Helpful Tarot Love Readings

Whether you are a tarot pro, a tarot enthusiast, a tarot client, or merely curious, you know the trope. There is a perception that the primary consumers of tarot readings are the lovelorn.

There are real reasons for this. There are many, many cautionary tales of psychic addiction that stem from the pain of uncertain relationships and the false belief that a tarot reader can tell you, for certain, the destiny of your relationship. There are an equal or greater number of people who rely on wisdom from tarot to help them navigate difficult situations with great success.

We humans tend to over-spiritualize romance, often to our detriment. I think that is because so many of us are driven, either by hormones, societal conditioning, or genuine desire, to find a workable relationship. At the same time, workable relationships can be hard to find, and hard to maintain.

When an attraction or connection with another person catches us, it can feel spiritual, whether it is or not. That crush, or new relationship, or amazing sex, can be captivating. That sense of connection with another human generates for us all sorts of questions. Where better to take those questions than to your own tarot deck, to a friend with a tarot deck, or to a professional reader?

Skillful work with tarot can indeed help us with all aspects of navigating relationships. That includes finding love, choosing a partner, building a healthy relationship, ending what doesn’t work, healing problems in a long-term relationship, healing from a breakup, and handling the grief of widowhood. Yet, tarot in the hands of naïve or manipulative people can sometimes make things harder.

How Unskilled Tarot Hurts Us in Relationships

Sometimes people stay in abusive relationships because they believe that tarot told them they were meant to be together. Sometimes people mourn the ending of an unhealthy relationship because they believe tarot told them that they were soulmates, or that their lost relationship was their only possibility for partnership.

I have seen readers encourage clients to believe that a spiritually ordained ‘soulmate’ relationship would be without any conflict or difficulty and would not need any maintenance work to prosper.

I have seen readers give false hope to clients for relationships that are obviously over, never to return.

These are but a few of the ways that unskilled use of tarot can hurt us in relationships. In this age of livestreamed collective tarot readings, there are also those who conflate a collective reading on YouTube or TikTok with a specific one-on-one reading. This can lead to a great deal of misunderstanding and misguidance for those already in emotional turmoil.

How Tarot Can Help

Good practices in relationship readings require asking the right questions and managing expectations.

Collective readings on social media can be fun, interesting, informative, and even profound. However, do not assume that the collective reading about “where your relationship is going” is necessarily a valid piece of helpful information for your individual situation.

Do not assume that the future of a relationship is always predictable at all. Love is a choice that each partner must make every day. It may be impossible, in a single reading, to predict what two people will choose each day for the rest of their lives.

 “Will we stay together?” “Is he the one for me?” “Is this the right relationship?” “Is this my soulmate?” are very often not helpful questions, or questions that can easily receive an accurate answer.

On the reverse side, if the cards clearly suggest that a person might be dangerous or abusive, and you have other substantiating information or history, it might be a good idea to trust the cards and use caution, no matter how attached you may feel in your heart. If this is the case in an ongoing relationship, asking the cards about options and solutions can be very helpful.

When we ask, “What does this person feel about me?” or “What does this person think of me?” we may get a valid answer that is helpful. Or we may get an answer based on a passing thought or mood. Even in very stable relationships our moods and feelings can shift from moment to moment. A snapshot of a particular moment might be misleading. Asking that sort of question could also be a gross invasion of privacy.

There are many questions we can ask of the cards to help us navigate relationships.

A single person may receive great counsel by asking, “What can I do to attract the right partner?” or, “What can we know about the possibility of a new relationship for me in the near future?”

Tarot can be helpful in vetting possible candidates. A reading can give us a heads-up about potential good matches, and those who might be incompatible and inappropriate.

When you want to access the potential of a new relationship, a two-question reading is helpful. Ask “What is the worst this relationship could be?” and “What is the best this relationship could be?”

Another helpful question to ask any time in a relationship timeline is, “What can I do right now to make this relationship the best it could be?”

In a relationship, tarot can help us improve communication with our beloved, and can help us meet their needs, and get our own need met. “How can I help my partner?” can be a great question to ask. “How can I communicate my concerns to my partner in a way that they can hear me?” is another helpful question.

Tarot can help us know when it is time to leave a relationship, and how to heal. Tarot can keep us in communication with our loved one in spirit after they leave this earth.

If you have questions about love, romance, and relationships, tarot can provide helpful answers, but only if you have the skill to ask the right questions and interpret the cards thoughtfully, or if you find a good, intuitive, intelligent tarot reader to do those things for you.

If you are reading for yourself on your own relationship, it is helpful to remember this. No matter how intuitive you are, no one should fully trust their intuition when it comes to matters of their own heart. It is almost always impossible to discern the difference between desire and intuition when we are in the throes of heartbreak or attraction.

Follow your heart, certainly, but keep your head, and attend the wise counsel of tarot in a way that is healthy and healing. It is better to use the cards to help us make wise decisions, understand our feelings, find solutions, and know our options.

Many relationships feel like fate and destiny, but only a few of those truly are. Even a relationship that is a brilliant match can suffer from neglect and poor communication.

Many people think that the cards can help us know our fate. I think the cards do a better job helping us understand ourselves and those around us so we can make good decisions for the best possible future, in love and in life.

Skeptical Resistance at the Tarot Table

This article is about client skepticism that sometimes happens during professional tarot readings. If you are a professional reader, or an aspiring tarot professional, you may find this helpful.

If you are a tarot client, or a prospective client, you may be interested in this exploration of skepticism from the point of view of a professional tarot reader.

Very often, tarot readings work best as a conversation. Sometimes clients are uncomfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings about the cards, or about our interpretation of the cards. Sometimes this discomfort is based on a trauma history that is appearing in the cards. Sometimes the client is truly skeptical of tarot readings. This can cause a client to be resistant to the tarot reading process.

Skepticism at the tarot table often seems rude and off-putting to the reader. We have all had a client fold their arms and snidely say, “You’re the psychic, you tell me.”

Another oft-heard skeptical statement is, “Well, that is true of everyone, isn’t it?” This is particularly infuriating when it follows a very specific observation.

Some clients do not want to say anything at all during a tarot reading session, in order to avoid influencing the reading.

It is often hard to immediately discern whether a client’s resistance is borne of their genuine hurt, fear, or trauma, or whether their behavior is entirely based on their lack of buy-in to our process. Either way, that resistance can cause a reading to go bad quickly and irreparably.

Learning how to handle client resistance with grace, humor, and dignity, and to nonetheless give a great session, is an important skill for every reader to develop. It has taken me years to learn this skill. After much frustration, here are some things I have figured out.

