PREVENTING TAROT RE-READING IN 11 STEPS

As a reader, do you ever feel like you are having trouble connecting to either the cards OR the querent in a Tarot Reading? Do you often find yourself wanting to scrap that initial reading and completely start over? Well here is WHY you SHOULDN’T! I am also including the method to Preventing Tarot Re-Reading in 11 Steps. They are just some ways that you can go into that very first spread you flip for your querent confidently so that both you and your querent can get the most value out of the reading you are providing for them!


STOP STARTING THAT TAROT READING OVER!
Be weary of starting over in a reading! My tarot teacher and mentor taught me that if you keep doing this, you are enabling the querent to second guess you, and most importantly this makes you second guess yourself. There are important things in every reading, and most often than not, the cards you pull the first time is the right message… it’s all about pulling your interpretation out of the cards confidently and TRUSTING in our intuitive abilities… If you are having a block with the querent, it doesn’t mean the cards you pulled aren’t the right ones for them… The cards are always the right ones. Maybe in this case, you have to go into Hanged Man mode, and look at things from a different perspective. Don’t be so quick to give up because you are not personally vibing with the spread… the reading is not about you… make sure you keep your ego at the door! By ditching a reading, you could quite possibly be preventing the querent from getting the messages they truly were meant to hear, regardless of the relevancy the cards hold in relation to the questions they asked. 


PREVENTING TAROT RE-READING IN 11 STEPS
1. Test the Waters. 
Get a feel for their personality right off the bat. Before you start the reading, ask them some questions like “Have you ever had a tarot reading before?” or “What do you expect to gain from this reading?” You should be able to sense if their intentions are true, or if they are jaded and just trying to test you to prove their own skepticism. Basically once you are able to make this judgement call, then you can either kindly tell them that you don’t perform readings for people who are expecting you to prove anything… this isn’t a magic show, this is you trying to provide them with the insight they need to solve their problems. OR if you sense that their intentions are pure and they really need the help, then proceed with the next step.

2. Disclose your code of ethics. 
It is important to make your querent aware of your boundaries right off the bat. What kind of readings will you perform, what kind of readings will you NOT perform? What kind of psychic are you? Tell them what you are or aren’t capable of… if they are looking to connect with a loved one who has passed on, and you do not commune with the dead, then maybe your services are not the type they are looking for. What kind of questions will you NOT answer? Maybe ones about Death, Health, etc. They should seek medical professionals for these things… There are ethics we need to put in place when handling other people’s issues, because at the end of this reading, we are completely liable for any actions they might do as a result of what we tell them.

3. The Question. 
The question is THE MOST important part of this reading and the reason why they’re even visiting you in the first place, right? Most querents will come to you and have no idea what to even ask, they might just ask for a “general reading”. This could be what is preventing you from getting clear information out of the cards, because if the querent isn’t clear on their intention, then how can they expect you to be? It is our job as the professional to HELP the querent form their question so you can better direct your energy into the cards. First ask them what they are here to discuss with you today, and throw some options out to them: love, finance, career, help with a choice they need to make, etc.  Then once you have a general idea they need to go in, then you can kind of figure out the type of spread you will do for them, and the question you can ask the cards to get the best answer.  Keep in mind, yes or no questions like “Will I: Get Married, Ace the Test, Have a Baby, Win the Lottery?… ” and so on, are no best suited for the tarot. The Tarot is not like an 8 ball, it is a much more complex system that is designed to DESIGN the future, not so much predict it. And keep in mind, we are also only human, and can’t be held liable for any predictions we make, because we could in fact be very wrong. Instead of a question like “Will I marry that person?”, try angling it more like “What is preventing me from being able to marry that person, and what can I do to manifest my desire to marry that person?” … You see the difference? It is important to ask questions that will enable us to take concrete actions toward manifesting the life of our dreams. We are responsible for our own actions and inactions. It’s often never as simple as a yes or a no.

4. The Spread 
The spread is probably the next most important thing besides the question, because it is the spread that will really determine the root of the issue, the course of actions the querent should take to remedy the situation, and the possible outcomes of said situation. Spreads can also work to give an overall assessment of a person, or to work to align them in Mind, Body, or Spirit. There are different spreads for different things, and it is really important to use spreads that you are comfortable with when you are first starting out. In other words, do not go attempting a Celtic Cross right off the bat. These spreads known as one of the most popular, but not ideal for someone who is just getting accustomed to the tarot. I would stick with a simple 3-4 card spread, because you can really get a lot of information out of these 3 or 4 cards ALONE. One of the most basic spreads you can do is Problem/Action/Possible Outcome if Action not Taken/possible Outcome if Action IS taken. Or you can do a Mind/Body/Spirit spread. There are also spreads you can do if you need clarification on a choice with a  spread like Benefits of Option1/Option2/Option3 , and lay a card out for each option the querent may be presented with. You can really get creative with these, but keep the amount of cards per spread to a minimum to avoid confusion and overwhelm.

5. Connect to Source 
Not everyone is spiritual or religious or has a deity or higher power that they pray to or believe in. Keep this in mind before starting your reading. Be sure to ask your querent if they would like to take this time before you start shuffling, to connect with any high power they might feel will protect them, guide them, and offer the best possible insight to them, during their reading. If so, take this time to say a quick little affirmation, for example, “Archangel Michael, please protect my reading with _____ today, surround us in 100% love and light, and give us the most positive insight in order to clarify the question they are seeking answers to today”,etc. It can be as fancy as simple as you like. If the querent doesn’t connect to anyone specific, then just close your eyes a moment, and do a quick little protection prayer or affirmation in your head, light your candle, light your incense, surround your deck in the smoke, etc. Place your crystals around. Make this the most sacred space you possibly can before proceeding with the reading.

