"Test" reading so I can prove myself

Grizabella

If you haven't done readings except online, then I'd spend the next week doing a lot of readings face to face, preferably for strangers, if I were you. Get yourself really used to it before you go sit in front of her for your test. I didn't really register the part where you said you haven't done hardly any face to face readings when I read your post because I was distracted with the kids, but now that I've registered that part, that's my new advice.
 

Deacon76

The best advice I can give has - I think - already been offered. But it bears repeating: relax. Enjoy the experience for what it is. Reading for someone live is different from reading online, but there can be a lot of joy in doing it. You get to dialogue with your querent, and the more you two talk, the more will be uncovered. And if that turns out to not be the case with this person, then this store owner probably isn't someone you want to be associated with anyway. Those last few seconds before you finish shuffling and finally lay the spread out will probably be the hardest. Just remember that you are doing something which (I assume) you love. And that is a reward in and of itself.
 

Sulis

I don't really want to sound like the voice of dissent but are you sure you're ready to start reading from a shop and charging folks for your readings?
You joined this forum a month ago and stated that you were 'quite new to tarot'.
You've posted an awful lot of threads asking what certain cards mean in certain positions...

I just think that sometimes it does tarot readers in general more of a service if folks make sure they can really read the cards before they start charging and go 'pro'.

If you feel confident that you know what you're doing without books and without help from other readers then go for it, but are you?

I think that readers should get as many face to face readings under their belts as possible before they start calling themselves a professional.

Edited to add: Oops just realised that Umbrae has said this too - sorry Umbrae :)
 

satine

Umbrae said:
Uh well I agree with some previous posters and disagree with others.

Yes – learn to do your readings speaking aloud.

Now here’s the gig…what spread would you be doing with live paid readings for strangers? Keltic Kross? Five or Seven Card Horseshoe? You have to do the same thing… One does not audition for a Wagner opera by singing Paul Simon covers. You have to show the store owner what you’re about.

You have to be honest. With yourself – and the owner. She’s hiring you. Even if you don’t work for her, and just sit at a table in a back corner and give her a cut – whatever the financial arrangements are – you become a reflection of what she wants her store to be, and represent.

So stick with the spreads you’d be doing live (and that means more than three cards).

Do NOT separate the deck into majors and minors (unless you read this way already). Why? Cuz if I were hiring you – I’d ask why…and you’d better have a dang good answer (I cannot think of one reason why anybody’d do this – and I’ve been at this game for three decades).

Begin over-hydrating a day in advance.

Ground yerself.

Don’t practice every moment between now and then – you WILL drive yourself into a panic attack, and have a selph phulfilling prophecy of phailure (guaranteed and no you don’t get your money back). It’s putting too much pressure on yourself.

It's a test - true, it’s only reading the Tarot. But you need to be real, and be honest.

And for my own personal opinion – you really need months of reading for strangers for gratuity and/or no remuneration before you step into the professional arena. That said, I’ve seen some move from online to professional with problems.

It depends on the time spent reading – really really reading….

:cool2:

PS: and if you go blank...hunt down an essay I wrote ages ago titled, "The Blank Spot.

Okay-- good advice. Thank you. Just to clarify, though, this isn't for pay. I would just be participating in the monthly psychic fair and I do not believe there is any pay involved. I have talked with the bookstore owner, and she understands where I am in my development as a tarot reader, and that I consider that I still have along way to go. I don't feel like I've misrepresented any of that. I wouldn't separate the majors from minors because this is not typical for me. I want to stay in my comfort zone. ;) On this note, I tend to also feel most comfortable with five-or-six-card spreads, as opposed to three-card or larger spreads such as the CC. That could take forever, too. I just wanted to clarify that this isn't for pay; I'm just looking for opportunities to read in-person for strangers so that I can grow as a reader. :)
 

satine

Sulis said:
I don't really want to sound like the voice of dissent but are you sure you're ready to start reading from a shop and charging folks for your readings?
You joined this forum a month ago and stated that you were 'quite new to tarot'.
You've posted an awful lot of threads asking what certain cards mean in certain positions...

I just think that sometimes it does tarot readers in general more of a service if folks make sure they can really read the cards before they start charging and go 'pro'.

If you feel confident that you know what you're doing without books and without help from other readers then go for it, but are you?

I think that readers should get as many face to face readings under their belts as possible before they start calling themselves a professional.

Edited to add: Oops just realised that Umbrae has said this too - sorry Umbrae :)

Again, this isn't for pay; it's for the experience. How else should I get experience reading for strangers? I am open to suggestions. Thanks! :)
 

Umbrae

satine said:
There is a new-age bookstore that has monthly "psychic fairs" where there are all sorts of people who offer different products and services. It's not too far from where I live, so I talked to the owner about possibly being included in this event as a tarot reader

Of course now I feel a lot of pressure, because this opportunity rests solely on this one reading for the store owner, and I have to just hope that it "clicks" for me

Do you guys have any suggestions regarding what spread might be best for this owner reading, and/or any other tips? Thanks in advance for any advice.

Uh – psychic fairs and auditioning = money

You don’t go under “Pressure” for more experience – that you just go out and do…

And the eight of swords I just drew tells me…
 

Sulis

Do readers actually read at psychic fairs for free? I haven't ever seen any.
I presumed that because you said that you were reading as part of a new age book store at a psychic fair that the tarot readers actually charged for their services.
I don't know any book stores that would give away readings, books or anything else, are you sure you won't be expected to charge?
I've never read at a psychic fair so I'm genuinely curious.