We need to stop shaming our clients for being skeptical. I know readers who refuse to read for ‘non-believers’. To me, this makes no sense. How can someone believe in what I can do for them if they have never experienced it? Tarot, itself, is not a thing to believe in, nor to disbelieve. The value of the reading is determined by the skill of the reader, not the cards themselves.

There are many reasons for a new client to be skeptical. There are more scammer psychics than there are legitimate readers. There are also plenty of well-intentioned tarotists who went professional way too quickly and simply have not acquired the skills to give an impressive reading. It is very likely that your skeptical client has had a bad experience with a tarot reading, or that they know someone who has.

We need to understand that clients may be acting with resistance and skepticism because of their own personal issues. If they come to us with skepticism, they might be shocked when we share their painful truth with them. That shock can show up as resistance,

No matter what, we cannot make their resistance and skepticism be about us. We, as readers, cannot take their attitude personally. It took me years to learn this!

These days, when a client displays skepticism, I praise and encourage their critical eye. Right away, this improves the energy between us and sets the stage for a good experience. This is a huge shift from the days when client skepticism felt like a personal assault on my integrity.

The job of a tarot reader is to give a reading that is thought-provoking, inspiring, comforting, clarifying, and perhaps, entertaining. Skeptical resistance at the tarot table does indeed make that job harder. This is for three primary reasons.

The first is energetic. When a client crosses their arms and states the intention, either internally or aloud, that they “don’t want to give us anything”, they close off their energy and make themselves harder to read. This feels to me a lot like going to a hair salon and asking the stylist to give you a great new do, but instead of sitting in the chair, you prefer to stand on your head.

If you want me to read you, why are you intentionally making it harder?

I think they believe that if we can do the reading while they are resisting being read, we prove our talent to them.

Here’s the solution I have found. Rather than correcting their posture or admonishing them to open their energy, I remember that I am indeed a good reader, and I can get through the barriers they have imposed. Sure, they are making me work harder. Rather than resenting or ridiculing this, I accept it, and do the work.

The second reason skeptical resistance makes our job harder is that their attitude can shake our confidence. This is entirely on us, and not on them. We cannot make our clients responsible for our own confidence.

The solution here is both energetic and psychological. We very naturally meet their resistance with our own resistance. Instead, we need to breathe and allow the energy of the reading to flow regardless of their words and demeanor. We need to stay in our confidence and meet their resistance with acceptance. This keeps strong both the energy of the reading, and our confidence in our abilities.

The third reason skeptical resistance makes our job harder is that, often, we rely on the client to provide the context in which we interpret the cards. Since the cards can mean so many different things, individually and in groups, we often look to the client to help us understand what we are see. We can see the energies around the client, the client helps us understand why those energies are present.

If the client does not want to contribute to that conversation, we have an obligation to continue. We must rely on our intuition to supply the context, and on our skill in delivery to make the reading understandable.

This is not most readers’ favorite way to work. Yet, we should be able to perform this way. If this is how our client wants us to work, we should still be able to give them a solid reading, even without their verbal input.

There is an added benefit to us here. I have, on several occasions, been asked by a client to deliver a full reading with no input from them. This means that I simply tune in psychically and read the cards, trusting that what I am saying makes sense to them.

Each time I have been asked to perform this way, the feedback at the end has been magnificent.

These days, when someone says, “You’re the psychic, you tell me”, rather than becoming angry or resentful, I say “okay, fair enough!” And I tell them.

Would it be easier to do the reading in a more conversational format? Of course.

Might there be times that the information derived from a more conversational format would be more nuanced and complete? Sure.

Yet, sometimes when we just dive into a reading with courage and confidence, we can come up with extremely profound and helpful information.

There are ways the skeptical and resistant client can actually help us find our confidence. When we are forced to do the reading in less-than-ideal circumstances, when we must go with our gut rather than with guidance from the client, we learn to trust our intuition, and our knowledge of the cards.

When we disabuse ourselves of the notion that skepticism equals disrespect, we open ourselves to a better experience for our clients, and for ourselves.

Tarot Stamina

Here is something for professional tarotists and those who are considering become professional readers. This might be of interest to those with serious personal tarot practices as well.

Something you will hear from some tarot readers, even professional readers, is that tarot reading can be very tiring. This has never been the case for me, but I have heard this complaint from many friends and students.

I had always assumed that when readers complain of being tired, drained, or unwell after a reading or two it is because they are not working with energy appropriately. I was pretty sure that if they learned to manage the energy of a reading correctly, they would develop stamina. A great deal of stamina is needed to do eight hour-long readings in a day, for example, or to do twenty fifteen-minute readings at a psychic fair.

An astrologer friend disabused me of that notion. She said that some people’s astrological charts seemed to support their ability to effectively channel energy more than the charts of others did. That said, she agreed that energy management techniques could always help.

I see amongst my students that some readers can emerge from a day of tarot reading feeling more energized than they did when they began, while others are just wiped.

Both types of readers give great readings. Some just seem to have a capacity for managing the energy of tarot readings more than others.

I am going to share four energy management practices, which I refer to collectively as ‘psychic hygiene’. If you find yourself tired, drained, nauseated or headachy after a reading or after performing a series of readings, see if these things help. If they do, you have the stamina to be a full-time reader.

If you are still having some issues even after establishing a good psychic hygiene practice, you may be better being more selective about when, where, and how often you read for people. That might mean that you aren’t cut out to be a fulltime tarot pro, but you might be able to develop a great part-time practice.

There are four components to my psychic hygiene practice. None of these components are original or unusual. If you need direction learning exactly how to do these things, there are many books, teachers, and classes that can help you.

The first is to do a lot of chakra meditation and to get comfortable running energy up and down the spine and through the chakras.

The second is to energetically connect to the earth with the root chakra, and to heaven with the crown chakra. Then you can draw on the limitless power of both earth and heaven to support your work.

The third is to cloak yourself in the energy you raise in order to keep yourself free of extraneous energies, client issues, and empathic drain.

The fourth is to be like a straw in a client session. Give nothing of your own energy to the client. Take no energy or injury from the client. Use the energy that you draw from heaven and earth to power your reading. Be a conduit for that energy.

If you can do these four things successfully, and if your own nature includes the capacity to do this, the only thing that will get tired from a full day of readings might be your voice, from talking, or your hands, from shuffling your cards.

Seekers Beware

Seekers Beware

In this important blogpost, two professional tarot readers, Amie Mouser and I, share six red flags for metaphysical scams.

