The paradox in doing public readings

This is a problem which came to my mind just recently.


Let's say that a lady X in a relationship has been doubtful of a male Y, and asks the reader (at a public forum) to read of what is to come.

The reader finds out that something bad will happen or is currently happening. Perhaps the man cheats on her.

The reader warns the person of this, and she ponders on the issue.


Later, the male Y approaches the lady X, asking what's wrong because she has been quiet recently.
The lady speaks out of the reading at the forum, showing the thread for the male, where negative things have been hinted of the said person (anonymously of course, but in such a way that the lady can relate the message for the male)

The male becomes furious this, swearing to take action, perhaps even legal.



What are your thoughts on this?

There was partially a close-scenario for this one, when a person asked what will happen between the two of them, and my reading didn't speak very warmly of it. However, I decided to keep my mouth shut.

Quite honestly, I think a reading is private between reader and sitter. I might have said to the guy, were I the sitter, when he asked what was up, that I was wondering if he was cheating - I would NOT have shown him a reading done for me. That would almost be like asking him to read my doctor's notes about a consultation.

And look what could have happened. I cannot imagine how he could take legal action - but the implications for the reader are awful.

But as the reader - yes, I'd have recounted what the cards said to me. But any reading I do has provisos: this is what I see, but it may not happen.... The future is not set in stone; NOTHING is set in stone.

Many readers have a disclaimer visible for this very reason. Sadly, any time you provide a service for the public you will come across unreasonable people and bullies.

Meditarot said:

Let's say that a lady X in a relationship has been doubtful of a male Y, and asks the reader (at a public forum) to read of what is to come.

The reader finds out that something bad will happen or is currently happening. Perhaps the man cheats on her.

The reader warns the person of this,

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This isn't the way I work. With Tarot cards, there are no hard-and-fast facts. Tarot shows LIKELIHOODS and PROBABILITIES, and reflects the thoughts, fears and/or hopes of the person sitting in front of you.

Even if cards "showing infidelity" are on the table, nothing may have happened. The cards may be reflecting what your client is afraid MIGHT happen. Or they may reflect the thought that her partner had passing sexual thoughts about an actress he saw for four seconds on TV and will never see again.

Anyone who says that a particular card or combination of cards means certain infidelity is just being irresponsible. They need to discuss with the client the possibility that this is a thought that has entered either her partner's or her own head as much as a done-deal.

Later, the male Y approaches the lady X, asking what's wrong because she has been quiet recently.
The lady speaks out of the reading at the forum,

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So ... is this a reading for a member of the public, or a forum member? From the thread title, I thought it was for a member of the public, say at a psychic fair or at a reader's booth or something.

showing the thread for the male, where negative things have been hinted of the said person (anonymously of course, but in such a way that the lady can relate the message for the male)

The male becomes furious this, swearing to take action, perhaps even legal.

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Hints are not enough for legal action.

Forum anonymity protects against legal action except in cases of murder, rape etc when the forum owner themselves would have to be subpoenaed to provide the internet address that the post originated at. And if the person who wrote the message used public WiFi? Untraceable.

What are your thoughts on this?

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Honestly? I think you're being silly. Whether in a public reading or in a forum exchange, I'd expect readers to have more brains than to say that something is definitely happening. If there are hints, nobody takes legal action on hints.

I've been reading publicly on and off since 1981. I have said some pretty strong things at times, when it was called for, including looking at a client with open hostility in my face and telling them that I don't read for bullying thugs no matter how much money they give me. How often have I been sued in all these years? Exactly zero times.

There was partially a close-scenario for this one, when a person asked what will happen between the two of them, and my reading didn't speak very warmly of it. However, I decided to keep my mouth shut.

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Without knowing what cards were in front of you I couldn't suggest mature ways of conveying negative information (which I do all the time when the cards call for it), but it's safe to say there's something else you can say besides "your partner has certainly been unfaithful to you".

First of all - I would have no idea why anyone would 'show' someone else a reading done personally for them - even on this forum.

Secondly - this is a world-wide forum - I really cannot see someone traveling from northern Europe to Australia to harass or threaten the reader that gave the initial reading ... that is the stuff of B-movies.

This is also one of many reasons 'public readers' state 'For Entertainment Purposes Only' on all their business paraphernalia.

tarotbear said:

First of all - I would have no idea why anyone would 'show' someone else a reading done personally for them - even on this forum.

Secondly - this is a world-wide forum - I really cannot see someone traveling from northern Europe to Australia to harass or threaten the reader that gave the initial reading ... that is the stuff of B-movies.

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Where does this bit about Australia come in ?

*puzzled*

Thank you all for the replies. The answers have helped me greatly (and been kind of a relief too)

It was late last night when I realized this, and may have overreacted a bit about it, but this is nevertheless a good topic to discuss about.


@Nisaba

You are right here. Being a novice reader I have always reminded me that the Death card doesn't necessarily mean that death is looming around somewhere. It may simply hint about an end to something, or a great chance. And the Devil doesn't mean that one is being possessed by "the Devil". It may simply hint to control or even intimate, raw passion between two persons.

The same is with these cards. If I get a combination which could, in the literal sense, hint of something towards infidelity, it may still not be so.

---


Secondly in general, let me clarify that the "Let's say"-story was simply an imaginary scenario. It may have not happened and was simply my speculation.

The close-scenario was true, but as I said I rejected myself from hinting any hard facts (and got a few "I wonder what he's hiding" and "lol he chickened out"-comments from the forum people afterwards).

But after all, as you said, the tarot is more about probabilities and likelihoods than any hard evidences or facts.


The forum where this "close-scenario" happened was not AT, but another forum altogether (a forum which is situated in my home country but where people nevertheless write from behind nicknames).



Oh, and the cards were two Queens and the Moon between them. The querent was a female.

gregory said:

Where does this bit about Australia come in ?

*puzzled*

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As a 'for instance' - Someone in northern Europe has a reading done on AT in a reading exchange by a reader in Australia; northern European is foolish enough to show reading to negligent boyfriend; I think it is severely doubtful said bf in Europe would track down unsuspecting reader in Australia for a lawsuit {or drive-by shooting}.

tarotbear said:

As a 'for instance' - Someone in northern Europe has a reading done on AT in a reading exchange by a reader in Australia; northern European is foolish enough to show reading to negligent boyfriend; I think it is severely doubtful said bf in Europe would track down unsuspecting reader in Australia for a lawsuit {or drive-by shooting}.

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Oh - OK. Then again. I have been threatened with a lawsuit from Ukraine - and then again again, you;'re right; I didn't take it seriously.