I had a novel experience yesterday. I was bounced from a Facebook group for being too forthcoming with my knowledge. I won't name it, but it's a very popular tarot students' site. The convenient excuse was that I was promoting my divination business, but I never did. The real reason was that I didn't fit … Continue reading “Oh, the Shame . . . “
Professional Tarot
The Name of the Game
A question frequently asked by what we might call "journeyman" tarot readers is "How can I break into professional practice on a full-time basis?" In my case, I backed into it part-time through the patronage of a metaphysical shop owner who, when she learned that I was a local diviner, invited me to work out … Continue reading The Name of the Game
The Land of 1,000 Chances
Some of you (but I'll bet not many) may remember the old Wilson Pickett song "The Land of 1,000 Dances." I'm stealing his song title, slightly modified, for this post to reflect the observation that "There are no negative cards, only opportunities." So every card in a reading, no matter how dire it seems, always … Continue reading The Land of 1,000 Chances
Musings on Another Year
I just renewed my WordPress subscription (or, more accurately, I allowed it be renewed) for another year. Thus begins my fourth year of running this blog, and I thought it would be a good time for a quick review. I've covered a lot of ground over the past 36 months, in 1,170 posts. Some of … Continue reading Musings on Another Year
A Case for Positional Spreads
I'm more than a little bemused by people who say that using formal tarot spreads "inhibits their intuition." Seems to me they're too easily diverted from their goal by undue sensitivity to the mechanics of the art; a spread is nothing more than a convenient template that offers a reasonable place to start, like an … Continue reading A Case for Positional Spreads
Thoughts on Face-to-Face Reading
In this age of instantaneous electronic communication, there are tarot readers who may never experience the stimulation (and, yes, the trepidation) of reading the cards for other people in a face-to-face setting. Usually it's a lack of confidence rather than limited opportunity that keeps them chained to remote situations where they never get to test … Continue reading Thoughts on Face-to-Face Reading
Public vs. Private – A Matter of Ethics
I was recently asked whether the missing-person readings I do were requested by the families or loved ones of the missing individuals; the implication was that I might be flouting ethical standards if I don't first obtain the "green light." I decided when I started exploring them a couple of years ago that, because these … Continue reading Public vs. Private – A Matter of Ethics
To Monetize or Not
When I started writing this blog, and in fact when I decided to start calling myself a "professional diviner" again, my conscious intent was to not attempt making a lot of money at it. After all, I retired from business ten years ago and the last thing I want is another full-time job. I'm mostly … Continue reading To Monetize or Not
Divinosaurus Recidivus
Sometimes I feel like a displaced "dinosaur," and at other times I'm more a "cosmic anomaly" like Arthur Dent - a walking anachronism on one hand and a "man-out-of-time" on the other - with one foot planted firmly in the cartomantic past and the other tentatively treading the future of the art, but with little … Continue reading Divinosaurus Recidivus
Time Bites: The Value of a Minute
Upon entering the ranks of the professional diviner, we inevitably encounter the question "How much is enough?" Time, that is, or effort expended for value received.I was once advised that, in rural New England where I lived at the time, the going rate for a face-to-face tarot reading was a dollar a minute. This was … Continue reading Time Bites: The Value of a Minute
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 