Any good-hearted, talented metaphysical practitioner will tell you that one of our biggest professional challenges is dealing with the harm caused by the many unscrupulous scam artists who intentionally blur the distinctions between what they do and what we do.

I recently had a conversation on an unrelated topic in a social media group. One of the participants in the conversation noticed that I am a professional tarotist and therefore decided that what I had to say had no merit because I was clearly morally deficient. A few others joined in with the same opinion. To them, tarot reader equals scam artist. Sadly, there is a real reason some people feel this way. There may be more metaphysical scam artists than there are competent, reliable professionals.

At around the same time, in the sort of synchronicity that gives meaning to things, Amie Mouser, my friend, colleague and student, reached out to tell me of a situation that had developed in her practice.

You see, we honest, well-intentioned practitioners often are the ones who have to clean up the messes and try to heal the damage done by scammers. Typically, we spend a lot of time, often at no charge, helping our clients understand that they have been scammed, and helping them discern the difference between healing metaphysical work and con jobs.

Amie handled her situation well and got her client on the right track.

In our conversation, it became clear that we both have a lot to say on this topic, and that we both have a lot of ire toward those who prey on vulnerable people who are simply seeking healing.

I asked Amie if she wanted to collaborate on a blog post about this topic. She quickly sent over a brilliant list of red flags to help spiritual seekers avoid getting scammed. I will share those next, and then add my comments at the end. Please note that arguably all metaphysical practitioners see people running these scams, and those hurt by them, virtually every day. Read, and beware!

Amie’s Scam Alert: The Top Five Red Flags

The Curse Remover

Most of us have heard of or encountered this tactic. If you’re new to all this, these are the people who tell you that a curse, hex, spell, bad energy, etc., has been placed on you, or your loved one. They then offer to remove said curse for a fee. Many times, the fees are exorbitant...like into the thousands. These kinds of scammers may even string victims along through repeated payments and sessions claiming that the curse is Herculean and difficult to battle.

The Trapped Soul Assistant

Can we connect with our loved ones across the veil? I believe we can. Are there reputable mediums and tarot readers who can help deliver messages from the departed which bring about a great deal of healing and peace? I believe so! I have a deep connection and communication with those who have died. I have experienced this first-hand and include connection with the departed in readings with clients.

That being said, if a reader suddenly “sees” your loved one suffering, stuck, or unable to find the light and offers to help them cross over for a juicy fee, that is a huge red flag!

The Metaphysical Prosperity Evangelist

This person is usually charismatic and wants you to get serious! Do you have a dream you want to manifest? Are you looking to achieve higher levels of activation? Do you want to finally heal? For thousands of dollars, they claim to do the work it will take to get you there. Here’s a quote from someone just this week.

“You can do all the free programs, read all the free books, but until you take responsibility for your own growth by buying my program...you will achieve nothing. You have to show the Universe that you are taking responsibility by taking the step and committing your money.”

This is just not how the Universe works, IMHO.

The Smarmy Salesperson

Respecting boundaries and priorities are a challenge for this type. When the sales pressure continues even after you have expressed disinterest, financial hardship, or reasons why now is not a good time to spend money, consider this a red flag.

No one reputable would suggest you prioritize high-dollar spiritual programs over a needed dental procedure or medical test.

I had a client who expressed the need to have expensive dental work done to a Smarmy Salesperson. Ol’ Smarmy insisted the treatment was not necessary and the client should seek a second opinion, and then continued with high pressure sales tactics. Gross!

Super Ridiculous

True story. Charging a client thousands of dollars for a spiritual program, and then reaching out with another charge to cover the 3.5% merchant services fee is absurd. This one totally blew my mind! News Flash: Business owners have the responsibility to pay for their own business expenses.  

Christiana here again. I’m so grateful for Amie’s clear, succinct and humorous list. The problem is, of course, that these scammers speak enough truth that it is easy for hurting, fearful clients to get sucked into their lies.

Many scammers are part of organized groups that help them orchestrate these scams.

It’s true that many cultures believe in curses and have a practice of offering magic-for-hire. More than two decades ago I thought it would be easy enough to just say that magic-for-hire is wrong, and curses are BS.

Now, I understand that there are revered and legitimate practitioners of particular cultural traditions who offer these services in ways that are uplifting and non-scammy.

How can you tell the difference?

Legitimate practitioners have set, reasonable prices for their services, are willing to explain their practices in practical terms, and don’t spread or capitalize on fear.

I’m glad Amie mentioned the prosperity scammers. Whether these people are misinterpreting the Law of Attraction or buying into the heinous “Prosperity Gospel”, this line of thinking is dangerous and morally bankrupt. Spiritualizing greed and teaching that it’s okay to turn our backs on folks in need is the exact opposite of good spiritual practice in any religion or culture. 

I have only one red flag to add to Amie’s list. Here it is.

The Over-Enthusiastic and Under-Experienced Tarot Business Coach

There are numerous tarot business coaches out there. Some of them are really great. Some of them, like me, have actually written books on how to become a tarot professional. However, some of them have achieved modest success in a very short period of time and chose to capitalize on their limited success by quickly becoming ‘tarot business coaches’ and offering very expensive programs for would-be readers.

The problems with this are three-fold. First, they promise unrealistic results.  Despite what they will tell you in order to sell their programs, here is the truth. It takes years to become a good tarot reader, not months. It is very hard to have an internet-only fulltime tarot career. A six-figure income is possible, but rare.

The second problem is that they, themselves, simply don’t have the experience to give good guidance.

The third problem is that very often, these ‘tarot business coaches’ offer advice on the legal aspects of tarot business, including local business licensing and tax advice. If you are serious about your tarot business, you will get your legal advice from town, county and state officials, attorneys and accountants. No one else is qualified to give such advice. To accept or request advice from anyone else is stupid and dangerous. To offer such advice as a ‘tarot business coach’ is nothing short of an egregious scam.

 Whether you are looking for a reading, a program, a course or a coach, there are plenty of good, reputable practitioners from which to choose. Just make sure you vet the professional you choose. If you see any of these red flags, please don’t allow yourself to be scared, bullied or tempted.

Just run.

 Want to work with Amie? Visit her current online home, and keep an eye out for her new website!

Want to work with me? Schedule your session here, or call or text 561-655-1160.

How to Read for Keyword Questions

How to Read for Keyword Questions

“‘Love life’ is not a question!” A fellow reader shared this thought in frustration after working a lengthy gig where she had to quickly read a long line of impatiently waiting people.

I understand the frustration. When doing short readings, a clear question is much easier to work with.

