Career questions are evergreen in tarot. We all want to see the best tarot cards for career readings to propel our conscious mind to figure out what we really want from our jobs and find answers to whether we are on the right career path.
Tarot cards representing hard work, success, creativity, and perseverance are preferred tarot cards in career readings. Several cards in the major arcana and especially in the suit of pentacles represent many of these attributes. However, no particular tarot card can be considered the best for career readings, but there are several runner ups.
I’ve compiled a list of 16 best tarot cards for a career reading. You will be surprised how many messages about work-related issues you can pull out of the tarot cards. They are great for contemplating your goals and thoughts about your desired career. At the end of this article, I gathered a couple of career spreads to pull the cards for yourself.
Best Tarot Cards for career readings
The Sun
The Sun is the embodiment of success and positivity. When this card is in your tarot career spread, it is a strong indicator that the future is looking positive regarding your career.
The Sun calls you to define your goals clearly, take full aim at them with action, and success will be inevitable. Use your desires to paint your goals and work consistently towards making them a reality. The Sun is about being positive, so keep your mind clear from all negativity and let good thoughts energize you whatever you are working on. Stay determined and optimistic when you are working towards your goals, and good things will follow.
If you are working with a team, feed your co-workers with positivity as well. Aim together at the target and stay optimistic and determined, and anything will be possible.
The Magician
The Magician is calling you to put your skills and powers to work since he knows that you will be successful if you put them to use. The Magician is about being resourceful, concentrated, and using your willpower to get where you want.
So be brave and have confidence in yourself. Put your ideas to work and move forward. Your efforts won’t go unnoticed if you trust in yourself and bravely present yourself.
The Magician is also an indicator of new opportunities, so it could point to an entirely new job or promotion. It could also be a sign that if you have an entrepreneurial mind, it is now time to work on the idea you have had for years. Remember that you have all the tools and knowledge to succeed if you just put them to work.
The Star
The Star is about inspiration, creativity, and hope for the future. It will give you a boost of positivity and motivation when it shows up in your career reading. It follows the Tower in the major arcana. It provides a fresh start after the destruction that the falling Tower left behind. Suppose, if you have been struggling in your professional life, take this card as a great omen of the future.
In the career context, the Start signals new opportunities. So if you have been waiting for an answer from a job interview, look forward to the good news. The Star is also about inspiration and creativity, so maybe you have the potential to work in a more creative field. If you are not doing that already, perhaps this could be a direction in the future?
The Star could also call for you to make a move about an issue you haven’t had the guts to ask for. We often get what we ask for, so if you have been thinking but not asking for a raise, this could be the time.
The World
The World is at your feet when this card shows up. It represents in career context very positive omens and tasks involving travel. It is the last card of the Major arcana, and therefore, it also represents wholeness and completion. It is a long-awaited hiatus that rewards you from work well done.
The World could signal that you have worked hard, and now you are getting the recognition and reward for it. New worlds are opening up to you, and they can come in the form of new exciting tasks, promotions, or work related to travel.
This card can literally send you out into the World. It could signal that you are headed to a destination where you will meet new people and new cultures and learn new things. Look forward to expanding your understanding of the World when this card shows up.
The Chariot
This card is about conquering obstacles with determination, focus, and willpower. It is the card of determination. When it shows up in a career reading, you will feel focused, ambitious, and motivated. It calls for you to set your target and work for it, no matter what obstacles you meet. Stick to what you believe, and success will follow.
So now is an excellent time to make a map of your career goals and determine where you want to be in the next five years. Put that map somewhere where you see it so that it can remind you to stay focused and determined. If your current work doesn’t take where you want to be, then look for something that will. There will always be obstacles in the path, but if you stay on target, work consistently, stay ambitious; eventually, you will get to where you want to be.
The Emperor
The Emperor is the male archetype of the tarot pack. He is a natural leader who symbolizes power, strength, and success. When it shows up in a career reading, it is an omen of a position that requires leadership. But roles of leadership need to be earned. The Emperor calls you to be strong, in command, and hardworking to get to where you want to be.
If you are working for someone, the Emperor is a sign that hard work will be noticed and rewarded with status. So promotion to a managerial position is possible. Just remember to focus and push yourself with perseverance through the obstacles that come your way, and success will follow.
The Emperor can also be a sign of an older colleague helping you out. Maybe the possibility to be a protégé for someone more experienced will present itself.
Ace of Pentacles
The aces are about new beginnings and opportunities. They represent the characteristics of their suit in their purest form. Being the Ace of Pentacles, it is all about options in the physical plane. The hand of the ace is holding out the reward if you dare to take your chance and reach for it.
If you see the ace of pentacles in your tarot spread, it gives you the sign to go for it. Whatever materialistic and career-related plans you have, now it is time to shoot for them. The hand coming out of the clouds is saying that it is yours for the taking.
So whether you are in business or working for someone, this card represents opportunities with financial rewards. Be it a new job, promotion, or new business opportunities, they are on the horizon and packed with money.
