Tarot for Executives: Spreads That Guide High-Stakes Decisions

Using Tarot Spreads for Executive Decisions

Making decisions at executive levels can be challenging at times. These decisions can impact employees, markets, and even global economies. These decisions that executives often have to make include merging with billion-dollar companies, restructuring, or more, and each choice that they make can be either a risk or an opportunity for growth or change. Even when looking at the reports and the models, sometimes executive leaders do not know what to do or what decisions will best move them forward. Even management frameworks sometimes fail to give the right answers.

This is where tarot card spreads come in. Even though people often misunderstand them and think that a tarot card reading is just about telling the future, a tarot card spread can actually help executives by helping to guide them and lead them down the right path. This isn’t something that we often see in boardrooms, but some executives turn to tarot card readers or mindful coaches to help make decisions. Tarot cards can help to increase a person’s intuition and can guide them while helping them to look at challenges from a different point of view. Tarot card spreads can help executives to see what a spreadsheet or a PowerPoint might not show them.

People like Steve Jobs and Oprah, along with others like the Silicon Valley founders, have turned to their own intuition to help guide them, so why is it weird to think that using a tarot card spread along with financial models is so far-fetched?

Business Culture Needs to Rely on More Than Data to Make Decisions

The world around us is business-minded and often uses KPI’s AI forecasts, and dashboards to help make decisions. The problem comes when decision-making fatigue sets in and executives rely too much on data to the point where they cannot overcome the blind spots. “Paralysis by analysis” is a real thing, and it can cause leaders to miss out on making the best decisions while their competitors are taking the horse by the reins and moving faster.

According to Harvard Business Review, research shows that intuition, or the gut feelings that business leaders sometimes ignore, will play a big role in the decisions that other leaders make. Tarot cards aren’t there to make you give up on data or to be illogical; they are there to help add an emphasis on analytical ideas by including intuition in the mix. This helps leaders to see things that number crunching might not show them.

Tarot card spreads can help to open up the subconscious thinking, and by adding these things to boardroom meetings, it can help leader to find out what is influencing their choices, if there are hidden expectations, or if there are psychological or emotional situations that are behind the decisions that are being made.

Letting Go of Hollywood Dramatizations and Using Tarot Cards as a Business Tool

More than likely, there will always be a stigma when it comes to tarot cards or any other kind of psychic work. This often plays off of Hollywood’s rendition of television psychics. But, just like in the professional business world, where leaders know what they are doing, a professional tarot card reader can use the symbols of the cards, like the Jungian archetypes, to help see things from new perspectives, and not always to give prophecies.

Mainstream media has shown that there is a growth in spiritual practices all around the world, including tarot cards. These things are making their way into the business sector. The Guardian talks about how tarot cards have become a place where people can reflect on their lives and can use self-care so that they can face challenges head-on. This is becoming increasingly popular for professionals.

Just like other forms of self-care and holistic health, meditation, yoga, and journaling have also made their way into the business world. Tarot cards are expected to follow this same type of path, bridging the gap between the business and the spiritual world.

If executives are able to spend thousands of dollars to go on retreats where they work on their health, what would it hurt to spend a few minutes each day pulling a tarot card before giving the go-ahead on a multimillion-dollar product launch?

Best Tarot Card Spreads for Executives

The Decision Cross

When you want to make a binary decision, such as a yes/no or a go/no-go situation, here is a great spread to use:

Layout:

• Card 1: The situation at hand.
• Card 2: What is hidden?
• Card 3: Potential benefit of having a yes answer.
• Card 4: Potential consequences of having no answer.

For example, if a business executive is trying to decide if they want to expand their company into Latin America, the spread can show the logistical challenges, but it can also show the cultural partnerships that might have been overlooked without this spread. This is a way that the expansion could be a huge success.

The Stakeholder Spread

When you want to understand the dynamics of the people, here is a great spread to use:

Layout:

• Card 1: Your view.
• Card 2: The partner or client’s view.
• Card 3: Unspoken influences.
• Card 4: Alignment potential.

For example, if you are a tech company that is just starting and you want to raise Series B funding, this spread could show you that even though the owner is focused on scaling products, investors are more concerned about the leadership. This is important information to know before ever trying to pitch the idea.

The Innovation Spread

When you want to get past the creative stagnation, this is a great spread to try:

Layout:

• Card 1: What is blocking the creativity?
• Card 2: New opportunities.
• Card 3: Hidden resources.
• Card 4: Risks to consider.

For example, if you are a fashion executive who has had a lot of decline in your retail lately, the spread can show the strengths that might have been overlooked, such as customer loyalty programs that were working. This, with a bold risk card, such as using influencer campaigns, shows you that you can try an online experience as a way to get the retail moving.

The Risk-Reward or The Boardroom Cross Spread

This is a spread to try if you need to be strategic in your moves or if you need to make big financial decisions:

Layout:

• Card 1: The risk you can see.
• Card 2: The risk that is hidden.
• Card 3: Short-term rewards.
• Card 4: Long-term rewards.
• Card 5: The outcome.

For example, if you are looking to hire a software vendor and you have two that are competing, where one offers cheap solutions with big savings and the other requires costs upfront but gives you long-term scalability, this spread can show you how the first one looks interesting, but the second one will give you the long-term benefits you want.

Real-Life Case Studies from Executives and Business Owners

Here are some real-life case studies from executives and business owners:

SWOT Analysis Acquisition

By using a SWOT analysis and a tarot card spread, one CFO looked at the $120 million dollar acquisition and saw that the spread said that there would be a cultural clash between the teams. A few months later, after listening to the cards, it was proven that there were, in fact, integration risks. This proved that the tarot card spread revealed things that might not otherwise have been seen.