I have nothing against folks going out and reading for strangers to get experience (of course I don't), it's the only way to gain experience and get to be a good reader BUT I'm reading more and more threads from folks who have interviews for jobs as readers or who are reading at public events for money and they've only just started reading and don't seem to have a good grasp of how to read: They obviously aren't tarot readers (yet).

I think it's very important to be good enough to read for money when you start reading for money because otherwise you're not doing professional tarot readers any favours at all.

As for suggestions about how to get experience reading for strangers without pay but for experience - take your deck out and start doing spreads in places where folks hang around; parks in the summer, coffee shops or cafes when the weather is no good.
I think that Valeria has a thread somewhere around these forums telling of how she went and sat in a food hall at the mall, the sort of place with tables and lots of little cafes - that way you're not using a cafe's premises so they're not likely to object.
I find neighbours who you don't know too well to be a good to practice on.
Where I live if you tell the bloke who runs the corner shop anything he'll spread it around very quickly so if I feel the need to get some face to face practice in, I just let him know and he lets everyone else in the neighbourhood know - did that with reflexology too.
 

satine

Okay- Sulis and Umbrae, I get the hint. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

Warmly,
Satine
 

NightQueen

I wish you all the best satine you will have so much fun!
 

satine

Sulis said:
Do readers actually read at psychic fairs for free? I haven't ever seen any.
I presumed that because you said that you were reading as part of a new age book store at a psychic fair that the tarot readers actually charged for their services.
I don't know any book stores that would give away readings, books or anything else, are you sure you won't be expected to charge?
I've never read at a psychic fair so I'm genuinely curious.

I have nothing against folks going out and reading for strangers to get experience (of course I don't), it's the only way to gain experience and get to be a good reader BUT I'm reading more and more threads from folks who have interviews for jobs as readers or who are reading at public events for money and they've only just started reading and don't seem to have a good grasp of how to read: They obviously aren't tarot readers (yet).

I think it's very important to be good enough to read for money when you start reading for money because otherwise you're not doing professional tarot readers any favours at all.

As for suggestions about how to get experience reading for strangers without pay but for experience - take your deck out and start doing spreads in places where folks hang around; parks in the summer, coffee shops or cafes when the weather is no good.
I think that Valeria has a thread somewhere around these forums telling of how she went and sat in a food hall at the mall, the sort of place with tables and lots of little cafes - that way you're not using a cafe's premises so they're not likely to object.
I find neighbours who you don't know too well to be a good to practice on.
Where I live if you tell the bloke who runs the corner shop anything he'll spread it around very quickly so if I feel the need to get some face to face practice in, I just let him know and he lets everyone else in the neighbourhood know - did that with reflexology too.

Update: The book store owner has said that the psychic fairs attract attention to their store (so that people buy their products since of course they won't be giving away books or anything else from their inventory), and that I may charge or not charge for my tarot readings; either way, they have more traffic coming to and through the bookstore, which enhances business for them. So, since I am doing this for practice, I won't be charging for readings at first. She seems very willing to support me in my effort to grow as a tarot reader.

Regarding your other suggestions: I really can't see myself sitting with my tarot cards in the food court section of the mall or any other public place in this small southern town. I hate to generalize, but this is the "Bible Belt", and many people are not accepting or even open to things like tarot cards; even those who are receptive to the use of tarot cards would be unlikely to satisfy their curiosity in a public place where coworkers, neighbors, and/or members of their church might walk by at any time. The new-age bookstore I mentioned isn't even in this town where I live; it's in a college town where people are generally a bit more open to anything that is even a little off-the-beaten-path. That brings me to your other suggestion: neighbors I don't know too well. I can assure you that this would not be a realistic option for me either. I could see reading for neighbors I actually DO know well enough to know that they wouldn't be freaked out by my even asking if they'd like to have their cards read, but there is no way that I would approach a neighbor I don't even know that well to see if they'd like to have a tarot reading sometime. I do not know if you have spent much time in the southeast of the United States, or specifically in any small southern towns of Georgia, but you can believe me when I say that it's nothing like Western Europe in terms of overall public acceptance of "occult" practices. Even the word "occult" (which of course just means hidden, secret, etc.) has extremely negative connotations for most people around here, where fundamentalist religion dominates. I am from here originally, so I don't want to perpetuate a stereotype, but I'm just trying to explain that it's not the same in every geographical area in terms of overall public acceptance or even tolerance of tarot-card reading. I live in the historic district of this small southern town, and I can guarantee you that if I started reading cards two blocks away at the little town square, there would literally be complaints in the local newspaper about it. I promise you that I'm not exaggerating. Now, that doesn't mean that there aren't people around here who would love a tarot reading, but there is not an overall environment of acceptance. So, all of that said, I am happy to find any opportunity to read tarot in person for some folks. I'm also doing some networking with the lady I go to for massages, since she said she knows quite a few people who would love to have a free reading so that I could have the practice.

I agree wholeheartedly that I want to reach a certain level of predictable and fluid competency before beginning to charge for readings. I alone will know when I'm there. :)