Five Ways to Keep Your Tarot Readings Fresh

If you are a tarot reader, either hobbyist or professional, you surely know the exhilarating feeling of the reading that flows like a well-crafted story and cuts to the truth like a knife through butter. 

You also probably know the drudgery of slogging through a reading that feels as inspiring as white rice.

When we readers contemplate the factors that create those epic readings, versus the readings we yawn through, we often credit (or blame) the client, or the deck, for the energy of the reading.

It’s true that some clients are easier reads than others. It’s also true that each reader tends to connect with certain decks more than others. However, I think it is safe to say that the responsibility for the energy of a reading lies not with the client nor with the cards, but solely with the reader.

The questions are, how can we control the energy of each and every reading? What can we do to make sure that each reading is not only accurate, but also inspirational? How can we stay engaged and interested in each person’s story?

These questions are particularly important to professional readers who perform multiple readings a day, psychic entertainers who work the cattle call at corporate events, and tarot aficionados who want to make sure they can read for all of their friends at the kiki. The truth is, although each tarot reading is as individual as a snowflake, each tarot reading is drawn from the same seventy-eight cards. And, although each tarot client is a unique individual, the commonality of human experience and the predictability of human psychology can cause us to feel that we are giving the same tired reading over and over again.

Professional readers who work with groups often receive that terrible review. “She said the same things to all of us.” Or, “We all got the same reading!” Typically, when I hear this complaint about colleagues, I recognize that the group of complainers really do have a lot in common, and those commonalities would be the logical talking points in each reading.

Nonetheless, a great reader must be able to reveal the truly unique aspects of each person for whom they read, even if their clients are a family of identical triplets.

Have you given readings that felt a little stale? Here are five things you can do to make sure each reading you perform feels fresh.

1.    Use key words and memorized card meanings as a jumping-off point for your interpretations.

Key words and classic meanings can INFORM a reading, but cannot BE the reading. Use intuition and context to speak to the client’s individual situation rather than making a blanket statement based solely on what you have memorized about the cards that appear.

We all develop particular ways of understanding each card. We may have pet names for specific cards, or archetypes that resonate for us. It’s important to keep our personal relationships with the cards personal. Our internal understandings of the cards may be helpful fort teaching tarot students, and in our own contemplation. But, if we fall into the trap of always saying the same thing every time we see a particular card, we are no better than a tarot app, offering the same flat reading every time a card is revealed!

 

2.    Be aware of your energy, and consciously control the energy at the table.

A tarot reader must be an energy worker. Don’t just flip cards and interpret! Make sure you conduct your readings in sacred space, and that you are constantly aware of the flow of energy in the room. Use your breath and your focus to keep the energy moving. This will ensure that the reading is a spiritual and enlightening experience.

 

3.    Read books, watch movies and have conversations.

Tarot reading is a communication skill. The more you expose yourself to new vocabulary and new communication styles, the more you will naturally incorporate new words and phrases into your readings, avoiding the rut of saying the same things over and over.

 

4.    Don’t rely solely on questions from the client; ask questions of the cards that will take the reading as far as it can go.

Your client may not have questions that will lead to an interesting reading or may not know what questions will be most helpful to ask. Let the cards that appear create curiosity in you that leads you to ask expansive and meaningful questions. Be willing to rephrase your clients’ questions, or to break a single question into multiple questions.

 

5.    Use the right spread and/or reading technique for the right situation.

Tarot spreads and reading techniques are not one-size-fits-all. A past-present-future three-card spread may not give enough information to answer a complex problem, while a Celtic Cross may be too broad to give specifics.

Changing up your spreads and techniques will keep you on your toes and keep your style fresh, while giving you the best opportunity to give each client the most information, and the best experience possible.

A great tarot reading needs to be a lot of things. It needs to be accurate, entertaining, insightful and enlightening. It’s often a plus if there is some humor involved. Maybe most importantly, each reading needs to be tailored to the needs, truth and energy of each client. When we make this our priority, we are open to the authentic mystical divination process.  And, we are able to effectively communicate the information we receive in a way that this relatable, interesting, and not a bit boring!

