Answers to Your Questions about Tarot: Getting Back your Tarot Groove!

Today I am going to answer two questions in one post. As you can see from the messages below, Tim and Linda have similar problems. If two people have written to me about this issue, the problem is probably rampant.

 If you’ve been away from tarot for a bit and want to come back strong, this is for you, as well as for Tim and Linda.

 Let’s look at Tim’s question first. He writes:

“My name is Tim and I used to read Tarot professionally from 2007 until 2010. Although I was not doing it full-time I had quite a few clients. I mainly read in cafes and I also did a few venues and a street fair. I am a huge fan of you and I always religiously follow your videos on You Tube because you are one of those very few people in the media (I know) who can talk about Tarot so passionately. The reason I am writing you is because I would like to ask you for some advice. You as a professional reader may certainly know the feeling of being burnt out from Tarot and just wanting to take a break. Well, even if you have not experienced this kind of feeling I have been experiencing it in the past few years since I stopped reading professionally; as I have found that doing a full-time job in retail made me so tired that I could not carry on reading Tarot professionally. However, I would love to know whether you have any advice for those who used to read Tarot professionally but had to stop (or take a break) for some reason because they felt they do not have the energy to carry on. What I found most challenging was not performing the readings (as I love doing them) but rather to arrange the venue for a reading as I do not have a ‘private practice’ I always relied on meetings at coffee shops and pubs and after a while I just found it exhausting to having to look for a place that is neither too far for me nor for my potential client. So my question is: How can someone who used to read Tarot professionally rekindle their love and energy for this amazing art? Should I meditate on some cards or do a reading about this issue? I am not sure if there is anything that I could do that would get me back into professional practice. Could it be that I lost the spark (the light has gone out for good?). I am still very passionate about Tarot and I am still holding onto my vast collection of decks and books on the subject hoping that one day I could go back to reading professionally like I used to. I would very much appreciate any advice on this.

Tim, from London”

Thanks for a great question, Tim, and for your kind support of my work. Your letter to me is very clear – you are not burned out on tarot reading, you are tired from you day job and the logistics of professional tarot reading.  I can guarantee you that you have not “lost the spark.” I have to comment, though, that most of us probably secretly worry about exactly that.

The energy that happens in a great tarot reading is so profound, and, in many ways, very otherworldly.

Tarot study and memorization (though necessary) can’t prepare us for the amazing feeling that comes from making an intense psychic connection. That moment when everything is clear – when reader, client, cards and Spirit are aligned one to another – is the indescribable joy of reading for others. But if we don’t quite understand where this energy comes from or what it is, we wonder if it will leave as quickly as it came to us.

The trick here is to recognize that we do understand the energy. When we meditate, do yoga, breathwork, Reiki, or sound healing, we generate energy, change energy and move energy. The same thing happens in a tarot reading.

Practice working with meditative breathing and visualization – any kind of energy work – to help you understand your ability to control your psychic energy. Once you can do that, you can always raise the energy you need, for a tarot reading, or for anything else.

 Many tarot readers work full time jobs and read tarot part time, as you did. If the logistics of your tarot business made that tough, maybe you need to find a cafe convenient for you and have your clients meet you there. If going out of your way for your clients is making your business impossible, you need to have different boundaries!

 In the five years you have been away, technology has changed a bit, and so has the wonderful world of tarot. If logistics was the source of your frustration, it’s time to solve that problem right away.

These days, it’s easy to build a practice on the phone or webcam. You can work for a service, or you can promote yourself and schedule clients at your convenience, and read for them from home!

It’s also possible to manifest an easy place to read. I’ve had reading space in restaurants, hair salons, bookstores and various other places. If you prefer in-person readings, do a tarot reading for yourself about how to manifest the right place to read. If that was your biggest headache, it seems like one that you could solve with a little creativity and confidence.

I have a couple of other important pieces of advice for you, but first let’s take a look at Linda’s question.

“Have you ever addressed questions from readers about how to get your “mojo” back after not reading for several months? My priorities have changed and I have not practiced my tarot, nor done readings in a while. Although I have cleansed my cards and began blogging, I have a new in person request and want to be tuned in. I realize that I can make some intentions and heartfelt prayers to my guides, but I also wondered what techniques have worked for you. Help Linda get her groove back! ”

Thanks for that, Linda. The question that both of you, Tim and Linda, have in common is this. How do you get back into tarot reading after you’ve been away from it a while?

As professionals, you both want to be excellent at your work. You honor your clients in this way.

You want to make sure you are ready; that you can give a great reading and that you can keep your balance at the same time.

The first and most important thing is this. Spend time with your cards. Get a new deck, or a new book. Watch a great tarot video, or do a spread for yourself. Meditate on the cards, or write about the cards, as Linda is doing.

Sometimes tarot professionals forget the importance of a personal tarot practice. Much like a yoga practice, a personal tarot practice is a solid way to connect with your cards on a regular basis for your own growth, healing and enjoyment.

As Tim suggested, the right thing to do is to read on this issue. As part of your personal tarot practice, shuffle your cards and ask a few questions. Ask questions such as “Why is it important that I read for people?” and “What role should tarot play in my life right now?” and “What can I do to revive my passion for tarot?”

Simply ask a question and pull a card, or a few cards, to get you answer. Shuffle the cards back together, and ask another question.

If you need to get tarot integrated back into your life, start by asking tarot how to do that!

The second important piece is about silencing your inner critic. Remember that when you enter into the sacred space of a tarot reading, you are at your best, and are a channel for divine wisdom. That doesn’t change just because you’ve been away for a while.

Remember that tarot has been around for 500 years, and will wait patiently for your return. Sometimes we feel guilty when we abandon a spiritual practice for a while. I think it is normal, and sometimes necessary, to take a break.

I want to thank both Tim from London and Linda from a sailboat in the Caribbean for these great questions! Enjoy the video. If you have a question about tarot, please email me.