Are all Tarot card readers psychic?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 12 Aug 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Satori	12 Aug 2004
When do you make a distinction between a really good card reader and a psychic? Is there one? Those of you who consider yourselves psychic, does it go beyond your reading skills, or do you use Tarot and other divinatory forms (runes, oracle cards, I-Ching etc.) to come to your predictions/insights? When did you decide to start calling yourself psychic? Does billing yourself as a "psychic card reader" help or hinder you? I also wonder about whether or not anyone is keeping track of how accurate your readings turn out to be. If you have a repeat customer base do you try to track your hits vs misses? Do you find that study makes you more accurate or not? Does it matter to you-accuracy that is? Or if they leave feeling good and amazed is that all counts?

Fulgour	12 Aug 2004
One problem I am always running into is that all the good words are taken. How does one describe something uniquely personal, without it sounding like yesterday's weather report, or worse ~ half-truths and un-truths...? A better question for this topic might be, "Why do people who don't seem to care, always insist on the most detailed proofs, evidence, and statistics?" Your's is a worthy subject, but I imagine all the best answers have already been given.

Fulgour	12 Aug 2004
The European Mysteries and Their Initiates A lecture by Rudolf Steiner Berlin, May 6, 1909 In ancient times a kind of natural clairvoyance was a common heritage of the European peoples. Indeed man's consciousness as it is to-day has evolved from that earlier state of clairvoyant consciousness. With these ancient clairvoyant faculties, man was able to perceive certain connections of his life, and what he so perceived was then expressed in the legends and myths which speak of goblins, elfin-beings, dwarfs and the like. Now these legends and myths are very different in character. They were based on what man was able to see with his clairvoyant faculties, but when we study them we find on the one hand certain resemblances and on the other outstanding differences, simply because the clairvoyant powers of men were by no means the same. continued: http://wn.elib.com/Steiner/Lectures/Places/Berlin/19090506p01.html

rainstarhorizon	12 Aug 2004
Hi Elf! I think the word clairvoyant has a nice ring to it! I don't think it matters what physical or spiritual "tools" or modes of development one uses. What works: and hopefully will work better after time. Yes, I think it's important to get feedback and be honest with yourself about what results you got in a reading. Also try to understand near-misses. That way one can try and know more. Cheers.

tao51	13 Aug 2004
The word "psychic" has all sorts of connotations. I think of people who do parlor tricks of mind-reading, of people finding lost objects, of those who move objects with their minds, and so on. I have met several people claiming this title. Frankly, I suppose if it makes a person feel good about himself that is fine. I feel a tarot reading is far more than a psychic exercise. Tarot cards are important tools to help understand or expand mysteries and situations. None of my relatives ever felt comfortable with this title. They prefered to be thought of as a special helper. I have a similar feeling when I am doing a reading.--Tao

Fulgour	13 Aug 2004
"Psychic ability is a gift as is music, painting or literary prowess. The main difference, of course, is that unlike these gifts it declares itself to the owner without any conscious effort. The psychic has the ability to raise his or her vibrations to a much faster frequency, affording access to sights and sounds beyond the physical level. "Mysticism, and indeed all personal spiritual experience, are the prerogative of all. This is the positive recognition of a separate spiritual identity and is only limited by physical inability to acknowledge and use it." Ivy Northage, "Mediumship Made Simple" from: Webbs Cottage The study of psychic phenomena and everything relating to it has been linked with witchcraft and this has proved a serious matter from the point of view of acceptance by society and also from a legal standpoint. Until the passing of the Fraudulent Mediums Act in 1951, for which the movement worked over many years, mediums were actually in danger of breaking the law pertaining to witchcraft and vagrancy. Persecution and Prejudice