If It Were Easy, Everyone Would Do it! Lessons From the Suit of Wands

When we look at the key words and images typically associated with the suit of Wands in tarot (also known as Staves, Batons or Clubs) we sometimes miss the inspiring spiritual message inherent in these cards.

Each of the four suits of tarot, known collectively as the Minor Arcana, is associated with one of the Four Elements. Typically, we associate the suit of Wands with Fire, although there is a less popular tradition that associates Wands with Air instead.

When we look at Fire and Air together, we see the thought process that brings us to a place of creative and spiritual inspiration. From that perspective, we can see how both the masculine elements, Air and Fire, inform the suit of Wands.

My preference is to view the Wands as the messengers of the Fire element, bringing us creativity, inspiration, passion and spirituality.

There is a school of thought that suggests that, in tarot, the Major Arcana delivers spiritual messages, while the Minor Arcana only deals with mundane matters.

I find mundane advice and spiritual direction in all seventy-eight cards. In fact, I wonder if the element associated with each Minor Arcana suit might give us information about the way we could approach the suit, or what magick the suit might offer us.

For instance, can we find inspiration in the fiery Wands? Can we find truth in the airy Swords? Can we heal our hearts with the watery Cups? Can we ground ourselves with the earthy Pentacles?

I often find myself pondering a particular suit, and the lessons held within it.

Just as we find a story in the Fool’s Journey through the Major Arcana, so can we see a Fool’s Path in each of the Minor Arcana suits.

This week, I have been thinking about the story of the suit of Wands in regards to entrepreneurialism and creativity.

So many people see, in the Ace of Wands, simply a flash of excitement or a lust for passion. Yet, this creative energy that burns within us must sustain us throughout the arduous journey toward success.

The disappointment in the story of the suit of Wands is that the culmination, the Ten of Wands, does not show success realized. In the Ten, we are carrying the product of our endeavors, and weighed down by it, as we trudge toward the town, presumably to finally sell our wares and ultimately realize our success.

I don’t interpret the Ten of Wands in a negative way, though many readers do. I do see it as a sobering reality check for those of us who follow our passions as career.

Inherent in the Ten of Wands is the artist’s burden and the psychic’s curse; that drive we have to do what we do even at a cost, the fire that burns within us, and the dream of our ultimate success.

Unlike the suits of Cups and Pentacles, it is not until we advance the story through the Court that we realize our true success.

We can see, in each of the Wands cards, part of the journey toward creative and entrepreneurial success. When we tell the story beginning with the Ace and working up to Ten, I see it this way.

Ace: A burning motivation, a creative inspiration.

Two: The planning, dreaming, goal setting and manifesting that goes into a project.

Three: That first moment when you see that your project is having some success.

Four: Building community and structure for your project.

Five: Struggle, perhaps with creative direction or resources management.

Six: Success! Your plans are working out and your project is successful.

Seven: When you are successful, everyone and everything wants a piece of you. You must struggle to stay on top of your game.

Eight: There is a moment when your project becomes its own entity, separate from you. In this energy, anything is possible!

Nine: Success comes at a price. Here, we see the responsibility of continuing the project and meeting expectations.

Ten: We can see our greater success is within reach, but we must stay dedicated to a difficult path in order to reach it.

In this story, we see the energy alternating between success and struggle. So it is in the life of any artist, reader, and entrepreneur.

Often, when I mentor other readers, or read for artists and business owners, these are the cards that appear repeatedly. And, often, the message is the same.

If you are dedicated to your goals, and willing to do what it takes, you can be successful, but it won’t be easy.

The suit of Wands reminds us that many are called, but few are chosen. When we seek success, we know that many share our goals, but many will not succeed.

The suit of Wands gives us a bit of advantage in the knowledge of the struggles along the path. The cards comfort us with the reminder that if it were easy, everyone would do it!

Reversals, Dignities and the Continuum of a Card

I’m blog-hopping with the Tarot Rebels again. This month, our meaty topic is reversals, about which I have much to say.

