Dear Oracle, I recently started a small business selling my art. I love what it has brought so far, and I’m excited to see what it brings in the future. My goal is to quit working entirely and focus solely on my art while traveling in my van. I’m curious to know how things will pan out. Will it take off, or will it die down? Is this the right choice for me? —Art Nomad
Quit: Four of Pentacles reversed, Two of Wands, Page of Wands. / Don’t quit: Seven of Wands, Tower reversed, Queen of Swords.
Nomad, I am writing this answer to you a full two hours into The Age of Aquarius, a new astrological period that is all about intellectualism, humanitarianism, striving for justice, and embracing spirituality. It’s also The Great Conjunction, which is a time for significant ideal shifts and massive overhauls of order, particularly governmental (it’s an ominous conjunction for U.S. Presidents), but it’s also a social overhaul. Plenty of astrologers predict this as a new century for the arts since we’re getting into an Air sign. It looks like art will become deeply valued in a way it hasn’t been for the past 200 years.
But you asked for tarot, not astrology, so I’ll tell you what these cards say. When I was preparing the deck for these two questions, the Two of Cups and Ace of Pentacles both fell out. There is a sense of wanted to be “in love with your work” for both of these questions. For you, it’s a new career.
I’ve answered a question like this before, and I’ll give you the same Mama Witch speil: make sure you got health insurance you can afford, make sure you’re able to meet your needs before making the jump. It’s going to be a bloody and barbarous winter.
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Now, the good news: I think you will be goddamn miserable if you don’t quit. Seven of Wands is feeling lost; The Tower reversed is the big shake-up gone static—which will blow like a pressure cooker—and then capping it off with Queen of Swords, the hypercritical mother. This can be you, your actual mother, or any feminine-energy person telling you that you’re not good enough.
But what happens if you quit? You’re going to be able to purge some stored up shit (Four of Pentacles) from your psyche and build something new (Two of Wands and Page of Wands). A support system, both professionally and emotionally, will be necessary for you during this transition. Talk to every artist you know. Get involved with communities if you can. To get through the messy emotions and hardships that come with this transition, you’ll need some structure to keep you upright.
There’s an old adage that says, “Nobody pays you to write your first novel,” and I imagine that applies across the disciplines. You have to pay yourself to write your first opera or to paint your first series. If this is how you can do it, by falling in love with your art and traveling around in your van, then I think it’s worth a shot.
I think with the astrological clock ticking away and these cards, there’s something positive to gain from this experience.
Again, just make sure you have access to medicine and COVID-19 testing. But if you do, sally forth!
Dear Oracle, I have had a successful professional career for almost 40 years. I am considering retiring in 2021 even though business is still good and financially sound. But, I have lost my passion and find myself “going through the motions.” Is this a good career move? (Money is not the issue.)—Professional No More?
Situation now: Four of Cups, King of Pentacles, The Lovers / Retirement: Knight of Cups, Judgment, Two of Wands, The World
Dear Prof, like the question before, the two cards that fell out when I was preparing the deck were the Two of Cups (beginning of love) and Ace of Pentacles (ideas of money.) Those feelings sort of haunt these readings.
Right now, we have Four of Cups—boredom of the relationship—and the lovers, which is a great passion. I think you’re right in saying that you’ve lost your spark. While people may not consider work to be a loving relationship, our relationship with our careers can be as fulfilling or as draining as a romantic relationship. With the King of Pentacles, it looks like you’re the master of your trade. You’re making money, you’re consulted, and you have power. But it’s not a fulfilling relationship anymore.
So what does it look like if you retire? A very positive new life.
We have two major arcana in this spread: Judgment and The World. Judgment came out with the knight of cups—a warrior of love—which is fortuitous. Judgment is a resurrection card. It’s reincarnation and returning to “home” which can be a physical location or a true self. With this retirement, your spark of life and that spark of love in yourself will return. You’ll be reborn with that love that’s disappeared from your career. We have two of wands again, which is starting a new project, beginning to work. What have you wanted to try your hand at but haven’t been able to because of your work? What can you do with all this new time?
The final card in the spread is The World. It’s the last card of the Major Arcana, and in it are symbols of the natural world and the feminine psyche. It is life as a work of art. It is an incredibly positive card, meaning the end of a journey and this cosmic level of joy and spiritual connection that will be unveiled. If money is not an issue and you are feeling it, go ahead and retire in 2021. Don’t spend any more time in an “unsatisfying relationship” with your career when you have so many new things on the horizon.
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This article appears in Dec 31, 2020 – Jan 6, 2021.