Cerulean	13 Aug 2004
When do you make a distinction between a really good card reader and a psychic? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Every time I take a group class with Mary Greer, I am reminded she is a teacher and writer and reader. I never thought of her as a psychic, and yet I think of her as a superb teacher, writer and card reader. She uses the Rider Waite Smith deck and the William Blake tarots. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I have never encountered a good psychic personally, but I know of someone named Dee who has received an expensive reading by Sylvia Brown, who does lots of books. Dee said the difference to her is the information that comes across is directly personal, straightforward and the questions are not digging, but geared toward her situation. In what case, there was a specific medicine for Dee's particular rare, diagnosed condition that couldn't have been known--Dee never discusses the condition online, or at work or otherwise. Anyway, SB specifically named the medication as beneficial to Dee and was advised to ask Dee's doctor. In terms of accuracy, Dee said the suggestions are not set in stone, but about 80 percent of the items with an accurate timing fell into the category of 'right'. In two instances, Dee had declined to follow up on certain opportunities because the timing wasn't right (dating or classes, I think--Dee's choices at her time because of her illness or finances weren't up to being challenged). No tarot cards were involved. Dee believes a true psychic might know of their skills without cards... ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The reason I brought up these two instances is because I think a good tarot card reader might not be psychic, but a successful, sympathetic, and relational reader. That is only my opinion---if I ever encounter a great reader who is also psychic, I would enjoy the experience! Regards, Cerulean

Satori	13 Aug 2004
Thank you for the thoughtful responses thus far. I ask because I like all of you have heard the pat responses like "oh, we are all psychic, just some of us more than others". Then I read recently, and I can't remember where, sorry, that a good reader is reading body language, the cards, etc. But I think it is a lot more too. I just wonder what makes a reader be so very confident that they start to bill themselves as psychic. Somehow, I think it could like Fulgour says, maybe typecast you. gotta run-more later

Fulgour	13 Aug 2004
So, which of your questions are you most seeking an answer to? _________________________________ 1. Are all Tarot card readers psychic? 2. When do you make a distinction between a really good card reader and a psychic? 3. Is there one? 4. Those of you who consider yourselves psychic, does it go beyond your reading skills, or do you use Tarot and other divinatory forms (runes, oracle cards, I-Ching etc.) to come to your predictions/insights? 5. When did you decide to start calling yourself psychic? 6. Does billing yourself as a "psychic card reader" help or hinder you? 7. I also wonder about whether or not anyone is keeping track of how accurate your readings turn out to be. If you have a repeat customer base do you try to track your hits vs misses? 8. Do you find that study makes you more accurate or not? 9. Does it matter to you-accuracy that is? 10. Or if they leave feeling good and amazed is that all counts? ____________________________________

Astra	13 Aug 2004
IMHO, everybody is psychic - it comes with being alive and having a functioning mind and nervous system. This opinion tends to bother most people for some reason ;). Using these abilities to any great extent, past what I consider their original purpose of helping an individual stay alive and kicking, can be a really great strain on the nervous system, as well as leading to knowledge that you're not "supposed" to have, both of which tend to be negative for an individual. Given that, even the most psychic of readers will tend to use other information, such as body language, in many instances, and the more readings they do, the less psychic ability they can afford to use for any one of them, since the alternative is burnout and, often, odd problems with the nervous system. Tarot is one method of finding information you have no logical way of getting at (divination). If a reader uses another method, that's the only distinction that I can see between the two. Most people who label themselves as psychics, in my experience, aren't, so it's a label I would prefer not to use, in general.

lark	13 Aug 2004
When I look down at the cards and I am given the information that a woman can not have children, that a friends son will buy your truck, that you used to be a priest...ect. ect. ect. Where does that information come from? Certainly not from body language. I have spent many years developing my intuitive skills. It takes work, dedication and commitment. I have never "burnt out" because I have learned how to protect myself. I have repeat customers who come back to me over and over because I am acurate. I have never labled or billed myself as psychic... but people tend to call you that if they recognise your skills as such. No, not all tarot readers are psychic. I work with 10 or 12 readers a weekend. Some are "psychic' Some know their card meanings very, very well and give good solid readings. And trust there intuition. And some are just bull shitting there way through a reading (sorry but it's true.) Study, reading, practice, makes me more accurate because it connects me more solidly to the symbolism on the cards. I have found that every new insight I discover in the cards is used in a reading later on. Almost as though it was brought to my attention for that purpose. No, I do not care or keep careful track of my "hits." It is gratifying when a client comes back and tells you how accurate you were. Because one of the main reasons I do this work is to help others. And you learn early on that "ego' has no place in this work. Just a few observations from my side of the room.

