The Summer Solstice, a Tarot Card, and the Question I Couldn't Ignore
Every summer, I think about growth. We talk about growth. We are on a new fiscal calendar year starting July 1st at my company so it’s a perfect time to think about forward motion, growth, and what to release.
But we rarely talk about what happens right before growth.
The pause.
The reflection.
The uncomfortable realization that the version of ourselves that got us here may not be the version that's meant to take us where we're going next.
On the Summer Solstice—the longest day of the year—I pulled a tarot card.
Not because I think a deck of cards predicts the future.
But because sometimes the right question matters more than the answer.
The card I pulled was Judgement.
And honestly, it stopped me in my tracks.
Not because it felt dramatic.
Because it felt familiar.
For most of my career, I've been focused on building.
Building teams.
Building programs.
Building communities.
Building a reputation.
Building momentum.
Like many ambitious people, I've spent years asking:
"What's next?"
But Judgement asks a different question.
"What are you ready to leave behind?"
That's a much harder conversation.
Because growth isn't always about adding.
Sometimes it's about releasing.
Releasing outdated assumptions.
Releasing expectations that no longer fit.
Releasing identities we continue carrying long after we've outgrown them.
The longer I sat with the card, the more it felt less like a prediction and more like a challenge.
Stop preparing for the next chapter.
Start living it.
That's when I pulled a clarifying card.
The Apprentice of Cups.
A card associated with curiosity, intuition, creativity, and unexpected messages.
In many ways, it was the exact opposite energy.
Judgement felt big.
The Apprentice felt gentle.
Judgement said:
"Answer the call."
The Apprentice replied:
"Follow your curiosity."
Together, they felt like a reminder I think many of us need right now.
Not every transformation arrives with a five-year plan.
Not every opportunity appears in a spreadsheet.
Not every meaningful decision can be justified with a business case.
Sometimes growth starts with paying attention.
To the idea that won't leave you alone.
To the conversation that lingers after everyone else has moved on.
To the project you keep finding excuses to start.
To the version of yourself that keeps knocking on the door.
In business, we're conditioned to optimize everything.
We measure.
Forecast.
Strategize.
Scale.
And those things matter.
But some of the most important decisions I've made in my career started long before the data arrived.
They started as instincts.
A feeling.
A curiosity.
A pull toward something I couldn't fully explain yet.
The Summer Solstice has always been a symbol of illumination.
Light revealing what was already there.
Maybe that's why this card combination resonated so deeply.
Not because it revealed something new.
Because it revealed something I already knew.
The next chapter doesn't require becoming someone else.
It requires letting go of the versions of yourself that have already served their purpose.
Whether your tool for reflection is a journal, a long walk, meditation, coaching, prayer, a conversation with a friend, or even a tarot deck, the invitation is the same.
Pause.
Listen.
Pay attention.
There is a difference between chasing the next thing and answering the right call.
