How I use tarot and astrology for my business

When I first opened the doors for my business, I didn’t have a clue. I was naive, slack-jawed and running my operation by the seat of my pants. How I survived those early years is a miracle. But I somehow managed (psst…I’m stubborn).

The longer I was in business, the smarter I got. I began to educate myself about things like record keeping, DBAs and other such business-y things. The more well-informed I became, the more my business grew.

But learning all that stuff wasn’t the only thing that helped me – I also had an astrology and tarot advantage. Over the years, I’ve relied on these tools to help me make better decisions, brainstorm new ideas, and most importantly, work with the energy that was operating in and around my business. I learned which trends might be helpful and where I might need to pay more attention. And I’ve observed other people work against the energy and fail. (Hint: salmons swim upstream to die. I’m all about going with the flow to thrive!)

I’ve fine-tuned what works for me and now every year I craft a fresh business plan using my mystical tools. I set a clear agenda for launching and power moves – with just enough leeway for spontaneous bursts of clever ideas. (I call this my Entrepreneurcast!)

Here’s how I set that tone and work those planets ‘n cards to my biz benefit:

I normally do this every October but this year I put my plan together a bit earlier than normal because I was aware that 2016 had some rather intense energy ahead for me. (I’ll explain this in a sec.) I grab my supplies: journal, Ephemeris, dry-erase wall calendar, Washi tape, and Llewellyn astrology calendar.

First things first: I sit down and do a business inventory of the current year. What’s working? What’s not working? What sold well? Where is most of my money coming from? What is the number I’m making? And the most important question: what is the number I want to make next year?

From there, I do the math. (See this page: “Why your tarot business isn’t making a profit” for information on how I get absolute clarity around my number for the year.)

The next step – get out my astrology chart and look at the aspects for the year. The program I use for astrology is Time Passages (I have it right on my iPhone!) but other good ones are Solar Fire – or you can get a free chart on alabe.com. I grab my Ephemeris and get ready to look at the transits for the next year.

I scan the transits for the year and look carefully at the following:

What is going on in my 2nd house (money), 8th house (joint resources, money from other people), 6th house (work) and especially the 10th house (career)? Is there any action that I need to be aware of? What transits might be affecting my income or my business?

Where is Jupiter? Jupiter shows me where I can expand. This last year, it was sitting pretty in my 10th house, which meant it was a good time to expand my public reach. I accepted two offers for public speaking gigs which is a great thing to do during this transit.

Where is Saturn? While a lot of astrologers hate Saturn, I kinda dig it. Saturn shows where we need to pay attention, lessons, and restrictions. Saturn is currently in my 2nd house of income. Does that mean I’ll be broke? Nope. I’m proactive. I am using this transit to pay down my house, practice frugality and overhaul my budget. I might trim down some of my business expenses. (So far, I’ve made a significant dent on my mortgage – BAM!)

Next, I flesh out the no-go dates – namely Mercury and Mars retrograde. I do not like to launch new things during these retrogrades. BUT there are times where I might need to anyways – knowing when they are operating allows me to check and double check my technology and have a plan B in place just in case. I mark these on my wall calendar with Washi tape (thanks to Esmé Wang for that smart idea). In the examples below, I am using striped Washi tape for the Mercury retrogrades and plain Purple for the Mars retrograde.

I also map out my vacation dates. That way, I don’t accidentally set a launch date when I’m up in the air!

Now, I work with the Moon to find auspicious dates.

I’m looking for New Moons in particular. New Moons are fantastic for launches, revamping, and manifesting. I also find when the Moon is crossing my Sun or my Midheaven as these will be auspicious for my business (Ex: the Moon hit my Midheaven right when I went on stage for a lecture and I nailed it!). I also mark down Eclipses as these can be potent for change if they land on an important point in my Natal chart (they aren’t next year).

If I am intent on launching something during a Mercury retrograde phase for timing reasons, I will look for the best Moon date in that period. (And yes, I have run events or launched things during a Mercury retrograde – always with a favorable Moon to help soften the energy!)

All those get marked on my calendar. (Btw, I use symbols and codes to save space.)

Once I have all this mapped out, I look at the products I want to bring forward or the events I am attending and see what’s happening and when might be the best date to put my stuff out there. I can start adding my upcoming launches to my wall calendar. This takes a little time but it really sets me up right for the year.

I’m all set and ready to roll!

How I use tarot for my business:

To brainstorm new ideas: shuffle the cards and then lay them facedown on the table. Randomly choose 3 – 5 cards. Turn the cards over and write down one word for each card. Now start riffing on those words. Look for stories and patterns. Be playful. I do this in a stream of consciousness and just let the words flow. Soon, my mojo starts brewing and things start coming up. I journal all of this jazz, set it aside and then come back to it later to flesh out and fine tune the details. If I get nothing, I still write down card meanings and words – and come back to it later. The key: come back to it later.

For general problem solving:

My favorite spread for solving biz (or life) problems is one that I created years ago:

The situation

What you need to know

Advice

I also love my friend Donnaleigh’s spread:

The situation

The challenge

Advice

Likely outcome

If I’m dealing with a choice between two things, I use this spread:

Choice one

Choice two

Advice

These simple tarot spreads are advice oriented, which allows me to find the best way forward with any business decision that I may have.

All this aside, I do understand that even with the best planning, things don’t always go as I would like. Shit can and does happen. But I feel that working with the energy allows me to stack the odds in my business favor and is a wiser path than just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Blessings,

Theresa

@ Theresa Reed | The Tarot Lady 2015

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