How to generate professional quality e-mail readings?

JBerry

Being able to show a graphic representation of drawn cards is one big advantage that e-mail readings have as a long distance reading method. I'm very interested in any techniques that other readers have found for generating professional quality e-mail readings that incorporate scanned images of the cards used in the reading.

Do any great word processing or e-mail programs exist out there that do a beautiful job. I like things to look really attractive and well done.

I'm a Mac person living in a PC world. Mac affords the ease of being able to drop and drag graphic files on to a page and then float text around. I am then converting a document that I create to a PDF file and sending this as an attachment. It does preserve the appearance of the original document.

It would be nice to create a very professional and attractive product that goes beyond this. Any ideas to share? Thank you.
 

nisaba

If I had a scanner, I'd just scan the cards pulled and attach them, in the order you discussed them in the text, to the email.

I would consider a received email reading like that to look professional. As long as the spelling and grammar are good. Nothing makes a writer look like an idiot more than even the most harmless spelling error. Which is why I hate that I type like a three-legged gnu.
 

Amanda

Honestly, I've had so many people tell me not to even bother sending images. They don't care... it's the information they want.
 

GryffinSong

Amanda_04 said:
Honestly, I've had so many people tell me not to even bother sending images. They don't care... it's the information they want.

That's fascinating. As a visual person I can't imagine not seeing the images.
 

Amanda

Yes, I was sending images to people first because I thought they'd like to see- nope. LOL It kind of feels like a terrible injustice to art and tarot.

There was someone around here though that gave me a reading for a review of her professional email readings and how she was presenting them, and I thought they were quite nice. I think she went by pyrogyne around here. I haven't seen her around in a while though, maybe she'll pop in.
 

GryffinSong

I wonder if it also has to do with acceptance of another's authority. Many people seem to want the reader to tell them what's what, what to do, and how it's all going to turn out. I don't feel that another HAS that power. They can advise, suggest, and point to probable outcomes. But ultimately the sitter has to take control of their own lives.

By looking at the image, I, as a sitter, have an opportunity to participate in the reading experience. If my own instincts scream out that the reader is incorrect, I can explore that feeling. Explore whether that's resistance to a much-needed message, or whether the reader has simply missed the mark. I want that active participation in my life. Many people seem not to. It fascinates and surprises me.
 

zannamarie

I agree with Amanda_04. For those for whom I'd read that know nothing about tarot, card names and images are irrelevant. They just want the message.

I know before I learned tarot that was the case. I expected the person whom I paid to know what they were doing and give me the message from the cards. What I did with the message was up to me. I never tried reading the cards myself in a conscious or unconscious way of refuting what the person said because I had no idea what the cards meant!


GryffinSong said:
I wonder if it also has to do with acceptance of another's authority. Many people seem to want the reader to tell them what's what, what to do, and how it's all going to turn out. I don't feel that another HAS that power. They can advise, suggest, and point to probable outcomes. But ultimately the sitter has to take control of their own lives.
The sitter always has control of their lives, regardless of whether or not the cards/card images have any meaning for them. Just because you let someone else read for you without interfering with their reading (ie reading the cads yourself instead of taking their interpretation) does not mean you hand control of your life to someone else.
 

GryffinSong

zannamarie said:
...The sitter always has control of their lives, regardless of whether or not the cards/card images have any meaning for them. Just because you let someone else read for you without interfering with their reading (ie reading the cads yourself instead of taking their interpretation) does not mean you hand control of your life to someone else.

I hear you, and agree with you. But I know many, many people who seem to WANT the reader to tell them what to do. Just as many religious folks seem to go to church expecting to be led. Take a look in the "your readings" section to see what I mean. Of course its not everyone. But enough. If the reader tells them to do a particular thing, even against their better judgement, they seem prepared to do it.
 

Sulis

I'm on a Mac and I use Word for all of my readings but that's probably because I've used it for years and started off on a PC. I scan the cards and send an image of the whole reading...
Works well and I can point out bits in the images that I think are relevant to the reading. I've seen plenty of email 'readings' where the reader seems to write paragraphs just describing the card and there's not much actual reading. I've found that including an image means I can just say 'if you take a look at the card you'll see......' That way someone can see why I've said what I've said.
 

Babalon Jones

isn't there a program called orphalese that can generate any spread you want from any deck? Or am I thinking of something else?