Yet, when we have some time to spend with a client, I enjoy the keyword questions because they allow us to expand into many different questions.

Here’s how it works. If a person simply says that their question is ‘love life,’ we can expand that into the following questions.

What has been the energy or experience of love in the past?

What relationship modeling was provided in childhood?

What is the current relationship situation?

What can be done to improve or nurture the current situation?

Here’s another example. If the keyword question is ‘career’ you have no idea whether the person is unemployed, happily employed or unhappily employed. You have no idea if they are doing what they want to be doing, or if they have a dream they have yet to fulfill.

It can be an interesting exercise to simply ask a question such as, ‘What is the energy around career at the moment?’ and pull a few cards. Share the energies you see in the cards and see how it fits with the client’s situation, and the way the client perceives their situation. Then you can ask further questions to help the client set goals for next steps and understand what could be possible for the future.

In readings that need to be short, keyword questions are the bane of readers everywhere. When you have some time to explore, keyword questions allow the reader to develop the narrative by asking multiple questions in a way that can be extremely helpful and enlightening.

Pro Tarot Tips: Skeptics and Believers at the Tarot Table

Amongst the many myths and fables that surround tarot is the idea that, to receive a tarot reading, you must be “a believer”. Often, when reading at psychic house parties, I will hear about Uncle Joe, who really wants to experience a tarot reading, but is admittedly skeptical. Sometimes, the hostess will tell Uncle Joe that it simply can’t be done; that I can only read for those who believe.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

I am somewhat uncomfortable with the words “belief” and believer” when it comes to tarot. I love reading for people who love tarot.  However, reading for people who call themselves “believers” can sometimes be tricky. Occasionally I suspect the word “believer” can denote not only someone who is open to the process of tarot reading, but often, someone who will take the message of the cards with the same literalism that fanatical fundamentalists use with scripture.

James Wells wrote a blog post about the difference between believing in tarot and using tarot. In it, he suggests that he doesn’t believe in his stove, but uses his stove to cook his food. For him, and for me, the same is true with tarot.

The fact is, I welcome the opportunity to read for someone who is skeptical about, or ignorant of, modern tarot reading practice.

I’m not sure how the idea of dividing potential tarot clients into two groups – “believers” and “skeptics”, first emerged. I am sure that sticking oneself into either category could be quite limiting. Between the two, I am often happier reading for the skeptics. Those who firmly identify themselves as “believers” sometimes leave their logic at the door. I am terrified that a prediction of a wonderful upcoming relationship might cause a believer to indiscriminately hook up with the first bum that comes along!

Often it is in the psychic party experience where we find ourselves reading for skeptics. That makes sense because those who wouldn’t venture to a reader’s workspace may, for fun, sit with a reader at a social event.

From a marketing perspective, this is a valuable point. If we professional readers pull new clients only from the group of people who are already bought in to tarot, we limit our reach significantly. Any time we read for someone who wouldn’t normally seek out a reading we have the potential of building brand-new business.

Recently I worked a party where a few skeptics were included amongst the open-minded seekers. My concern in working with skeptics is that they enjoy their experience and feel like it is money well-spent, same as with those who know and love the power of tarot. I must confess, I really thought two of these skeptical clients went away dissatisfied. Later on, I discovered from the hostess that they were both blown away by their readings.

In addition to the reminder that a client’s post-reading reaction is not always the best way to judge your success, this experience solidified for me a few truths about reading for skeptical people. While these are certainly generalizations and may not be true about every skeptical person who comes to your table, you may find these observations help you the next time you find yourself sitting across from a skeptic.

First, we need to acknowledge that there are legitimate reasons to be skeptical of a tarot reading. Between psychic scam artists, well-intentioned but poorly-skilled amateurs, and people who are waiting for the spaceship to land, our field really can be choked with crazies.

If we can acknowledge that fact at the outset of a reading, we achieve two things. When we say, “It’s better to be skeptical than gullible” or “I’m glad you are skeptical because that means you are bringing your rational mind to the reading” we are disempowering any negative effect their doubt might have on our confidence. Secondly, when we tell them we are not bothered by their skepticism, the energetic distance they have tried to create with us is significantly diminished.

I think the reason that people say one can’t perform a tarot reading for a skeptical person is that the skepticism can shake the reader’s confidence.

That skepticism sometimes comes across as doubt and ridicule – energies we tarot readers have often faced from family and friends, and don’t necessary appreciate. We need to be careful to not let our skeptical clients trigger that negative reaction in us.

Worse, often skepticism causes clients to deny what we see, even when it’s true. That shakes our confidence even more.

For example, here’s what happened at the recent party.

Early in the reading, I said I saw a job change.

My client said no, neither a change to her current job, nor a new job, seemed possible or desirable.

I shrugged and moved on to talk about other cards. She was equally negative to the next things that came up in the cards, including a change to her household and a change to her husband’s job.

Then, she mentioned she was hoping for a promotion in her own job, and that would be her biggest question.

I said, “You mean like the job change I saw for you in the beginning of the reading that you denied?”

I said it with humor.

It was clear that her basic skepticism of the tarot process had caused her to say no rather than think about what I was saying and decide how it applied to her.

I was able to go back to the beginning, give her information about her upcoming promotion, and then continue on to tell her about the household changes (her adult daughter was moving back in) and her husband’s job change (his company was being sold).

She never apologized for misleading me, and never thanked me for the reading. It wasn’t until I spoke with the hostess that I discovered that her pale face and tight lips as she left the table did not come from anger.

Her reaction was surprise and fear. She was shocked at the efficacy of the tarot reading, and didn’t know how to integrate that experience into her world view.

Very often, we view skeptical clients as rude. They do sometimes come off that way. However, if we respond with understanding, confidence and humor, we can usually deliver a decent reading.

Over the years, skeptics, hecklers and non-believers have turned into some of my most loyal friends and clients.

Perhaps it’s not important for our clients to believe in the process of tarot reading, or in our tarot reading skills. What’s important is that we, as readers, have confidence in those things.

Advice for Tarot Pros: Events Build Relationships

Christiana Gaudet, January, 2011, at a health fair at a chiropractic office.

One of the biggest questions I hear from new tarot professionals is “How can I attract more clients to my business?” This question is often accompanied by wailing about frustration with online marketing.

For many readers it seems that making memes, posting online specials and doing free readings online isn’t translating into paying clients the way they hoped it would.

Whether your focus is building local business or online business, the important thing to remember is that your entire thrust must be to build relationships. Building pretty graphics is great, and graphics might get you noticed, and might even go viral, but memes don’t create relationships.

