hmm
as a just beginning out pro reader (one event where i read at the pow wow so far), i ask the client the following.
1. have you ever had your cards read before ?
I do this because I want to be sure that the person has some knowledge of the tarot workings as a client.
so when if i explain my reading style ,, it will have some merit for comparision.
2. do you have any questions about the tarot itself ?
this one i leave myself open a bit for I want the client to feel that it is ok for them to ask questions,, and that they have to keep it bottled inside.
3. then i might ask a question based on the situation.. or make a statement..
example they look nervious
"now dont' be afraid of the cards for I work with the light "
or if they look withdrawn..
"dont' be afraid to talk,, for i like to talk when i read the cards ,
and try to establish a rapport,, might picture us in the circles of the figure eight for example.
now after that ,, it would all depend on how the questions were asked,, if i was a tired individual or not at the end of a long day.
i am just an human being after all trying to read tarot cards.
so if the quesitons were asked filled with anger,, and i couldnt' establish a rapport i might say ,
i am sorry , i just can't connect with you, you should seek your fortune elsewhere. (eheh a pun )
now if you asked me t hese questions gently, eagerly looking to meet a good tarot reader (i should say a earnest tarot reader who tries and isnt' a con man) then I might say the following.
How did you come into this profession?
1. well i came into this profession just now because i feel i was prepared and praticed enough to start reading for others for money.
the charge of the money is for my time, the respect for the time i have put into it..
and let me make a comparision,, would you go to a hair stylist and expect a free hair cut ?.
now how i got started in the tarot is i was a teenager oh about 17 years and i wanted to know if any one loved me and this book interested me for it said find your love .. i forget now though what the back cover exactly said,, i know it was written by eden grey.. and i read that book cover over 50 times that month.
and I Started to study by books .. and
(i was cut off as the next question was asked lol )
Why do you read for other people?
2. well i am reading for people to make some change, to intereact and exchange communciation, and have fun.
Do you believe that you can solve other peoples problems via "spell work"?
3. spell work ?
nah i don't study wicca, or even my own shamanism (i say my own from i come the ojibwe background ),, though i read up on shamanism sometimes.
i have seen some books that have visualization spreads in them, and that would work like postive visualization but for all the golden dawn history behind the tarot and its ritual magicks .. it just didnt' appeal to me.
What type of deck will you use and or will I have the option to choose my own deck?
4. you wouldn't have to ask this for the first thing i do when you sit down is i ask you what deck do you want to work with.
Are you comfortable with the fact that I do read for myself and I am aware of the "book meaning" behind each card?
5. hell yeah.
i do my best readings when people know what i am talking about so i dont' have to sit there and explain every card but can really flow ..
praise the lord, the lords, the queens, the ascended masters, the buddhas, all aspects of jesus, the angels, and heck everything contained in the source that you have come to me , for we will have a great reading now.
How do you think that the tarot works?
6. it works by subconscious to some,, and for me,, it works by the angels and the guides, and the source helping me understand the signs of the tarot for you .
Do you use reversals?
7. yup sure do..
i weaned myself on reversals and use them all the time except with doreen virtue oracles. , oh doreen virtue ? darn you see some of these decks,, let me show you one..
Do you allow any particular religious beliefs to influence your readings?
8. sure ,,
i come from a christian, native traditional , and a new age spirtualist unist back ground .
i seek the harmony in all the religions that appeal to me ,, to find the universal whole.
Do you believe that the cards themselves hold any kind of "power"?
9. hmm ,
well as you must know form the quesitons you have asked me so far,, it is subjective like beauty in the eye of the beholder..
and dont' get me started on psychometry possiblities of the tarot, and how a reader can pick up energy that way.
let just say that i believe in inner tarot guides that server as dream posts in our inner mind.
Have you studied psychology (Such as Jung) and do you apply that to your interpretations of the cards?.
10. it is interesting that you should ask that..
i have the jungian tarot and the book to study it..
this one time at the tarot forum i go to,, i once started a study group for it,, but no one was interested init.
but for actual study of jung, and freud,, nay ,, i am not educated enough.
but i try to apply general concepts like the father to the emperor and the mother to the emperess.
Do you believe yourself to be psychic? If so, explain to me how that will come into play during my reading.
11. eheheh psychic,, sometimes i wish i was 100 percent psychic , fully trusting in my abilities then i wouldnt' need the cards,,
but in truth i love the tarot..
oh yes the question..
well i do believe i channel when i read the tarot so when i read for you,,i belive i get higher insights implanted into my brain from either my soul,, or my guide by mental telepathy..
and sometimes i try to be imaginative and go outside the book meanings, as you know they are just skeltons for which we can work with..
and the systems i study now and then can add muscle to the skelton but you get the gist.
Are you comfortable with my active participation during the reading?
12. sure am,,
hell let talk after about channeling, reiki,, if you want.
Are you put on the defensive by sitters who have a prior understanding of the tarot?
13. umm i already answered that,, heck no.
What type of spread will you be using for my reading if any are used at all and why?
14. oh the answer is simple..
20 dollars for 5 card, or 25 for a whole ten cards spread i specialize in called the keltic cross.
besides that,, i dont' have ny spreads on me at the moment as alllll my books are in storage right now,,and most of my decks wahh.
Do I sound like the Spanish Inquisition here? I'm just a tad bit over the bullshit and I'd like the reader to know that I'm SERIOUS about her claims to be serious. Think I'll offend?
15.
nay you dont' sound like the spanish inquistion asking these questions to me..
i like how you did them for you haven't given any of yourself away for i dont' even know your name..
all i know is that you probaly read the tarot ,,and want to question everything.. now i got to be on the ball .
so let us begin..
now what i do is i am going to ask you to pick one question ,, unless you prefer to see what the cards say..
and we will both ground ourselves,, just picture yourself as a tree connected to the earth..
while i do my own thingy here..
*and we start reading i hope*