Over the last couple of months, I’ve been wondering what interests me most about the different ways we can read Tarot cards. Is it the use of Elemental Dignities that interests me? Is it the use of card counting, the Opening of the Key, or the different methods that are used to read Court cards? Or is it my Principle of Reinterpretation?
The answer, unfortunately, is no to all of the above.
This is whats been troubling me lately. Have I finally lost interest in writing about the Tarot?
Inspiration & Direction
Thankfully, like a lightning bolt, a moment of inspiration hit me and I remembered what interested me most about Tarot – and to a lesser extent, why I started blogging.
What interests me is a continuing development of my skills. I want to continually strive towards a robust approach to Tarot reading under all conditions (idealistic, I know 
). What interests me is learning through other people, hearing different opinions, reading people’s responses to the posts on Tarot Eon. What interests me is working with other people to discover a truly robust set of techniques for approaching a Tarot reading.
What is a robust approach?
For me, a robust approach to a Tarot reading is an approach that utilizes a variety of conflicting techniques; conflicting techniques that can be wielded by the reader to handle any unforeseen circumstance. A robust approach to me, is one that allows a Tarot reader to adapt to the reading with confidence and knowledge – confident that they are using the right ‘tool’ for the job. Essentially, a robust approach, is one that is flexible enough to adapt to unforeseen circumstances, while still allowing the reader to decide, and use, the most ‘meaningful’ or ‘structured’ techniques available for that particular reading.
There are many tools, but only one job
Each technique that we learn as Tarot readers is awesome. There are no ‘bad’ techniques. There are only the right tools for the job.
Each Tarot reading (the job) is unique, and we have to understand what tools are appropriate for a particular job. Now, there are thousands of ways to approach a Tarot reading, but some ways are better than others. This is the art of being a good Tarot reader; this is the craftsman’s approach. One tool does not work for all jobs.
…and this is what interests me the most. I’m interested in becoming a craftsman – someone who knows what the right tools are for a particular job, and how to use them well. Someone who takes pride in the small details, the creative details; those details that will be invisible to all but a handful of clients. This is the mark of a great craftsman, and this is the mark of a great Tarot reader.
A professional who practices a craft with great skill – a professional whose work is consistently of high quality
— Definition of a craftsman
How do we become Craftsman?
I have no idea
But, we have to start somewhere … right?
This is what I propose. Every so often, I’ll post a quiz, asking each of you what you think is the best technique to use, given the circumstances. I’ll start this series of posts with some simple questions to begin with, and get progressively more challenging. Now, here’s the exciting part for me … I won’t always have an opinion. I won’t always know the right answer (not that I think that such a thing exists anyway). I’ll be learning right along side you, developing my skill set with each quiz.
I’ll also write a follow-up, detailing the trends that develop in the comments section.
I don’t know how many of these I’ll actually write. It all depends on the popularity of the quiz
1st Quiz
Okay, let’s kick start this idea with a quick quiz.
Situation:
The Tarot reader is being asked to divine the health of the client’s husbands. It turns out the husband is seriously ill, and the client wants to know if he’ll make a full recovery.
What is the best way to handle this? Is it…
- Tell the client that it’s unethical for you to answer?
- Look at the distribution of the Elements. The more Fire cards in the future, the more vitality her husband will have?
- Look towards traditional cards of healing, such as the Sun, Star, or 9 of Wands. If they aren’t present, tell the client her husband will get worse? If they are, tell the client, her husband will get better?
- Look towards cards of poor health, such as the Tower, Death, 10 of Swords, 3 of Swords, 4 of Swords etc. If they are present, tell the client her husband will get worse?
- If the cards clearly indicate good health, or bad health, will you tell the client?
- …something other than the above?
