Skeptical Resistance at the Tarot Table
Client skepticism does not need to affect the reading, nor the reader.
Read MoreTarot Grandmaster
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Client skepticism does not need to affect the reading, nor the reader.
Read MoreEvery tarot pro is unique. Here are five things to consider as you build the business that works for you.
Read MoreA tarot reading is more than a bunch of card interpretations. A tarot reading is a process. Part of that process involves filtering what we see, so we can say it in a way it can be heard.
Read MoreToday’s question is from Matteo. He writes:
It's Matteo again. I hope you are doing well! I'm writing to you again because I have another question that I hope you will help me with. The question is: do you have any useful tips or techniques to share for blending tarot and oracle decks in the same reading? And is it possible to do so without necessarily "tarotizing" oracles or... "oraclizing" tarot? (Third possible question: is it really bad to tarotize oracle decks?)
I've never been a huge fan of oracle decks (or Lenormand/ Italian Sibille cards, for that matter) and I always thought tarot to be an all-encompassing tool which needs no support other than a good question and a quiet corner to spread the cards. However, some time ago I had the chance to play around a bit with a friend's Oracle of visions, and after watching your review I finally fell in love and decided to buy it. I really feel connected to the cards, to the point that I don't even need tarot knowledge to understand them, and think that somehow they could fit in my readings well.
Thanks for a great question, Matteo.
You and I very much on the same page. I agree, tarot is limitless in its function; no other tools are needed. However, there is also no problem with using another oracle, media or tool as part of a tarot reading, and the ways that you can do that are as limitless as tarot itself.
As you know, I also agree with you about Ciro Marchetti’s Oracle of Visions. It is a fabulous oracle deck.
First, let’s talk about the word “oracle.” An oracle can be a person who communes with spirits, a tool used to commune with spirits, or the message that is received.
So every tarot deck is an oracle, every tarot reader is an oracle, and every tarot reading is an oracle.
We use the term “oracle cards” or “oracle deck” to delineate between tarot decks and non-tarot oracles.
Incorporating non-tarot oracles into your tarot reading is a great idea for a few reasons.
First, the non-tarot oracles are often simple and pretty, and therefore very accessible for the nervous client.
Second, the way you incorporate companion skills and tools is part of what defines your unique reading style.
Third, the introduction of companion skills and tools can offer validation of the messages you are receiving, and can enhance the reading in terms of energy and information.
Ways to incorporate oracles into tarot readings are as limitless as your own imagination.
One possibility is to start the reading with an oracle card to set the tone of the reading. You could also pull an oracle card at the end for a final “wrap-up message.”
There are also oracle decks with specific themes that might be helpful for addressing specific questions.
Don’t be afraid to explore the many ways you can use oracles to enhance your tarot readings.
Enjoy the video!
Thanks for a great question. If you have a question about tarot, please email me.
Video of Christiana Answers a Question about Using Oracles with Tarot
My book Fortune Stellar offers helpful advice to tarot readers and metaphysical practitioners who are ready to hang their shingle, or already have. But how do you know when it’s time to set up shop?
Today, many people make the transition to professional reading by working for an online service like Oranum, Keen or Spiritum. At some point, though, many professionals want to build a local business. Some read from their homes, others find cafes and restaurants, salons or executive office centers. There are many ways to build a great local business, you just have find the courage and the inspiration to get started.
Recently I’ve seen some of my peers react to new psychic businesses in their area, and respond to new readers considering starting a business. The conclusion I’ve drawn is this. As a community we are all over the chart when it comes to deciding when the time is right to go pro.
I have seen tarot teachers and community leaders push students whom I am sure simply aren’t ready with statements like “Give it a try, you’ll be great!”
I’ve also seen tarot professional bristle when they discover someone who doesn’t have a lot of knowledge or experience has hung a shingle.
I’ve seen a wide range of reactions in students as well. Some students love tarot and are great readers but have no desire to be professional. That’s terrific – tarot is a wonderful tool for personal use.
Some students long to go pro, are talented and knowledgeable enough to do it, but are afraid to move forward. Sometimes they fear negative reactions from friends and neighbors. Sometimes they fear the business aspect of being a professional. Sometimes they fear they aren’t good enough.
I’ve also had students take beginner tarot classes with the specific idea that in a few weeks they will be able to make some extra money with their cards. These are the ones that worry me the most.
I don’t think any great reader becomes a reader because they think it’s a smart way to make some money. Great readers become readers because they feel called to it.
To the tarot pros who encourage students to take the plunge too soon, I say this. Provide your students with opportunities to read for the public. Teach your students and encourage them. But if you get them out in the professional setting too quickly they will become discouraged and disillusioned.
To the pros who are concerned about the market being saturated with lousy readers, don’t worry about it. Lousy readers never last, and they give your clients the opportunity to see just how good you are in comparison.
To the great readers with stage fright, try to push out of your comfort zone and share your gifts with the world!
Now, as promised, here are seven ways to know you are ready to go pro.
People seek you out for readings. At work, at parties and at dinner people casually ask you if you happen to have your cards with you.
The friends for whom you do free readings offer recompense without being asked – they bake you cookies, buy you dinner or bring you a beer.
When you read for people, you feel alive, energized and connected.
You are excited to market your business.
When people ask you, you are comfortable saying “I am a tarot reader!”
You know and love your cards without question.
When you lay out the cards you can see stories forming in them.
If these seven statements ring true for you, you are probably ready to get started as a tarot professional. If they don’t ring true and you really do want to read professionally, don’t worry. Spend more time studying and practicing. Tarot has been around for 500 years – it will wait for you.
And, if you need extra money and already have the chops, tarot reading can create a decent income. If you need extra money and just started studying tarot hoping to make a few quick bucks, you may be studying tarot for the wrong reasons.
Intuition and Interpretation: Eleven Rules for Putting it all Together
There can be a bit of friction between readers who believe that learning and using traditional card interpretations is an important aspect of tarot reading and those who tell us to throw the books away and just give the information that comes to mind when you look at the pictures.
Here’s my take.
If you have no concept of tarot traditions and have done no tarot study, you may be a very good psychic who uses tarot images, but you are not, by definition, a tarot reader.
If all you do is give rote memorized interpretations of cards and positions you may be a tarot reader, but not a very good one.
If you want to be a great tarot reader, you must be able to use both intuition and interpretation in your readings. Here are eleven rules to help you do that.
Cards have many possible traditional meanings. Cards also have the ability to communicate above and beyond their traditional meanings. Allow the cards to tell you what you need to know by being open to all possibilities in a reading.
A great tarot reader uses many skills. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that one skill is more important than another. Intelligence and humor, compassion and honesty, spirituality and practicality, interpretation and intuition all come together to make you the best reader you can be.