Dear Tarot Student: Don’t Try to Be Good at Tarot

Dear Tarot Student

Don’t Try to Be Good at Tarot

So often new and intermediate tarot students tell me they worry that they aren’t any good at tarot. I tell them they are missing the point.

It is true that at a particular level of tarot study and practice we want to tap into intuitive and interpretive talent. It’s also true that at the professional level you need to be good or go home.

Yet, I firmly believe that the study of tarot is beneficial to everyone. When I was a child in Sunday School we didn’t worry if we were good at Bible study. We learned the parables and discussed their meanings, and from that we grew. Tarot is the same way.

When we study tarot, the focus on card memorization can be daunting and discouraging. Some tarotists never memorize keywords, classic interpretations or archetypes. Gifted professional intuitives often use tarot as a prop, or as a focal point for inspiration, without ever knowing any traditions of tarot interpretation. I believe they aren’t technically tarot readers and are missing the wisdom of the tarot, but they get the job done.

Some students enjoy flashcard-style memorization and have a knack for it. Others don’t. Yet, tarot study doesn’t have to include a focus on tarot memorization, and, for many of us, probably shouldn’t.

Tarot study has a personal and spiritual value above and beyond building our skill at reading for others or predicting the future.

Each tarot card teaches a spiritual lesson. When we study tarot, those lessons inform our lives and hasten our healing. As a result of that process, we learn the meanings of the cards without really trying.

If you are frustrated with your tarot practice, you may be trying too hard to divine, and not hard enough to learn the lessons of the cards. If you are too focused on memorization without understanding the lessons and applying those lessons to your life, you are missing the point entirely.

In the beginning of your tarot practice, worry less about whether you are good at tarot, and worry more about discovering how tarot is good for you.

Are Yes or No Questions a Yes or a No?

Are Yes or No Questions a Yes or a No?

Tarot Tip

Glance through any online tarot study group and you will most certainly find a variety of opinions about posing yes or no questions of tarot. Some readers are sure that tarot simply can’t answer yes or no questions effectively. Others believe that if tarot has merit, we must be able to use it to answer any sort of question. Many readers discover or create techniques to answer yes/no questions, with varying degrees of success. Some experienced readers wisely warn that if you focus only on getting a yes/no answer you might miss the greater wisdom that would be made available by asking an open-ended question.

One thing that many find helpful is the technique of rephrasing a question. Very often we use this technique to avoid the yes/no. For example, any yes/no question that begins with a word like “Will” or “Should” or “Does” can easily be rephrased to “What do I need to know about…”

But, is there harm in asking the question first exactly as you wanted to phrase it – a yes or no question – just to see what comes up?

One thing that seems to be increasingly true for me over the years is that with tarot, all-or-nothing or always-or-never rarely seems to be helpful. Very often my answer to students who ask questions about whether tarot can or will work in certain ways is “Sometimes”!

I think many of us work best with tarot when we apply a “Let’s see what happens” approach. I also know that the best readers are able to use a vast array of techniques in their practice. That way, when one technique does not yield a clear answer, another technique can be employed.

When I have a yes/no question, I start by simply asking that question, and pulling a card. Sometimes the answer is very clear. Sometimes it’s not.

If the answer isn’t clear, I take that to mean that the situation isn’t simple enough to warrant a yes/no answer. Then, it is time to fashion a series of questions about the issue at hand, or to create a full spread for that issue.

I have often seen tarotists dismayed and discouraged when they felt that tarot did not answer their question in an understandable way. Yet, this situation is easily remedied by using a disappointing divination as a jumping-off point for a new, deeper divination.

Suppose your question is “Will I get the job I applied for?” and the card you pull in answer is the Ace of Pentacles. To me, in the context of the question, that would be a solid and emphatic yes. You might have other questions about the job. You can feel free to ask them and pull cards or do a spread to answer them.

