Before I get started, please don’t read this piece if you are looking for a way out of financial challenges, or to be given a sign that today is the day to follow your dream of becoming a standup comedian. This article comes with a very strong health warning: I can’t look into your past or tell your future. To be honest, I can barely remember what I did last week.

However, I do believe that many of the skills involved in reading cards link back to the core psychologies and behaviours that are also fundamental in advertising. As such, understanding and using them can be a powerful tool in helping brands deliver outstanding creative that audiences can connect with.

A few years back, a colleague offered to read my tarot cards. Everything she said felt highly personal to me; she knew things my best friends didn’t, and she ended by informing me that I was ready for a big change in my career. After chatting with a few other colleagues, it transpired that she had said the same thing to all of us. My first thought was that this was an incredible inside job conceived by a rival agency to poach our staff. But my second thought was, is this a skill that can be learned rather than ordained by a higher power?