A Good Tarot Reader is ...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 26 Apr 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

eastarot	26 Apr 2004
One of the most wonderful things about this board is how people really want to be better and better readers. With Tarot we never stop learning be it for our own mental satisfaction or be it for our clients who we want to give better and better services to, in the hope that they find clarity and meaning in their lives. On my part, I know I want to be better with each spread. I was wondering what makes a good tarot reader, heres what I came up with.. Someone knowledgeable, articulate, wise, compassionate and who knows whats relevant to the question... Please add along in the spirit of learning blessings :)

closrapexa	26 Apr 2004
A reader who is not judgemental about his querents, but sympathizes with them and their problems.

Suriel	26 Apr 2004
i'm still not a very good tarot reader.... but i have a comment.. i think that a good tarot reader is someone who can understand the quarrent's troubles very well, and can tell the quarrent exactly what he should do or where he should go, from the cards.

crystal cove	26 Apr 2004
I think important qualities for a good tarot reader are flexibility and openness.

Alissa	26 Apr 2004
A good reader is someone who knows how, and when, to shut up. ;)

mercenary30	26 Apr 2004
And doesn't talk in absolutes, but possibilities..........

miss_apples	26 Apr 2004
A good reader is someone who realizes that as much as they know...they still have much much more to learn.

Cerulean	26 Apr 2004
From the feedback: I took another look at the spread and intuitive pick-ups and I also remembered the best allegorical tale that I know, the Divine Comedy can be read on different levels. One of the levels is allegory or as a teaching tale, a parable. I always thought that the good tarots can also be thought of that way--it is up to both reader and recipient/querent to think about this in terms of a teaching tale as well. The original question had to do with settling in on writing short stories related to a class that I am taking. After a few classes in writing poetry and fiction, people say they understand that the stories and the characters can be viewed as extensions of the author. If an author is successful, the story can be viewed on different levels, not just the superficial events portrayed--and this, I believe, is similar to a great tarot deck and a talented reader. I believe both a great deck and a talented reader was situated in this reading and actually the question was answered on more than one level. Since a reading is about communication, a reader who communicates what they can about the deck/tool they use also needs good feedback. I believe that the querent/recipient will also give the results of their reflection and thinking back to the reader--but most of the time the best reflection and thinking comes after the reading. At least, with slower thinkers like myself, it is rare that we can talk about our reflection afterward... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I hope this isn't too garbled, but the ideas explored might be: 1) Using tarot as a teaching tale/allegory/parable 2) Being able to connect to your deck 3) Have a spirit of serious play--it's learning about people, your deck, your way of looking at questions, communicating... On communicating to the querent: 4) Don't be afraid to ask for feedback 5) Suggest that the querent take notes on the tale or learning suggested and reflect on it in their journal or their favorite cards and possibly think of the concepts and write/draw/collage or meditate on them...perhaps there are some reflective truths that might assist one to take another look at their questions. These are my ideas. Of course it may be really too ambitious, maybe I'm thinking too much of what I want to gain from my own readings and stories, so I'm projecting way too much here. Best wishes, Cerulean Mari

dolphingirl	26 Apr 2004
a person who is patient, willing to listen, able to show the querent what a card means and help the querent to make up there own mind as to what the card is telling them. Open to others ideas and problems, and non judgemental. Those are a few things that I think make a reader good :)

Astra	27 Apr 2004
I have to say that although I would very much like to see a good Tarot reader have the qualities listed above, my own take is that a good reader is anyone who is willing to back off and let the cards talk. I've had "good" readings from some messed up, prejudiced, short sighted, unsympathetic (the list goes on, mix and match to create your own worst nightmare) people. It's always nice when someone who reads well has other qualities we can call "good", but I think the main key is someone who has no personal negative agenda for a particular reading.

cheekyminx	27 Apr 2004
what makes a good tarot reader? This question is open to many opinions. First of all people must remember that the tarot is not a game & should be taken seriously, but not too seriously. Reading cards does come more easily to some than others. Most people can learn to read cards. But people do have slightly differing interpretations of what each card may mean. A lot of us are at different levels in terms of how experienced we are at reading tarot. But one thing to remember is always have an open mind, we are all individuals with different approaches to life & should not be judgemental but understanding. I believe that to be a good tarot reader you need to be happy & true to yourself. You need to accept all your faults & understand that we are all here for a reason. No one is better than anyone else. We are all here to learn and we are all equal, after all we are all human. Practice & be patient and always believe in yourself!

