Career Path Query

Heartchakra, too, is asking about her career path. Heartchakra says:


I'm a friend of Joanna's and I am blown away with how accurate your reading was for her. I am struggling with similar issues. In my case, I am a book designer and published writer struggling with debt and trying to find work. My degree is in fine arts, something I left behind a long time ago and never fully embraced. I would like to go into illustration, while continuing to write and design, as a way to reconnect with that side of myself. I am wondering if illustration is the right path for me.


Miss Michele did another five card reading for Heartchakra. Well, tried to. Some sticky cards made that difficult... (No, they weren't really sticky, they're clean! But two kept coming out at a time.) Let's explore the original five cards, and also see if the clarification cards add greater insight.

In the past, the Six of Swords, Heartchakra began to move away from hard times. She may have taken a literal journey, or this could indicate leaving one path (which she found challenging) for another.

The present shows still more Swords, the Six, (and the Nine, holding on for dear life!) There have been a lot of shake-ups in Heartchakra's life in the recent past, and she faces the potential for yet another move and career change.

Additionally, she's been cheated or wronged in some awful way. The Nine of Swords, the Nightmare Card, corresponds to this. The damage was very bad and Heartchakra is left wondering how she will recover.

The Hidden Influences, shown in the Major Arcana, the Hermit, demonstrates a need for isolation, for Heartchakra to be alone with her thoughts. Her desire for solitude to nurture her creativity is influencing her career move. The Hermit is the number nine card, the second nine in this reading, which shows a life cycle coming to an end. The focus is on letting go of the old.

Nines also indicate possible self-deception (supported by the Seven of Swords.) Is this change really what you want, or are you just running away from a bad situation? Make sure you are running toward something, not away. Nines say that this is the time to tie up loose ends.

The Tarot's Advice is to wait, exemplified in the Hanged Man, the proverbial card of "slow action." Take time to look at things from a different perspective, re-evaluate goals and priorities, and be true to yourself.

Now, Miss Michele is not saying "don't follow your heart" if you believe illustration is the path for you. The tarot isn't written in stone and it only shows one possible outcome. Just explore your motives carefully before making any changes in your life and go slowly. Build a strong groundwork.

Rarely does Miss Michele do a reading where so many cards say the same thing. They are practically screaming answers. The King of Swords, throwing in his two cents in the Advice position with the Hanged Man, is a card of truth, careful consideration, control, rationality and objective judgment. And, again, he speaks of tumultuous change, as shown in the suit of Swords.

The last card, The Lovers, points to a very positive Outcome. Three major arcana in this reading definitely point to a major life change on the horizon! The Outcome says you will make a choice between two divergent paths--it could be an either/or situation in your career--not both--which is why the tarot advises caution. But the Lovers is all about Choice, and you are entirely free to choose.

You will face a test before you discover which choice is correct, and it may be quite an ordeal, but you will know which answer is the right one when the time comes.