I believe that, in 2016, the best way to build a tarot business is to let your online efforts and your local efforts support each other. I also believe that what was true when I started my business prior to the advent of social media is still true now. That is, the best way to build a tarot business and attract clients is by building relationships, and the best way to do that is by holding and participating in events.

Local (IRL) events can be classes, fairs, expos, charity functions, parties, meetups, workshops and presentations. Online events can be webinars, podcasts, hangouts, blog hops and focused online study groups. In both cases, the more your events look like marketing efforts, the less successful your events will be.

The purpose of holding events, and participating in events, is not to make sales. The purpose of holding events is to build relationships. Your events are an opportunity for you to showcase your particular skills and passions to real people, and to let people get to know and trust you.

Local events can involve giving readings for free, for tips or for a set fee. They can also involve classes and workshops.

There are two theories around creating and participating in local events. One is to participate in events that draw people that are already identified as potential clients. That is, people who enjoy tarot, spirituality and psychic work. The second theory is to bring your services to people who are not necessarily aficionados of your trade. That is, to introduce yourself and your business to the public at large.

It is that second kind of gig that I want to focus on in this post, and for two reasons. First, because making new friends, not only for me but also for tarot, has been the single biggest business-builder of my career. The second reason is more obviously practical. If you pay big bucks to showcase yourself at the local New Age expo, you will be competing with a lot of other readers for a finite number of customers, most of whom already have their favorite readers. On the other hand, if you set up at a bridal expo, or a home expo, for instance, you are likely to be the only reader present, and you can usually work a co-promotion deal with the event organizers.

While some events at which we read or teach tarot can be very lucrative, I have made it a practice not to focus on making income at events. For me, the purpose of events is marketing – that is, relationship building. When I do work an expo with other readers I always chuckle at their anxiety. “Are you making your money?” They ask each other with nervously. My answer is always the same. “I will make my money in the months that follow this event, when the people I’ve met here call me for parties and private readings”.

It’s fairly easy to find your local psychic fairs, New Age expos and shops. There is obvious value to working these sorts of venues. The question I want to answer today is this.

Where can a local tarotist find or create gigs that will help build their tarot business?

The easy answer is: Wherever you are!

That’s right. My first gig, other than psychic fairs, was in a laundromat. Why a laundromat? Because I had a three-year-old and no laundry facilities in my apartment building. My son and I spent a lot of time at the local laundromat, where he would play in the toy area with the other kids, and I would talk with the captive audience of adults. Eventually talking turned into pulling a few cards, and my business was born. I read for the owner of the laundromat a few times, and soon she was arranging readings during my laundry time. I started receiving phone calls from my friends at the laundromat.

So, when you are ready to start your local business, simply look at your town and think about the places you already frequent. Is there a way to incorporate your tarot cards into that venue, either officially or on the sly?

I mention “on the sly” for this reason. When I first started, I lived in a small apartment and didn’t have a reading room. I met my clients at the local diner. For the price of a cup of coffee, I had office space. A year later, when I opened my first office, I discovered through the local grapevine that, while the owners of the local diner appreciated the business I brought them, they weren’t really fans of tarot. However, they never made a move to discourage me from using their restaurant as my meeting room. Had I been more obvious about setting up shop in their diner, they may have had to ask me to stop.

Two other helpful venues for me early on were a flea market, and an AM radio station. The flea market was my first official reading space, every Sunday afternoon at Risom Mill in Danielson, CT.

Gary Osbrey of WINY in Putnam, CT, said I could come on the air and read for callers until people stopped calling. Thus began our lengthy cooperative relationship, and the beginning of my radio career.

I went to the local nightclub (Guido Murphy’s, now The Courthouse in Putnam) to see if I would be welcome to set up and read for folks a few nights a week. That worked out well, too.

I have to tell you, there were some venues I tried that didn’t go well. One cute café didn’t want to be associated with tarot. A bookstore owner appeared wishy-washy, but then welcomed another reader when I didn’t pursue them quickly enough.

The thing is, the ones that worked, worked well enough to get me on my way.

Another great venue for me, earlier in my career, was adult education. I taught a class called “Tarot for Fun” for many years, through a variety of adult education programs. Many of the people I met there remain my friends, clients and students to this day.

Many civic groups hold arts and crafts fairs, and will welcome the art and craft of tarot reading for a small entry fee. Rural areas hold county fairs that can be both lucrative and good exposure for a tarot reader. Nightclubs are often willing to let a reader set up and read for patrons, and often the DJ will be happy to announce your presence.

Over the years I’ve done street fairs, Chamber of Commerce meet and greets, drum circles, Relay for Life, and more. The list is long, including the shops and business of my clients. When I have an opportunity to read in a client’s flower shop and meet her clients, my client list grows.

These days, I spend a lot of time presenting tarot at local libraries, who are always happy to welcome interesting programming.

Another option is to consider holding an event of your own. Over the years, I’ve held Tarot Picnics, Skill Share events, Psychic Food-raisers and a Tarot Pot Luck Dinner. Each event has been fun and memorable, and has helped me build my business.

Most of the time, you need to take responsibility for promoting your events, even if the event organizers are promoting them as well. This is where social media becomes super important. And, the pictures you post on social media after the fact help you build your brand and bring even more people to you.

Basically, whether you are building your business online, locally, or both, two things remain true. First, building a business is all about building relationships. Second, if you try to market only to a pre-identified demographic (for instance, people who already know they like tarot readings) you will be competing with a huge field for the attention of a limited number of people.

Market to the people around you. Don’t worry about the naysayers, or those who don’t approve. Work on building relationships and winning new friends for tarot, and your business will grow.

Remember this, too. People need to hear your name three times before they will make a purchase. Sometimes it’s hard to know which of your events is responsible for generating the most clients. If you get a lot of phone calls that say “I met you at Relay for Life and I would like to book a reading”, then, of course, you know that was a successful event for you. On the other hand, many of those people may have seen you, or heard your name, a few times before.

As tarot readers, it is often true that our very best advertising happens when we let people see us in action. The more opportunities we create to showcase ourselves, the more successful we will be.

The 3 R's of Marketing your Tarot Business

 The “3 R’s” are a cute nickname for reading, writing and arithmetic, the fundamentals of skills-based education. I have my own 3 R’s.  They are the fundamentals of marketing my tarot business, and, they may surprise you. If you are a tarot professional, or are considering beginning your tarot career, these marketing strategies may help you as they helped me.

So often, I hear tarot pros, especially those just beginning their journey, complain that they just can’t get enough clients. I believe that if you are a decent reader, and can apply these three R’s to your practice, you will see growth in your client list, and will begin building the sort of good will for your brand that lasts a lifetime.