Mojo	27 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by cheekyminx First of all people must remember that the tarot is not a game & should be taken seriously. I couldn't disagree more. Tarot IS a game and it shouldn't be taken all that seriously.

mysticalowl	27 Apr 2004
I think a good tarot reader is someone who is always open to learning more.

Imagemaker	27 Apr 2004
Tarot is whatever you want it to be, and whatever you make it, though others may not agree with your path and method. And isn't that the case with any activity?

DesertHowler	28 Apr 2004
1>Non-judgmental. 2>Tactful...know when to speak and when to shut up and how to say things in the proper manner. 3>Respectful of the client and read the client as well as the cards. This applies to dealing with anyone, not only tarot clients. DesertHowler

Major Tom	28 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by cheekyminx First of all people must remember that the tarot is not a game & should be taken seriously, but not too seriously. I have to echo my friend Mojo here. Tarot is definitely a game. ;) S. L. MacGregor Mathers' 1888 book is titled The Tarot: Its Occult Signification, Use in Fortune-Telling, and Method of Play. My good friend Umbrae once said, "Life is too serious to be taken seriously". I think the same applies to tarot. Don't lose sight of the fact that tarot is a game albeit a game which can have a profound impact on the people who play. Quote: Originally posted by Imagemaker Tarot is whatever you want it to be, and whatever you make it I must disagree here too. Tarot has a definite form. In my opinion it most definitely is not whatever anyone says it is. Anyone can design a deck of cards that they will then use for divination, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have designed a tarot deck, even if they call it such. As to what makes a good tarot reader, I think it has more to do with how the client feels about the reading received than any particular qualities the reader has. ;) So I would say it is what a reader's clients say that determines whether a reader is 'good' or not.

Agathe	28 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Alissa A good reader is someone who knows how, and when, to shut up. ;) LOL...definitely :) Also, the one who doesn't read cards just for money but sees a bigger picture in it.

Mimers	28 Apr 2004
I have to echo some of my friends above. Alissa said, a good reader knows how and when to shut up, and I agree with this. I also liked Mercenary30's about not talking in absolutes but in possibilities. I also echo Mojo and Major Tom, that it is a game. I think what is most important is seeing each client as an induvidual and to remember that no matter what we think of their question to remember it is important to them. Be non judgemental is important too. Mimi

Mojo	28 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Major Tom I have to echo my friend Mojo here. Wow, Tom considers me a friend. I'm honored!

Imagemaker	28 Apr 2004
Well, when I said tarot is whatever you want it to be, I meant within the guidelines of tarot tradition--not that tarot can be a carrot (or whatever). But if you want it to be a game, a source of wisdom, a book of self-discovery . . . that's up to each user.

lunalafey	28 Apr 2004
most I agree with, so I won't repeat- but a good tarot reader translates the cards message and leaves the "next step" to the sitter. It is not up to the reader to solve the sitters problem- only convey what is involved in the situation or issue. It can become a fine line, for the cards do give direction- but a good reader, I say again, will only translate and not let personal ideas seep in.

laura_borealis	28 Apr 2004
My professor was talking yesterday about metaphors for how the mind works. There have been several such metaphors in the literature of cognitive theory: the mind works like a telephone switchboard, the mind works like a computer, and so on. The metaphor that grabbed my attention compared the mind to a rhizome, a network of interconnected nodes with little root-filaments going in all directions. I'm not explaining it as clearly as he did. Anyway (you're all wondering how this relates to the thread at hand) -- someone asked "What about intuition? How do any of these metaphors explain intuition?" He said that he thinks people who have good intuition are the people with minds that make connections in unexpected directions. They don't make linear connections, or one-to-one correspondences; they probably make more connections for any given idea as well. So -- I think a good tarot reader is someone with a rhizome-like mind. :)

The A Good Tarot Reader is ... thread was originally posted on 26 Apr 2004 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.