Ignoring Intuitive Feelings

One executive kept ignoring his intuitive feelings to leave a product line that was failing. He chose not to listen to the tarot cards that showed stagnation, and by the time he pulled out of the product line, the competitors had already taken over the market. If intuition isn’t listened to, it can be an opportunity that is lost.

Success in Listening to Tarot

A media executive was having a hard time deciding whether to double down on print or invest in streaming. She used the Innovation Spread and saw that the cars showed hybrid synergy, which would leverage the print and stream growth. A couple of years later, the company was rebranded as a top digital leader.

Why Tarot Card Spreads Work in the Business World

According to Psychology Today, psychology shows us that when people are uncertain and when the world around them seems questionable, people will turn to different tools, such as tarot cards, in order to get rid of their fears, to give their subconscious mind clarity, and to help open them up to new possibilities. Laying out a tarot spread or pulling a tarot card allows people to have inner dialogue, and this can help business leaders become more aware of assumptions and hidden agendas and values.

Research shows that in neuroscience, intuition isn’t just an irrational thing, but it’s the way that the brain processes different experiences that people have had at a rapid pace. Tarot cards give intuition structure and make it easier for business owners and executives to learn to trust their gut feeling without feeling that they are being reckless in their decisions.

Tarot is also a way to start conversations with other leaders. Think about a leader who opens their meetings with a tarot card drawing, asking the question, “What kind of innovation tools are we missing?” Instead of just using a printed sheet or a PowerPoint slide, leaders can use tarot cards to help others have creative conversations about what they find important and valuable.

Using Tarot Cards in the Business System

Here are some ways that we can use tarot cards in the business system:

Daily Draws

Business leaders can start their day by doing a daily pull. This means they pull one card in the morning, and then they journal on how it helped them to make decisions during their day.

Tarot Sessions

Business teams can use tarot card spreads during meetings or retreats, not to direct them but to help them brainstorm.

Tarot and Financial Tools

Tarot cards aren’t meant ot replace business or financial tools like financial models or data, but it is meant to help find out what people are feeling, such as fear, resistance, and ambition. These are things that might be missed by just using financial tools.

Getting Past Tarot Card Skepticism

Business leaders and executives often worry about being credible. Tarot cards can be used as a creative tool that can help with problem-solving. This helps to make things less skeptical. If meditation, which was once only used by hippies, is now suggested by Forbes to help boost productivity, then tarot cards can be used as innovative leadership tools.

What Else Can Leaders Try?

Leaders who are curious about tarot cards can also give these resources a try:

• Different tarot card decks, such as “The Wild Unknown Tarot” or “Thoth Tarot” decks, are often used by professionals.
• Different kinds of apps like “Golden Thread Tarot,” which allows people to be able to quickly pull a card, even between meetings.
• Professional consultants who can help leaders by giving them a private reading or by offering corporate retreats.

Final Thoughts: Leading Business Without Being Ordinary

Most people are past the idea of being normal or ordinary, and this is why it’s so important for business leaders to be bold and to try new things. There are tools that can be both logical and intuitive that leaders can try. Tarot cards don’t tell executives what their futures hold, but they can give them practical advice on how to look at their situation from a different perspective. These cards can also show things that are hidden and help to give a fresh perspective on what choices to make.

Next time you are deciding if you should merge with a new company or if you should exit a product line, try to pull a tarot card. Instead of staring at financial data or spreadsheets full of projections, see if the cards can tell you something that you might have missed. Maybe the cards can tell you what you have overlooked. This is what is often missing when it comes to leadership.

FAQ: Tarot for Executives

1. What is “Tarot for Executives” in practical terms?

A structured way to surface blind spots, options, and timing windows for leadership choices. It complements data and due diligence, not replaces them.

2. How do tarot spreads add value to high-stakes decisions?

They map stakeholders, risks, second-order effects, and unintended consequences so leaders test scenarios before committing resources.

3. Can tarot be integrated with analytics and KPIs?

Yes. Use tarot to frame hypotheses and risk questions, then pressure-test with models, KPIs, and market data for a balanced view.

4. What spreads work best for executives?

Examples: Boardroom Cross (mission vs. risk), Stakeholder Map (ally/resistor dynamics), Risk Radar (known vs. hidden risks), Timing Window (now/near/future).

5. How long does an executive reading take?

Typically 30–45 minutes per decision path; complex strategy sessions may run 60–90 minutes with follow-ups.

6. How do I prepare my questions?

Frame them decision-first: “What are we not seeing about X?”, “What shifts if we delay three quarters?”, “Where is the real leverage?”

7. Is this confidential for sensitive company matters?

Yes. Professional readers offer NDAs and secure, private sessions; no proprietary details are retained without consent.

8. How do we avoid bias or self-fulfilling interpretations?

Use clear prompts, document interpretations, invite dissent, and validate insights against independent data or pilots.

9. Can tarot clarify leadership fit and team dynamics?

Yes. Spreads highlight decision styles, culture friction, and collaboration patterns to guide hiring, role design, and coaching.

10. What about timing for launches or negotiations?

Timing spreads compare “launch now vs. later,” showing energy headwinds/tailwinds and the conditions that improve odds.

11. Does tarot predict revenue outcomes?

No exact numbers. It indicates likely trajectories and risk clusters so finance can model ranges and contingencies.

12. Is remote or async reading effective for executives?

Yes. Video sessions or recorded insights with card images and action notes work well across time zones.

13. What deliverables should I expect after a session?

A brief with spread photos, key insights, risks, decision criteria, and next-step experiments or safeguards.

14. How often should leaders use tarot in strategy cycles?

At inflection points: pre-board meetings, major hires, funding rounds, M&A explorations, pivots, or market entries.