First Referral

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 13 Feb 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

dangerdork	13 Feb 2003
Hi y'all, how you been? I was at a dinner party last Saturday and after a dozen or so bottles of wine were consumed among the dozen or so people present, I got the urge to read cards, so I got my trusty "travelling deck" that lives in my car. That would be a Hanson-Roberts; I usually have spare decks of both Hanson-Roberts and Universal RWS, for spur of the moment readings and because you never know when you may need to give someone their first deck. In fact I have not replaced my spare "Universal" deck yet, having recently given it to someone. At any rate, the 7 or 8 readings I did were fun, and we were up 'til 3 AM. My host's friends, most of whom I've only met once or twice, were duly impressed with the power of the tarot. More on the readings themselves in another post. One of the guys who was at the party called me yesterday, and said that a lady acquaintance had asked him if he knew anybody who read tarot cards. He said, "Well, as a matter of fact..." and to make a long story short, I am expecting a phone call or email directly. I've done innumerable readings for friends over the years, and on several occasions now have set up in public and taken all comers. However, this would be the first time I've done a session for a stranger who was actively seeking a reading and was referred to me. Which leads to my questions: I have a modest apartment, and as a single parent with a teenage son the place is, well, cluttered. I don't know if it's appropriate. But then, where? I'm thinking a coffee house or pub, we certainly have plenty here in Columbus. What do y'all think? Any advice from the pros would be appreciated. And speaking of "the pro's," y'all might think this is weird, but I don't want to take money for this. As some of you may know, I'm an artist and I approach my relationship with the tarot as an artist. All my activities as far as reading cards I see as research... kind of an existential thing. To create a good reading deck, I need to be a good reader myself and relate to the imagery and symbolism through the actual experience of reading the cards. But I feel somehow that accepting money for readings taints my artistic intent, if you know what I'm saying. On the other hand, I AM a pretty good reader. I want to provide to this lady as thorough and insightful a session as any professional would, and I believe I am capable of doing so. The thing is, will she take me, or her reading, less seriously if I insist that I don't want to be paid? I'd love to hear everybody's feedback on this.

Diana	13 Feb 2003
Cluttered apartments are lovely! If you have no qualms about having a stranger in your house, then I wouldn't worry about that at all! As to the money, well, if you feel bad about asking for the money, and she doesn't offer, well then you can leave it at that. If she offers, I would suggest an amount to her - even if it is small. She may actually feel uncomfortable if you refuse. Because that way, if she ever wants another reading, she won't feel like she's asking for a favour. It will make her feel better. And if she then refers you to other people, she can say "this person is great and really not expensive". That sounds professional, but you don't sound like some kind of a charlatan. If you don't want to keep the money, you can always give it to your son - teenagers always need cash.

Mystica	13 Feb 2003
I completely agree with Diana. Many people, especially those who are not learning about Tarot themselves, expect to pay. It does lend an air of professionalism. I understand how you feel as an artist, but if the person offers to pay, then a small charge is not inappropriate. It's important to keep it affordable. IMHO it's a delicate balance between being affordable and accessable, and maintaining that perception of professionalism.

MeeWah	13 Feb 2003
DangerDork: I can appreciate where ye are coming from. To engage in the practice of one's craft towards the pursuit of a goal is a worthy advocation. At the same time, it would not reflect poorly on the intent nor the vision to accept payment or to charge a fee. Even a nominal sum confers the aura of respectability & validation simply because what is freely given can be easily misinterpreted, not appreciated in the same spirit, even abused. Look ye at it this way: one would not avail the self of goods or services & expect no exchange of energy. After all, ye invested (& are still investing) the sum of the self & the resources to reach the current capacity. If not ye, the potential clientele would pay another. Ultimately, ye must do as ye feel best moved.

HudsonGray	14 Feb 2003
When she asks 'how much' why not just say 'a bill, any denomination you think it's worth, after hearing your reading'. That way the amount is up to her & she'll let you know how much it was worth to her. Then use the money to go replace that deck you gave away! There's no shame in taking cash for services rendered. And people figure that if it's free, well it's not worth as much to them.

dangerdork	07 Mar 2003
I had a great idea about where to do the reading... the local new age shop where I often go to get new decks. It's a modern and brightly lit place, always smells amazing. It's more of a yoga/crystals/new age place than a cluttered Pagan/Wiccan "Magick Shoppe," if you know what I mean. I had kind of half-consciously noticed that this shop had hallways leading off with little rooms in them, and asked the proprietor if I could do a reading for someone there. She said of course, and there was a lovely, very large private room with a stereo, throw pillows, etc. which people use for meditation, classes etc. It was PERFECT. The proprietor did ask me, "Are you charging her for this?" and told me that she let people use the space for free as long as they're not taking advantage and "Doing Businesss" there. I told her what I told y'all in this post and said if she offered to pay, I was uncomfortable turning it down. Then I came up with the perfect solution. As my fee, I had my client buy me a new deck :) The client thus got a "professional" reading, the store sold some merchandise, and I got a new deck. Everybody won. I also invented a spread, which I will post elsewhere in the forum.

Woof	07 Mar 2003
Glad it went so well. Great idea about the cards! Sounds like the reading went well for you and your client allthough you didn't mention it! So which new deck did you get? Woof

dangerdork	07 Mar 2003
I got the Zerner-Farber, Woof. One problem with that store is that I already HAVE all the decks I want that they stock. They do an OK job of keeping the new decks in, though. The reading went well, over an hour and a half. Probably the longest reading session I've ever done for one persson. I used three spreads: a 4-card "Why You're Here" spread of my own invention, a Celtic Cross, and the "15-Card-Spread" I've seen on many websites and a couple books, always by that name. Her concerns were typical - career crises and relationship concerns. Not a lot of strong cards, though, I think I saw 4 or 5 Trumps total between the 3 spreads. And 2 of them I remember particularly were the "Crowns Her" and "Before Her" in the CC were the Tower and the Hanged Man. Well those two went together in those positions like ham and eggs, eh? Just amazing the patterns and relationships that show up and seen so obvious, you're like "why didn't I ever connect those cards before?"

Demonesse	07 Mar 2003
Then I came up with the perfect solution. As my fee, I had my client buy me a new deck. The client thus got a "professional" reading, the store sold some merchandise, and I got a new deck. Everybody won. -----dangerdork That was a stroke of pure genius! I'm sure every tarotholic here agrees wholeheartedly...:D

The First Referral thread was originally posted on 13 Feb 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.