Eight of Pentacles
The Eight of Pentacles is a card of craftsmanship. The imagery displays a focused man doing artisanal work on his pentacle. He is putting them up like trophies for everyone to see. The card represents expertise, dedication, and accomplishment. Therefore it means a time of focus on the work at hand, where you really put yourself into it and create the best possible results.
This card is a sign that you are gaining expertise by really digging deep into what you do. This period of development will be noticed and rewarded. Perhaps you will become a true master of your art, and you will soon lead and teach others. Don’t be surprised if a promotion will be presented to you after seeing this card on your career tarot reading.
Nine of Pentacles
This is a card of abundance and success. It represents being rewarded financially for your hard work and efforts. You are now finally able to enjoy some of the success.
So when you see this card in your tarot spread, it is definitely a good sign if you know that you have worked hard. Soon will be a time of rewards. If you are an employee, you are reaching the top of your prospects at your current company soon. If you are an entrepreneur, it is a sign that your business has finally made it to a point where profits are rolling in, and you can be relaxed a bit.
The nine of pentacles also represents financial independence. Suppose, if you are a young tarot seeker, it could be a sign of finally being able to stand on both feet without the aid from your parents.
Ten of Pentacles
This card is following the success of the Nine of Pentacles. This is where the success matures and becomes complete. It has a sturdy foundation that it has been built upon, and small obstacles can no longer shake it.
The ten of Pentacles is pointing to a highlight in your career, where you have accomplished the goals you set out initially. It can symbolize your entire career or a project that has kept you busy for a longer time. There are no more targets to hit or needs to fulfill related to the project you have been working on.
Whatever it might be, this card is a sign of success that has been built on a solid foundation for everything to come. The ten of Pentacles also reminds us to be generous. If you have been rewarded with financial gains, be giving and share your success with those close to you. If you have gained valuable knowledge, help others that are struggling on the path you already know so well.
Two of Wands
“Well begun is half done,” said Aristotle, and it is what this card is about: the importance of having a plan. The man holding the globe in his hands tells that there is great potential in front of you, but you will first need to take a moment to establish your objectives and decide how you will approach them.
When you see the two of wands in your career reading, take it as a sign to draw out a plan for your career objectives. Set them on a piece of paper and ask yourself how you will achieve them. Ask yourself also why? It will deepen your goals and give them more reason. Maybe your goal is financial success, and your “why” can be that you can provide for your family. When you have the “why” clear in your mind, the goal becomes more significant.
Six of Wands
The six of wands is showing that now it is your time to shine. It represents victory, success, and celebration and comes as an excellent omen for a career reading. It is a sign that you can do the work well if you put your mind to it. The reward will follow, and you will be celebrated.
If you are involved in a project at the moment, now it is your time to push yourself to the max, and success will follow. People will give you recognition for the work well done, and promotion is well in the picture. Just don’t let success get too much to your head, because this card also holds a warning for egotistical behavior.
The KINGS
The court cards of minor arcana often represent people in your life, including yourself. When the court cards represent you, it will present the characteristics needed to reach your goals. When the court cards represent other people in your life, they serve as influencers and describe their personalities and characteristics.
The King of Pentacles is the king of success in the materialistic world. If he represents someone who influences you, he is someone who has had success through hard work. He is not flashy with success but knows his worth. Alternatively, suppose the king of pentacles represents you. In that case, your professional endeavors will be successful if you stay determined and focused on the job at hand.
The King of Cups is the king of emotional realms. He is diplomatic, emotionally balanced, and compassionate. He will be the kind of guide who will show you support on your weak moments as well. If it is describing your characteristics, it suggests you be a compassionate leader—the leader of people, not things.
The King of Swords is the king of routine and structure. An honest man with structure and strength will help you along your career path. Suppose it is taking the form of representing how you need to be. In that case, you need to be trustworthy and hardworking—a man of your word.
The King of Wands is the king of vision and making things happen under his leadership. This is the ultimate king of entrepreneurs. He is the master delegator. He knows the power of success lies in the people under his leadership. Learn from this man if he is influencing you. In the case that it is representing you, be a visionary.
Easy Career Tarot Spread to practice career readings
Tarot cards are great for processing your thoughts about work, and you can use a tarot career spread for that. I’ve included two spreads for you to get started.
With the first one, you can observe your inner feelings about the work itself and see if you are happy with your current career choices.
- Is my job meaningful?
- What motivates me?
- What does the job offer me?
- What kind of roles are for me in this company?
- Where am I headed?
The second one will help you reflect on the dream job you would like to have.
- My dream job?
- What is required from the job?
- How can I acquire those skills?
- Where can I find support?
- How will I be rewarded?
Since you made it to the end of this article, I hope you have enjoyed it and found it useful. Please share your comments below. I would love to hear your thoughts and possible cards in your mind that you would include on the list.
Happy career readings to everyone!