Face to face reading...online.

Okay...so the pros/cons/rants against/rants for doing Tarot readings over the internet via e-mail have been tossed back and forth aplenty.

On the one side it's basically, "You don't know true Tarot reading until you start reading for strangers face to face. Reading via e-mail is cowardly and lacking in value."

On the other side it's "Some people are simply better with the written word than speaking face to face...plus you can take more time with your reading and make it more complete. AND both the sitter and the reader can be in the comfort of their own homes."

There are other arguments from both sides, I know, but these are just examples.

So...what about doing a Tarot reading for a stranger, face to face, over the internet via a video stream? To me it would be similar to an in person face to face reading, just without having to be anywhere near the sitter. Video chatting is the primary way I comunicate with my mother now since she got her nice new iMac. Is it possible that this might be the wave of the future for Tarot readers? I'm thinking that more traditionally minded folks might disagree. I'll post my own opinions on the matter later. I really wanted to hear from everyone else.

Thoughts?

(My first thought-- Gee I hope this topic hasn't been posted already. Did the search feature fail me?)

I don't see why that wouldn't work. But it wouldn't be the same as doing a 'real face to face', because the physical proximity isn't there. For me it's not about being able to see the other person's face, but about being there together, the exchange of energy.

Being there is better in person, in my opinion. A streaming video would be an interesting way of doing it. More personal than email in a way because it's real time. I've found that doing internet readings, like in the Exchange forum, is harder for me because there's no personal interaction. Nothing done online can ever compare to reading in person, face to face, though, in my opinion.

A streaming video would at least allow for immediate input and being able to see the person's physical reaction and facial expressions to what was going on.

In these streaming video-chats, are you also talking on a mic + headphones so that it's like a phone conversation, or are you typing?

I think that would change things as well.

Part of the problem I've encountered the very few times I've read for others in person - especially when I didn't know them that well - was getting the things in the cards to come out of my mouth in sensible words.

When I write, I can ramble a bit, edit what I say, and come out with something that sounds good. But the whole talking as I go through the cards thing makes me feel so much more pressured and scared! I can't take anything back, I can't delete, I can't rearrange my words if they come out wrong....they've been said.

Also, I think people expect you to take more time if you have to write things out, so they are more patient. But it's completely nerve-wracking to be sitting there trying to organize your thoughts and form a complete picture before speaking while someone bores an impatient hole into your head! Even if they are doing that online, you can't feel the other person's impatient anticipatory energy the way you would in person. You are not as conscious of their presence.

All in all, while online streaming video reads are probably closer to real life, I don't think they are the same...they can't see the cards as you lay them out, their energy isn't there around you, and lastly, if you are still typing, the added feature of video is not a big one.

I think the use of any medium alters the message, or at least the form the message is presented in, which is more important than the message itself. (McLuhan's famous maxim 'The medium is the message')

Although I do internet readings myself, I know that they can never reach the depth en level of face-to-face readings, simply because the most important tarot-reading element is missing... Namely its social element. Talking through any medium, a phone, visualization through a medium, a webcam, a camera, etc, all these belong to the realm of 'communication'. Communication is the dry version of socialization. In socializing, we communicate in ways we are not readily aware of, or as most people know, most communication in real life is non-verbal. Is this true for the Tarot reading as well? I think very much so. Then, is the message we deliver simply not so important? I have to admit, I think so. It's not the message - it's the form.

When a querant comes to us, they have expectations. These are almost never verbalized. These expectations shape what they will think of the reading. The most dead-on reading for a skeptic might be met with failure, simply because the skeptic expects you to be wrong. What the thinker thinks, the prover proves. If you think the paranormal exists, then your prover-self will do everything to make sure it's right. It will automatically filter information of the contrary if you are not aware of this.

The dynamic between a reader and a querant might be described as the dynamic between the Fool and the Magician. The Fool is utmostly impressed with the Magician's tricks, even though the Magician uses the tools the Fool is already carrying with him. A querant is drawn mostly to the fact that they think we are in connection with the divine, we have access to higher truths, our self-confidence (even though we might be without confidence, but usually, we become very confident people when dealing with the cards, since they empower us to be so), etc, etc. These cannot be communicated, but are exchanged generally only in the social sphere. Any medium alters this. In real life, the cards are as clear as the reader (to the querant), but on the internet, it is only the cards that can be dealt with, for the reader remains shrouded in mystery.

The social aspect of Tarot is, for me at least, the most important. Around it revolves everything.

Not to mention the obvious effect of media on our development. For example, does a teenager using a cell phone all the time have to develop for example telepathic skills (if those exist at all, but its an example)? Of course not! Just give a call, that's it. There's no need to establish psychic bonds if physical bonds are readily available.

So far for my rant on this subject, hehe.

Niti- I am talking streaming video ala Star Trek. On my iMac I can talk to my mom on hers with voice, video...no headphones and the mic is built in to the computer. She can interact with my son, show him things and vice versa. Sooo much better than using the phone.

I agree that being with the person is ideal, of course. However...if I wanted to get a reading from an experienced reader whom I respect, like Major Tom or Umbrae...well...I live far away from both of them...even further from Major Tom. I'd definitely take a reading via streaming video if they'd do it. It wouldn't be as good as being right there with them, but it'd be the closest thing to it possible.

I've read cards via email and even chat lines, I've read through a video stream, I've read face to face. Every time I tell my client what they need to know with keen accuracy. A person really dosn't need to physically be there to have a reading done. Why? some might ask. The anwser is because of simple truths. We're all connected. And it dosn't matter if a person is right in front of you or on a differant continant. They send their questions to you through the universe regardless of where they are.

raventepes said:

I've read cards via email and even chat lines, I've read through a video stream, I've read face to face. Every time I tell my client what they need to know with keen accuracy. A person really dosn't need to physically be there to have a reading done. Why? some might ask. The anwser is because of simple truths. We're all connected. And it dosn't matter if a person is right in front of you or on a differant continant. They send their questions to you through the universe regardless of where they are.

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What he said

Sulis said:

What he said

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And what she said

If it works - regardless of the medium in which the message is delivered - I say it works

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Blessings to you all.
Xara
na cuidbhle tionndaidh

That would be leaps and bounds better than IM readings. Eye contact is still hard, and you'd have to make sure the querent can see the cards. But just being able to talk out loud instead of type makes a much stronger connection, IMO.