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We are living in spiritual times. Even the corporate world is starting to understand the benefits of spirituality in the workplace. This includes camaraderie and improved stress management to name a few benefits.
Then what stops us as entrepreneurs from accepting our own spirituality? From using it to build the business for which we left the security of a regular paycheck in the corporate world?
Why do we block our spirituality when that is really the secret to being successful?
It’s often difficult to offer a simple definition of Spirituality. This word is nowadays used in a much broader context. It takes on the shape and priorities of the context in which it is used ranging from religion to psychology, social sciences, the arts and even the professional world.
Perhaps, as a practicing Hindu, spirituality comes naturally to me because Hinduism is more than just a faith or religion; it is a way of life. It is an individualistic and yet community faith. Yet understanding and explaining spirituality are 2 different things.
To keep it simple, let us define spirituality as being the experience of spirit and actions that lead to productivity and embracing the life of a Karma Yogi as described in the Bhagvad Gita,
For the purposes of this post, I am going to use this precept to explain why you too need to unblock any barriers to your spirituality to thrive and save your sacred business.
Spirituality in business then would stand for those practices and actions that help you to find your purpose in life using your business as the vehicle for achieving your true potential. It consists of those beliefs and actions that feed your soul while helping you to run a profitable business. You are being of service to the very audience that you want to help when you take the decision to work for yourself. It keeps the expensive hobby syndrome at bay.
So how do you bring spirituality into your business?
Very simple – carefully while holding your vision of what you really want to create and the best way forward that would keep you in integrity both with your personal and professional life.
In other words, a Vision Statement that includes your needs as well as those of the people whom you wish to serve through your business.
For example, you can create a clear philosophy that for your business (here’s the one for Karmic Ally Coaching) and a personal manifesto that ties up with your business goals (this is my personal unapologetic manifesto)
You know something, you don’t have to use fluffy woo words while creating your vision.
What’s important is that you remember to keep that vision to guide you.
Remember the saying ‘Actions speak louder than words”? That’s what you need to implement here. Simple practices that will help create the vehicle or vessel through which you will work in your business acknowledging your spiritual side.
Your practices would include
- Your vision that will act as a compass to navigate the business world
- Actions that demonstrate a high level of integrity and service
- Ensuring that the content that you write in your marketing literature, website and social media engagement reflects a genuine desire to be of service. Show you value your clients and prospects and are supportive of them for their needs while valuing your own needs
- Focus on your continuing personal and professional growth
- Practice what you preach
The practices that I’ve outlined above are easy to write but require effort to make them work. Especially if you have been ignoring your spirituality or have created a block and need to jump start the process of embracing your spirituality.
So as an intuitive, coach, mentor and consultant, I decided to bring out my Tarot deck to provide more guidance on unblocking your spirituality for your business. The wonderful part about running a spiritual-based practice is that everything seems to come together as you will see from the reading.
Tarot reading guidance for unblocking your spirituality and build the business of your dreams
The question asked: What guidance can I give a business owner to help them reconnect with their spiritual side for success?
For the purposes of the reading, I used a 3-card spread representing the past, present and future if you act on the guidance of Card number 2.
I’ve used the Rider Waite Tarot Deck also known as the Rider Waite Smith Tarot Deck to acknowledge Pamela Colman Smith as the designer of the cards.
This is the deck I use when I want clarity on what is going on in my life and business. I also use it in my Creative Visualization workshops and with my coaching clients when my intuition tells me we need to go further into a particular matter.
Different people have different ways of using the tarot deck and interpretations.
For example, I don’t read reversed cards as being bad. If a card ‘pops out’, I pay attention to it before beginning a reading. It’s a sign there’s a message for me or the person for whom I am doing the reading.
Imagine my surprise when the 3 of Swords flew out of the deck while I was shuffling the deck and concentrating on the question. As you’ll see, this card corresponds to my query!