Satori	13 Aug 2004
Thanks Lark, thank you Astra. Fulgour, all the questions are important. I throw them all out and figure whatever hits folks the hardest is what they will answer and I trust in that process, and that what I really need to know will come to me. Lark, I have spent time wondering "how will I ever read something so subtle in the cards like your friend's brother will buy your truck" and now it is happening! It just comes in and it isn't the study of the cards bringing it. I find that sometimes I'm a little fearful of saying it, because, well, what if I say the wrong thing? Or the big one, am wrong. Well, I've been wrong lots of times. But now being right is getting weird but is rewarding. So it is an adjustment.

cartarum	13 Aug 2004
all people are psychic. there are just alot of things people rarely notice. the psychic sense can be stronger in some individuals than in others though. when this is the case, it is much easier for the individual to learn and understand the more subtle meanings of the cards when surrounded by other cards. a stronger psychic will also understand certain spreads more fluently, and create a temporal language with the spirit realm. this makes for very accurate readings. ~A~

MeeWah	13 Aug 2004
I have never presented myself as "psychic", primarily because I do not see that it can begin to describe me nor what I do. I do not rely wholly on the cards nor do I always use cards. I accept that there is a "knowing" part of the time that is not related to the cards nor to any known source of information. I believe everyone has inherent psychic abilities, but the quality or depth varies. Some individuals have a "knack" for it (much as some have a "knack" for drawing/painting, music, business, etc). Others learn to develop this sense (refer to aforementioned talents) via various activities such as study & practice or through a combination of means. Some readers know the cards well & are able to provide readings from that basis. Study & practice of whatever divination method can refine the intuitive process, but the rest lies wholly within the individual sensibilities--a complex amalgam of influences that may extend to the far past as well as to the present life goals.

