Ren Faire Tarot Readers

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 26 Jun 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Dragons_Wing	26 Jun 2005
I've been going to ren fairs for only about a year and often i see readers there. Im slightly leary of them though becuase i'm not sure if they are real readers or just there as show. today i saw someone who was charging a dollar a min which seems like alot.. altho i'm not sure if it actually is or not.... so i guess i was just wondering if anyone here actually does ren fairs or know actual readers who do?

Citrin	26 Jun 2005
Hmm what is a ren fair? I've never heard that before, sorry, English isn't my first language...

Satori	26 Jun 2005
A dollar a minute is pretty much the going rate for psychic faires, and the like. I charge that at Tarot parties as well, sometimes more, if I'm going to be doing back to back readings for more than four people. I'm actually considering a Renaissance Faire myself! It would be this fall, and I'm applying for it now. We have several readers here at AT who have done Ren Faires and really, like anything, it is the luck of the draw. Some readers out there are great and others are mediocre and some are really, really, really marginal. Gotta plunk down the money to find out!

Chronata	26 Jun 2005
hi citrin! The term Ren Faire is short for Renaissance Faire...which is a tourist attraction in many states in the US, where you look at people dressed up in costumes, from European history (usually Medievil through late Cavalier periods...if not fantasy...) while you shop for expensive hand made crafts, and eat "authentic" Renaissance food such as corn and turkey legs... (not that I'm jaded or anything...;) ) I used to work at them for a decade or so...both as an actress, and as a tarot/fortune teller in my younger days.... And elf is correct...it is a hit or miss as to what kind of reading you might get...whether it is entertainment or not. I have done both...reading cards and reading stones. I remember that there were a lot of people doing psychometry at one time...and connecting folks to thier past lives in atlantis. I also remember the once famous psychic Irene Hughes wearing a horrible pink and purple polyester get-up, and doing psychic readings in a purple booth for $50 for a half an hour. But there are legit readers there too...many friends I know have done the faires, and are really great readers. And just because a woman in a gypsy outfit and a terrible accent is loudly, and dramatically calling to you for a reading...doesn't mean she won't drop the character as soon as you are seated at her table! :)

HudsonGray	26 Jun 2005
Right, we've got them at Pennsic War too (a historical re-creation event focusing on the 1600's)--once you sit down the accent drops & it turns into a serious reading. I can't speak for all the Ren Faires, but the Bristol Renaissance Festival in Wisconsin actually will advertise through the New Age stores for tarot readers, they have to do a demo and convince the person hiring them for the year's run that they can actually read cards. The contract goes from year to year, the person doing the tarot reading is considered a performer and HAS to be able to be there every day they're open, with maybe only one sick day off. This means commuting every weekend down there for a month and a half. They're paid (not sure how much, I only know the beggars make the highest paycheck out of everybody there) but probably have to split the take from the customers.

Mabuse	26 Jun 2005
It seems misleading to have tarot card readings at a renaissance faire. Before the 1780's, Tarot was not widely regarded as a divination tool. Many SCA (Society for Creative Anachronisms) members would call such activities "out of period" Some SCA members might do tarot readings, but few would incorporate them into their Medieval/Renaissance re-creations. Here's a link which addresses the issue: http://www.lelandra.com/comptarot/tarotsca.htm

HudsonGray	27 Jun 2005
True, but that's where the C comes in in the SCA (Creative), that way it allows solid foot support shoes, modern glasses and Pepsi to be used. Even if it's out of period, some things still show up. Our Bristol Ren Faire has 'faeries' with wings in one section, at least 10 performers who work with the 'wizard' as a troop. Not too historical, but they've been the most recent addition. Have you heard about Ded Bob? He actually came up here about 5 years ago, but usually performs down in Texas--he's a ventriloquist dressed as a leper holding a 'live' skeleton in his arms. The skeleton is the only one who talks, his man-servant has a cloth over his face to hide his hideousness (and the fact his lips still move!). Not all that historically accurate, but very funny! I think he has a web site too. Mostly I think modern day people expect divination of some sort to be available so the Fairs have a mystical section for that or at least one booth with card/rune readers.

The Ren Faire Tarot Readers thread was originally posted on 26 Jun 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.