Pop out card: 3 of Swords
The Swords are the suit of intellect, thought and reason. They are concerned with justice, truth and ethical principles. Swords are associated with the element Air. This suit is also associated with states that lead to disharmony and unhappiness. Our intellect is a valuable asset, but as an agent of ego, it can lead us astray if it is not infused with the wisdom of our Inner Guide.
The three of sword symbolizes experiencing heartbreak, loneliness and betrayal. As you can see there are 3 swords piercing the heart and dark clouds in the background.
The scenario when this card turns up is a sense of disappointment, suffering emotional pain, feeling rejected or being deserted in a time of need, having your trust betrayed and a literal meaning of being stabbed in the back and similar situations that have led to disappointment. Was a breaking point reached where you had to get out or sink?
Perhaps that was the reason you quit your job and decided to follow your heart and start a business where you would be the boss and run a business that was more aligned with your ideals and core values?
That’s exactly what the image on the 3 of Swords describes – the pain.
For sure life’s curve balls can throw us out. It’s up to us to decide if we wish to soldier on the same path or change course and create something new, something that will give our lives and work a meaning.
When the card popped out, I realized it was referring to the soul inspired heart-based individual who wanted to do things differently. As the actual reading cards will show, it all falls together as the missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
A word of caution is in order. This card can also mean that you may be contemplating hurting someone else too or may already be hurting someone by taking out your frustrations on them. I suggest stop in your tracks and course correct. Hurting others is never a solution and heart-based entrepreneurs who’ve embraced spirituality in their business don’t mete out on others that which they themselves have not chosen for themselves.
Past Card: IX Hermit
The card that came up for the Past position was the Hermit, a major arcana card. The Hermit card is associated with introspection, searching for answers within and seeking greater understanding. It also symbolizes going on a personal quest and desiring a new direction.
The Hermit card indicates a person who has experience and is in a position of receiving or giving guidance, capable of being a mentor or needing one. This person has the ability to offer wise counsel, trusted teacher or be a mentor.
The traditional hermit is a bearded character who has withdrawn from society to live a life of seclusion and hardship. He has a lantern with which he is lighting his way to find the truth.
The Hermit represents the desire to turn away from society to focus on the Inner World and find the answers that will only come with quiet and solitude.
Many of us who decide to go into business for ourselves have experienced this turning point. We sense that the world as we know it is not the one we want and decide to change the status quo.
Our search for a more meaningful existence begins.
For heart-based entrepreneurs, coaches and consultants, this is the time when the idea of manifesting our vision of a new world order is born.
This is similar to the Wakeup Call and our accepting our Call to Adventure. In business, it means taking stock of what we have and what we want to create. When we are in touch with our spirituality, the going is easier because all our answers lie within us and we know when we need to reach out to a Wise Mentor or Coach to plug the gaps. We can receive help from wise teachers, and, in turn, help others as we progress.
So the cards revealed the Wakeup Call and your preparation for your own Truth and a return to acknowledging your own spirituality.
Present Card: Queen of Wands
The Queen is a Court Card. The court cards show us certain ways of being in the world so that we can use (or avoid!) those styles when appropriate. A Queen is mature and feminine. She embodies the qualities of her suit, rather than acting them out. Her focus is inward, and her style, relaxed and natural. A Queen is less concerned with results than with the enjoyment of just being in the world. She is associated with feelings, relationships and self-expression.
Wands are the suit of creativity, action and movement. They are associated with such qualities as enthusiasm, adventure, risk-taking and confidence. This suit corresponds to the yang, or masculine principle, and is associated with the element Fire. This energy flows outward and generates passionate involvement.
The Queen of Wands symbolizes the qualities of being attractive, enthusiastic, energetic, self-assured and has faith in her abilities.
When we stay in touch with our spirituality and have sifted and distilled our knowledge during the Hermit stage, we will find lots of friends and rainmakers for our business. We will attract all that we need to make up for those skills that we might yet need to learn. Nothing will get you down and you’ll always be able to find the positive in the situation. Your faith in your abilities will be validated and reinforced. You can accomplish anything that you set out to do.
My question to you – do you feel the way the Queen of Wands does? Do you believe in yourself? What’s really stopping you from stepping out in confidence?
