The Case of Clarifying Life’s Calling
In my work as a Tarot consultant, people retain my services to help them solve the mysteries that show up in their life experiences.
Such is the case with Jay, who sent me this submission for the Coaching by the Cards column…
The Facts of the Case
Here’s what Jay shares in his submission:
Hi, James,
I’m a self-employed solopreneur. I started my business a few years ago, believing I was doing the work I was called to be doing. I’m now finding myself in a space, with the business, where it seems like nothing is happening, and all the things I’m trying and implementing just aren’t working.
I’m frustrated, and feeling doubtful and uncertain about the work. I’m no longer sure about what I’m called to do because nothing’s working in the business. I’m turning to you, hoping you can consult the cards and help me regain the clarity and certainty I used to have about my calling.
Thank you,
Jay
Thank you, Jay, for your submission and entrusting me with your current situation surrounding your business—and the Greater Mystery of your life’s calling.
To help us solve this mystery for you, I am consulting with The Sherlock Holmes Tarot, using a layout called The Lens Spread, which was created by the deck’s creator, John Matthews (giving credit where credit is due); it allows us to take a closer look at the clues in this case.
Looking for Possible Clues
I have consulted the cards with this question in mind: What do we need to know about the nature of Jay’s calling at this time?
These were the cards that I drew for you, in response to the question:
- Situation: 4 of Evidence (Wands)
- Consideration: 3 of Deduction (Pentacles)
- Action: Dr. John H. Watson (Strength)
- Outcome: Inspector of Evidence (King of Wands)
Analyzing the Evidence
The first thing that catches my attention is that cards from the suit of Evidence (Wands) serve as bookends here. As the ruling majority, the suit of Evidence relates to work and career issues, which is a part of your situation.
Also, this suit can relate to both our public and personal image, and could suggest your sense of identity may be deeply connected to your idea of calling, and expressing that calling in the work you do.
In terms of your emotional outlook, these cards are validating the frustration you mention (Wands, from an emotional standpoint, can suggest frustration and impatience).
The 4 of Evidence, as the situation, shows Holmes and Watson having a celebratory dinner, having solved a case. Holmes holds a medal in his hand, taking a closer look at it. This card signifies reaching a certain stage or level and acknowledging the achievement.
For me, this card says that you have been heeding the call on your life and it has been in action in your business. The 4 is a number of foundation, framework, and structure, and I’m intuiting this to mean that your calling has served your business in this way. That’s the positive aspect of the 4.
The flip side of the 4 is limitations and restrictions, which is what you seem to be experiencing now.
Either way you want to look at this aspect of the card, it could be suggesting to you that “things not working” right now may be an indication that the business has reached the stage or level it’s going to in its current incarnation; the 4 of Evidence says it may be time to consider its next stage (as Holmes and Watson may be considering their next case).
The second card, reflecting what you might consider here, is the 3 of Deduction (Pentacles). The first thing I want to share about this card is that it is a self-employment card; I love how it appears here to validate you being in business for yourself.
Anytime Wands dominate a reading, cards from the suit of Pentacles will indicate the financial prospects of the work/business/enterprise being examined.
With that in mind, this card is a card that shows gradual progress being made. You didn’t elaborate of the specifics of your business, but whatever it is, the 3 of Deduction says to look at this more as your career, and that you are building a reputation for yourself and the work you do. So, the money aspect of it will also take time.
In the image, a man is placing a black pearl inside the eye of a bust of Emperor Napoleon. There is so much rich imagery here, as it relates to your question about your calling.
The bust of Emperor Napoleon says two things to me:
- The term “emperor” again reflects you being “the boss” (self-employed)
- Napoleon was acclaimed as a strategist, so I look at this as a visual pun for things “going according to plan,” in reference to your calling. It can also suggest creating (the 3 is a creative number) a strategy that will help you move your business forward, as this card can be a card of renovation.
The act of putting the black pearl in the eye of the bust is an acknowledgment of the calling (the pearl) and how you are applying it to your work (the bust). It can suggest that you see the work you are doing as if you are creating a masterpiece. Here’s the thing: just as the pearl is going to be hidden within the bust, remember to look beyond the outer conditions you are experiencing in the business at the moment, and know that the work is still valuable—and still is a container or vessel for your calling.
The last thing that strikes me about this card is the number 36 encased in a diamond symbol. The diamond, for me, is associated with the suit of Diamonds in a deck of playing cards, and is also a suit that indicates career and money-related issues in a reading—just like the suit of Pentacles.