DreamSinger	13 Aug 2004
When do you make a distinction between a really good card reader and a psychic? Is there one? Those of you who consider yourselves psychic, does it go beyond your reading skills, or do you use Tarot and other divinatory forms (runes, oracle cards, I-Ching etc.) to come to your predictions/insights? ---- I am growing as a reader, but for a long time, they were just a visual window for me, for the most part. I used them intuitively. They did a lot for me, but I regret now that I was arrogant and didn't think I needed to study -- I sort of saw myself as "beyond it," somehow. At the same time, I was afraid studying would somehow get me "out of spirit" and into my head, you know? So, there was a silly fear there, too. It was really about not trusting the Universe/God. I use tarot, clairvoyance, clairsentience, and especially clairaudience, and I'm empathic. I also feel things from physical objects that have been used by people in question (whether or not they are the querent)... and sometimes, even just by touching something RELATED to something important to that person. (Like my HAMMER, for a man who was a carpenter... my OWN hammer.) When did you decide to start calling yourself psychic? ---- When I realized we are ALL psychic, and that verbalizing the fact that I was, for some reason, gifted in a special way was not a pride thing, but something I needed to acknowledge for a few reasons: 1. It was getting silly to avoid using the term when I was doing the work for people. 2. It WAS tied in to compensation for giving so much of my energy to doing it for people, and I came to realize I deserved it. 3. It helped me acknowledge the fact that I need special protection, in some ways. It is tied up in my life, inextricably, and I am not of a maturity level (as some are) of being able to refuse negative energy well. This means that I can't handle a lot of places out in the world, sometimes (like Wal-Mart), and I no longer beat myself up for being emotionally wrung out by standing in line in front of someone whose grief or pain I can feel... I'm babbling, but there you go. It's so much a part of who you are, and depending on your gift, if you don't acknowledge it, you -- in a way -- don't take care of yourself (protect yourself) as you should. Also, once I realized it is no more sacred or honorable than sweeping a floor with love, the pride factor/worry left. Does billing yourself as a "psychic card reader" help or hinder you? --- I don't BILL myself that way. I'm not even doing the work right now, though I'll go back to it, because I miss it. It's rewarding. I feel as though I'm only SUFFERING because of the gift right now, and not getting the BLESSING of helping people with it and feeling their healing/joy/strengthening, etc. I also wonder about whether or not anyone is keeping track of how accurate your readings turn out to be. If you have a repeat customer base do you try to track your hits vs misses? ---I worked totally by word of mouth and had much repeat business. Very accurate. I've had one reading that I know was TOTALLY off... when I was in grief and should NOT have been reading. Thankfully, it was a free reading, and I told her ahead of time that I was in crisis, and PLEASE to evaluate it in that light. I have gotten people mixed up before in a reading... and a few times people have thought I was off in a portion of a reading, but then later, we'd be reading another question, and the light would go on. There's more, but I would say that in about 80% of my readings, there is zero confusion about exactly what I'm talking about... another 10%, questions help us clarify what I'm seeing that doesn't jibe with what they know. And in another 10% stuff either is left like, "well, who knows why I saw that?" and usually they call back later, with a story... of how they realized later what I was talking about, or what I was seeing as present in their life (but that wasn't) happened in hours or days... whatever. I've had two people tell me my readings were completely off. One (in the example above), I have NO doubt was completely right. The other one was very BLOCKED and in denial. It was at a party, and she was scathing. Really vicious. I was almost in tears... I was SICK. (It was my first party, and I thought I'd been influenced by the noise/atmosphere/energy of the party.) I apologized PROFUSELY. She left and told people how terrible I was. I heard her outside making jokes about me, with people laughing. Then, a woman came in for her reading just at that time, and saw how upset I was. (I said nothing.) She said, basically "------ is in DENIAL. She's talking about your reading, making a big joke out of it, and saying how off it is, because you said her boyfriend has another love interest... and she is saying you're so out of it, because he's so crazy about HER that it makes her NUTS... but some of those people laughing out there know he's seeing someone else right there in our office. She knows it, too. She just doesn't want to face it." Do you find that study makes you more accurate or not? --- That's just it: studying tarot has made me more specific, in some ways, but in OTHER ways, it's just made readings EASIER. It's like I don't have to PULL as hard for some information... it's like oiling the machine. Should have done it sooner. I want to learn much. Does it matter to you-accuracy that is? Or if they leave feeling good and amazed is that all counts? ---Accuracy is important, but it is not the most important thing that happens. ALWAYS you will be mostly accurate (if you're in the work as a professional, I feel), but what seems to mean the most to people, I believe, is just feeling that connection to spirit. They realize there is a God, there is Spirit taking care of us, and that gives them the greatest gift of all. I know this is the most beautiful part, because people are almost as affected by what I see in their lives that already is (that they already know) as they are by what I see in the future. They are made aware of the presence of God -- they realize they are important in the Universe. That is the awe for me. That and giving what guidance I see and watching their faces light up with understanding. The divination is helpful, but it's sort of Pentacles as opposed to Cups, you know? It's earthy. We NEED it, but it's not where the LIFE is... it can bring hope, etc., or help someone avoid a mistake (and that's big), but the WOW is in the connecting to their spiritual development and feeling loved by the Universe. Wow, I just really got into this. I hope I didn't bore anyone. love, miss

Fulgour	13 Aug 2004
If it ever comes up, what I usually say is, "My feet are psychic."

lark	14 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by elf Lark, I have spent time wondering "how will I ever read something so subtle in the cards like your friend's brother will buy your truck" and now it is happening! It just comes in and it isn't the study of the cards bringing it. I find that sometimes I'm a little fearful of saying it, because, well, what if I say the wrong thing? Or the big one, am wrong. Well, I've been wrong lots of times. But now being right is getting weird but is rewarding. So it is an adjustment. Scary thing to do sometimes, give voice to the impressions we're seeing. But I have been more upset at the times I didn't say it, and then my feeling was confirmed later in the reading. Than the times I did say it and I was wrong. Everytime you do say it, you trust yourself a little more. You also learn the "feeling" of a true psychic insight. And how it is different from how your imagination feels. I'm glad you're making progress. :)