What you can do to create change in the Present
If you are in touch with your spirituality, then conducting your business with the grace and élan of the Queen of Wands is possible.
If you’ve lost your way from the time that you left the Hermit stage to the present having gotten so enmeshed in running a business that you’ve forgotten why you created your business in the first place then it’s time to return to basics and allow your true self to emerge and take you forward.
There are many practices that you can do depending upon your nature, disposition and what appeals to you. Here are some that I personally recommend.
Firstly, remember that the work that you set out to do is sacred and does make a difference provided you stay on track. Whenever I feel I am losing track of what I started out to do, I remember The Law of “Dharma” or Purpose in Life, eloquently captured in Deepak Chopra’s book The Seven Laws of Spiritual Practice.
THE LAW OF “DHARMA” OR PURPOSE IN LIFE
Everyone has a purpose in life . . . a unique
gift or special talent to give to others.
And when we blend this unique talent with service
to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation
of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of all goals.
There are 2 activities that I recommend for immediate action.
First, return to the Hermit State. Trace back the point at which you stopped being the Queen of Wands who knew what actions she wanted to take and went about it in a self-assured manner before being hit by Shiny Object Syndrome. Or went into a learning new skills stage and forgot that she has to also apply her learning so she could move forward in bringing her Dream to life.
While in the Hermit State, start making a list of all your unique talents. The ones you brought with you when you were in a job, the inherent talents and the learned skills and assess what else is really required.
It might surprise you to learn that you know more than you think you do. Any gap that you find is either not that catastrophic or is one where you can outsource the work so that you focus on what is really important. If it can’t be outsourced, then find the right teacher or course to show you how to do it. Look for recommendations within your circle of friends, colleagues and social network groups. There aren’t problems, only solutions!
The second one is a personal favorite that I’ve also seen in Doreen Virtue’s Angel Therapy Oracle cards relates to visualizing being of service to one’s clients and audience.
My version means asking myself every morning, “How can I serve?” and “How can I help?” When the morning is set with the intention to be of service and with a genuine compassion, things fall in place as I work in my business.
If you feel you need to work on your mindset and do some inner work to become the Queen of Wands, then these posts are useful. (The titles will open to a new page on your browser)
Success and the Law of Giving Revisited
And if the going feels tough, then here’s a Self-help tip for Happiness
Future Card: Ace of Pentacles
The future card in a 3-card spread indicates what your future will look like if you follow the guidance in the Present card.
An Ace announces the themes of its suit. An Ace is the standard-bearer for the best that its suit has to offer and always represents positive forces.
Pentacles are also referred to Coins and reflect trade – an exchange of goods and services in the real world.
The Pentacles are the suit of practicality, security and material concerns.
They are associated with the element Earth and working with matter.
When you bring your spirituality into your daily business practice and conduct your work with the grace of the Queen of Wands, then it stands to reason that your future is reflected with the Ace of Pentacles. This symbolizes possibility of achieving concrete results, having a real-world impact, goal achievement, prosperity, abundance and having a system that works to support you.
When the Ace of Pentacles appears in a reading, it means that you will be able to make your dreams come true. So take those actions that will take your business forward and create tangible results. It also means the time for daydreaming is over and now is the time to build a strong foundation for the future. What better way than to realign with your spirituality and experience success in the absolute sense of the word?
Parting Words on Spirituality for your Business
In this somewhat lengthy post that has been written from my heart, I have attempted to create a business case for embracing your spirituality in your business. This starts right from your Vision Statement and practices that you can take immediately. Finally, using guidance for your Inner Self. You can use tarot cards or oracle decks. I myself do it to keep spirituality in my business (you can read more about the philosophy behind Karmic Ally Coaching here)
If I have been able to inspire you to take action to bring your core essence to your business, then I have been of service.
How does your business reflect your spirituality? Or do you see your business as part of your spiritual practice? I’d love to read about it in the comments box below.
