I’m in a job that I’ve had for a little over a year. Although the job pays relatively decent for the market and offers a pension, I’d like to make more money, and I feel trapped in my current position. My job is VERY stressful, chaotic, and constantly busy. Breaks are taken at my own risk of falling behind. Three days a week, I have to drive a long distance to and from, resulting in 12-hour work days, and I really only get paid for working the eight. Also, I’m in my 50s, so it’s not like I can quickly learn a new skill and jump back into the job market as a newbie.
I have casually considered a metaphysical career, possibly opening up a brick-and-mortar. Although I rely heavily on my instincts and intuition, I’ve got transiting Neptune in the 10th currently hazing over any solid plans I could make and glazing over real possibilities for a decent change in my circumstances. In a nutshell, I’m not so sure I’m seeing things clearly. My ideal job would let me take better care of myself, but I feel like I’m getting older, fatter, and bitter, and I’m not sure of my next steps. Help!
Signed,
The super stressed out chica of New Port Richey
Cards: Ace of Wands (reversed), Five of Swords (reversed), Six of Swords (reversed), Ace of Pentacles, The Hermit.
Dear Stressed-Out Chica,
One of the biggest (and most disappointing) misconceptions about Tarot is that it will give you an answer that has completely eluded you in all your other searches. Unfortunately, Tarot often tells you what you already know, which is the case here.
I pulled the cards for three questions: What you want, what you have, and what you need to do.
I’m going to jump around and start with what you have: Five of Swords, Six of Swords, and Ace of Pentacles. You have a job that is sucking the soul out of you. It’s making you bitter and isolating you and has been for the whole year, as shown by the Five of Swords reversed. You know this. You have to cut this baggage and transition to something else, work-related, as shown by the Six of Swords and Ace of Pentacles. You know this, too. This job that you have right now is not sustainable. Regardless of what you do in the future—which we’ll get to—you do need to see about transitioning either to a similar position at a new company or pivoting careers somehow because this particular job is killing you. Even if your new job isn’t great, a fresh start might renew your energy to work on other pursuits outside of work.
With that Neptune transition and the Ace of Wands, you feel the pull towards creativity, spirituality, and crave a new beginning. It’s not surprising that with all those energies, you’re casually considering opening a metaphysical shop. What you want is something that will let you tap into that creativity and spirituality. It might be starting a new business, Reiki training, or deciding to paint 20 oil portraits in a year. Something is scratching inside of you to be let out, but neither you nor the cards are exactly sure about what.
So what you really need—what The Hermit points you to—is to get in touch with yourself and the universe and figure out what you want and what you need to do to get it.
In her book, ”The Artist’s Way,” Julia Cameron outlines a course for “a spiritual path for higher creativity,” which does seem like the path you’re on now. I’d suggest checking out the book, but, even if you don’t want to commit to the 12 weeks required, I would encourage you to try the exercise of “morning pages.” This is when you, upon first waking, sit down and write three pages by hand. Every day. Before coffee. For 90 days.
It’s important to do it in the morning because then you aren’t just recounting your day and it’s important to do three pages, because it’s tough to bullshit for more than a page and a half. Eventually, these entries will start getting into the nitty-gritty: what pisses you off, what you yearn for, what dark thoughts and hidden pleasures you keep buried. To get a little Jungian about it, it’s excavating the Shadow.
It might sound hokey, but it does work. I’ve done morning pages at different points over the years, as have many other writer-friends, and we do generally agree that some weird, buried shit comes to light. It’ll help you hone what you want (and clear up creative blocks). Once you have a clear picture, you can then figure out how to get it.
As you are discovering your inner world, The Hermit also points to connecting to and receiving messages from the universe. While doing 90 days of morning pages, you might spend two hours a week doing something for your spirituality. Maybe it’s a meditative walk, or prayer to a deity, or some type of spell work, but making that a habit may allow you to receive some guidance or sharpen that intuition.
The Hermit is one who lives in the moment and understands that that’s all life is—a series of moments. It’s not something frivolous to be wasted. As you welcome change into your life, either through a new job or a move or whatever it is you discover you want, know that you’re being intentional with your time. It takes great courage to examine your life and to break away from what you’ve known. Whatever you decide to do with your time, I hope it enriches and nurtures your soul. We only have a short time on this rock before we shake off this mortal coil, so I hope you get to reclaim it and use it as you desire.
Best of luck, my dear.
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This article appears in Dec 21-27, 2023.