To read what other bloggers have to say on the topic, follow the link in the graphic at the end of this post!

I’m excited for the opportunity to share why I use reversals, how I interpret reversals, and why dignities matter, even if a reader chooses not to honor reversals.

Some decks, most significantly the Crowley-Harris-Thoth, specifically are not designed to work with reversals.

Rebel that I am, I will consider reversed cards even when reading with such a deck.

I love the energy, magick, possibilities and nuances of reversals so much that, secretly, I feel like readers who don’t honor reversals might be missing an opportunity.

There. That’s my dirty secret.

I absolutely honor each reader’s unique reading style, and recognize that reversals are not mandatory to give a great reading or deliver a sacred message. BUT, deep in my heart, I always secretly wonder if a refusal to use reversals might limit the scope and breadth of the reading.

That’s because reversals add so much to my readings. Truth is, we have other ways of adding texture to our stories. Card dignities and aspects are real, whether we use reversed cards to denote them, or not.

Dignities, or “aspects”, describe the energy with which a card should be read. A “well-dignified” or
“well-aspected” card’s energy is interpreted as directly as possible. If a card is poorly aspected, or ill-dignified, we might see a delay, a resistance, an opposite, or a release. The poor aspect might advise us not to take the action the well-dignified card would advise. The ill-dignity might put the event or action of the card in the past.

I use card orientation (reversals) as a primary way of determining dignity. If one doesn’t honor reversals, dignity is determined using the rigorous system of Elemental Dignities, or by more fluid and intuitive methods.

We might consider the context of the question and the surrounding cards when determining the directness with which we will interpret a card.  The nature of the position within a spread plays, too. For instance, a “crossing” or “challenge” position always requires us to look for the shadow side of the card that appears within it.

Some readers use only intuition to decide if they are seeing the gift within a card, or its shadow; whether the card should be read directly, or in a more nuanced way. I would argue that we all do this, regardless of any more mechanical means we might use to denote dignity in a reading.

You can tell a reversals enthusiast by the way we shuffle. Readers who don’t use reversals shuffle in ways that try to avoid reversing cards. I riffle, and purposely turn half the deck around before each riffle, to make sure the Universe has the opportunity to add reversals to the language of tarot when needed.

My love of reversals may have begun with my second tarot deck, the Motherpeace Round Tarot.  Since the cards are round, they are read on the tilt. Tilting in one direction indicates a resistance of the energy. The other direction indicates forcing. The depth of the tilt indicates he amount of resistance or force.

At the same time that I was learning to read with Motherpeace (some thirty years ago), I was mastering my very first deck, the trusty old RWS in the yellow box. I was using Eden Gray’s Complete Guide to the Tarot, and she had some very specific ideas of how to interpret reversals. To this day I remember that her Hierophant reversed is a “hippie”, and her High Priestess reversed is a “woman of low virtue”.

It was that combination of tilted round cards and Gray’s specific references that melded together to form my early vision of reversals.

Over time, my vocabulary for interpreting reversals has increased, primarily through the function of seeing so many reversals over the years, and understanding the specific ways they can speak to me.

One of the reasons I like reversals is that they can be a call to action. When I see a card like the Ace of Wands reversed, for example, I might see that my client is not in their full enthusiasm or vitality. I might specifically say that we need to “turn that around”. I might even physically turn the card right side up on the table. The righting of a reversal, or the reversing of a difficult upright card, is what Rachel Pollack calls a “magical act”. I agree.

When I see the Sun reversed, righting it might allow my client to really shine, or to truly embrace happiness. When I see the Devil upright, reversing it might allow my client the strength to release an addiction.

My understanding of reversals increased, ironically, when I studied a deck that specifically doesn’t honor reversals, World Spirit Tarot. The deck authors share that each card is a continuum; each card has gifts and shadows. They feel that we need to consider the gifts and shadows of each card every time it appears.

I loved that concept when I first heard it, and I love it still. However, for me, the reversal helps me find the gift in a difficult card, or the shadow in a usually-welcome card.