Remember, there are no right answers. What we are trying to do, is figure out the most robust approach to a situation like the one described above. I’d love to hear all your thoughts, comments and views on this. Maybe, this kind of open discussion will help all of us to become better Tarot readers I’ll see you in the comments 
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25 comments… Let's discuss
I try not to judge what my clients ask. Some readers may feel it is unethical to ask about another person who is not present or to ask about health – but I believe that I am there to serve the client, no matter what or how they ask a question, provided I do not try to take the role of doctor, lawyer, therapist or other professioanl advice that I am not licensed to give. I always refer a client to the appropriate professional.
That being said, I would look for cards that indicated poor health or a recovery and give an honest interpretation to the best of my abilities. I would also inform the client that I am NOT a doctor and encourage her to have her husband continue with the current program of care and to refer to his doctor for proper diagnosis and prognosis.
Great question Doug. I look forward to the next one!
Theresa
Hi Theresa,
I agree! Being able to refer a client to the appropriate professional is something that experience has taught me to be a vital component of a Tarot readers arsenal.
I remember one of the first Tarot readings I did, when I worked for a psychic phone company. The client was a male who wanted to commit suicide. This was a wake up call to me that a Tarot reader needs to have a list of appropriate agencies, and their telephone numbers, in order to refer a client to the appropriate professional.
…having the ability to provide this information makes me sleep better at night
I like this idea, Doug. I also like people who like to learn alongside others. It’s the exchange and sharing of perspective which helps all benefit. So, back to topic…
My gut reaction is to inform the client that I am not qualified to determine health issues, through tarot or otherwise. I would tell the client, however, that I would be willing to help the client explore some ways, through tarot, for the husband (and perhaps also client) to deal with his condition. What kinds of attitudes to adopt and/or what strengths to draw upon.
This way, I am protecting myself (as the unqualified-to-give-advice-about-health-issues reader) but I am not ignoring the concerns of the client. I feel my path as a reader is to help guide others explore possibilities and bring to light a perspective they may not have considered.
[Theresa brings up an interesting point that interests me particularly. I wonder if there are attorneys who are also tarot readers? Probably from a professional responsibility standpoint, it would be against the code of conduct to give advice to a client based on anything other than the letter of the law. Still, I can imagine that it would be interesting to be able to combine the 2.]
Hi Kafka’s Ghost,
Interesting answer. This is very similar to other people’s comments. Is re-wording the question, the most bulletproof approach, the best strategy, the most robust method we can use to help the client?
It’s a really interesting approach because it does protect both you and the client. It does create an environment in which a positive outcome can be had by all. By discussing what the client can do to help her husband, we are putting the power back in the clients hands – effectively, helping her to think about what she can do on a day-to-day level
Helen mentioned an important point concerning the consequences of making a prediction! It does make me question if making a prediction causes more harm than good?
I couldn’t say if making predictions are more harmful or helpful but it may put an idea into the Querent’s head and I wish to avoid that. I like the pro-active approach, and focusing on the present moment (which invariably shapes the future). Put the power into the Querent’s hands and they are apt to feel less helpless.
Jenn’s suggestion about zooming in and out of the card meanings is also a great idea.
Douglas – I think you have an awesome idea with the thought provoking questions and exchange of ideas! I’m looking forward to learning from all of the perspectives that emerge, and as you said, building up a sense of what “tools” are right for given situations.
I would perform the reading, but as Theresa mentioned I would make sure to discuss with the client the fact that as a reader I am no substitute for a medical (or other) professional.
I tend to see readings as a “sampling” of the energy present in a given situation, and usually try to zoom in or out to an appropriate perspective from which to sample for a reading.
For example, in this case – even though I would be answering a question about the woman’s husband’s health – I would “zoom out” a bit and do a reading on things going on in the life of the couple for the time frame beginning before the illness began and going forward to a reasonable point in the future. (Hopefully symmetric, unless the illness began years earlier…) I would expect to get a sense of the energy of their life before the illness, and a sense of the energy surrounding the illness. That way, I could look for a change in the energy of the illness indicating either a return to life as (more or less) normal, or a turn for the worst. Also, knowing how the cards represent the physical sickness would tell me what frame of reference to use to identify the physical healing.