Suppose, though, that the card you received in answer to that question didn’t feel like a clear yes or no. Suppose the card you pulled was the Hanged Man, or the Nine of Wands. When this happens, you can assume the situation is a bit complicated. Now it’s time to ask open-ended questions such as “What do I need to know about this job?” Perhaps you want to create a spread or perform a dialogue with questions about the job, your career path, and what you can expect.

If we are willing to let tarot answer the way it can, we can begin our divination with any sort of question. If we accept that one possible answer might be “Let’s dig deeper”, there is no way we can go wrong!

Five Techniques for Reading Larger Tarot Spreads

Five Techniques for Reading Larger Tarot Spreads

Here are five techniques to help you get the most out of larger tarot spreads.

I am a fan of large tarot spreads. I would much rather read eleven cards than three, five, seven or nine. Sometimes I think this puts me in a minority amongst my tarot peers, and I wonder why that is.

I think it may be that people feel that fewer cards can mean less confusion, and that more cards make a reading more complicated. For me, the opposite is true. For me, more cards mean more information, and more information means more clarity.

It also seems that some readers develop enough skill to handle a specific reading style, and then stop growing in their skill development. Very often these same readers quickly lose enthusiasm for their work with tarot. I’ve often wondered if the process of learning new skills and techniques might keep newer tarotists more happily engaged.

What follows is a list of my favorite techniques for working with larger tarot spreads. Many of these techniques can be combined in the same tarot reading session. Beware becoming the reader who handles a spread the same way each time. The more techniques you know, the more valuable tarot will become to you.

The Card by Card Method

To read a spread card-by-card, simply begin with the first position, say the name of the position, say the name of the card that appears there, and then interpret the card in the context of the position.

Very often you can use the name or description of the position in your interpretation to help get the context right. For example, if the Hermit were to fall in a ‘crossing’ position – that is, a position that denotes a problem or obstacle, you might say, “It looks as though your biggest problem right now is loneliness.”

The Card-by-Card Method is extremely helpful if you don’t get an immediate hit on the spread as soon as you lay it out. If the cards feel confusing, blah or contradictory, the Card-by-Card Method can help you make sense of the reading.

Card Trends and Groupings

Very often we can derive a huge amount of information from a spread by reading the cards in groups. Card grouping can happen as part of a spread, where the spread instructs you to read certain positions as a group. Card grouping can happen in a spread where there are multiple positions with similar meanings, like positions for ‘Future’ and ‘Final Outcome’.

We can also group cards together when we have multiples of number or rank, or numeric runs within suits. These numeric groups can often reveal a story or important message. For example, multiple Knights may speak of travel, or encourage the querent to pursue their goals. If the Eight, Nine and Ten of Swords appear, there may be a story about negative self-talk or chronic mental health issues.

If three cards of the name number appear, it is helpful to think about the one that is missing and interpret the reason it isn’t present. For example, if your client receives all the Aces except the Ace of Cups, it might be time to have a conversation about what is possible and desirable in the romantic aspect of life at this time.

When a suit is predominating or missing in a spread you can derive information from that. Likewise, when there is a predominance of Major Arcana cards, or reversed cards.

Look, as well, for cards that are natural opposites or corroborators. For example, if the Four and Six of Pentacles both appear, there is some push-and-pull in terms of how many resources can be given away. If the Two of Cups and Four of Wands appear together, there may be a very blessed romantic union at hand.

Thinking about which cards share common keywords can be helpful in performing these kinds of readings. When you see a number of cards in a spread that speak of education, or balance, or travel, or communication, you can get a sense of an overall theme or area of concern.

Start with What Pops Out

When you lay out your tarot spread, you may be pulled to talk about a specific card first. It may or may not be a Major Arcana card, or a particularly strong energy card, or a particularly pivotal position.

To use this method, simply talk about what you see first. What pulls at your psychically, or visually? What do you see that makes you curious?

Once you begin speaking about the first thing you see, you will naturally start to include the other cards as the story unfolds.

With this method you don’t necessarily need to mention the cards by name or describe their symbolism or keywords. You can simply say what you see, based on one, or a few, of the cards that strike you first and hardest.

