Should I quit my job? A tarot spread
Look, I get it - work sucks. You’re miserable in your job, and you’re wondering: should I just quit? Do I need to find another job first? Do I need to accept that all jobs suck a little, so maybe I should figure out how to stick this one out? Yeah, here’s the thing: overthinking isn’t going to get you anywhere. You’ve probably thought about quitting your job from every possible angle, so you really don’t need a career coach trying to help you figure out what you haven’t thought of yet. You actually need to get out of your head for a little bit. So, let’s try something different: pulling tarot cards.
Using tarot cards for career decisions: what NOT to do
Now, let me be clear: tarot can easily be just another way to overthink and overanalyze your situation. And if that’s how you approach your tarot cards, you’ll probably just walk away confused. It’s tempting to ask, “Should I quit my job?” and pull a couple of tarot cards. Then you’re frantically searching the Internet for an interpretation of the cards that makes sense, and everyone on Reddit is arguing about what the cards actually mean, and you’re more confused than you were when you started.
That’s just you, stuck in your own head again. What if you took a more intuitive approach to tarot?
To quit or not to quit: are these the only options?
The question “Should I quit my job?” breaks your situation into a false dichotomy: either I stay in my job, or I quit my job. Those are my only two options. The assumption is: either everything stays exactly as it is, or I make this one big change. But you have so many more options than these two!
Here’s what you know: Your current work situation is making you miserable. Something has to change.
Let’s consider what you actually have control over:
Your mindset about work
Your boundaries at work
Whether you start looking for other jobs
How long you’re willing to stay in a job you don’t enjoy
What else?
From the list above, you can generate a broader set of possibilities for yourself. For instance, your list of possibilities might include:
I can find ways to fill my life outside of work so that work matters less to me.
I can work with my manager to identify work I can take off my plate.
I can begin searching for other jobs.
I can leave this job and take a sabbatical.
Now let’s tarot.
A tarot spread for going beyond the “Should I quit my job?” question
The spread below is inspired by Mary K. Greer’s “clarifying your options” spread in Tarot for Your Self (an excellent book if you want to use tarot in a more self-reflective way).
Step 1: Begin by making a list of the possibilities available to you. Go beyond the two most basic options: stay or quit.
Step 2: Shuffle your cards and draw a single card for each option. Keep the cards face down.
Step 3: Take each card one at a time. Before you flip a card over, check in with yourself. How are you feeling towards this option? Do you find yourself hoping for a particular message from the tarot? Maybe you want some affirmation? Or you’re hoping you’ll get a more discouraging card? What does your intuitive response tell you about this option?
Step 4: As you read each card, continue checking in with yourself. Are you pleased with the card you drew for each option? Are you disappointed? How does that change your reading of the card?
(Note: If you find yourself confused by any of your cards, you can of course draw a clarifying card. But I’d encourage you to stay with the confusion for a bit. Where is that confusion coming from? Is the card less familiar to you? Consult your favorite tarot resources and get to know the card a bit better. Does the card seem irrelevant to its corresponding option? This can be good - an unexpected card gives you a chance to step outside of your usual thought spirals and see something new.)
Step 5: Take stock of what you’ve learned from this exercise. Can you eliminate any options? Do any options seem worth exploring? For each option you want to consider further, draw a tarot card to inspire your next step.
If you’re still not sure whether to quit your job, might be time for a coach
Maybe one who uses tarot in her career coaching sessions? Sometimes you get a better read on the cards when you’re sitting with someone else asking you thoughtful questions and giving you space to reflect on what you want. Let’s talk - I love working with people who want to make career changes and aren’t sure where to start.