For me personally, doing a reading that focused exclusively on the illness and the prospect of getting better or not might end up picking up on the energy of the attitudes/fears/perceptions/denial of the client (or her husband) rather than the energy of the sickness instead – so I’d want to see it contextualized in order to try and get a calibration on the whole situation.
Cheers!
Jenn
Hi TarotChamber
Thank you! I’m also looking forward to reading other people’s perspectives. I think having an open discussion on all the available tools and when best to use them, will help us all with our ‘craft’.
I liked how you described your approach with a reading of this nature. In particular, how you “zoom in, or out” in order to understand how the cards are representing health and illness. I think this a great overview of a technique, or approach when trying to answer a question of this type.
Do you think it’s worthwhile, exploring (as a side post) some techniques that can be used should we decide to answer the client?
Thank you!
I definitely feel that it would be worthwhile exploring as a side post different approaches that could be used for readings like this.
Another thing I’ve wondered about a bit, and have some ideas about but not a great answer for, is whether there’s a way to practice and identify good techniques without undergoing the risks mentioned by others here. A way to hone skills and test predictive abilities without putting clients (or even volunteers for that matter) in the position of either unnecessary fear or inappropriate hope would be fantastic. I’d be interested to test and see some kind of conclusive result about the nature of and potential for prediction. What do you and everyone else think?
I think one is treading on dangerous ground when you start to give an opinion allbeit through the cards on a medical condition. (or financial, legal etc.) However it would probably serve better to reform the question into something more proactive like “What can I do to help my husband’s recovery” etc. Now I may sound old fashioned to all you readers out there, but a tarot reader is not qualified (unless they are) to offer opinions on peoples health. I have client who had a reading from someone else on the question of her mother and she was told that she would die last year – she spent the whole of the year worrying about a possibility that never happened, her mother is recovered, alive and well…. I guess that’s my point.
Hi Helen,
You make a really good point.
The power a Tarot reader has to influence the client is sometimes (I’m guilty of this) over looked. When we get it wrong, how much damage do we cause?
I personally don’t trust my intuition and reading abilities enough (yet) to read that kind of question. If I did attempt to read for that specific question, I would be sure to add several disclaimers to my reading: I’m not a doctor, nothing is set in stone, this is a possible outcome, things may change (for better or for worse), but perhaps the cards can provide some guidance… The predictive value of such cards might be low (at least for a reader like me) but I think the cards could still positively influence the client. If the reading indicated improved health (with the caveat that such things can be temporary, illusory, or unrealized alternate futures), that could provide some hope or at least encourage the client and the patient to be optimistic and treasure the good aspects in life. If the reading indicated worsening health (again with the same caveats), it might encourage the client and the patient to be more proactive about the treatement, or to at least treasure the present since no one knows what the future holds.
Most likely, though, I would take an approach like Helen’s above–say that a doctor would be more qualified to offer a prognosis, and then see if the client would like other questions to be answered: What can she do to help her husband during this time, what does she need to know/do to help herself cope with the situation, what might both of them learn from this situation, etc.
Hi Ret,
Even with experience, questions like these can make a Tarot reader uncomfortable.
I don’t like being asked questions like this. I think, in many ways, this is because I don’t want to be put in a position of accountability. Does this indicate a flaw in character, or does it indicate something else?
If we trusted our intuition more, would it make it any easier?
I, for one, am unsure. At various points throughout my career, I’ve thought along similar lines to you, and other times, I’ve thought differently.
What if there was some technique that could be learned, or some technical approach to reading the cards that could greatly improve the accuracy of our interpretations? Would we answer then?
This is what being a craftsman is all about – working on our ‘craft’ to the point were we can confidently use the most robust methods, and strategies, to handle any type of situation a Tarot reader may find themselves in. I find this whole concept really exciting.
