Tarot Parties

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 31 Jan 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

FaeryGodmother	31 Jan 2005
I'd like some advice about doing readings for small groups of people like with parties. I've read professionally one-on-one and as my 'party trick' at my friends parties but I was wondering how it works professionally. Is it better to charge per person you read? or as one set price for your time no matter how many people you read for? Are there any guidelines for what is different than one-on-one readings? I mean its not like you can say particualrly personal stuff when lots of people are around for example. What are other peoples experiences with reading for groups of people? And (last question) would you recommend reading at/for parties? FGM

lark	31 Jan 2005
I do parties and here are a few guidelines I use. I charge per person. A dollar a minute plus a 5.00 travel fee per person. I start with each person getting a 20 minute reading. If they want more minutes they must wait untill all have had their turn and been read for. Then they can come back for more minutes if there is time. I am not a circus side show I require a private room with a table and two chairs. They come into the room seperately and the whole party does not sit around and watch me read. Since I don't drive very much my husband picks me up at a specific time. That ensures that I am not taken advantage of and asked to continue reading for hours. All of these guidelines came about from good and bad experiences of doing parties. Parties can be fun and profitable but if you don't protect yourself with some guidelines it can be very exhausting. When I am contacted for a party I lay out the guideline right up front. And I've never lost a booking because of my guidlines. Hope this helps a little. Good luck!

ros	31 Jan 2005
larks advice was the best I've heard. Thanks for posting!

Kara	31 Jan 2005
I've read for money (lol, the way that sounds! But I'll leave it, because that's kind of the way I felt at the time, I didn't handle it too well back then, but I posted all this somewhere else), but I can only tell you my experiences from here in my little corner of southwestern Germany... basics: -the book 'Professional Tarot' by Christine Jette(wish I had had it before) -are taxes or business license an issue(in Germany it can be)? -transportation? -security? (those are the biggies to me, everything else falls into place) Parties are ok, there is always somewhere private you can retreat to. This is something you'd want to clear up before -> right at the booking ask if this is possible, or if you're more assertive, make it a condition. A host can get irritated at last minute stuff, if they're nervous too. You're the pro... Warn customers that the reading can, and probably will get personal, and clear up areas they don't want discussed. As to reading in front of others: out of courtesy, very personal matters -which can be the entire reading- never, ever in front of others. Even if they say it's ok, say it's not ok with you, it's against your principles. Don't degrade your art, even though it's a party, you can have fun, but it's still something you want to be (at least try to be) respected for. The host looks good(you're quality), you look good, they feel good. After they hear it, they're usually happy you didn't (and could recommend you). I preferred getting my full fee before from the host, because there are always guests that need a reading, who forgot their wallet in the car('I'll get it later, ok?'), or 'I only have credit cards, can I write you a cheque, I didn't know you'd be here', etc. I can imagine that if you're more experienced and make a business of this, it won't be such a concern, but if you're only able to take cash - you don't want to go home burnt out and for the most part unpaid. Plus, if you get paid before, if the host wants that money back in from the guests, it's their problem. It won't affect your reading, if the client before you 'forgot his wallet'. And we're all good at heart and empathetic, but there is a line. And the most important, you have more time. You just read, and smile.:-) The next most important, if it was a success, be prepared that people will call you. And if that was a success, more will call. And they'll want everything, so you really need to know what you're willing to do, and what not - and stick to it. Otherwise you'll get: 'I heard from soandso that you did thisandthis - I know you don't usually, I understand, but if I paid thisandthis..' which brings me to the next point, what's your price? What really shook me up, was how much some people were willing to pay for this, if they believed in you. It wasn't as cool as I thought it would be. These are all very simple points, but, aside from the reading in front of others, these are some I stumbled over. And this would be at the top of my personal list if I would do it again. sorry for the long post, I went over it, but there was nothing I wanted to delete..:-)

tarotbear	31 Jan 2005
If you go to www.tarotschool.com and do an article search for '22 Suggestions for Offering Readings at Parties, Expos & Psychic Fairs' you will get six pages of advice! It was written by Rev. Jennifer Elizabeth Moore, and includes bunches of little things you might never think of. First off - decide on what to charge and stick to it - for parties I usually ask $10 for 15 minutes and set a timer if necessary. Secondly - get a spot far away from the party noise and the wine bottles, in a separate rooom if necessary. That way if really personal things pop up you don't have 25 people nosing in on something that is none of their business. It will make the querent feel better, too. Know your limits. Can you read 12 people in 2-3 hours? It takes a lot of time and stamina. Bring hard candies or throat drops and have a bottle of cold water handy to prevent your own throat from going dry. This will take a lot out of you, so go outside and ground yourself every now and then.

FaeryGodmother	31 Jan 2005
Thanks for that fantastic link, Tarotbear. That pretty much covers everything doesn't it. :D Thank you very much Lark and Kara for your advice. It defiently helps. Thanks. FGM

rainwolf	01 Feb 2005
I cant charge for time because sometimes I see a lot, sometimes not so much. I charge for card number, basically how much they want to know. That way, if they have questions or need clarification, i dont look bad saying "sorry, times up, find out for yourself." I would ask how much they want to spend, and find/make a spread accordingly. 5 cards~$10 10 cards~$15 15 cards~$20 20 cards~$25 Give or take a few dollars

tarotbear	01 Feb 2005
rainwolf wrote: I would ask how much they want to spend, and find/make a spread accordingly. 5 cards~$10 10 cards~$15 15 cards~$20 20 cards~$25 Give or take a few dollars I dunno - that makes you sound more like some shyster huckster! How much for using all 78 cards? LOL!!! "find/ make a spread accordingly" - I've asked this in another thread - does that mean you make up the spread as you go? Is that a good idea - or even a professional one?