If you are new to reversals and want to give them a try, or if your current method of working with reversals isn’t working for you, try this.

When you see a reversed card, first allow yourself to feel it intuitively. Sometimes that is all you need. What does the card feel like in the moment? To process further, think about what you see visually. How does the reversal affect the picture? Might the reversal allow something good to happen, or might it make a Knight fall off his horse?

Then, think about the direct energy of the card, and the way that energy might be diminished. In my experience, reversals very often do at least one of the following:

•   Indicate delay (event will not happen quickly)
• Indicate resistance (querent doesn’t like/want the energy of the card)
• Indicate an opposite
• Indicate a slight lessening
• Advise that an action not be taken
• Make a less desirable component of the card more predominant (Emperor becomes overlord, Magician becomes trickster, for example)
• Indicate a change to whatever the card implies (Four of Wands, when reversed, could indicate divorce, for example. Three of Swords reversed could indicate healing)
•  Place a particular event in the past.

In my reading style, reversals have a special power when it comes to Court Cards. For me, all sixteen Court Cards will indicate people who are expressing the most positive aspects of their elements. When reversed, these people are reflecting the less positive aspects of their elements.

For example, Wands people are active, warm and creative. When reversed, they become dull, boring and lazy.

Speaking of lazy, I used to think that readers who don’t honor reversals make that choice out of laziness.

Upon further reflection, I think I may be the lazy one. For me, the reversal is such a simple way of adding clarity to a single card, a spread or an entire reading.

The Four of Swords reversed is a bitch-slap from the Universe for me, telling me to get off my butt and get busy.

The Ace of Wands reversed may nudge me to gently ask my client about problems in the bedroom.

The Ace of Swords reversed may tell me to turn up the intensity and volume in a marketing campaign.

When we go to the cards for magick rather than divination, we can dramatically turn a card on our altar to create a release or needed change. I wouldn’t send the Three of Swords to my sick friend, but I would use the Three of Swords reversed in a healing spell.

For me, an understanding of reversals forces a greater understanding of each card’s many voices, and offers an enhanced opportunity to receive specific messages, and to manifest specific energies.

Thanks for sharing this exploration of reversals with me! Now, follow the link in the graphic below, and hop over to read the other contributions on this topic.

When There's a Shadow on the Queen's Throne

I’ve noticed an unfortunate social phenomenon in the world of local-level pro diviners.

That I’ve only seen this phenomenon amongst local readers in metaphysical shops and psychic fairs in various cities, versus readers with national and international businesses, may be significant. It’s possible that, without mitigation, the condition I see may preclude many readers’ ability to rise to the top of their game, even if their skills are remarkable.

I have to describe this phenomenon in a way that is gender-biased and heteronormative. I apologize for this, and recognize that the circumstance I am going to describe could potentially happen between people of any gender.

I think there is a reason my experience of this phenomenon is limited to the husband-and-wife gender dynamic, and that reason isn’t pretty – it’s a reflection of our current social norms that still reflect age-old traditions of misogyny.

What I want to discuss is a certain disrespectful and unsupportive tone I have seen the husbands of female professional diviners take in regards to their wives’ psychic work.

This is in sharp contrast to the many spouses (including my own), who support their partner’s careers and good naturedly put up with the many unusual inconveniences that come with the territory.

I’m not talking about a husband’s strong religious objection to their wife’s tarot reading. In cases like that, a woman almost always ultimately has to choose between honoring her marriage and honoring her own spiritual nature.

What I’m talking about is the husband who makes no obvious impediment to his wife’s work, but also does nothing to help, nor to show support.

Worse, these otherwise-good-guys subtly ridicule their beloveds’ aspirations, goals and skills.

Sometimes even seemingly supportive husbands can manage to marginalize their divining wives by confusing a career with a hobby, being patronizing toward clients and students, or de-prioritizing her important career responsibilities.