My 3 R’s are Reputation, Referrals and Relationships.

Let’s start with the first, Reputation.

I know what you’re thinking.  How can you worry about your reputation if you have only a few clients, or are just starting out?

If you focus on building your reputation, your business will naturally follow.

One of the great ways to do this is to give free readings.

I can hear the groans and protests now. I’ve heard every argument against giving your product away for free. I have only one answer. It’s called “sampling”, people! Every drug dealer knows the power of sampling. Teavana has built a high-end mall brand around sampling fruity teas.

Strategic sampling can build your brand, too. Here’s what to do.

First, consider the venues in which you would like to grow. It makes sense that, if you are growing your local business, you will find ways to get some exposure locally. If you are building an online business, it makes sense to get exposure online.

Second, make sure your sampling really is beneficial exposure. Reading for your friends for free in someone’s living room is not good exposure. Reading for the crowd at a charity function is.

Likewise, giving away free readings on a social media platform may be time-consuming and frustrating. Holding conversations that engage people while giving them just a taste of what you can do can be very worthwhile.

All the strategic exposure in the world won’t help you if you don’t learn how to pitch the sale. Often we believe that a great product should sell itself, and, once in a while, it does. But, after that great sample reading, you’ve got to be able to say, “Now here’s my number. You might want to give me a call when such-and-such happens, or before, if something comes up.” Or, “As you can see, there are a lot of things we could dig deeper into. Give me a call if you would like to do that.” Remember, as a self-employed tarot pro, you must be an effective sales person as well as a great reader.

How you present yourself to the public is important to consider. There is no one right way for a reader to dress, live or act. However, the way you present is an important part of your brand. Be conscious and intentional about your presentation.

Make an effort to be on time, and keep your appointments. Psychics are notoriously flaky. Being the reader who shows up really does count for something.

Online, be careful about oversharing, or airing your dirty laundry. Use social media to share your authentic persona, rather than to bare your soul.

Remember that people talk with each other. If you behave unethically with Mary, Sara will certainly find out, and she’ll tell her friends, too. Bad news travels faster than good. However, eventually, if you treat everyone well, your integrity will become the cornerstone of your reputation.

My second R is Referral. In my own head, that’s actually two R’s – referrals and repeats. I think of a repeat as a self-referral, you see.

When a client refers a friend, there is no better advertising. When a client returns for another reading, there is no better endorsement of your good work.

Take an honest and constant look at your rate of referral, and rate of repeat.  Likewise, when you work those charity functions, keep track of approximately how many people you read for, and how many of them call for a reading, or refer a friend. Granted, sometimes it takes years for a person to make that call. However, if you read for thirty people at an event, you should receive one or two phone calls within the next two weeks.

If you’re not getting those phone calls, if the referrals and repeats aren’t coming, your job is to figure out why. No matter how relevant a reading feels, or how good a connection feels, or how much a person says they enjoyed their reading, the only thing that really tells you if you did a good job is this.

Did it generate another appointment?

If you aren’t getting those referrals and repeats, you must analyze the problem without anxiety or ego. There is something in your presentation or delivery that isn’t working for people. It’s your job to figure out what that is. Perhaps, you can do a reading on it! (I am amazed how often professional readers forget to use their own tool, tarot, to help plan, analyze and set goals for their business!)

It is this important step – analyzing where you are losing the referral – that many readers fail to take. Instead, they post in social media groups with concerns that their free readings aren’t generating business, or that there just aren’t enough potential clients available to them.

The bottom line is this. If your readings aren’t generating more readings, you’re doing something wrong.

People love readings. Most successful readers stay busy most of the time. If that’s not showing signs of happening for you yet, you may need to make some changes.

Work to develop a reading style that generates referrals. Remember that the mood of the public changes quickly. You may have to gently alter your style from time to time to remain current. Be sensitive to whether people seem to be preferring a gentle delivery of difficult news, or a more straight-on approach, for example. Do people seem to prefer a more casual tone, or would they prefer you to have a more formal appearance?

You can tailor your style to fit the changing mood of the public as you perceive it. This will make your readings more accessible and relatable, and will help you generate referrals.

It’s also important, in a reading, to give specific information. One of the most common complaints about a lackluster reading is “it’s all so general.”

Giving specific information takes skill and courage. Frankly, if you don’t yet have that skill and courage, you aren’t yet ready for professional tarot.

The final R is the logical result of the first two. It’s all about the Relationships we build. It’s important to remember that our important relationships in business are not just with clients and potential clients.

In business, we develop relationships with peers and colleagues, with venues and vendors, and with organizations and other businesses.

“Ujamaa” is a Swahili word that has come to mean “cooperative economics.” That is, the idea that we can work together and help each other grow, rather than competing against each other.

The world of tarot, and metaphysical work in general, is a good place to practice cooperative economics. The more we can promote each other and collaborate together, the more successful we all are.

Building relationships with potential clients is really what marketing is all about. We already talked about making the sales pitch at the end of a free reading. Whether you are talking to a stranger or a repeat client, it is important to end every conversation with your willingness to talk again soon.

When you put your business card in someone’s hand and say “Call me!” you are building an important relationship. This sets an intention, and helps your potential client feel comfortable doing exactly that.

Fortune Stellar: What Every Professional Tarot Reader Needs to Know

By Christiana Gaudet

Buy on Amazon

Of course, the most sacred relationship in our work is the relationship between client and reader. It is important that we honor and nurture our clients as much as possible. We do this by bringing our very best to the table each and every reading.

It takes time, patience, and constant maintenance, to build a good tarot business. If you focus on building your reputation, fine-tuning your reading style and creating relationships, you will manifest exactly the tarot career you desire.

I offer a private, customized program of tarot mentorship available to select candidates worldwide. Please email me if you are interested.

For more information about building your tarot business, read my first book, “Fortune Stellar”.

This week in tarot: smart, provocative blog posts

In most any professional field, blogging is a way to share ideas with colleagues and clients. Blogging adds to the body of knowledge in a dynamic way that couldn’t have been accomplished before the age of social media.

I’m sure every field has its share of bloggers who need grammar lessons, or who don’t bring anything new to the table. Consistent posting can equal internet cred, whether or not the posts are original or informative.

Nowadays, it is de rigueur that serious tarot enthusiasts, whether professional or hobbyist, blog about tarot. I expect that, within the course of any week, there will be some new stories, techniques or commentary to read about my favorite topic.

