Becoming visible as a Spiritual Entrepreneur – a journey of connection

As you move through January you may have been paying attention to what feels meaningful in your life. A new year brings renewed efforts to make choices that support the vision of the life you’d like to create. And as a Spiritual Entrepreneur you will already have purpose and meaning at the centre of your decisions.

One of my daily practices is to pay attention to the present moment and what it has to offer. For many years I spent too much of my time imagining that to have a successful business all I needed was a clear plan, drive and determination. I have a highly developed sub-personality who is capable, able to focus and incredibly organised and she likes the feeling of being in control. Like the Emperor card, she is the master of her domain, her boundaries and her schedule – but – if I put her solely in charge, this hyper-focus creates the effect of blinkers on a horse; I can’t see anything beyond the place I’m trying to reach.

Take the Ten of Swords as an example. The archetype in this card is defeated by their thinking. While many retract at the apparent horror of a horizontal figure with swords along its back, it actually speaks to the admission of defeat and to a cycle that’s trying to come to a close. From their recumbent spot, the dawn of a new day lights up the horizon just over the water and they are ready for a new way of thinking and communicating. The blinkers are off. Reality bites. It’s time to stop trying so hard and to be in acceptance.

“Be in acceptance of what?” You might say. Well, to put it bluntly, you need to accept defeat. In my case, the ‘shadow’ side of the Emperor was around credibility and status. I wanted to be taken seriously. For this reason, I had a strategy and determination to bring my life of purpose and meaning for as long as it didn’t pose the risk of being judged or laughed at; I didn’t hide the fact that I work with tarot, but it was one tool in a toolbox as a ‘leadership coach’ – a Seven of Swords version of me that brought only some of the truth to create a more palatable, ‘safe’ version of me.

And it did feel safe there… in the protection of the Emperor.

But, my career as a leadership coach didn’t take off as expected, and given I had already given up a career in logistics in order to pursue a more aligned and authentic life, I felt angry with the Universe for not opening the doors and patting me on the back, ascending me into a bountiful new working life filled with meaning and purpose. Didn’t the Universe think I had something of value to share? A familiar inner dialogue told me to stay ‘in my place’ and not have any grandiose ideas – an inverted Queen of Wands whispered “Best not to shine, my dear, you’ll get hurt”.

One day I read that the way to connect to clients is to get into the community you wish to serve and find out what they need. I signed up for a leadership summit, and for the first half of the day I shook hands with some incredible women business owners and founders, introducing myself as a leadership coach. But, with each handshake, I felt my inner Ten of Swords say, “Admit it! This isn’t all there is to me! I love pulling cards but I’m too afraid to say it!”

As luck would have it that day there was a panel speaking about the connection between ‘business success’ and being yourself: “Find that thing that you love and which comes naturally to you – and bring it”. At that moment, I checked in with myself – dare I introduce my love of Tarot and how I’ve developed a way to coach at depth with the cards?

For the rest of the afternoon my Queen of Wands energy was fully alight. No longer hiding away I went straight to the point, introducing myself as a leadership coach who uses the Tarot to connect to purpose and meaning. Some ladies leaned closer “I love the tarot!”, while others gave small smiles and reasons why that wasn’t for them.

In that moment I realised – up to that point I had been afraid of being judged so I’d played small, but it’s OK to be judged; it’s human nature to make choices based on personal preference and judgement. And not just that – through practising presence, and listening to my inner voice, I was making connections with people who were in alignment with me. Like the Two of Cups – I raised my heart, my cup to another as they in turn raise their heart and cup to mine.

That day I discovered that to be truly visible in your business you need to truly be visible to yourself. If there’s a part of you that wishes you could introduce yourself differently, ask what that part of you needs to feel safe enough to be seen. Daring to bring yourself is one of the most courageous things you can do in life and in my experience, as soon as you do it, connections to other, aligned human beings will flow.

For more information on how to use the tarot to support your journey as a spiritual entrepreneur sign up for the free, online tarot masterclass on Thursday 23rd January at 20:30GMT for one hour.