This method is very good for opening up your own intuition and psychic flow and allowing the cards to speak.

It’s important, however, to make sure that what you are seeing is matching your client’s understanding and experience. If it’s not, you need to ascertain where the disconnect is coming from. Are you interpreting the cards inappropriately for the context? Is the client not understanding the wording you are using? Are you and the client seeing the same thing but perceiving it differently?

You can check in with the client regularly to make sure you are on track by saying things like “Does that make sense to you? Or “Do you see it that way?”

As long as you are able to stay on the same page as your client, the Start with What Pops Out method can really allow your reading to take on its own life.

Make a List

Sometimes you look at a spread and all you see is a bunch of cards. Nothing comes together or pops out at you right away. When this happens, don’t panic! Simply make a list of the energies you see in the cards and start with that. You can present it this way. “Here’s a list of some of the things that are striking me, in no particular order of importance.”

You will find that as you begin your list of seemingly unrelated energies, people and events they will begin to tell a story and make sense to you. By beginning with a simple list you can, over the course of the reading, build the complex story.

Use Smaller Spreads and Single Cards to Answer Questions

Very often a larger, comprehensive spread ends up asking more questions than in answers. You might see that your client has some problems with their job, but the spread may not offer a solution. You might see that your client is likely to enter a new romantic relationship soon, but want more information about what that will look like.

Typically, after I get as much information as I can from a large spread, I will pick up all the cards, shuffle them, and then ask questions one by one, pulling a card, or a few cards, or doing small spreads to answer those questions.

What? You might ask, Even more cards? What’s up with that?
Not all cards speak with the same weight. In any reading, some cards will give a great deal of information, others will just corroborate, or offer an adjective or adverb. The more cards we use, the more possibilities we can see, the more nuance we can understand, and the more helpful information we can derive.

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Christiana’s Eleven-Card Celtic Cross on Card and Craft Academy!

Learn my favorite comprehensive spread and some great techniques for reading larger tarot spreads with this fun and easy video class.

Tips for Tarot Readers: Look Deeper

Tips for Tarot Readers: Look Deeper

I am often struck by the tendency of tarot readers to, in a reading, land on a clear interpretation for a card and then, refuse to see anything deeper in it.

Here’s an example to help you understand what I mean.

Imagine reading for someone who gets Justice Reversed in a past position. You might ask if there had been any unfair situations or dealing with legal matters recently.

Suppose he answers that, yes, he had just spent the weekend in jail and the charges were subsequently dropped.

End of story? It could be; the story fits the cards.

But then, imagine that, as the reading continues, you find out that a bit further in the past he was in an actual war. Not as a soldier, but as a civilian whose homeland was invaded. That would be Justice Reversed in the past as well.

Not every card that appears will reference more than one event, but some will. There are a couple of techniques that can help you discern if a card might be speaking to more than one thing, and therefore maybe even establishing a pattern.

First, you can always ask. “Is there anything else in your past that might show up as unfairness, or a harmful action regarding the law or government?” If the client says there isn’t, just move on.

Second, you can simply pay attention. Remember the cards that appear, even if you pick them up to perform another spread. If something comes up that resonates with a card you have already interpreted, there is no problem with going back and connecting more than one event or meaning with that card.

If you start to see a traumatic pattern you have the opportunity to read on that specifically, and help the client find ways to acknowledge, heal and release that trauma.

By letting the cards speak more fully we are able to give more complete readings.

The Major Arcana as Photographers

The Major Arcana as Photographers

copyright © 2019 Joanne Matthew

The budding new photographer is the Fool – just beginning his photographic journey. He has acquired all the tools he believes he needs from the Magician – the digital SLR, the memory card, battery charger, and various lenses. The High Priestess has shared some of her innermost secrets to success with the Fool, advising him on lighting techniques, close-ups, landscapes, and more.