Professional divination is a difficult (though rewarding) career. To be successful you must be talented, studied, diligent and fearless. You must believe in yourself and your calling one hundred percent. Having your most intimate partner whispering their lack of belief in you and lack of support for what you are doing makes it harder to believe in yourself, and to muster the courage you need to successfully market yourself.

Sales and marketing is perhaps the hardest part of a professional diviner’s career. I often joke that if we had wanted to be sales execs we would have studied marketing in college and would be a lot wealthier now.

Typically, professional mystics don’t have the budget to hire an agent, or a PR person, or a marketing person. We have to do these tasks ourselves, even though marketing is usually not in our comfort zone.

So much of marketing and sales is tonal. Typically, women who experience disrespect and mockery (even good-natured) at home take a somewhat apologetic and self-deprecating tone when they talk about their work. Even when the words are perfect, their tone communicates that they do not believe in themselves fully.

Psychic work, by its very nature, requires a certain amount of belief. It is hard to get a client to believe in you if your tone says you don’t believe in yourself.

Why do these otherwise decent husbands disrespect their wives’ choices, skills and beliefs so often, and so easily?

It may be fear of being outside the social norm. It may be concern for the stressors of an entrepreneurial career. It may simply be a lack of imagination.

In some cases, it seems to me that what really scares non-metaphysical husbands of witchy wives is the possibility that their wives might know too much about them. Poo-pooing the wisdom of an oracle wife may be an act of self-protection.

Years ago, men feared that their wives might be witches, and often blamed their impotence, illnesses and infidelity on sorcery.

I wonder if, on some subconscious level, this fear continues in our culture. I wonder if less-than- supportive husbands of female diviners really do, on some level, fear that their wives may have some knowledge or power that they do not. Perhaps their mockery and dismissal of their wives’ abilities and interests is borne of that archaic fear of witchcraft.

What can you do if this is your story – if you want to expand as a professional diviner but are married to a decent guy who marginalizes your skills and your calling, and thereby, you?

If you want to keep your marriage, you need to start by agreeing to love him anyway, and to appreciate all the things that work in your partnership.

However, if you want to keep and grow your tarot career, you need to shield yourself against the subtle-but-constant assault on your character and intelligence.

You need to recognize how unintentionally damaging your husband’s attitude can be to your own self-confidence, and thereby your ability to market yourself effectively.

You might try calmly explaining to your husband that his behavior is, in fact, an attack on your character and a demonstrated lack of respect, and you are sure he doesn’t intend that.

Whether or not that is effective, there are things you can do to mitigate the damage.

First, don’t take the things he says, or his energy toward your divination, personally.

Secondly, you must marginalize his views on this topic in the same way he marginalizes yours.

Even itoday, there is something in western society that says that in a male-female partnership, the opinion of the man is more valid the opinion of the woman. Somehow, in many castles, the king is still more important than the queen. Whatever the gender dynamic of your marriage may be, in the arena of your psychic work, you cannot let that happen. You must not let yourself feel marginalized, and you must yourself marginalize his dismissive attitudes toward your work.

Third, you must surround yourself with supportive people.

At many conferences, classes and events we get to meet the supportive spouses of our most successful diviners. Many of us are lucky to have partners who coach us, drive us, and act as our chefs, roadies, tech support and homemakers as we build our careers.

Single diviners, those with busy spouses, and those with unsupportive partners have to learn to ask for help. That’s harder to do if you have already been taught by your unsupportive partner that what you are doing isn’t valuable.

This is probably the most important step to mitigate your situation if you are a diviner with career aspirations and a husband who just doesn’t get it.

Know the value of your work, and surround yourself with others who know the value of your work. Don’t let your husband’s devaluing of what you do into your own field of vision.

As you become more successful, you might earn your husband’s respect because money talks, hard work is impressive, and what we do really is admired by many people.   If that happens, it’s a good thing. Don’t expect his change of heart, and don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t happen. As long as you respect yourself and your work, you can be successful without his cheerleading.

Women constantly need to remind the world that we are powerful, and that we cannot, and will not, be dismissed or sidelined.

