How to ask tarot about work:
wanting to quit, but not sure where to go

"If I keep doing this, I really won't be able to take it."
But open a job site and every opening seems not quite right.

At times like this it's tempting to ask tarot: should I go or not? Ideally a one-word answer, go or stay. Once it's decided, you won't have to think about it every day.

But leaving your current job and choosing the next one are two different things. That this job already wears you out doesn't mean the next opportunity you see will suit you. And not having found a new job you like doesn't erase how hard things are now.

You can talk about them separately.

First write down which part makes you want to leave.

Suppose you're a copywriter. You still like the writing itself, but every day there are rewrites, last-minute meetings, and messages to answer in the evening. Recently you've seen a freelance opportunity that excites you, but you don't know whether the work will keep coming.

"I'm not suited to this job" sounds like a conclusion. Take it apart a little and it may become:

• I still like writing, but not the way my work is arranged now.
• I want fewer last-minute changes, and I want to keep some time that's whole and uninterrupted.
• Freelancing looks freer, but right now I only know of one project.

These three sentences are easier to keep talking about than "is this company just not a good fit for my energy?" At least you know you don't necessarily want to give up what you're good at.

Some blanks shouldn't be filled in by the cards yet.

Take a piece of paper and divide it in two. On the left, write what has happened and what you can check; on the right, what's still unconfirmed.

Don't put "my manager definitely doesn't rate me" on the left yet. It may be a very real feeling, but you don't know what they actually think. Noting the specific incidents that give you this feeling is more useful than drawing conclusions about them.

Asking about quitting again: what do you want to know this time?

If what bothers you most right now is "should I keep putting up with it?", you could ask:

How much of my exhaustion with this job comes from the work itself, and how much from the way it's done now?

If you're already looking at openings, you could ask:

When I compare these two options, which condition that matters to me do I keep overlooking?

If you really want to freelance but keep stalling at the thinking stage, you could ask:

Before actually switching to freelance work, what do I need to try out or confirm first?

Just pick the question closest to where you are now. Or bring your original "I want to leave" and we'll start from there. You don't need to polish your words into an impressive question for a reading.

Try reading these three cards.

Staying with the copywriter situation, this time the question is: "I want to change the way I work. What do I need to see clearly next?" Suppose the positions and cards are as follows.

1. What I still want to keep: Eight of Pentacles.
2. How I imagine another way of working: Two of Wands.
3. What I still need to face before deciding: Two of Swords.

In the Eight of Pentacles, someone is working at the same task again and again. In "what I want to keep", you might first think of skill, practice, or the satisfaction of making something well. Back in this situation, the question worth asking is: is it really writing you want to leave? Or is it an arrangement where you can never finish one thing properly?

The Two of Wands draws the gaze outward, and brings planning to mind. Freelancing can be a direction to explore here. But the card doesn't hand you a signed contract; between "I can see another way of living" and "that life can start now", there are still a few things to confirm.

The Two of Swords often brings to mind a choice that's hard to make. There's no rush to read it as "you're afraid of change". If the contract and scope haven't been agreed yet, hesitation makes sense. You could first ask: which piece of information, once filled in, would help me judge? And is there something I actually already know but keep not wanting to look at?

This is one reading. The positions, the question and the known background are what make it hold together. The three cards haven't set a resignation date for this person, and they haven't promised that changing jobs will work out.

If you draw the same cards, don't just read this piece aloud.

With a different person and a different question, the Eight of Pentacles might make them notice they've been so busy getting good at their work that they haven't asked in ages whether they like it. Above, it sat in the first position, "what I want to keep"; in "what's wearing me out", it might be about the feeling of doing the same thing over and over.

That's what makes reading interesting, and also why it needs care. Words that make sense don't necessarily fit the person in front of you. When something doesn't sound right, stop and check.

If you're teaching yourself, try rewriting the three positions and see whether your reading changes with the question. To practise reading images again, go back to "describe first, then interpret"; to practise how positions and cards relate, go on to the spread diagrams.

After drawing, keep the thing that still needs confirming.

Maybe it's talking to your manager once about how the work is arranged. Maybe it's writing down the scope of the freelance job and asking the client to confirm it. Or first asking someone who does that job now: what does your day actually look like?

You don't need to do all three at once. Pick one and set a time you're willing to do it by. Once you have new information, look back and see whether the hesitation is still there, and what it has become.

Sometimes you'll find you really do want to leave. Or it may be that you just want a different way of staying. Being able to say what the difference is already moves you forward a little.

Read on: Getting back to life after a reading · Keeping your own reading notes · Back to work topics