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Yes, I have struggled, especially living here in the south of the US, with all the rules and restrictions as well as exclusions that I just can’t abide by. Thank you for the book recommendations! I look forward to reading them. I’ll let you know what I think.
Thanks!
Take the restrictions as a challenge and explore all options, Kimberly. There is always a solution when we get enough information to feed our intuition for viable solutions. I think you’ll like Deepak Chopra’s book, a favorite in my personal library. 🙂
This does really speak to me, and, as you know, I am very focussed on bringing my spirituality and my authenticity to the work I am doing as a coach and author. I love that you use the tool of tarot to help guide people into a contemplation of how to meld an inner journey with the outer one. It’s iteresting how a card, like 3 of wands, for example, can be seen from so many different perspectives, so that each person ca connect in their own way. It’s also a very interesting way for you to present your teachings along the way. Beautiful! xo, Reba
Thanks for your encouraging words, Reba. The beauty of Tarot is that it speaks to the reader in its own way and connects with their intuition lighting the way to the right path for them.
Most people have a business in order to make money, but that is seldom the primary motivation for women in business. For us, it’s often to make a difference or improve the world in some way. Writing a Vision Statement can be challenging, but they serve as a written reminder for why we started our businesses — and the impact we want to make with them — in the first place. That statement, along with your own spiritual practices (you offer great tips here), can really help us keep going even we would otherwise give up on the dream of our business.
A robust Vision Statement is important although as you rightly point out, Lesa, it can be challenging especially when we are first starting out in business and want to save the entire world when focusing on those who need us the most is a better place to start. Thank you for reinforcing the need to have a Vision Statement with our own unique spiritual practices to keep us going when the going gets tough.
This is a powerful post. I am rather amazed that the 3 card reading matches where I have been in business, and a continued value. I have been on extended “retreat” of the hermit. The Queen is emerging from a coronation, and beginning to direct matters again. And the hermit remains an important part of me. I have to retreat and replenish. I also see the lantern as the light of guidance I offer others. Somehow I can hold this light even from my hermitage. Thanks for the article. It is great to meet you!
I love the way you’ve identified your Journey with the cards that came up for guidance, Diva Carla. The question was asked for every entrepreneur and business person and I picked the cards using my left hand to assess the energy received from each card on the spread. To reach the Ace of Pentacles, we often have to revert to a Hermit Stage while working as The Queen, especially when we are contemplating creating a product or service that is intended to help others. I’m delighted to meet you too!
This is fantastic! I love the Tarot cards you pulled to help guide us all along. Learning to embrace the spirituality of my business is an ongoing process. With so many years of dreaming that work and spirituality could be intertwined, then to finally have the opportunity to see it in action. It’s all about breaking out of the old mold and embracing the new possibilities.
Thank you so much!
You’ve summed it up so well when you say ” It’s all about breaking out of the old mold and embracing the new possibilities”, Latrelle. Birthing a business with one’s own unique blend of spiritual and business practices is what loving our work is all about. May the Universe guide you to create the difference that you were born to make!
Thank you, Vatsala! What a great post.
I appreciated your definition of spirituality, and love that you brought in the tarot cards at the end to offer their perspective on the situation. I love using the tarot to look at situations like this, and found your interpretations beautiful and affirming. (Especially the 3 of Swords, which is my least favourite card 🙂 )
Thank you!
Big Love,
~ Jenny <3
Thank you Jenny! I often turn to Tarot to gain clarity on a situation using the card deck that appeals to me at the time. Sometimes I can actually feel that a deck has a message and this time it was the Rider Waite Smith deck. The 3 of Swords rarely turns up in a reading for me so when it does, I look at it carefully to understand with a more analytical process if there is a deeper issue involved. In this case, the card jumped out of the deck while I was shuffling, as if to say, ‘don’t forget me!’. 🙂
Fascinating post, Vatsala. Everything in it resonates with me, although I do not have a lot of experience with Tarot Cards. I own a deck and have had several readings, but don’t use them myself. Astrology really speaks to me, so often I use that as a tool and window to the my world. I honestly don’t believe anyone can no longer include their spirituality, (however that reveals itself for them), in their working world too. Our personal lives and our business lives are intricately intertwined. A conscious entrepreneur or business owner, seems to be the only way to success now. If we don’t come from a place of authenticity and integrity somehow that shows. Of course it depends on how awakened or aware someone is. There are many people who still function from a lower chakra energy in the world and yet we see all around us, how the vibration on the planet is rising and we are being asked to contribute to it. Having some background in Anthroposophy (Spiritual Science) and a little bit of Buddhism, I continue to grow and transform myself and hopefully inspire others to do the the same. As we get older, the call to be of service in an authentic way naturally grows. It is all part of our biography and witnessing how it unfolds, is wonderful.