With so much tarot talk flying around, and with more than two decades of my own full-time professional tarot journey under my belt, very few tarot posts stand out to me as remarkable or significant. That is, until this week when two unrelated tarot bloggers published really provocative, important pieces.

I saw Benebell Wen’s piece first. I immediately wanted to write a post to promote her piece, share my angle, and to continue the conversation she had begun.

Then, I saw Ste McCabe’s piece on Biddytarot.com. What is going on astrologically that has inspired all this tarot brilliance in just a few days? At a time when I bemoan the dumbing down of modern society almost daily, these genius tarot posts are a breath of fresh air, earth, fire and water!

I feel like I want to write a book about both of the topics these tarotists treated in their recent blog posts. What I have time to do is a few short paragraphs about each, with the hope that you will follow the links and read these important contributions to the body of knowledge that is tarot.

One might think that Benebell Wen and The Tarot Cat, Ste McCabe, don’t have much in common beyond tarot. One is a corporate attorney, the other a punk musician.  One has published a groundbreaking book on tarot, the other has dedicated their tarot practice to helping members of the LBGTQ community. To me, this a testament of the diversity of talented people who count tarot amongst their tools. You will see that they both honor tarot as a sacred tool, and that they both have a high standard of tarot ethics.

Please take the time to follow the links and read their posts, and to read my thoughts on each. Most importantly, please spend some time deciding what your thoughts are on both important topics.

I’ll address the posts in the order I saw them, so first up is Benebell Wen’s post, “Tarot and Social Inductive Reasoning”.

In this post, Benebell Wen discusses “cold reading”. Often, we readers are accused of using “cold-reading” tricks to make ourselves appear more psychic.  Wen’s concern is that perhaps even the most ethical readers might do this accidently, without the intent to mislead.

She compares “cold reading” with Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), a technique that is often heralded by New Age practitioners, including tarotists.

Benebell Wen’s understandable concern is this. To her, tarot, divination and the intuitive process are sacred things. In her own tarot practice, she wants not even a hint of the flimflammery of which we are so often accused.

One of my favorite aspects of this post is the way she describes her feeling about the possibility that she and other well-intentioned tarotists might be fooling people as we try to enlighten them. It makes her feel “icky”. That icky feeling is something I’ll bet most ethical tarotists know well, but few dare to speak about. The word I use to describe that feeling is “smarmy”.

In typical Wen style, she researched NLP extensively, and created a free download comparing social inductive reasoning to tarot reading. Her hope is that we will come to understand social inductive reasoning, and learn to use this tool properly without fooling people into thinking we are more psychic than we are.

This is the first time I have ever known a tarotist to publically discuss this topic in this candid way. Brava, brave Benebell!

Wen frames her concern this way. She feels that, in truth, “cold reading” or “social inductive reasoning” is somewhat akin to the intuitive process. That kinship is what makes her ethical concern so pressing.

Is it possible that none of us is actually “psychic”, that, in fact, we are all just really good at reading people in this mundane fashion? That is what our critics would like you to believe.

Wen is clear to point out that, even when certain personality traits are communicated through mundane observation versus sacred intuition, those same traits will be revealed in the cards, and through astrology.  I concur.

Her concern is that we not fool people into thinking we are being psychic, when really we are just being smart and observant.

One of her suggestions to avoid this is something I always do in readings, and had never before heard another reader discuss. If we receive information from some mundane source, she advises us to be quick about confirming why we are saying what we are saying. That is, revealing where the information came from.

I will often say, “This isn’t psychically derived, it’s just an observation” as a way of separating information derived through reason versus information derived through pure intuition. It pleased me that Wen was able to quantify this technique, and teach it.

Wen also brings up my first line of defense when someone suggests my career is based on “cold reading”.  That is, cold reading can’t be any kind of factor when performing distance reading.

Wen does lots of email readings these days. I do much of my work over the phone, reading for people I have never met in person, nor seen in a photo.

Clearly, if we can do accurate, comprehensive, insightful readings for people we have literally never seen, the cold reading argument becomes null and void, doesn’t it?

Wen relates that social inductive reasoning involves noticing things about people, and interpreting those things. In her download, she includes accepted interpretations for body postures and clothing choices.

These, I am sure, are valid and accepted techniques, and helpful in many life situations. Wen suggests that using these techniques in our in-person readings could be helpful, as long as we do not use these techniques to make people think we are super-psychic, or to trick people to buy in to what we are saying.

I can agree to this in theory, but I have another angle to share, in the form of three specific points.

First, I agree that cold reading and intuition are often very similar. We need to be clear about separating the two when appropriate. However, I suspect that sometimes those mentalists who insist they are cold reading are actually truly using their intuition. Yes, the problem could exist in reverse.

Both cold reading and intuitive reading are things we all may do innately. So our very detractors could be, themselves, a lot more intuitive than they realize.

Second, in my book “Fortune Stellar” I share techniques that I developed through trial and error in my own practice. One thing I learned early on is this. In an in-person reading, I try never make observations based on a person’s physical appearance.

That’s right. Although cold reading suggests that a person’s appearance is the whole of where we get our information from, I have learned to disregard what I see with my eyes, for two reasons.

First, many people like to try to fool the psychic. They take off their wedding rings, they wear clothes to the reading that they wouldn’t normally wear, to see if that influences what I say. It doesn’t, I promise you, because I make certain not to notice the physical when I am working with the intuitive.

Secondly, sometimes it’s inadvertent. The construction worker may be dressed in a suit because he’s on his way to a funeral. If I looked at his attire, I might not visualize his career correctly. If I look at him instead of his attire, I will know more true things about his life.

Finally, there is basic practicality. In some professional tarot settings, people need showmanship. There can be an appropriate theatrical, performance aspect to what we do. At a party, we are hired to entertain. That I can perform real psychic work and give real insight in that entertaining environment makes me feel like an under-cover agent for real personal change. Sometimes we need to appear a little larger than life to get our message heard.

Here, the difference between performance and fraud is exactly as Wen advised earlier. I think it is fine to use a few techniques to help people invest in the process, relax and have fun, as long as we are not using those techniques to actually fool or defraud people.

For example, when the Christopher Reeve Superman movies came out, their trailer tagline was “You’ll really believe a man can fly!” We all knew that Christopher Reeve couldn’t fly, but that didn’t make us think he was less of an actor. (I realize this example just dated me big-time.)

As long as we are honest in our intent, and make sure that we do not mislead people about our actual process and abilities, using select techniques to increase the value of a performance isn’t a problem, in my opinion.

