I’m always concerned when I hear tarot readers say they are exhausted after a reading, or after an evening of readings. I believe that if you are tired after reading tarot, you are missing at least one important step in your process.

Tarot reading is not just laying out some cards and interpreting them. Tarot reading is a spiritual process. If we don’t observe the necessary steps it is easy to become drained, or worse, to take on our clients’ energy. This can be a true threat to our physical and emotional health.

Each of us must develop our own way to safely read tarot for others – there is no one right way. I’m pretty sure, though, if tarot reading makes you tired, you haven’t yet found your right way.

There are some physical concerns around tarot reading. I once was diagnosed with “tarot elbow!” It was actually tennis elbow, that is, tendonitis, from the way I shuffled. Reading full-time means I shuffle quite a lot. So there are physical occupational hazards for tarot readers, included repetitive motion disorder.

Another physical problem can be voice strain. If you have to read in a loud environment or for an extended period of time you need to be careful not to strain your vocal cords. Some tricks include good throat lozenges or sprays, taking aspirin before starting work to reduce the swelling, and sucking on lemons. The old adage of lemon and honey in tea doesn’t work – tea is drying to the vocal cords. But lemon really is fabulous.

Make sure, too, that when you talk you keep your chin pointed downward. That reduces stretching your vocal cords.

Overall, though, I think the tiredness folks tend to describe is more psychic strain than physical strain. Here are ways to prevent it.

1. Always read in sacred space. It doesn’t matter how you create sacred space. It does matter that you take the time and energy to do so before each reading. This creates an environment where you are more easily able to connect, your client is more easily able to hear and process the reading and the spirits around you are more able to assist in the process.

1. Connect yourself to earth and heaven. As part of creating sacred space, take a moment to ground to the earth, bring energy up through your chakras, send energy from your crown chakra to heaven, invite in spiritual help and bring the energy down around you as a cloak of protection. Draw on the limitless supply of energy from earth and heaven rather than on your own energy to do the reading.

1. Consciously put your issues to the side. Whether you are hungry, troubled, have a headache, are wondering what to make for dinner – whatever your issues of the moment are – put them in an energetic box and put them to the side. It’s hard to handle your own issues and your clients’ issues at the same time. If your own issues are out of the way you will experience relief, and be able to focus easily on your client.

1. At the end of the reading, release your client. Make a constant effort to release your clients’ energy at the end of the reading. Say a prayer for them, wish them well, shake your hands off, whatever works for you. The important part is that you release their energy completely. Your job with them is finished.

1. Be a straw. See yourself as a conduit for energy. In a reading you do not need to give of your own energy, nor take energy from your client. Just be a straw.

 Following these guidelines will make your readings flow more easily and leave you feeling refreshed and energized when you are finished. Tarot reading is psychic work, psychological work and intellectual work. Tarot reading is also energy work.