Tarot and other psychic stuff as a career?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 12 Aug 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Frequency	12 Aug 2003
Hi, I'm 18 and I've been here for about a year. I really like this site and think it's a great resource for people who want to learn about tarot, look at decks and reviews, or just hang out. I've been thinking about what I want to do as a career and I've decided that it must be something that I would enjoy. I wouldn't feel right being stuck in a job that makes me loathe every day I go to work. I was walking down the street the other day and I saw an ad in front of a restaurant advertising tarot readings for $5.95 each (I think, it was across the street and I couldn't read the sign very well). It got me a'thinkin'. I enjoy doing tarot for friends and just strangers I meet on the internet so I was thinking maybe this could be my career... I don't think I'd ever get tired of it. I just wanted to see if anyone could give me any information about it. How much I would make, how I could find a company of sorts, how I could set up my own business (ok not to write pages and pages but give me some ideas I guess). I dunno. Just help me out a little. I'm sure there are some people in here that do this work. I was also thinking of learning other occult magics like palmistry, astrology, runes, or crystal gazing.

jog1118	13 Aug 2003
hey there frequency! i've also thought of making tarot-reading a career (note that i'm working now as a purchaser) but several thoughts came into my mind: 1. not all people are open-minded about the tarot (and other stuff like crystal balls, palmistry, etc.) 2. where i live, economy is bad and having your fortune told is considered a waste of money (that is if you bought it). only rich people can afford this luxury. 3. unlike food, people do'nt have their fortunes told everyday 4. tarot may be considered as a passing fad by some people Do'nt get me wrong...I love tarot...its just that for me it is not a reliable source of income. Perhaps you can consider it as a sideline (i'm considering this option once my 1 and 1/2 year old daughter grows a bit older and i have a little more free time) peace!!! :smoker:

Diana	13 Aug 2003
Frequency: Welcome back to the forums. I hope you're well and that the ball is rolling in the right direction for you these days. :) I think reading professionally is a great idea. There is a book come out which is apparently extremely helpful for people who want to read profesionally. Holmes started a thread about it here: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?threadid=13296 It's not too helpful for people who live in Europe, but as this is not your case, perhaps you could try and get hold of a copy. In the meantime, I suggest that you start practicing readings on the Reading Exchange. It's a great place to practice and no-one will judge you or get mad at you if you make mistakes. It's not the same as reading for friends or over the internet, because you are reading for people who know something about Tarot, so we can, if you ask for it, give you constructive criticism. And also try and help people with their readings when they post in the Your Readings section. Here you are safe to make mistakes....... and also to experiment a little if you wish to, without losing your credibility. You will also need to learn how to "talk" to clients. So when you do a reading for yourself, pretend you are sitting across the table from yourself, as if you were a client, and explain the reading to "yourself" aloud. Give yourself time. Don't rush into this. But work on your skills every day.

MeeWah	13 Aug 2003
Frequency: Welcome back!! Jog1118 & Diana offer great advice & food for thought. As one who does readings (albeit part-time), I can tell ye that education & work experience in the business world contribute to what ye, as an individual, will bring to your readings.

Cerulean	13 Aug 2003
within a nearby city or community that has classes, sells products and wants knowledgeable sales people. Maybe you can try before you buy. Or the other option is if there is a good bookstore that stocks tarot items, maybe you can try employment there while you take classes. For some reason, some of the new age catalogues sell Buddhist, yoga and belly-dancing titles as well--I guess it's new to some communities, so it's new age--but if you can find stores that stock similar items for a certain nearby community, then it's more than likely the store has a clientele that buys such things. I'm also guessing if there's a bulletin board, you'd find names of readers, others who try to make a good sideline of consulting under such things. If you like people and can handle their various questions, you might want to check out training in teaching, writing or counseling that might give some ethical and encouraging courses and skills. Or maybe check online for tarot correspondence courses as you look for your next steps. Best wishes. Mari H. P.S. I was trying to think of what was helpful to me when I began looking into topics of interest and also trying to check out leads for work or classes or dealing with people interested in the same subjects as I was. So these suggestions were kind of taken from when as a student, trying to find out in a new area about things like Buddhist festivals or yoga classes or when I was interested in more people-oriented work. These came to mind and may not pertain to your area...but I used the same means to find out about art or poetry studies in specialized areas. Oh, starting with a good local telephone book at the library or internet listings of schools that might offer such things nearby is a good idea.

catlin	15 Aug 2003
MM Frequency, Yep, try to do as much readings as possible so you can get experience. Maybe you also want to check out the old thread in which Kiama told us about her plans for doing readings. It was quite a while ago but we came up with lots of ideas and points to mention. But don't forget: in times with such stained economic situation as nowadays try do do a "normal" job at first, because you have daily expenses such as food, rent, etc and you cannot count on being a top dollar reader right from the start.

matfav	15 Aug 2003
Professional reading is never about the money, or how much you can make. It is about your willingness to help people and put yourself on the line. Focus and meditate on helping people and see if the Tarot chooses you.

Rusty Neon	15 Aug 2003
Quote: Originally posted by jog1118 2. where i live, economy is bad and having your fortune told is considered a waste of money (that is if you bought it). only rich people can afford this luxury. 3. unlike food, people do'nt have their fortunes told everyday I see more store-front offices for fortune-tellers in the __poorer__ neighbourhoods.

Minderwiz	15 Aug 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Rusty Neon I see more store-front offices for fortune-tellers in the __poorer__ neighbourhoods. A good point but it could be because they can't afford the rents in the 'richer' neighbourhoods :) I tend to agree with most of what has been said - you do need to hone your skills and you need to be able to deal with clients in a professional manner. The best approach to begin with is to read part time and gradually build up a client base. Try and work in a fashion where you have few fixed costs to meet each month - such as working from home or in reasonably public places. When you've accumulated some capital, then think about renting premises.

Alissa	15 Aug 2003
Alissa's caveat on "doing what you love" for a living : When you do something you love for money, and decide that's the way you want to live ... eventually the day *will* come when you don't "feel" like doing it, and you have to anyways. Be that an artistic pursuit, or Tarot reading. The day will come when you don't "feel" like doing a reading, and you will still have your appointments to fill, and then ... the terrible realization that what you once loved, you now only do because you *have* to. It is the single biggest BUMMER to "doing what you love" as a sole means of support. It almost ALWAYS morphs from what you love to do, to just what you do.

The Tarot and other psychic stuff as a career? thread was originally posted on 12 Aug 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.