Many years ago I was having a typical day at work – it was hectic and exhausting and I was truly not enjoying my life. I had been working there for 12 years. More. I had co-founded the company so it felt like my baby – a baby which had become a tempestuous tween, a confident teen and was now the provider not just for my family, but for all of our staff as well. It was a huge responsibility and I was really good at my job. But there I was, feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. It was a classic case of the Ten of Wands – so many jobs, so much busyness and a weight and burden that I wanted to put down.

I had been practicing the art of manifestation. I hadn’t been able to see a way out of the overwhelm so I was ready to try anything. The only thing was that I didn’t know what I wanted to manifest. That day in particular something magical happened. As I leant back in my chair I had a vision of myself outside the office with my back to the building, in a huddle of people with free-flowing clothes and my hair down. This mystery-me turned to look at me in the office, and with a smile she said “it’s going to be ok!” That’s when I knew what I wanted to manifest – that feeling, that life of being free, I wanted to be that version of me. So like the genie in the Nine of Cups I trusted that I could make a wish and my dream would come true. I knew that all I had to do was to follow that feeling – the expansive feeling of freedom – and like The Fool, the path would open up for me.

Nearly thirteen years have passed since that day and I now live and walk a very different life. I still have to practice discerning the difference between the Ten of Wands (a place I tend to get to frequently) and The Star (just following what ‘lights me up’ and trusting that the Universe will take care of the rest). For me, the Ten of Wands is typically paired with the Nine of Swords – a tight jaw, and not enough time for myself. The Star, however, feels spacious – there’s trust there. It reminds me of Steps 2-3 in the 12-step programme of Al-Anon. Step two reminds me that I believe there is a power greater than myself that can restore me to sanity and in Step Three I remember to turn over my ego, my will, my desires to my Higher Power so that I can free myself from the exhaustion of the Nine of Swords and remember the abundance of the Nine of Pentacles.

Have you ever looked closely at the Nine of Pentacles? At her feet is a tiny snail moving slowly across the foreground. Abundance does not come with a swiftness, a hecticness, a flurry. Abundance comes from patiently tending to your inner world, manifesting the life you want by connecting to your inner star and Higher Power, and following that feeling no matter what.

Or as someone wise once told me: “If it’s urgent, it’s not important.. and if it’s important, it isn’t urgent.”

If you want to stay this side of abundance, and move away from overwhelm, notice when you’re in the grip of the Nine of Swords and instead let the Nine of Pentacles with her tiny snail be your guide.

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.