Perhaps, trying to work out the best techniques, if we choice to answer, could be the subject for another post?
However, you’re right! Confidence does play a huge role in this type of situation.
Is having a disclaimer the most bulletproof approach with a question like this? Does it help the client more … or less?
Ok, great question and here goes my very garbled and ‘confused answer’. I think that the querent’s answer is always there in the cards and that the cards are a conduit. Ultimately I think that one reads the cards ‘intuitively’ as opposed to ‘rationally’ obviously, and not according to ‘set guides’ I think we can get lost in too much ‘detail’. An interesting example, my aunt who is 92 has been reading the cards (‘ordinary’ playing cards, not Tarot; interestingly enough she is rather fearful of Tarot cards. I gave her a set in November and she gave it back!) since she was 6!!! I asked her how she got into it and she said that my Grandfather (Italian) had the cards read regularly and that she’d listen in on the sessions! When she fell ill as a little girl and had to spend a long time in bed she asked for a pack of cards which she ‘played with’ and eventually told my Grandmother that she’d end up in hospital (again) in the same ward she’d been in and suffering from a different complaint. My Grandmother told her that if she didn’t stop ‘messing about’ with the cards she’d take them away from her. Needless to say her ‘predictions’ came true and she has been reading the cards ever since. Cards that have no ‘images’ (like the RW ones, for instance) except for the court cards.
I’m a Tarot beginner. Unlike my Aunt I love the Tarot. I collect decks. I have read as many books as I can lay my hands on, visited as many websites I can find and this year attended my first Tarot event (which I enjoyed); talked to a few ‘specialists’ for want of a better word and had a few readings. I have started to read the cards to a few friends. (They come back for more!) All I know is that when confronted with the cards, there on the table, I forget (ie my mind goes blank of its own accord) about elements, lay outs etc. Sometimes I’m unhappy about this because I somehow feel that I’m not ‘doing it right’…..
To go back to the question (!) the part what to tell the client…I think that intuition, humility, commom sense, decency and ‘psychology’ should all be ‘deployed’ !
Yeah, I know, a crap answer!
Cheers,
Fiona
Hi Fiona,
No, I think that’s a great answer … balanced, and fair
As for your mind going blank, that’s perfectly natural. It happens all the Tarot reader that I know.
For almost all the readings I do, I can only remember one or two of the divinatory meanings associated with the cards. Once I started to accept this, I noticed that my readings started to improve.
I agree!
I have to say “something other than the above”. I would take the reading out of the predictive category and move it into the “What do we need to know?” category. I do read for third parties that are connected with the Seeker I am reading for, asking for the permission of their Higher Self before doing so.
Hi Bonnie,
Thank you for sharing your methods with the rest of us. I’m really interested with your method of asking permission of their Higher Self. Do you find this helps with your connection with the client/cards?
Hi Douglas.
I have been reading with interest your question and the comments you have received so far.
Many good points have been made.
I personally don’t read about health issues and I state so in my code of ethics, which is posted on my web site for my clients to read.
Nonetheless once in a while someone asks me to, and I apologetically say no. I have several reasons.
I can be wrong in my interpretation and cause unnecessary grief to my client.
It may be a risky thing to do legally.
But the main reason is, I honestly don’t want to get into the energy around such heavy questions. I have always picked up other people’s emotions easily.
Over twenty years ago, when I was already reading Tarot for my-self and some friends, a neighbor I had known for most of my life asked me about her nephew. He had just received a horrible diagnosis. At that time I was too young and naive to even think about ethics and legal issues. What I felt clearly then was the anguish and the fear in my friend’s voice. It was more than I could bear. I told her I wished her nephew all the best, but I didn’t feel qualified to give her an answer. Recently, I had someone ask me for an appointment over the phone. Her son had cancer. He had young children, she wanted to know if he was going to make it. Even over the phone the pain was too much for me.