Gwynne	01 Feb 2005
These are my basic rules, I lay them out as soon as someone asks about booking a party: I charge $60 an hour and each guest gets a 10 minute reading. I require a quiet room where the readings are private. I have a couple of reasons for that actually: A) Readings tend to get VERY private. I use the Tarot in conjunction with Runes and personal matters can be unavoidable. The cards and stones will tell what THEY want to tell, not what I want to tell and not necessarily what the client wants to hear! Nobody wants it announced to a room of 20 or 30 friends that their husband knows about the affair and is thinking of leaving them!!! B) If there are large groups of people I find that the cards will pick up on someone other than who I'm supposed to be reading for. There may be a message for someone else that is more urgent and needs immediate attention, and that's just not fair to the person being read at the moment! I need about a minute between each reading to refocus, and that does NOT count against their time. So basically it ends up being $60 for about 66 minutes LOL 2 hour minimum, 5 hour maximum. I set the minimum to make a party worth my driving time (gas at $2.00 a gallon is a killer) and I set the max because I find that any more than that and I burn out! 2 hours will cover 12 guests, 5 hours will cover 30. If the party has more than 30 guests, the fee is increased to $100 and hour and I bring my husband who does readings as well. I've found that most parties are 20 or less, so that's never really been an issue. I need to know ahead of time if I'll be able to burn incense in the home. Some people have allergies/sensitivities and I need to know. It's no problem either way, just need to be prepared. Deposit of 2 hours due in advance, if the party is to go beyond that, payment is required day of the party. I do tend to give a bit of leeway, and sometimes will go over 15 minutes without charging, but beyond that, they pay for the extra time. I take my business cards with me, as well as flyers for anyone who asks. I also give each guest a discount, in the form of a sticker on the back of the business card, that is good for 20% off of a private consultation. Very often they want to look further into the issues that came up but they just don't feel very comfortable doing it in a group/party setting. The host/ess gets a free 20 minute reading before or after the party.

Milamber	01 Feb 2005
tarotbear wrote: "find/ make a spread accordingly" - I've asked this in another thread - does that mean you make up the spread as you go? Is that a good idea - or even a professional one? Well, I've made two spreads myself, but neither was on short notice. I'd say it's conceivable to make custom spreads on short notice, but only if you were confident in doing so. It also depends on the extent. Many people who use 3 card spreads regularly change the meanings each time to fit their specific question, for example. Even the two spreads I've crafted to work around others' questions (in the Circle of Stones in the reading exchange forum) were based off of a 3 card spread, then expanded out. There is no fixed rule for spreads. Nothing that says this spread will work, and that one won't, because it's not a "real" spread. The important thing is to have positions with meanings that are relevant to the question, and allow for insight into the problem or situation. The shape of the spread is second to that, and allows a visual representation of what you've created mentally. (For example, in the celtic cross, the "past" and "future" cards are in a line with the covering/crossing in a middle; a line that could be said to be past, present and future. Having them in a row like that helps to see the flow of the cards.) So, in short, yes, I'd say it is a perfectly fine idea. Just be sure that you can be confident doing it, and have a bit of experience working out new spreads first.

rainwolf	01 Feb 2005
I dont just lay out cards and say what i want them to be, that would be odd. If they want something answered that touches several things about the same issue, I dont want to use something like the CC that is somewhat vague. I ask the person what they want answered, and if i am comfortable i will do so. After i have statements representing what they want to know, i decide on a layout adn assign positions. This doesnt really take all that much time since i find making spreads not too hard (depends on question of course). This does help in focusing the querent though, so it isnt really a waste of time, when after 5 minutes or so, they know specifically what they want, and i have tailored a spread. I dont do this all that often, and I dont read professionally, but it doesnt take as much time as ppl think :) 78 card spread is $800 j/k :-P Proportionally it would be $156

psychic sue	12 Feb 2005
I do parties, but I don't charge much as I don't work as a consultant full time. Unfortunately, I have to do the boring day job to pay the mortgage! My rate is £20 per hour (don't know the exchange rate at the moment so I'm not sure what that is in dollars!) and most of my readings last about half an hour. I do 2 spreads for that - celtic cross and past present and future. Obviously, it depends on the question as to how long the answer is! I'm lucky that I have 2 rooms, so I take the querant into my "tarot room" and leave the others in the back room to entertain themselves! I set the room up before hand with the silk cloth, candles and incence and I put a red light on, as this seems to be more condusive to the atmosphere! It's also supposed to be better for any spirit link if you use a red light. I don't do more than 4 or 5 at a time, otherwise I am wiped out for a couple of days. I'm not really a clairvoyant, but sometimes I can tell there is a spirit person there and I try to pick on them and what they have to say. Does anyone else read tarot with a spirit link?

The Tarot Parties thread was originally posted on 31 Jan 2005 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.