The Empress urges him to photograph the children of the world who are the most vulnerable and in need. The more the public sees, the more help they might receive. The Emperor has taken a stand to protect the children in whatever way possible, and agrees with the Empress.

The Hierophant is what you call “old school” in the way that he can only see straight through the lens. He cannot adapt to digital technology and photo manipulation, but knows that you may develop your own style and techniques.

The Lovers want the Fool to photograph the “couples” in nature – the birds who choose life-long mates, for example. – partnerships such as the bees who carry the pollen from plant to plant, the rain that falls to allow growth, the snows that cover and protect the earth throughout the coldness of winter, and so much more. The Lovers know that alliances in nature are the reason for life, and without them, we may cease to exist.

The Chariot honors the photographer’s ability to take charge of how he photographs what he sees, how he manipulates his views, and what he ultimately shows to the public. Strength may often put the photographer in a dangerous situation, but gives the courage to put aside the fear and continue the mission. This is also in conjunction with the Hermit, who has shone his light on the photographer’s inner soul, thus guiding his vision and ideas every time he pushes the shutter button.

The Wheel of Fortune knows that not every picture will be perfect. Wheel knows that every photographer must sometimes take many shots of the same scene or subject, hoping that one out of all those shots will be the perfect photo to convey his feelings.

Justice tells the Fool to not be so harsh on himself – do not judge yourself by your failures, or by what others think. Be fair to yourself – keep everything in the proper perspective.

The Hanged Man knows what it’s like to feel burned out. When this happens, he tells Fool, take a break, chill out, think about approaching your goals from a different position.

Death, always trying to be a downer, wants the Fool to give up, but perhaps it’s just some new, more advanced equipment that will make all the difference. Fool is advised to put aside the old, outdated software, and learn a new technique.

Always the peacemaker, Temperance wants Fool to stay calm. Keep the dreams and desires in check with reality. If you keep your head in the clouds, know that your feet are still planted firmly on the ground.

The Devil, devious as he is, likes to sabotage the photographer, especially if he knows the photographer has many bad habits – not taking good enough care of the equipment, not having the battery charged at a pivotal moment----but all this can be avoided, as long as the photographer is aware of his bad habits and strives to avoid them.

Accidents do happen, and the Tower will sometimes cause a lens to fall, or some other tragic pitfall to happen. Often, the photographer will miss the opportunity for that one outstanding photograph, and knows the chance at that one spot, or one subject may never come again. But, Tower tells Fool, there will be other “perfect” subjects, and you will be at the right place, at the right moment.

The Star realizes every photographer’s dream is to become famous – to be recognized for the exceptional talent he/she has with a camera. Keep shooting, keep dreaming – nothing is impossible, and everything is possible.

The Story of Global Tarot Circle

The Story of Global Tarot Circle

My in-person Tarot Circle was borne of a conversation with Wald Amberstone at an ATA Regional Tarot Convention back in 1999. In speaking with him about what he and Ruthann were doing at the Tarot School I came to understand that tarot education didn’t need to be segregated by skill level. In a class appropriate for all levels of tarot understanding, new readers would learn from those more experienced, and more experienced readers would develop new insights and ideas, even when covering familiar ground.

I started inviting people to my office in Central Village, CT, for regular Tarot Circle meetings. Later, we held Tarot Circle at various people’s homes and shops in Norwich, Waterford and Niantic.

At Tarot Circle we shared readings, exercises, ideas and techniques with each other.

When we moved to Pennsylvania, we continued to hold Tarot Circle during my visits to Connecticut, meeting at By the Shore Embroidery in Niantic. We also began meeting in the Poconos, first in my office building at Fork Street in Mt. Pocono, and then at my home, Sylvan Lodge.

When we moved to the Palm Beaches, I held Tarot Circle in the Harvey Building in downtown West Palm Beach.

Now Tarot Circle meets at Panera Bread in Palm City, FL, and Lutz, FL. We also meet monthly for Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live.

