I had a great time as a guest on the award-winning internet radio show Beyond Worlds with hosts Donnleigh and Theresa Reed, The Tarot Lady.  If you've never listened to this show, it is a fabulous resource for tarot education for both novice and seasoned readers alike.  They consistently offer very solid and interesting content and host a wide range of guests from the tarot community, from well known tarot professionals to tarot people you may not have heard of yet.  While the show is aired, there is a chatroom on the site that one can participate in and the hosts and guests will often answer questions posed in the chatroom.  Some shows offer call-in readings, others are more "class" oriented where they present a topic and discuss.  Last night's show topic was The Court Cards.

Ten things your Tarot Reader may not tell you:

1.  I don't know whether the reading I will give you will be helpful or not.  I sure hope it is, but even when we have a clear understanding what we are asking and I have a clear understanding of the cards, the cards themselves may not be extremely helpful.  They may tell you what you already know and the reading can feel like a waste of time.

2.  I don't always get psychic information.  Tarot readers are not always psychic just as all psychics are not proficient in tarot.  I will occasionally get an unexpected nugget of information that comes totally out of left field, such as a time or date or other specific detail that I couldn't have known naturally, but in general I don't rely on these because they are so random.

3.  I am not a mind reader.  I cannot read your mind, so if you want to know what the cards say about a certain situation, you have to tell me about that situation.  If you hold back crucial information because you are testing my powers, you may not get important information you need.  This is because the message from the cards is filtered through my own conscious awareness, so if I don't know about it, I'm not going to address it.

4.  I want you to ask questions about your reading.  I prefer my reading clients to be actively engaged in the reading process.  I know sometimes it seems like a straightforward exchange in which you pay for a tarot reading and I deliver it, but a reading isn't like buying a cake at a bakery, it's about you and your life.  It is more akin to ordering a fine suit and having it customized and tailored to you.  I want your input during the entire process.  I love feedback, both positive and negative.

5.  You can't do what I do.  A tarot reader invests a vast amount of time, money, and energy into study of the cards and into honing their reading abilities and techniques.  I am not reciting your reading from a list of card meanings from a reference book.  Certainly anyone can do that.  I also have a knack for this and I am using my talent and gifts in reading your cards.  Everyone can sing, but that doesn't mean everyone should go on American Idol.  There's a reason I get paid for what I do. Even if you do read tarot quite skillfully yourself, I lend objectivity as well as my own unique intuitive insight to your reading that you can't give yourself.

6.  I hate when people ask for free readings.  I am a professional and I am not always on the clock.  Also, see #5.  I deserve the same respect you would afford any other professional.  Sure, if you have friends in various professions, you might ask their experienced opinion on various things, and I don't mind that, but if you wouldn't ask your doctor friend for a free exam, don't ask me for a free reading.  If I offer a free reading, that's one thing, but my services aren't usually free.

7.  Unless I advertise other services, don't assume I provide them.  Some tarot practitioners also have skills and services in other metaphysical arts but not all of us do.  Some practice astrology, numerology, reiki, magick spells, etc., but a tarot reader isn't necessarily going to have knowledge of other practices.  So if you provide a tarot reader with your astrological or numerological information, she may have no idea what to do with it. 

8.  I sometimes miss things.  The cards tell a story and I will do my best to squeeze every bit of nuance and all information I can for you out of them, but I am human and I might miss something.  So when a situation plays out in a way that, in hindsight, the cards clearly pointed to but I neglected to mention, I feel bad.  I wish I had seen that coming.  Sometimes, the cards don't warn of an event and it happens anyway.  That's not my fault.  Tarot is far from perfect.  It's like weather prediction.  Sometimes that thunderstorm moves in out of nowhere.  I am not perfect.  I can miss things. I make mistakes.

9.  I'm not going to snoop on your friends.  Don't ask me to read about your neighbors or your cousin or The Other Woman.  It's not that I can't read on their situations, I can.  But of what benefit is that to you?  How would you even know if what I am saying is true?  And how does this information help you decide what to do in your own situation?  Expect your reading to focus on you, primarily, and to help you take control of your own life by providing confirmation, affirmation, and positive suggestions for change.

10.  Don't lean on me, I'm not your crutch.  If you start ordering multiple readings from me on too many subjects, I'm going to start refusing to read for you.  The purpose of tarot reading is to empower you to both rely on your own intuition and to give you tools for making your own choices.  It is a powerful vehicle for clearing out the mental and emotional clutter and its purpose is to lend clarity.  Tarot doesn't make your decisions for you.  So if you start to feel like you "need" a reading on practically everything, that's not healthy and I will refuse to read for you until a certain amount of time has passed.

I am totally psyched about joining Donnaleigh and Theresa Reed on tomorrow night's broadcast of the award winning Beyond Worlds Tarot radio show. We will be discussing the Tarot Court and generally having a blast.  Come join the fun!

Ginny Hunt - Order in the Courts!