If you are a divining woman married to a man who marginalizes your skills and abilities, you must find your own internal source of inner support, faith and confidence.

Perhaps, to be the diviners we want to be, we must all find the strength to stand in our own power, no matter what exists in our lives to make that difficult.

Five Reasons Not To Be a Full-Time Tarot Professional

I’ve been a full-time tarot professional for more than twenty years. In fact, I literally wrote the book on professional tarot reading (Fortune Stellar is currently OOP, look for a second edition in 2017.)

One of my favorite job responsibilities is mentoring new and aspiring tarot professionals. Why, then, would I write about reasons a person wouldn’t want to make tarot their primary job?

There are a lot of business mentors available to coach you, inspire you, teach you and hold you accountable. Unfortunately, it is in their best financial interest to encourage everyone, regardless of temperament and talent.

I always cringe when I see business mentors online encouraging would-be pros to hang their shingles, when it is evident to me from the students’ posts that they are clearly not ready, or not suited, for the challenges of full-time reading.

I take a different approach. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time and money, and I don’t want to clutter the field with a bunch of disappointed and mediocre pro readers.

That said, I want to be clear that I do believe tarot is for everyone. We can all benefit from its wisdom and inspiration. Tarot informs our growth and helps us form special bonds with one another.

There is a difference, though, between being a tarot enthusiast, readings professionally part-time, and being a full-time tarot professional. I mentor all tarot lovers, but challenges are very different depending on the goals.

If you think you would like to make tarot your full-time job, or if you want to make sure pro reading is truly your path, please think long and hard on the following reasons you might decide to do something else.

1. Bias Against Tarot Readers is Real, and Legal.

It is perfectly legal for towns to charge you exorbitant fees that are higher than other businesses pay for the right to do business. It is also legal for merchant payment platforms to refuse to service you, or to charge extra fees.

Amongst family, friends and community, there will always be people who assume you are a huckster, a criminal, or simply delusional.

2. “Witch Wars” are Real, Too.

You haven’t lived until you’ve had a competitor spread vile untrue rumors about you, pretend to be you in order to steal your gigs, pirate your publications, or make public claims about doing magick against you.

The sad part is very often these pathetic haters used to be your friends.

3. Many of Your Hardest Hours Are Non-Billable.

Tarot readings aren’t cheap, so you might think we tarot readers make a bunch of easy money. Nothing could be further from the truth. For every paid hour, there are countless hours spent marketing, volunteering, writing, accounting, networking, traveling and creating.

4. Money and Recognition Sometimes Go to the Unscrupulous and Inexperienced.

Who’s making big money in tarot? It’s not your neighborhood tarot reader. Typically, big money goes to the neon storefront psychics who bilk their clients by using scare tactics to offer magical cures for imagined problems, and to the corporations that run pay-by-the-minute on-line and phone psychic services.

In the field of tarot publication, sometimes the best-selling  and most recognized books are written by the people who have time to write books – meaning that many tarot authors aren’t writing from a place of operational experience, because they themselves aren’t actually reading full-time.

 5. We Work When Others Play.

I’ve attended more fireworks displays than the average person, but I have actually seen fewer fireworks. That’s because I’m usually under my EZup doing reading during the show.

Likewise, I’ve often worked Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. My husband’s screen name is “Tarot Widower”. That pretty much says it all.

Are you scared yet?

If you love reading tarot but find these possible constraints a bit daunting, please remember that a career in tarot can be very flexible. Many of these problems can be avoided simply by choosing to read tarot as a part time job, or a side job, rather than as your only source of income.

It might be, too, that you are a tarot hobbyist rather that a tarot pro. Don’t let that discourage you – tarot is a field where hobbyists are skilled and respected. Sometimes hobbyists write blogs and books that truly contribute to the field.

On the other hand, if you, like me, feel a little jittery when you don’t have a deck in your hands, if you love reading for people more than you fear hard work and ridicule, and if you can’t imagine doing anything other than working with tarot, you might find that full-time tarot is your calling!

If you would like to deepen your tarot practice, consider a mentorship program with me. Email me for details!