Of course, not every reader does “performance tarot” or “tarot entertainment”, so this won’t apply to everyone. We also must remember that sometimes needy people will put too much faith in us, and not enough faith in themselves. We need to be careful not to engender that, nor capitalize on it if it happens.

Psychic fraud is a real and dangerous thing. I would not want to conflate the showmanship of a dynamic presentation with convincing a bereaved parent to trade family heirloom jewelry to keep their son from doing drugs in heaven. (Yes, this really happens in 2015 in the western world.)

I applaud Wen for starting a deeper conversation on one of my favorite topics, tarot ethics. I hope this reminds each of us to tune in to our inner smarm meter and make sure that we are taking steps to be truly within our integrity.

There’s a payoff for that, too. The clearer we feel, the clearer our intuition will be.

The fact is, tarot reading and fortune telling have always existed in the shadows. I often call psychic work the “second profession,” that is, second after the first profession, which is prostitution.

A new generation of tarotists is working to bring tarot out of the shadows. I believe I am a part of this movement. However, not every tarotist is thrilled with the idea of shining that bright a light on tarot.

That brings me to Ste McCabe’s article on Biddytarot.com, “Tarot in the Mainstream? Thanks, but No Thanks”.

In this post, McCabe imagines a world where the mainstream embraces tarot to the point that tarot becomes a dishwater-dull dumbed-down version of itself. He cites a few of the many examples of what happens when the (m)asses discover something cool.

McCabe is a musician. Like him, many of the examples I can think of to back up his point are musical. We all know what can happen when the general public discovers your favorite previously-obscure band.

I have always been an advocate of making tarot more accessible and acceptable. In fact, at TarotCon (Florida) 2015, Jenna Matlin and I led a Trance Dance Tarot magickal spell for exactly that purpose. Our stated magickal intent was to make tarot more accessible and acceptable.

McCabe’s article caught my attention specifically because of this. The day after our Tarot Trance Dance, a colleague suggested we had done magick to make tarot “more mainstream”, and that she didn’t think it was a good idea. Clearly, she would appreciate McCabe’s point here.

I was kind of shocked that she conflated being “more mainstream” with being “accessible and acceptable”. To me, those are two entirely different things.

As a full-time professional tarot reader for more than two decades, I have dealt with my share of harassment and discrimination. I would like my career to be as acceptable as my friends’, the yoga teacher and the massage therapist.

I know that there are people who are hungry for the wisdom that tarot brings, but have no access. For example, I was a popular teacher in adult education programs for many years. My tarot classes always filled. One year, my classes had no sign-ups at all! What had happened, I wondered?  It turns out, a new employee at the adult ed program had a personal prejudice against tarot, and refused to let anyone register for the class.

Because of this person’s prejudice, people in our small town who wanted access to tarot were denied it. In the days before the World Wide Web, that was kind of a big deal.

While the web gives us access we did not have before, access to tarot is still limited to those who know to look for it.

McCabe’s concern is that if tarot were to be mainstream, it would be essentially changed, and not for the better. We’ve all seen that happen to many beloved cultural icons.

One of the examples he gives of a potential change is that Major Arcana Thirteen, Death, would be removed. Honestly, that’s already happened. Doreen Virtue’s Angel Tarot Cards are to me the grossest example of this, but there are plenty.

The lovely Chrysalis Tarot made me sad because they demoted the Hierophant to “Divine Child”.

The thing is, while I find these sorts of decks silly and disrespectful, and, like McCabe, I would hate to see a world full of them, I know two things to be true.

First, these dumbed-down decks bring wisdom to people, and bring people to divination who wouldn’t otherwise be there. When people develop an appreciation for tarot through these channels, they become more accepting and open in general. To me, that’s helpful.

Second, that these hairy-fairy decks exist does not cause deeper, more traditional decks to cease to exist.

I am not sure that tarot could ever become mainstream in the popular culture as McCabe fears. It’s very nature may prohibit that. However, there are certainly “psychic fads” that I’ve observed and, frankly, profited from. When psychics are popular because of a movie or TV show, I work more. That’s not a problem for me.

When the fad is over, my work continues. The shallow interest falls away, but a few people who were brought in by the fad stick around and become lifers like me.

In truth, I was brought in to tarot by the New Age fad of the 1980s. I don’t regret that.

One of the things I appreciated most about McCabe’s post is this. He tapped into a significant question about tarot; one that has been debated in prior centuries.

Long before we had social media or used words like “mainstream”, early tarotists debated whether tarot was “esoteric” or “exoteric”.  Was tarot a tool to be used in secret, only by adept masters, or was tarot a tool for everyone?

Tarot is certainly about everyone. But truly, the very word “arcana” means “secrets”. Clearly, there are points to be made on both sides.

The assumption that anyone can find value in tarot is a modern one, credited to tarot author Eden Gray. We’ve embraced that idea firmly as a community over the past thirty years. It may be time for some young voices in our community to cry out to protect tarot’s esoteric nature.

Although many tarot enthusiasts are tarot businesspeople, we must resist the urge to monetize tarot to the point that it become meaningless. This, I think, is McCabe’s essential point.

So there you have it. Two smart posts from two modern tarot bloggers. Our tarot world is in good hands, I think.

If you have tarot thoughts to share, you may share them here, on my Tarot Community Blog.

Three Tips for Tarot Pros: What to do When You're Just Not Feeling It

At the most recent meeting of the Tampa Bay Area Tarot Meetup, someone asked an important question.

In a professional reading, what do you do when you just aren’t feeling it? How can you make the connection when you don’t feel well, aren’t mentally focused, or just aren’t into it?

We are lucky to have a number of smart, generous professional readers in our group. Here are three great pieces of advice folks shared in answer to that significant question.

1.       If it’s a professional reading, you really have to show up and be great, whether you are feeling it or not. There are times it’s ok to decline a reading, and each reader has to decide when that’s an option. Overall, though, the tarot professional must be reliable, and present.

2.       If you feel stuck at the beginning of the reading, just read the cards. Go back to your basic key words, positions and card meanings. Say the name of the card, talk about the card, and you’ll get back in to your flow.

3.       Take the time to do proper energy work before and after each reading, even if it is only a few seconds. Ground, center, bring energy though your chakras and up the spine. Connect with angels, guides and guardians. Bring the energy down around you to create protected, sacred space. Take all your personal issues and concerns and consciously put them to the side. Finally, make a heart-to-heart connection with the client. At the end of the reading, release the client and clear your energy to get ready for the next one!

Among the members contributing to this conversation were Mitchell, the Intuitive Messenger, and Michael Newton-Brown.

If you are in the greater Tampa area and would like to join us, please check us out on meetup!