Here’s how the numbers play into your question about your calling: The 3 is a number that is a request for you to commit yourself—mind, body, and spirit—to your calling. The 6 is a number that asks us to go beyond the five senses (the physical world), and to follow the path you know is of the most benefit to you spiritually. This way of living has a strong connection to life, the spirit world—and a great sense of purpose (or, in your words, calling).
If you add them together, they reduce to 9; 9 is the number that reminds us to follow our life’s purpose (calling). It can suggest being drawn to spiritual matters.
Moving on to the card that suggests a course of action you might take, we have Dr. John H. Watson (the Strength card). This is a Major Arcana card, the suit that indicates the spiritual and psychological influences at work here, the lessons you are being encouraged to learn from having the experience. When these cards appear, they typically carry more weight in the consult.
The Strength card is a card of courage and confidence. For me, this card is encouraging you to examine your level of self-confidence here (Watson serving as a medical examiner for Holmes at the scene most times). When we identify ourselves so strongly with the work we do (the suit of Evidence/Wands), and that business isn’t doing well, our self-confidence can take a hit. Has yours?
Also, Watson stands on black-and-white tiled flooring. Symbolically, our feet can represent understanding, and the surface beneath our feet can suggest what we may need to overcome. I see this as saying that you might possibly being seeing your situation in “black and white” terms, meaning going to extremes—it’s “all or nothing.” If this is true for you, this card is asking you to work on overcoming that tendency. Flooring can indicate foundation, so it would suggest this tendency doesn’t just show up in your work or business—it was formed from an earlier experience, and tends to show up in other areas of your life.
The Watson card says you have the strength you need to get through this period. This is not a card of brute physical strength, though, but rather the quiet, inner strength of character. This is a card of patience and self-control.
In terms of your calling, the Watson card is about the health of mind, body, and spirit (Watson being a doctor, and therefore a healer). This connects to the “clue” of the number 36 from the 3 of Deduction.
This card is also about personal power (the number 8) and standing in that place of power (Watson standing in the center of the floor). Watson standing in the center of the floor could suggest “finding your center,” which would give you the power and strength to move through challenging situations. As you do this for yourself, you will also be able to help others stand in their personal power.
This brings me to your final card, Jay. As the outcome, we have the Inspector of Evidence (King of Wands). Being a Person Card, it can suggest one of two things:
- Another person will play a part in the resolution of this situation
- You are being asked to either emulate–or eliminate–aspects of this character within this experience.
The first thing I notice is that the King of Wands is a card that represents a business man or entrepreneur. As I noted with the 3 of Deduction, this is another card that validates your experience as a self-employed solopreneur. It takes on greater significance here because it is the outcome, and suggests your remaining in business for yourself. This card can indicate a successful business venture; the cards that have come before it (3 of Deduction and Dr. John H. Watson) are advising you to be patient during this seeming lull.
In the image, the Inspector arrives on the scene, looking out an open window, examining any evidence he might be able to see on the grounds below from this vantage point. He is asking you to do the same. Sometimes when we’re “in” it, we tend to miss the clues that are right under our nose and in front of us. Sometimes we have to step back and allow ourselves to see things from a different perspective (the window can suggest you being “open” to having a different outlook on things).
I’m also seeing the open window as a “window of opportunity” that may be coming your way. Connecting this to the other card bookending this consult (4 of Evidence), there’s a popular saying that “when a door closes, a window opens.” I said that the 4 of Evidence could indicate that the business has reached the level it’s going to in its current state, and you were being encouraged to consider what its next stage or level might be. The Inspector of Evidence, in this sense, is backing that idea up. The Inspector is a man who is committed and devoted to what he is passionate about. If you do this, things will “open up” for you; you have to be able to see the opportunities when they appear. Stay inspired.
One final note: Two cards in your consult form what is known as a timing conjunction, which indicates a potential “window of time” that will be significant in your situation. The 3 of Deduction and Dr. John H. Watson form a 3-month period of time, and it could be during this time you will begin to see the results of the gradual process of growth I noted earlier.
These are my deductions, Jay, and this brings our consult to an end. I hope we have been able to solve this Great Mystery for you. Circle back and let me know so we can consider this mystery solved and the case closed.
And if you have a question or concern that you would like to gain some insight using the Tarot, and think Coaching by the Cards would be a great forum for it, send me your submission, via e-mail, to james@jameshimm.com, with Coaching by the Cards in the subject line.
Your Consultant on the Case,
James
For information about scheduling a private consultation with me, please visit my Tarot Consultations page.