Tarot Occupations
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This essay is not about careers in divination (although that is another interesting topic), but rather the typical occupations that are symbolized by the tarot cards. It’s a subject I’ve been intending to address more thoroughly for quite some time, even though I don’t consider myself uniquely qualified as a historian or sociologist to examine it.
My knowledge of those eras is hardly encyclopedic, but the Medieval and Renaissance periods apparently fostered a de facto “caste system” of occupational opportunity that was largely dictated by accident of birth and was therefore difficult to transcend except by those possessing rare talent and ingenuity or established connections like a father in the business or a wealthy patron, along with an abundance of good luck. Among the impoverished it was centered for the most part on a hand-to-mouth existence and there was little in the way of upscale advantage to chase (although as the old aphorism goes, “hope springs eternal”).
In tarot language it was represented by the four suits: Wands were initially attributed to farmers, and eventually to the manual trades and craft guilds; Cups were assigned to the clergy; Swords were related to the nobility and soldiery, but were also stretched to include the legal professions (even if Shakespeare did say “First, kill all the lawyers”); Coins (aka Pentacles) were the realm of merchants. This worked well enough when times were simpler.
Presently, the job outlook is extremely fragmented such that career paths are convoluted (when they exist at all). The merchants and industrialists appear to hold the upper hand and they drag a large segment of the population along with them. On the fringes, people are constantly inventing imaginative ways to “make a buck.” The questions asked by those seeking career advice from the tarot are straightforward enough: “What job would suit me best?” and “What profession should I pursue?” But the vocational landscape is so multifarious that it can be difficult to give them a useful answer.
In modern terms we might advise them that the appearance of Wands cards in response to the inquiry could indicate entrepreneurial self-employment, a “go-it-alone” career trajectory or one that involves considerable creative initiative. Because the grip of religious hegemony is probably as loose as it’s ever been in civilized times; Cups would be more indicative of the “helping professions” than of a ministerial or other theological calling. Swords suggest “mind-work;” since so few are likely to become politicians, lawyers or soldiers, the emphasis is on a field that encompasses information exchange or communication of the electronic or digital kind. Pentacles, as before, imply “working for the Man.”
Of course, these categories are rudimentary in the same way the historical assumptions were, but they do reflect the types of opportunity that the job-seeker is likely to encounter in the 21st-Century workplace. Because much of the “bloom” has gone off the “rose” of higher education due to an inverted cost/benefit equation, technical and technological occupations are beginning to take center stage as the best course to consider when starting out.
If the goal is to “get ahead” through career advancement and regular boosts in compensation, I think I would look to Wands as the most likely avenue for such ambitions to succeed. (Unless job security is paramount, Pentacles are more about the profitability of the overarching commercial enterprise than of the individual contributor, so income growth would probably be slow when they dominate the reading.) If personal satisfaction of the emotional sort is the objective, Cups should fulfill that need. A quest for intellectual stimulation would be rewarded by the presence of Swords in the layout.
While they may describe the degree of stability that can be expected, none of the suit cards speak directly to the anticipated level of remuneration, although the court cards could convey the scope of responsibility (and by association the amount of money) that might be attained. I would look for the more fortunate trump cards like the Empress, the Emperor, the Chariot, Strength, the Wheel of Fortune, the Star, the Sun and the World to appear in key positions for any hope of substantial success and monetary gain, at least in the short term.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on April 11, 2024.
