As a card reader, or anyone who gives advice or guidance for that matter, you have to keep in mind that main focus during a reading is the person you are reading for, the client. I doesn't matter how trivial you think of the subject. You don’t matter! Your client is paying you to give them insight. If you don't keep that in mind, you tarnish your credibility and erode the trust with your client. They may even stop the reading or ask for their money back. What’s worse, they tell their friends about how awful you were.
Keeping focus on the client’s concerns is especially crucial with a "cold" reading sessions. These are readings with clients that you have not read before – They are complete strangers. But, you run the gambit with new clients. They may never had a reading before. They might be scared or apprehensive – They don’t know what to expect. Or, they have had a reading once before. They might already have someone they go to regularly and they wanted to just give you a try and are comparing you to their regular reader. You never know after the reading whether they will tell their friends or family about you, be it good or bad. But, you want to give a good impression, even if you may not have connected with the client.
Like the clients you encounter, their concerns will vary, but again – keep your personal opinions out! You may ask if you can interject, but never, ever overlay your concerns over what is their reading unsolicited. You are nothing but a tool, a conduit for information that is meant for your client. That information doesn't always come through as positive, however, and, although I don’t recommend “sugar coating” it, it is best to deliver the message the best possible way with the utmost consideration. Whenever, negative sounding info comes through, I always append it with the fact they, the client, have the power to change the outcome.
Free Readings Equals Practice
Back when I was considering starting up a reading business with my two friends Yvette and Tina, we spent a lot of time practicing and getting familiar with reading the Tarot. We would read the cards for one another for practice, but the readings always concerned with the same topics and we knew what to say to one another. We just weren't professional enough with one another. It was no longer challenging, neither were we learning. So, we decided to practice on strangers, or people we did not know very well, for free.
It didn't feel right to charge when we weren't experienced readers. I was comfortable and could easily interpret the cards in various spreads. After all, I had been reading and studying the cards since I was barely a teen. But, I knew that I needed more practice in weaving “the story” of the reading. Tina could interpret the cards and rarely needed to consult a book or some other reference during a reading. The one thing I noticed about her style was her delivery. She spoke with a tone that didn't convey confidence, and every now and again she would utter the phrases “Oh, I don’t know”, “I guess” or “What do you think?”. If I were a paying customer, I wouldn't be confident in her either. Tina needed to stop second-guessing herself and be more at ease and talk from a position of authority, but in a friendly manner. All in all, I didn't worry much about my prospects of working with Tina. But, after seeing Yvette read, I knew that there was more work to get her ready.
Just Like Coffee, If You’re Green, You’re not Ready…
Yvette was the total opposite to Tina when it came to reading. Yvette had only started reading within the last year, and she had just barely started to become more comfortable doing reading. But, she had an overly confident, arrogant and loud style as if she knew with certainty what was about to unfold in someone’s life. In addition, she was brusque and, yes, inconsiderate in some of the readings that I had witnessed. Yet, for as confident and certain as she came across initially, she would counter it all with what she would do as the reading progressed. She would often whip out a book and search for an interpretation, and sometime read it to the client. She would call out to me or Tina ask what a card or its position in the spread meant. She, like Tina would say “Oh, I don’t know”, “I guess”, “I’m not sure what this means…”, etc. It just all came back to the fact that she was not comfortable and wasn't ready to deal with the public. If I were a client, all my confidence in her would evaporate.
She was still too “green”. Many times, I told her that calling out to me or Tina, or looking up a card or a position in front of a client was damaging to her credibility. I even posed as a client to help her, but she wouldn't “play” along and, like usual, ask me questions. Keeping in character, I would replied, “What do you mean? I thought you were card reader. I came to you for some advice. Now, you’re asking me to do your job?!” Ironically, she was the one who insisted that we actually charge. But, after showing her where she needed improvement, she relented.
But, one reading that Yvette will always stick out the most in my mind. Not only did what was “predicted” come to pass, but Yvette’s insensitivity towards the subject always reminds me of whom the reading is for – THE CLIENT.
The Reading that Unfortunately Came True
The one place that we frequented was a small casino and card room north of Seattle. Tina’s boyfriend at the time worked there as a dealer during the late night. We would arrive sometime around midnight shortly before he would get off work and as we waited we would read for the employees for free during their breaks.
One blonde female employee with classes had Yvette read her cards. From the looks of it the employee looked both skeptical and anxious at the same time, but went ahead and sat down. As Yvette read her cards, there was an indication that she would separate from her partner. When Yvette saw that Yvette went on and on about he would probably cheat on her and a host of other things he would “most likely” do to sabotage their relationship.
Little did the shocked employee know, but Yvette at the time was having relationship issues with her own boyfriend. There had been incidences of infidelity between the two and Yvette brought that into the reading.
As I stated above, the reading is for the client. It is not a soapbox for the reader!
All the while, I felt for the employee. In some way Yvette thought she was “helping” by acting sympathetic with her own relationship woes, but from the look on the employee’s face it only made her more anxious. And, Yvette was so wrapped up in her reading that she failed to notice. In fact, I don’t believe that she noticed the impact of her wild readings on her “clients”.
I don’t remember going to the casino any more after that reading. Maybe it was because Tina and I thought that Yvette would ruin our reputations and we still had not even got our names out as readers. Nevertheless, we would find out that we were no longer welcome there.
During one of Tina’s boyfriend’s days off he told use about the blonde female employee that Yvette read that one night. Yvette’s prediction had come true! She and her husband did separate. But, it wasn’t via divorce or trial separation. In fact, her husband was depressed that he committed suicide!
Tina’s boyfriend noted how insensitive Yvette was during the reading and how she was rather embarrassing even when she wasn’t reading. He mentioned that the other employees also noted and that they were now scared to have anything to do with tarot readings.
If I haven’t said it enough, treat the other person that you are reading for with utmost respect. Respect their concerns in a semi-detached manner, but DO NOT dismiss even the most innocuous concern. It is about their lives that you are reading for – NOT YOURS! Gain their trust and they will tell friends and family where they can go to get great advice and insight. Treat them like they are guests on “Jerry Springer”, and they will ruin your reputation faster than you can shuffle your deck of Tarot cards.
[Images are copyright their respective owners.]