6. Flipping the Cards 
Upon flipping the cards it is really important to view the spread as a whole first, before diving into the meaning of each card in its position and relaying the information to the querent. What do you notice first and what jumps out at you the most? Is it heavy in a certain suit (is it mostly cups? swords? pentacles? wands?) This alone can tell you where their energy is being directed. For example: If it’s a swords heavy spread, maybe they spend a lot of time in their own head, and this could be causing a blockage in enabling them to take action. What else do you notice? Is it mostly Court Cards? Maybe that means there are A LOT of people in their life that are surrounding this issue. Are they most Major Arcana cards? Maybe this is a really significant time in the querent’s life, and this decision they need to make is one that determines the course of the next chapter of their life.  Don’t be afraid to go into your reading with a pad and a pencil to take note of any elements that pop out at you and refer to them throughout the reading to maintain a sense of organization while consulting your querent.

7. Consulting Your Querent 
After your initial observation of the spread as a whole, and taking note of any elements that stick out at you, you can begin to take note of each card as an individual and how it relates to the other cards in the spread. It is important at this time to read left to right, or top to bottom as you would with written text, in order to maintain a sense of organization and focus. As you cover the grounds of each card, it is important to first explain to the querent what the card COULD mean in a generic sense, and then you should ask them if any of these qualities resonate with them. If they do resonate with them, then you know that you are on the right track and you should elaborate on the messages you feel the card have pertaining to them.

If the card does not resonate with them, then try to go into your Hanged Man mode and try looking at the card from another perspective. Perhaps look at the other cards around it for any influencing characteristics. Pull ideas from other cards and try to create possible scenarios the querent could be experiencing. If they are still not resonating, move on to the next card. Repeat the process of explaining the possible meanings, ask them if any of these resonate with them, if yes then elaborate, if not then look for other symbols within the other cards to give more insight, etc.

The Spread as a whole, should feel like one cohesive storyline from start to finish, checking in at each card along the way, making sure your querent is identifying with any or all of this information. Maybe the story is not so much what is currently going on in their lives specifically, but just a fable designed to teach them a valuable lesson or force them to open their minds to a totally different and refreshing perspective.

8. Forming a Plan of Action
After divulging all of the information there is to gather out of the cards, it is important to help the querent come up with some concrete actions they can take to get closer to their dreams, goals, and aspirations. A tarot reading is a great way to acknowledge the things that are holding our querent back so then we can better help them work around them. It is our job as the reader, to really be in tune with the strengths and weaknesses that are made clear to us about the querent, through the messages in the cards. Maybe you can help them come up with a list of the things they need to do to remedy their situation. Maybe some of your advice includes having them schedule an appointment with a licensed therapist, licensed medical professional, financial advisor, or someone else who can help them take that next step in getting their lives together.

We are often step 1 as readers, we are the KEY to their self-realization and their ability to acknowledge WHAT needs to be done. We are also there to help them figure out HOW it can get done and sometimes that involves suggesting that they seek a professional in the field they need assistance in. For example: I have read cards for many a querent who had a failing or unbalanced marriage, or someone who was inquiring about whether they should or shouldn’t make a big purchase, and I have even read for those who just needed confidence in their ability to make a big life choice. Putting my ego aside and the need to feel like I had to be the one with the answer to ALL of their problems, I would often suggest professional marriage counseling, financial advising, and even had someone reach out to a vocal coach to go for their dreams of being an entertainer. Once we can give our querent the confidence to make that first leap of picking up the phone and scheduling that appointment, we know we have truly done our job as an intuitive guide.

9. Acceptance
Also sometimes during a reading, a querent will tell you that they want answers to one question, but the cards might want you to address some much deeper issues that they might not be ready to address at this moment. This might make them appear more standoffish or tell you the cards don’t make sense in conjunction to the question they asked, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the cards that you pulled are wrong for them. They just simply might not be ready to discuss the more pressing matters that the cards want to jump into. That can often leave us readers with a sense that we didn’t truly give the reading we know we should have given. That leads us to acceptance.

Some querents just won’t gel with anything you have to say, and while that is certainly frustrating, that is perfectly ok. We have to keep in mind that we cannot possible please everyone, or help people who truly do not want to be helped, and most of those are the people are are still CHOOSING to swim in those murky waters of self-doubt and denial. Self-awareness is the #1 thing we all need before making the conscious decision to make any changes for the better. Some people are simply not ready, and that really is not OUR responsibility. Our responsibility as readers is to help those who truly want to be helped and are ready to take the steps needed to make positive shifts and changes in their lives. And if someone is just coming to you for a reading to test you, or have you prove your gifts of insight to them… tell them to go elsewhere. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

10. Feedback 
It is important as reader and someone who is working to help others make positive changes in their lives, to get feedback, whether it is positive or negative. Feedback helps us realize what we need to do to make our services better, things we need to do more of, things we need to do less of, etc. Upon concluding your reading, ask the querent some thought provoking questions like “What did you expect going your reading with me today? What lessons did you learn from all of the information you gathered from your reading with me today? And What concrete actions are you now aware that you have to take to begin making the positive changes in your life?

11. Follow Up
How many readings to you do where the person pays you and you never hear from them again? How will we ever know how our readings have effected those who have come to us for help if we don’t continue to reach out? It is important to follow up with your clients… a few weeks to a month is a good time to do so. This gives them some time to implement the changes you have helped them form with your concrete plan of action after your initial reading with them. Check in with them, see where they’re at, and if they have made the changes necessary then they will be excited to tell you about it! These instances are great for you to use as testimonials on your website, with their permission of course.

I hope this helps, and remember to remain confident in your abilities and don’t give the querent the power to allow you to second guess yourself. We aren’t here to predict anyone’s future… we are here to help them DESIGN IT! 
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Justina
xoxo

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