In 2011 I started giving webinars on WebEx, a meeting platform. That was when I first developed Global Tarot Circle. The idea was to try to recreate our in-person Tarot Circles in an online format.

Tarot Circles have always included readings, tarot study and tarot exercises. Our in-person groups have been able to create some community activities, like day-long tarot picnics, retreats and fundraisers. I haven’t figured out how to do those things in our online version yet.

Global Tarot Circle on WebEx was really fun and enjoyable. It was a free monthly tarot webinar. Eventually Facebook Live became stable and I switched off WebEx and onto Facebook Live, where I broadcast monthly from my business page, Christiana Gaudet.

Global Tarot Circle lasts for an hour. In the first half hour we read for each other. I choose the question from the comments and pull one card for the individual. Anyone who wants to can also pull a card and add their reading into the comment thread.

For the second half of our hour together we work on tarot study. We might do a tarot exercise together, or discuss a particular tarot reading method.

In between our live meetings we can discuss topics for our next meeting and share our readings and exercises in the Global Tarot Circle Facebook group.

When I traveled to the Northwest Tarot Symposium earlier this month I was thrilled to hear how many people were enjoying Global Tarot Circle, both by catching it live or watching it in archive on Facebook or YouTube.

I think it’s important for us tarotists to gather together, whether in small groups at coffee shops, in large groups at festivals and conferences, or together online, where we can meet with tarot friends from around the globe, while staying in our living rooms.

You can always find the next Global Tarot Circle meeting on the event calendar of my website.

Marketing Your Tarot Business: Focus on What Is

I am fortunate to mentor many talented tarot professionals. Watching them grow their careers is one of my greatest joys.

Once in a while I see a trend amongst my pro tarot students. This is a helpful way to read the needle on general trends within the tarot world.

The trend I have spotted recently is this. Tarot pros, when discussing what they do, whether on their website, social media or conversations with clients, focus on explain what tarot is not, rather than what tarot is.

When discussing tarot, we seem to begin the conversation on the defensive, trying to educate people about what tarot isn’t. We might discuss the ways in which we work with tarot isn’t fortune-telling, or why tarot isn’t evil, despite what you may have heard.

We begin our conversation this way because we often feel defensive. Tarot is often under attack, and that attack is often based on misunderstanding.

Yet, we dispel misinformation just as effectively by explaining what tarot is, and the process by which we use it. The power in being informative rather than defensive is significant.

Not everyone is familiar with tarot, and many people cultivate misinformation about tarot. As tarot readers, we are ambassadors of tarot in the world. That’s why we are so anxious to dispel untruths about tarot.

I think we do that best when we approach from a positive direction.

It’s also true that sometimes we tarot readers do better marketing ourselves and the results we can offer versus discussing the tool we use as a way of selling readings. Carpenters don’t spend a lot of time discussing the tools they will use to build your house. Rather, they discuss the product. The same can be true in marketing tarot readings.

Yet, there are times when we need to tell the world about tarot. Sometimes there are opportunities to teach about tarot history, culture and art. When we step up to tell the world about tarot, we are working to dispel the negative mythology. We do that best when we let people know what tarot is, rather than what it isn’t.

Group Readings: The Performance Aspect of Tarot

Group Readings:

The Performance Aspect of Tarot

Recently I found a blogpost from Ethony, headmistress of the Tarot Reader’s Academy, suggesting that tarot readers consider avoiding allowing anyone other than the querent in the room during a tarot reading.

She makes some good points in empowering readers to say no to an audience, and to say no to controlling, skeptical or overtalkative friends or family members who can make the reading more difficult, and therefore less valuable to the client.

Ethony also mentions the possibility of psychic leak. That is, moments when the reader can pick up energy from a person in the room who is not the client.

She also allows that there are times when it’s appropriate to welcome groups into the tarot room. As one who has over the years managed to master the psychic leak problem, I enjoy reading for groups.

I’d like to share some circumstances under which group readings have worked for me, and some advices on how to make them work for you.

