Reading for younger clients?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 05 May 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

DarkElectric	05 May 2005
Hi everybody :) I have a question about reading for younger clients. I mean kids. I read at public faires sometimes, and I've had people as young as 9 want readings. This is with parental permission, of course. But here's the issue...So far, I've been using the Celtic Dragon for "tween-age" people, because there is virtually no nudity in the deck. Tarot of a Moon Garden is also what I would consider "child friendly". There are an awful lot of decks out there with people parts prominently displayed. I'm a card reader, not a Health Ed teacher. Has anyone else encountered this problem? And if so, how have you dealt with the issue of suggestive imagery as concerns reading for kids?

contrascarpe	05 May 2005
My first day reading at the shop I actually read for an infant (obviously it was for the parents sake, but I thought it was unusual to say the least ..... and a lot of fun). Thus far I have not had the opportunity to read for children, but am braced for it (deckwise) should it occur. The two decks I carry for that use are the Halloween and the Whimsical. The Halloween is a straight RWS-like deck with various cartoony images substituted for the human figures (and no nudity). The Whimsical is a little more abstract and incorporates fairy tales as the theme. The part of reading for children I wonder about is HOW to read for them. Most of my readings get very heavy with the bulk of people coming to me treating me as if I were a counselor. Reading for children would have to be a lot less intense. Dan

Indigo Rose	05 May 2005
I have only read for 2 kids, both family ages 12 and 14. The 2 decks that I like for kids: Hanson-Roberts and Whimsical.

Fudugazi	05 May 2005
I read for children quite a bit, but the nude bits don't get in the way. Maybe it's cultural! Having said that, there are some decks which children love and which have not nudity - at least, not human nudity ;) - I have just tried out the Baroque Bohemian Cats on my nephew and niece and they LOVE it (and so do I!). My 9-year old niece and several of her friends I have read for like the Crystal Tarot, and my niece owns a lovely Majors-only deck called Le Tarot d'Or, which was designed by a French tarotist for her daughter - Juliette does readings with it herself. The children and their friends all like the Housewives Tarot as well. My 8-year old nephew adores the Tarot of Prague and now has one of his own he can't stop looking at! If I do read with decks that show nudity, I am natural - and open about it if asked. If they snicker (some do, especially boys) I smile and ask them what they think is funny - and then ask them why they think there is a nude person in that particular card - that gets their intuition and their imagination going. I have shown all my decks to my nephew and niece but wouldn't necessarily read with all of them for them or their young friends. For teens I think all decks are suitable. As Dan says, how to read is also important. Lighter than for adults but not simplistic or dismissive - or worse still, patronising. Children also have their loves and fears and traumas and desires.

raeanne	05 May 2005
Hi all, To answer Dan's question about HOW to read for children, here's some of my thoughts on the subject... The key to reading for children is to understand the different stages of childhood. A Tower event for a toddler could be a lost teddy bear or a new baby brother/sister. For a 6-12 year old the Tower card might be changing schools or a best friend moving away. A teenager will have a totally different set of Tower events. Each card takes on a little bit different meaning depending on the age of the child. The Lovers card is still about the Love/Lust decision but just what does that mean to a five year old? Love is giving of oneself for the benefit of others while Lust is taking from others for the benefit of oneself. Children deal with this all the time and in reality, the younger the child, the more self centered they are. I don’t mean this in the “self centered, arrogant” way, but in the “what’s me and what’s other” way. Anyone who has spent time around babies knows how self centered and demanding they are when they are hungry or need attention. They cry and create a ruckus until their needs are met! While the Lovers card may not be about sexuality with children it often is about sensuality. Children’s senses are different than adults. Have you ever seen a child eat an ice cream cone? They get sticky all around their mouth and don’t even feel it! But, children need touch! They need to be comforted and reassured. Familiar sights, sounds, and smells, are all important to children. The Lovers card is frequently about these sensual, reassuring issues. The Empress can be the nurturing “mom” figure and the Emperor the disciplinarian “dad” figure. Children have a keen sense of fair play. “That’s not fair” is a phrase that is frequently heard on a schoolyard playground. This is Justice. Learning to ride a bike can very easily be the World card since it broadens a child’s horizons. Just think about a card and see how that plays out in a child’s world. I have read for children many times (and I don’t necessarily ask for parental permission). Above all, be respectful to the child! As for nudity in the deck, it depends on the child. Nudity can be distracting to children and even some adults. When in doubt, use a deck where everyone has their clothes on!

DarkElectric	07 May 2005
Thank you so much, folks, for sharing on this one! I appreciate :) It is sometimes difficult for me to read for kids, no matter what the deck is, because as you guys have stated, kids have diferent issues. Kids being little people in their own right, (but not mini adult people,) definitely have their own culture and methods of relating to the world they see. (Raeanne, you are so right on about the ice cream cone thing...it's not just a dessert, it's a celebration!) And it's sometimes less a question of how the children would react to the nudity issue, and more at how would their parents take it? Kids do seem innocent as far as that goes, but in America, at least, there's sort of a big deal about showing the human body, even though we all have one, and everyone sees somebody else without clothes on eventually. Thanks for your insight here, it really helps.

shaveling	07 May 2005
I'm not writing out of any experience in reading here, but more out of my sense of self preservation (by which I may well mean paranoia), and the rules and policies I have to live with in other areas of life. If you're a man: Don't read for children using a deck with nudity in it. Pedophiles have used nude pictures as a tool in seducing children, and many adults know that. If there's any card in a given deck you wouldn't want to see described in a newspaper article about your arrest, don't use that deck. Don't be in a room with a child without another adult present. I'm sorry, very sorry, we live in a world where these rules make sense. But I believe they do make sense. -shaveling

Rosanne	07 May 2005
I loved reading for children. Before I could get a Deck such as Inner Child I used My Rider Waite Smith. Although I have no problem with nudity I just didn't think it would help in a reading- the exception is the nudity in the The Lovers. Children seem to see Adam and Eve somehow. I had self imposed rules. Always had the adult around, maybe not in earshot,but in plain view. No Medical advice, no problem solving that could be directed to a professional, No mental health advice,and no secrets. In general I would lay out the cards and ask 'What do you think these pictures are telling us?' Children seem to cut to the chase and sweep the cards at a glance, hone in on a particular card. Quite often they would speak and then look at me to see if I approved or not. I kept my face neutral always and my hands still, and I waited until I got a response. I took it from there. I think parents who have been hurting their children will not go to a reader, because they think I will see that in the cards. But a few times I have been told not so nice things and I always say I am going to help by telling Mum or Dad or whoever and I have never ever had a bad response from the child, only relief. Mostly the readings are about fun and why Johnny won't play with me, and why my teacher does'nt like me etc etc general chit chat about the cards. I hope you enjoy the experience DarkElectric, I always did. To add: we are the problem about nudity, not the kids but I think a careful choosing of Cards is important- Tarot of the Moon Garden is good, so is Osho Zen. I would worry about excessive violence in cards as well.~ Rosanne

The Reading for younger clients? thread was originally posted on 05 May 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.