This being said, there have been a few occasions when I was the one who wanted to know.
In those cases I have looked for those cards that indicate healing and vitality, while dreading those that indicate pain, suffering and decline.
One tool that I would suggest is to not let the client touch the cards. It is my experience that when clients have a lot at stake their fears can influence the cards. In such cases I cut the cards or I ask them numbers and pick them that way.
Anna
Hi Anna,
It sounds like you’re an empath. Correct me if I’m wrong, but what you’ve described sounds to me like you experience empathy very naturally – perhaps overpoweringly?
I can certainly understand why you would want to avoid “heavy” questions. Empaths often experience other people’s emotions and health issues – such as body pains, headaches etc.
Part of being a great Tarot reader is figuring out what our boundaries are. It seems to me, in your case, that any client that invokes a strong emotional connection, in my opinion, should be avoided.
Thanks for sharing
In line with my personal ethics, I would not read on this specific question as it relates to a health issue and to a third party. That said, I would still be able to offer the client insight using the Tarot cards by rephrasing the question to “What does [client] need to know about her husband’s health?” (similar to what Bonnie suggested). I would create a spread which looked at how she can manage her own well-being as well as support her husband through this difficult time.
For me, I see Tarot as a spiritual counselling tool and one which can be used for personal empowerment so I like to gear my readings towards this. I don’t believe in a pre-determined future, so I wouldn’t be inclined to say that her husband’s health is going to go in a particular direction, etc. I’d much prefer to focus on how they can support each other.
Hi Biddy,
Thanks for sharing your methods for reading a health question.
I’ve noticed that several people who have commented also feel the same way. The rephrasing of the question, for instance, is something that several people actually do. Also, there is a move away from predictive Tarot, towards spiritual counselling. This trend, it seems to me, is all about empowering the client.
Empowering the client is something that I’m in full agreement with.
I would have to decline the reading and refer the client to a doctor. I do not do readings on issues regarding health.
If lets say I did do a reading I pick #5,
If the cards clearly indicate good health, or bad health, will you tell the client?
I would be honest in the reading and say what is there and also refer them to a doctor.
Hi Angelo,
Is this for ethical reasons? Or perhaps something else?
This is a straight answer, and I appreciate that
Douglas – you know you just RULE, right?
I would not choose any of the above. I am an astrologer, dowser, herbalist and energy healer along with being a tarot reader. So I would likely consider astrology first, followed by tarot to narrow what I see astrologically, and dowse specifics. I would look at how ill/well he is, and also to look for anything that can change the direction toward health (though I need to be careful legally that I only give historic uses for herbs that could be verified by the medical community if need be – I regard myself as a teacher, and cannot diagnose and cannot treat). If health care professionals are needed, that is also examined. Upon implementing all of that, we can see the chances of success with the arrive-at program, and do the best we can. I feel like readings ought not to be powerless (i.e. will my husband get well?) I feel it is much better to be able to act (i.e. how can my husband ensure the best possible chances of wellness?) – see the difference?
Love the ethical discussion and different approaches to this issue. As a novice (no clients, just patient friends), I am prepared to explore questions re. a third party as they relate to the seeker, eg. “How will my husband’s health impact on our family?”, but then I’m not accepting their money and I do also discuss limits of both the information gained from the cards and my ability to interpret what may be right there in front of me!
What really interests me when it comes to readers not wanting to cover health in their readings is that I’ve always felt that readings typically relate to the issues that are significant or dominating the seeker’s thoughts (whether they like it or not, and regardless of what they’ve asked about)… so surely health is going to come up in readings, regardless of whether or not the reader feels prepared to cover this topic?
On a side note, I’ve also recently pondered what card combinations might point to mental illness, if anyone has any suggestions.
Thanks
Hi Tracey,
As for indicators of mental illness, the first cards that came to mind for me were:
The Moon, The Magician–Reversed, 7 of Cups, and then the 8 and 9 of Swords
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