Before I begin, though, please understand that every reader, and every reading, is unique. Let me echo Ethony here in saying that we all have the right, and responsibility, to say an emphatic no to anything that makes us less able to provide the best experience for our client.

But, if you want to try group readings, here are some of the circumstances in which they work well for me, along with some hints on how you might make them work for you.

First, you need to decide if you might be good at this sort of work. Folks who do performance-style tarot typically have a stage presence, are comfortable with public speaking, and understand and enjoy the performance aspect of tarot.

I was a theater major in college and have done a bit of community theater over the years. Here’s a picture of me playing Miep Geiss in a production of The Diary of Anne Frank way back at the beginning of my pro tarot career. The truth is, I’ve been too busy since then to take on any more roles, but the role of tarot reader is keeping me happy.

Christiana Gaudet appears as Miep Geiss in The Diary of Anne Frank.

Readings Around the Table

I’ve worked many parties of close friends or family groups who want to sit around a table together and hear each other’s readings. I even offer this sort of reading at the conference table in my office.

To make this successful, everyone needs to fit around the table, and pay attention. There can be no side conversations. Readings should be short, usually about fifteen to twenty minutes. Everyone has the opportunity to ask questions for each other, and can comment on the readings, but I keep very firm control on the conversation. I also tell people that this is not a spectator sport. If they are at the table, they are part of the experience, and need to stay present and focused.

Support Team

Much like the parties around the table, this is when a friend brings a friend, or two friends, to witness their reading. Sometimes the friends also plan to have readings, something not. However, after hearing their friends’ reading, they almost always make appointments for themselves.

I have very clear instructions for the supporting friend(s). They are to ask questions that the querent, their friend, may not think to ask. They are to listen, and if something isn’t resonating with their friend but makes sense to them, they should help the friend own their truth.

This invitation does sometimes cause a friend to try to highjack the reading. If you, as reader, keep control of the energy of your table, they won’t get very far when they do.

Couples Readings

Typically, a couples reading is for a romantically-involved couple. Yet, it can also be sisters grappling with a family issue, or bereaved family members getting closure to, and messages from, a deceased loved one.

If you are reading for more than one person having the same issue, it’s easy to read on the issue for both of them. If you are reading for a family group, the mediumship aspect is easier because more people offer more energy to assist in the focus and communication.

A reading for a romantic couple, however, can be tricky.

The times I have refused having someone sit in on a reading have been when I perceive a controlling romantic partner, and that my querent may need to hear some hard things about that partner.

The problem of the abusive or controlling spouse doesn’t crop up often in couples readings, though, because typically abusive partners won’t consider putting themselves in that situation.

Yet, relationship problems can show up in the readings of even the happiest couple. The skill here is to present those problems in a way that offers solutions, normalizes issues and treats those issues with good humor and compassion.

The goal of a couples reading is to foster understanding, not create bad feelings. If you see deeper issues in a couples reading, you are ethically bound to refer them to a good counselor.

Gallery Readings

Psychic Gallery at Soundings Lounge in Mystic, CT, 2004.

I have performed psychic galleries with tarot in nightclubs, churches and living rooms. The key here is to move quickly from reading to reading. Keep readings short and make them entertaining and accessible to everyone.

The energy of a gallery can be very conducive to amazing psychic work.

Very often, the biggest problem with readings that require a performance aspect is that the reader lacks confidence. It takes confidence to command a table, and it takes confidence to command a room.

Sometimes confidence comes with practice, and sometimes it comes with personality.

I do think that we need to sometimes stretch a bit to do our best work. There is a lot of focus on the idea that we readers shouldn’t have to do anything doesn’t make us comfortable. I scoff at this idea. If I didn’t do anything that made me uncomfortable, I would still be in my pajamas right now. Sometimes we must get out of our comfort zone in order to grow and learn to do our best work.

If the performance aspects of tarot don’t resonate for you, or really aren’t in your wheelhouse, just say no to the group readings and gallery sessions. If you are comfortable reading tarot with an audience, know that the practice is valid, helpful and very much appreciated by the clients you serve.