Cerulean	14 Aug 2004
Fulgour's note: If it ever comes up, what I usually say is, "My feet are psychic."...They tell me stuff that I can trust," One time I was taking a Shiatsu class and a very, very good student that I was partners with told me about Reflexology. The nerve centers of the feet correspond to wiring in other parts of the body. The experience you shared sounds scarey, glad you made it through. I was thinking because of your feet, you might have become sensitive in your 'wiring' that way...and you are talented in reading how your body talks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- To get this back to tarot and psychic talents, if I was reading for people in person, it's usually people that have been family and friends for a long time...so we read each other's body language. Sometimes I read for people through the aeclectic board, but I'm very much a student in this still...I know that I'm not naturally intuitive or psychic. But I am told that I was a sociable, reflective type from an early age and I think this helps me to want to be sympathetic and empathize with the seeker... I admire the people here who are so very attuned to others and read professionally. This is a fascinating thread. Best wishes, Cerulean

BlueLotus	14 Aug 2004
When I read cards for myself or for close family members, and when pressed for answers I find myself being pretty 'psychic'. So, depending on how anxious I am I can be what you may call psychic, and also find, the more I trust a reading the more the outcome will unfold naturally as if by a hidden force. But otherwise, I am unable to do readings of a wider range, and predict further than what was mentioned above. But this does not mean that I do not believe that there are 'true' psychics out there, because I have experienced it myself with ones who knew nothing about me, but came up with accurate readings and/or predictions, the latter with more than one reader, who used tarot decks, but another was just clairvoyant, who contacted spirits naturally.

jema	14 Aug 2004
I think I just may be more psycho then psychic.

Satori	14 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by jema I think I just may be more psycho then psychic. LOL, yeah, then there is that too... :cool:

Satori	14 Aug 2004
Quote: That last part is the crux of it. The total is the sum of the parts.... Thanks

Satori	14 Aug 2004
Dearest Fulgour, You give the topic so much of yourself! I so humbly thank you. Your feet are indeed your Achilles Heel then, eh Fulgour? And so then we must indeed heed your posts, as perhaps you are also the AT Mercury, Messenger of the Gods? I am still digesting your fabuloust posts and visiting the links, so I will respond to each one, just didn't want you to think I was ignoring you. I very much appreciate the input and will be posting to each one individually. Thanks, Claudia

Satori	14 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Fulgour One problem I am always running into is that all the good words are taken. How does one describe something uniquely personal, without it sounding like yesterday's weather report, or worse ~ half-truths and un-truths...? A better question for this topic might be, "Why do people who don't seem to care, always insist on the most detailed proofs, evidence, and statistics?" Your's is a worthy subject, but I imagine all the best answers have already been given. Who is it that does not care Fulgour? Because it seems all of us do. (If I may be so bold as to say we on AT, or at the least, we who are posting to this thread!) Or are you saying that I don't care and require the proof, evidence and statistics??? HMMM, I did ask if people keep track... Your answers have not maybe been given, nor mine, so the best indeed have not been given! ;)

Satori	14 Aug 2004
Thanks tao and rain, Tao do you come from a family of readers or psychics? And rain, I will. :)

Fulgour	14 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by jema I think I just may be more psycho then psychic. :joke: ...or sock-kick, eh? like a pair of yllestrumpa... :joke: or ~ knästrumpa!

jema	14 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Fulgour :joke: ...or sock-kick, eh? like a pair of yllestrumpa ... :joke: or ~ knästrumpa! hehe, right on!

tmgrl2	14 Aug 2004
Personally....I will never call myself "psychic" or bill myself as "psychic." People have asked me whether I am "psychic." I tell them that that word covers a broad territory. I prefer to think of (and I think MeeWah and others said this already) all humans as having intuitive abilities that can be developed. If people want to discuss the topci more in-depth (not in a reading), I talk about various channels of intuition...and various mediums for tapping into those channels. It is a discussion of the topic, though, not a "telling" of how I view myself or others. It comes down ultimately to the sitter or querent deciding whether or not the person they consulted gave good guidance. Did they learn something new or if not new, something helpful. I try to keep it that simple. terri