Thank you for sharing your insights, Beverley. I know that readers will benefit from it the way I do. Intuition speaks to us in different ways and I gather Astrology is your tool. In the New World, being a conscious entrepreneur or business owner is important for success. I know of many Indian and International corporate companies who do philanthropic work on the side and the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility is a legal term to describe something that has been around for a long time. When Body Shop set up its factory in a part of Scotland where people needed employment, Anita Roddick took the first step to bring in the Divine as a partner. I wonder if she had realized that someday, a business started in her kitchen would become a listed company or provide employment to people outside of the United Kingdom? Amazing, isn’t it?
Loved this post, Vatsala! I have very limited experience with Tarot cards, but my sister recently introduced them to me. I, like Roslyn, am going to go back through and make sure I understand all you are saying… there is so much here!
As for your question, I count myself as spiritual, and a child of this earth… I feel I tend to lean more towards Buddhism, rather than the Christianity I was born into. Part of that is the bad taste that is left in ones mouth from a lot of the purportedly “Christian” sects of late.
I want to instill spirituality into everything I do, especially my business. I want to help people be happier and live better, more rewarding lives. This is very important to me.
I’m delighted you loved the post, Kimberly. Mission accomplished! I agree there is a lot of information in this post. I had mulled over breaking it into 2 parts and then realized that it was better this way.
It is interesting what you’ve mentioned about spirituality and leaning towards Buddhism. I have many friends who are deeply spiritual in every sense of the word and yet they chose to leave their Church or other institutions of Faith because they felt restricted. They practice the best that the Faith they were born into has to offer and are of service. Leaning towards Buddhism is an indication that you are further ahead in your spiritual journey than you may yet realize, Kimberly. You might like to read the works of Robert Thurman (father of Uma Thurman), Osho and Sogyal Rinpoche, especially the latter’s book The Tibetan Book of the Living and Dying. I think you will like them.
So much of this interesting, informative post is new to me. I feel to do it justice I need to study each point. In all honesty, I am not an active spiritual practitioner, but when understanding overall your points, I do believe I live from a place of integrity both personal & business. This to me is spiritual. I am consistent in my communication with virtual friends as well as in person & I believe my page reflects this.
i admire your knowledge & practice & believe you have many gifts and talents.
Thank you for the compliment Roslyn. Spirituality means different things to different people but when we live from a place of integrity and our actions reflect the authentic true Self, then that is practicing spirituality.
Hinduism is so beautiful Vatsala. We are seeing it all around us here in Bali as the people leave their lovely offerings out on the pavement several tines a day. I think this helps them stay focused on their spirituality and they often do it to attract good luck for their business – it’s so beautiful and reflected in the kind and honest nature of these wonderful people. I don’t really follow Tarot cards but found what you wrote very interesting. I know I always get an answer one way or another when I put a question to the Universe. I truly believe that if you block spirituality from any part of your life you will stunt your growth, professionally and personally. Lovely to read your heartfelt advice.
Being of service or Dharma is an essential part of Hindu philosophy and faith which is why it often considered a way of life. When we give to others, the Law of Reciprocity gives us what we need too. I often use Tarot for guidance and I have quite a few decks depending upon what I feel called to use, Tamuria. 🙂 You are so correct about the stunted growth when we block spirituality from our personal and professional lives.