Why Your New Tarot Business Might Fail (And How to Make It Work)

Why Your New Tarot Business Might Fail

(And How to Make It Work)

As my friend Jenna Matlin says, tarot is having a moment. Psychism, of course, has been popular throughout history. There have always been seers, oracles and diviners. I often joke that if prostitution was the first profession, psychic reading was the second. (Although my midwife friends insist that the second profession was midwifery.)

Tarot, and cartomancy in general, are newer tools of the psychic trade. Long before we had cardboard and printing presses, we had stones, beans and bones. Perhaps tarot’s current popularity is borne simply of its modern accessibility.

Whatever the reason, I am thrilled that there are now more tarot decks, tarot classes, tarot groups and tarot readers than ever before in history. Yet, there is another trend that I see that is a bit more concerning. That is the trend of enthusiastic new tarot professionals leaving the industry as quickly as they came in.

Jenna and I discussed this in our last informal Tarot Biz Chat. Her take is that pro tarot readers can burn out quickly, and that many new tarotists don’t know how to protect themselves from burnout.

She has a point. I have seen burned out readers retire with drama and fanfare, although usually after several decades of successful practice, not several months or years.

Job burnout is a risk in any profession, of course. It’s also statistically true that any new business, in the first five years, has an equal chance of failure or success.

I believe there are a multitude of reasons talented new tarot pros often quickly throw in the towel, and some of those reasons don’t include burnout. Here are some of the problems I have seen in the ventures of my students and colleagues over the past twenty-five years, along with some advice on what to do differently.

You Started Pro Reading Before You Were Ready

This is an easy trap. Tarot teachers and business coaches will encourage you to be brave and get out there without evaluating whether you are truly ready. Psychic fair operators will push to get your butt in a chair as quickly as possible because they are under-staffed.

It might be that you felt encouraged because you did a few practice readings that went really well. Perhaps you had an immediate financial problem and felt tarot could be a source of much-needed revenue.

The solution here isn’t to quit, but to back off and brush up. Sometimes a tarot reading flows smoothly. All the cards make sense in their positions and appear to answer questions succinctly and definitively. It’s those readings that fool us into believing tarot reading is easy. When the cards don’t make sense at first, or the client communicates in a challenging way, we need to rely on our studied knowledge and the experience we gained from countless hours of practice.

You Aren’t Practicing Good Psychic Hygiene

This is where I think Jenna’s theory about burnout really applies. If you feel drained after a reading, or if you are having a hard time receiving intuition on demand, or if there are days you just don’t feel like doing a reading, it’s possible you aren’t doing the energy work that is necessary for professional tarot.

The trick to fix this is fairly simple. Make sure you do strong energy work to create sacred space for each reading. Connect yourself to both earth and heaven, and become a straw, or a conduit, for energy.

Give nothing of yourself to your client and take no energy from them. Serve them with the limitless supply of energy that you pull, as a conduit, from earth and heaven.

After the reading, shake your energy off, and consciously release your client.

You should emerge from a long day of readings feeling energized, not drained. If that is not what is happening, meditate, breathe, work with your energy and be a better straw.

You Aren’t Attracting Enough Business

Very often when I hear this complaint it is followed by a list of reasons excuses explaining why it just isn’t possible to gain new clients. Those excuses often include geography. That is, the belief that people where you live just aren’t into tarot, or don’t like getting readings, or believe that this stuff is evil.

I will be the first to tell you that every geographic area is different, and some are easier to work than others. However, the difference is not that people in some areas enjoy what we do and people in other areas don’t. The difference is that in some areas, people are more closeted about it, and therefore you have to work harder to identify and serve them.

On the flip side, if you are in a mystic-friendly location, you might feel the market is choked and there is no room for you. That’s an excuse, too. If you are a good reader, there will always be people who want to see you.

Another reason readers don’t attract business is they don’t present themselves with confidence. Clients will only be as confident in you as you are in yourself.