Chronata	14 Aug 2004
I have read all the answers to this post with great interest. The answers I give are simply what works for me. I do bill myself as a "Psychic Reader" But only in the last 2 of the 22 years I have been reading professionally. I had never considered myself to be psychic when I started this. and perhaps, I am still not really a psychic...but I know that I have studyied and I have experimented, and I have said what comes into my mind...whether it's words, or sounds or pictures, during a reading. Sometimes I have been incredibly accurate...and sometimes not. But I have worked hard on opening myself up for a very long time now, and to read beyond the meanings that I know so well...to read beyond the keywords of the cards, or the images of an oracle, or the lines in one's hand, or the pattern's in one's tea cup. To become a conduit for messages from somewhere else. I don't know if I fully understand where or what that somewhere else is...but it feels right to me. The reasons for billing myself as a psychic reader...regardless of whether or not I am truly psychic, is one of pure marketing. It sounds better to me than "Fortune Teller"or "Tarot Reader and Advisor", (and is slightly more accurate, as I read with much more than just tarot...although I have used both of the terms above) and to most of the general public that I do my readings for, the term is instantly recognizable, or relatable... and it's one that they equate with reading the tarot, or tea leaves or whatever. People often ask me, before I begin if I am really psychic. To which I respond "I don't really know the answer to that...you tell me what you think, at the end of the reading."

Nevada	14 Aug 2004
I wish I had more time, because there are several wonderful quotes here I'd love to comment on. (You're all geniuses!) :D I agree with Astra that we're all psychic. For many years, I've seen psychic ability as a sense, an extension or reaching into the etheric or spiritual realm by the physical body. I see it in people and animals, and I agree with the idea that it extends from a survival instinct, the need to flee from predators, and the need to be a predator to survive. Here's a tiny model of my view of psychic ability in any incarnated being: spirit soul mind emotions body alive -----> instinctive ------> intuitive ------> psychic It's a sense and a talent, an extension of our natural abilities that reaches into a non-physical, or super-physical, realm. We're all born with varying "knack" for it (as MeeWah so aptly puts it). Think of music, and how one person studies for years and becomes wonderful with music. Then a Mozart comes along and knocks everyone's socks off. Some people and animals are born with an advanced ability. BUT WE ALL HAVE IT. Still, I don't think I would ever bill myself as a psychic Tarot reader. Since it's in all of us, and usually unmeasurable until one develops it in themself, I wouldn't want to put a label of "special" on myself in regard to this ability. I'm reluctant to even label myself "writer," since most people these days have some writing capability. What I do when I'm reading Tarot is "read Tarot." So that's the only label I would apply. The querent will put their own label on what I do for them and how well. Nevada

Satori	14 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Chronata But I have worked hard on opening myself up for a very long time now, and to read beyond the meanings that I know so well...to read beyond the keywords of the cards, or the images of an oracle, or the lines in one's hand, or the pattern's in one's tea cup. People often ask me, before I begin if I am really psychic. To which I respond "I don't really know the answer to that...you tell me what you think, at the end of the reading." Hi Chronata, thanks for this wonderful response. So much honesty, and I admit, that the way you put it Psychic Card Reader has a nice ring! You know there were so many times when I really wanted to go to the Gypsy at the edge of town. Yes, there really is a gypsy, more in the middle of the next town over, but, she is there. Right across the street from the more reputable Tarot/Bookstore/crystal shop. Right where our very own Contrascarpe gives readings. I went to the gypsy once on a whim. She has a really ugly sign on her front lawn of a palm painted up in pretty ugly colors. Another sign says palm reader, psychic. She came to the door, tired looking and a little put out. "Why you don't call for appointment?" And she read my palm, and then offered to do the cards for a few dollars more. I remember nothing of what she told me because I couldn't understand pretty much everything she said! I paid her and never went back. And now, here I am poised on the threshold of taking my reading on the road and getting paid for my readings. And I think about the one person who billed herself as a psychic and whom I came into contact with. The tired, belligerent gypsy girl who rolled out of her house to the three season porch where she gives readings in her old, pink fuzzy slippers. Lesson: 1. Never give readings in old, pink slippers. 2. Never put ugly painted palm sign on your front lawn. 3. Think Chronata instead of gypsy girl when thinking of Psychic Reader.

Satori	14 Aug 2004
BTW Chronata, I like what you say when they ask if you really are psychic. Have you ever said, "I knew you were gonna ask that..."

