and so you can imagine it is a pretty stressful time for her! When you finish your Ph.D., you need to be working hard but also looking forward to the next step.

So, what cards did she pull, and how do they reflect her current situation?

For her first card, which represents her current situation, she received the Magician. This is card number one in the Major Arcana and represents the potential and abilities that we have. It reflects how we have that magic within us and the resources to get to where we wish to be.

This card definitely makes sense for my friend, as she is currently needing to harness her inner power and knowledge in order to finish up her Ph.D. I see her receiving the Magician as the universe giving her the encouragement she needs in order to work hard. It is a reminder to her that she can do it!

For the second card, which reflects where she wants to be, she received the Ace of Wands. This card represents new ideas, growth, and passions. It reflects the potential we all have within us to go after our goals. Sounds pretty similar to the Magician, right?!

So, we know that my friend is currently finishing off her Ph.D., and therefore I believe that the Ace of Wands reflects her wish for her next career move to be just as exciting as her current work. She is super passionate about literature and therefore wants to stay in academia, and the Ace of Wands recognizes her wish to follow her passions and receive new opportunities regarding this.

So, how can she get from card one to card two? For her third card, which shows her what she needs to work on in order to get these new opportunities, she has received the Six of Pentacles. This card is all about giving and receiving and sharing generosity. For my friend, I believe this card tells her to be open to those in her field who can give her a helping hand. A huge part of academia research is who you know and can connect with, so this card definitely makes sense!

For her fourth card, which represents her positive behavior in regards to her career, she has received the Eight of Pentacles. This card reflects working hard to become an expert in something, and so this is pretty obvious for my friend! She has worked so hard for years on her Ph.D., and this is a really positive thing about her!

For her fifth card that represents her negative behavior in regard to her career, she received the Strength card. A card all about personal strength and inner power; it is kind of confusing to be in this position, right? Over my Tarot reading career, I have been asked time and time again: ‘how can we read positive cards in negative positions?’. It can be a difficult thing to approach at first, but I always think that there are two ways we can understand this.

We can read positive cards in negative positions in two ways:

The querent lacks the energy of the card
The querent has too much of the energy of the card, and this is causing issues

So, in my friend’s reading, we can understand the Strength as being either:

She is not harnessing her inner strength to further her career
She relies too much on her own inner strength, and this is harming her progression

Intuitively, I am drawn to the second explanation, and this is mainly because of the appearance of the Six of Pentacles. The Tarot is telling her she needs to reach out to those that can help her progress. However, she is a pretty headstrong and proud person. Could this be a problem in her career? Does she need to reach out to those that can support her moving forward?

Five-Card New Job Spread Explained

This Tarot spread is perfect if you are going for a new job opportunity or have been offered a promotion. This is a simple five-card cross spread that allows you to delve into the pros and cons of the new job.

The cards pulled refer to:

Card one: Your current career position
Card two: The new opportunity
Card three: Possible long-term outcome of the new opportunity
Card four: Positives of the new opportunity
Card five: Negatives of the new opportunity

Five-card New Job Spread Example

Let’s use an example reading in order for us to understand how we can implement this reading in our lives. My friend is currently working in a cafe as a barista. She does quite like the social side of her job and really enjoys living in the city! However, she has just finished a TEFL course, which allows her to travel abroad and teach English as a foreign language. Since gaining this qualification, she has been applying for different jobs and has an offer to teach English in Italy. Now, she is really excited about getting this job offer, but she still is feeling pretty hesitant. It means giving up her life here in order to experience something new, and of course, this is pretty daunting!

So, what advice do the Tarot cards have?

The first card pulled refers to her current job, and she has received the Four of Cups. A card all about boredom and dissatisfaction, I think it is pretty obvious why it has appeared here! Of course, she doesn’t mind the cafe work, but she does believe that something is missing. It is not her true passion, and she feels as if she is missing out on other opportunities.

For the second card, which represents the new job opportunity, she has received the Queen of Cups. The Queen of Cups is a caring and sensitive individual who is kind and supportive of those around her. It is a court card and therefore can be understood in a few different ways. The Queen of Cups may represent my friend, someone in her new career, or influences and action from the themes of the card.

Now, I take this card as referring to her new potential role as a teacher. A teacher must be kind and considerate to their students, supporting them on their learning. In this position, I believe the Queen of Cups shows us that, if she takes the teaching job, she is able to embrace the Queen of Cups within her. She is a caring person, and I do believe she will flourish in this way when beginning to teach people!

For the third card, which reflects the possible long-term outcomes of her new career opportunity, she has received the Six of Swords. This card reflects letting things go and moving forward, embracing change and transitions. So, what can it mean for the long-term outcomes of her move into teaching? Well, I think that it shows us the potential for change and progression with her new job opportunities. I believe it to show that this change will not just be a career one but a personal one, too.

For the fourth card, which represents the positives of the new career opportunity, she has received the Nine of Cups. A card all about contentment and satisfaction, I think it is pretty obvious what the positives of her new career will be! She will clearly enjoy it massively and gain so much from it.

For the fifth card, which represents the negatives of the new career opportunity, she has received the Nine of Swords. This card represents anxieties, struggles, and the worries that keep you up all night! It is quite clear why this has appeared in this position. Moving to a new country and having to make friends and connections is always pretty stressful, so it will cause some anxiety for my friend.

Career Tarot Card Spread FAQs

Can the Tarot tell me to Quit my Job?

A Tarot spread should never tell you directly to quit your job. This is because the aim of Tarot is to get guidance and clarity about a situation. However, you should ultimately listen to your intuition when it comes to making big life decisions.

Will a Tarot Spread Tell me if I Will get a Job or Not?

Unfortunately, Tarot cards can’t read the future, and so they won’t tell you if you will get a certain job or not! However, they can be used to gain information and understanding about the potential new job you are applying for.

Which Tarot Cards Suggest Career Success?

A lot of the cards in the Suit of Pentacles suggest career success, such as the Ten of Pentacles, King of Pentacles, and Ace of Pentacles. Other cards that suggest career success include the Chariot, the Six of Wands, and the Eight of Wands.

Help Move Your Career Forward With Advice From The Tarot

I hope you have enjoyed this career Tarot card spread guide! Tarot is a great tool to gain clarity and advice on different aspects of your career, from new job opportunities to what you need to do in order to move forward. These three spreads are great for both beginner and expert readers, allowing you to learn about your career with the Tarot!

Continue reading:

Dream Tarot Spread Guide: 2 Spreads To Understand Your Dreams

Week Ahead Tarot Spread Guide

Four-card Tarot Spread Guide: 4 Easy Spreads for Self-Growth