Another problem is you might be marketing to the wrong demographic. It’s amazing how often I see tarot readers marketing to other tarot readers. While we do sometimes read for each other, your tarot friends and students will not always be your best source of clients. The vast majority of your clients will be people who want answers and insight and don’t give two pents about tarot, metaphysics, spirituality or how you derive your information.

Your Goals Aren’t Clear, or Your Expectations Aren’t Realistic

Perhaps you attended a tarot party and watched a mediocre reader make a thousand dollars in an evening. Perhaps you believed a shyster tarot business coach when they told you that it’s easy to make a six-figure income with tarot. Perhaps you believe that memorizing seventy-eight key words is all it takes to give a meaningful tarot reading.

I have met many aspiring tarot pros with unrealistic expectations of both the earning potential of a tarot reader and the ease with which they could do the work and make the money.

Legitimate tarot reading can be moderately lucrative, but only if you are patient and work hard. If your goal is to make a lot of money, there are hundreds of better jobs to choose.

It’s important to be clear about your goals. Professional tarot offers so many different types of opportunities. You can entertain at parties, work on the phone or webcam, work in shops and psychic fairs, or find your own venues. A college student can often make more money and have more fun working psychic fairs than hustling fast food. You can read tarot as a side hustle or a full-time job. Just be sure about where and how you want your tarot business to fit in your life, now and in the future. Don’t expect a full-time income from a part-time effort, and don’t expect a full-time income when you first start out.

Most importantly, only choose to be a tarot professional if you love reading for strangers. You may love tarot and may enjoy tarot books, classes, art and friends. That’s a beautiful thing. Perhaps the best, most important use of divinatory tarot is for one’s own enjoyment and enlightenment. None of that, however, means that you will be delighted to have your job be reading tarot for clients. But, if reading for others does delight you, I promise there is no greater joy than having that be your livelihood.

If you are interested in taking the next step in growing your business, make sure you get a copy of my book, Fortune Stellar.

If you would like to work one-on-one with me to grow your skills and business, contact me about a custom mentorship program.

I hope you can catch Jenna Matlin and me as we present our Professional Development Day as an extension of the Northwest Tarot Symposium.

Holiday Open House 2018

Holiday Open House 2018

Giving Back to Our Community

On Sunday, December 23rd Tarot Circle of the Treasure Coast Meetup and I joined forces to create another successful Holiday Open House. This was the second largest Holiday Open House in 20 years, and I am confident that next year’s will be even better.

This year I moved the event from the Palm City Professional Building to Unity of Stuart, which turned out to be the perfect place for us. We had ten readers in the classroom, four readers and healers outside in the courtyard, and two volunteers assisting me in the kitchen where we greeted folks, offered snack and collected the contributions for Treasure Coast Food Bank.

Everyone working at the event was a volunteer. We were so busy that, halfway through, when tarotist Barbara O’Brien came through to get a reading for herself I pressed her into service, making her another of our volunteers.

John took the food we collected to Treasure Coast Food Bank on December 26. We had raised over five hundred pounds of food and $200 to help those in our area who are food insecure.

I am so grateful to everyone who working with me to make this annual event happen. I look forward to working with you again in December 2019.

I am also grateful to the many people who took time out of their busy holiday schedules to generously bring donations for the food bank in exchange for sessions with our readers and healers.

It’s always great to see old friends and meet new ones at these events, and to watch tarot students blossom into readers. I’m also happy to give our greater community an opportunity to sit with some of the area’s best-known readers and healers, as well as to meet some new talent.

Special thanks to our readers and healers, Mary Ellen Collins, Blue Evans, Ambika Devi, Mark Gross, Shasana, Tyrone, Gerri, Lee, Donna Diroma, Barbara O’Brien, Sherry Adrame, Julie, Maureen S., Tyronne, and Ruby Hands. Thanks also to my helpers for the day, and to Unity of Stuart for working with me to arrange this event.

See the full gallery on Facebook!