Satori	14 Aug 2004
Thanks Terri. Nice response. In some ways this is a funny thread for me to have posted. I too believe we all have levels of psychic abilities. My Dad encouraged the idea that we all have some "psychic powers". I've been into psychic phenomenon since I was a kid. I can remember watching Uri Geller bending spoons on T.V.! One time when he was on Mike Douglas he told the TV audience to go get spoons and try to bend them with him, he said he would be helping all of us to bend the spoons. Man, I ran to the silverware drawer and grabbed a spoon and sat there concentrating so hard on my spoon, sure I would not only bend it, but maybe melt that bad boy a little. Nothing happened. Nada. LOL. Funny memory. (Wasn't he later found out to be a fake???) My sisters and I would start to speak and say the same thing, over and over and over...finish each others sentences. The phone would ring and I'd yell, "It's for me!" I was one of five kids, four of us girls, and the phone was busy. I was always right when I thought it was for me, it was. I practised hands on healing, I read books about spiritualism and I knew that Harry Houdini believed in an afterlife, and that we could communicate after death. So for me psychic was a fact of life, in terms of believing we are, or can be. But I was always just sensitive and my own ability never very dramatic or big and I began to disbelieve it. Now all these years later I'm back at it. Just like the TS Eliot quote, here I am exploring old vistas, and it's like a new landscape, seen fresh and for the first time.

tmgrl2	14 Aug 2004
Claudia...what a beautiful thread is turning out to be! I love the way Chronata described her own use of "psychic." I never judge anyone who does....and Claudia...your summary just about covers it...I, too, will remember Chronata, should I hand up and shingle and go forth with the cards. Also, I'll bet if we here at AT look at our life histories, there will elements throughout all of our lives that show we have been using this "psychic" or "intuitive" sense in one form or another. Many of us, too, will probably have "been into" different areas of work. As I have said before, I used to "read" handwritings in college...it was somewhat eerie to me to get the feedback I got. Then I moved away from that. In the 80's I met a psychic in Florida. We became friends. We did color work, past life regressions. I learned a great deal then, as well. Then I moved on again, as career and paying the bills became a prime mover in my life. Now, here I am, again, with a new medium, the Tarot. This is the one that will carry me through my final stages of this life. Thank you for this thread. As we can see, what we "call" ourselves isn't so important in the long run. It's what we have to offer lovingly to those who come to us that matters. terri

Satori	15 Aug 2004
LOL, yup Terri, I'm "throwing out the shingle." Any ideas what to say on the Shingle??? If you were going to call yourself psychic what would you say? Big Guns Psychic Inside Very Good with Children LOL!

Chronata	15 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by elf BTW Chronata, I like what you say when they ask if you really are psychic. Have you ever said, "I knew you were gonna ask that..." heh. Much worse...}) This comes from a short stint doin' the "gypsy fortune telling" schtick during a Halloween event at a major theme park... when someone would sit down..but before they got a chance to speak... I'd say..."well, it's about time...I have been waiting for YOU for an hour...so the answer to the first question you have is "yes", even though you won't believe it until you see it...and I can't answer your follow -up question because no one can right now." (Using my special magic-eight crystal ball! hee hee)

Fulgour	16 Aug 2004
Quite often I have found that it is the Court Cards that bring the most profoundly intuitive suggestions to mind, and when I talk with people who have passed the initial stages of doubt when it comes to trusting their impressions from these cards, it is their sense of relief at having reached a level of confidence when being faced, not with how to figure them out, but rather how best to put their own thoughts into words, that tells me they are not just reading Tarot anymore, but Tarot readers.

Astra	16 Aug 2004
Quote: Originally posted by elf Any ideas what to say on the Shingle??? Yes. "Tarot Readings" This leaves you not having to put a label on yourself, only on what you're doing. less is more

Satori	17 Aug 2004
Thanks Astra! Yes I agree, less is more, and Tarot Readings tells quite succinctly exactly what it is I'll be doing. Even though we know we do more than that. But that is another thread, another topic and another set of stories.

The Are all Tarot card readers psychic? thread was originally posted on 12 Aug 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.