When I returned to professional reading at a local New Age shop a couple of years ago, the proprietress gave me a piece of good advice: the tarot contains a few trump cards that really throw sitters for a loop if they pop up unheralded as the "outcome" in a reading, especially if those clients … Continue reading The Nasties
Professional Tarot
Psychoactive Tarot
Every once in a while on the tarot forums, someone asks whether it's helpful (or even wise) to attempt reading the cards while under the influence of psychoactive "substances," whether drugs or alcohol. The thrust of the question usually revolves around the perceived loosening of cognitive strictures that may create a more fluid intuitive climate … Continue reading Psychoactive Tarot
Gilding the Weed
I'm often amused by the earnest claims of professional diviners who trumpet how "accurate" they are, as if being "right" surpasses being "helpful" in their interaction with their clientele. Since I have yet to see a workable empirical model that everyone can agree on for measuring the accuracy of our readings, much less practice in … Continue reading Gilding the Weed
Signs, Signs . . .
"Everything is a sign." (Yoav Ben-Dov, The Open Reading) As a life-long student of all things occult (even though I've gained no more than a nodding acquaintance with some of them), I've formed definite opinions about the "inner workings" of divination. In a shamanistic sense, what we're looking for are "signs" that point toward intimations … Continue reading Signs, Signs . . .
A Good Question
There is a wide range of opinion and much debate on whether any conceivable request can be brought to the tarot. Some say you can't answer simple "yes-or-no" questions in a straightforward way with it because its answers are too conditional and nuanced. Other believe you should steer well clear of anything that could create … Continue reading A Good Question
Crossing the Line
There is mixed opinion in the tarot community about whether it's necessary for a reader (at least in a face-to-face setting) to know exactly what a sitter wants before attempting a reading. Some ask the sitter to tell them the specific question, others want to know as little as possible in advance. My early tarot … Continue reading Crossing the Line
Are We Having Fun Yet?
I guess you could call me an "accidental professional." Will I read for the public, for pay? Sure, if the circumstances are right. Do I obsess about getting paid for my efforts? Not by a long shot. I learned to read the cards - and to cast and interpret horoscopes and geomantic charts - mainly … Continue reading Are We Having Fun Yet?
Cheap Shots #29: Faith, Hope and . . . Disparity
I sometimes wonder how those of us who practice divination - especially those for whom "faith" is not the normal mode of approach to all things spiritual - reconcile what we believe to be true about our pursuits and what we're able to confirm as truth. The gap (the "disparity" of the title) between what … Continue reading Cheap Shots #29: Faith, Hope and . . . Disparity
“Cheap Shots” #22: Tough Talk
I've written on the topic of tarot professionalism before (see Volume 3 - Issue 2 of The Cartomancer), but recent forum exchanges bring me back to the subject. What might be termed the "journeyman class" of tarot readers- those who have been reading for family and friends for some time - is strongly tempted to … Continue reading “Cheap Shots” #22: Tough Talk
Professional Ethics
The assurance of ethical conduct during tarot readings is a persistent source of anxiety for readers just starting out in professional practice. Government jurisdictions that have anti-fortune-telling laws on the books make it that much more stressful. When I began reading publicly in a professional setting, I crafted a set of ground-rules for myself that … Continue reading Professional Ethics
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 