Can you ask client for question

[Durant Hapke]

Brothers, and Sisters,

Oh, I might add, said drawings are often executed on a brown paper bag that I use to pony my cards around in -- very handy.

Durant "it's yours" Hapke

 

[Umbrae]

Let’s back up just a tad here folks.

Firstly, on the term “Cold Reading” Please reference rant for more info.

Cold reading is a carny term that means essentially you’re running a con-game, it’s a fake reading. Now if you’re a fake Tarot reader fine. But Cold Reading does not equate to reading for strangers or not knowing the question.

If you use those terms incorrectly, others may decide that you’re a phony, a fraud, and a charlatan.

The phonies, frauds, and charlatans currently make up the majority of the readers the general public encounters. Only now are real readers making headway into the mainstream reader population – and we can kill it with poor language. It’s kinda like saying ‘nukulur’ instead of ‘nuclear’.

The general public often do not want to tell you your question, because they’ve had readings by the ‘Cold Readers’, they want to see if you’re a real reader or just another fraud out to scam their money.

I actually prefer to read without knowing the underlying question. But I always make the reader write the question down. There may be causes and issues in the world of the sitter that are root causes, underlying needs and fears that should be addressed first.

Had a sitter back in February who wanted to know about her spiritual path. The entire thread was about work – card after card after card.

Just did a follow-up reading for her…same cards, fewer positions. See – her work is connected to her spiritual path, not separate from it. You have to trust what the cards tell you, and deliver the message the cards provide – not try to twist them to fit the question.

Well I’ve rambled long enough, I’ll get off my soapbox and let the next speaker mount the stand.

But please people – do not use the term Cold Reader incorrectly. We here, should not ever use this term to describe what we do. Unless you're a con-artist.

 

[Grizabella]

We live and learn don't we? And all along, I thought not having a question was called "cold reading".

Allllrightee then!!

But I still don't like reading without a question. It makes me uncomfortable. I guess maybe it won't after 30+ years or maybe somewhere in between my 7+ and there. Call it ego if you will. I don't think anyone but the enlightened Masters has ever completely conquered ego, and maybe not even them.

Gonna go kick Bush in the shins for that damned "nuculur" he always says. Drives me nuts. Thanks for reminding me. You'd think a President could at least pronouce new-clee-er, wouldn't you? (scowl)

 

[Schehrazada]

I once read...

I agree with Umbrae. When I was starting tarot, I read in a very nice book (whose name I can't remember presently) that no matter what you ask the cards, they will ALWAYS tell you what you need to know. The example that Umbrae gave was very similar to some of the cases that I experienced.

What I usually do is a general reading if the person has never received a reading before in their lives. That was the case of one of my friends. I did a general reading for her and a series of different topics came out altogether in the same spread! It was very useful for her. After that, if you have a querent that becomes comfortable with you and viceversa, you can do readings on more specific matters, like follow-ups.

I think that it represents a big challenge to be able to do an accurate reading without a question. Or it can also be a big help, because when someone asks a question, we could be wrapping ourselves on that topic alone because someone has "told" the cards to enlight them on a specific topic. However, the cards could be speaking about something entirely different and we could not be hearing it because we think that they are talking about something else. In this case, knowing the question could kill our reading altogether.

S.

 

[Esther]

Personally, I like reading without questions sometimes. Like Schehrazada says, it's possible, when you have a question, to not see other possibilities. I'm sure most of us have had experiences where the answers the card gave were what we needed, but really didn't answer what we asked -- maybe because our question or the querent's question wasn't what needed to be asked, or wasn't really what was being asked. I also kind of like doing general readings because it's a challenge for me. I know when I do them that I'm working intuitively and basing my interpretations on the cards and the vibes I get, not from my own mind trying to figure out how the cards could apply to the question (I'm not saying that when people do readings to answer specific questions, this is what they do. But I do think it's something that can be done, both purposely and accidentally).

 

[coeur]

I read without questions a lot of the time, and, while it is really annoying to not know what is going on, it is also really nice to just let it flow. Sometimes you project too much if you actually know what's going on!

 

[MeeWah]

Find it odd that "cold reading" equated with "fake readers", since I understand it to refer to reading "cold"--without a question or knowledge of a client's background. I do, however, prefer to have the birth date & sometimes both the birth date & the name. I use that for the meditative focus; to 'connect'. I have done more of such readings than not, & for in-person sessions, absent clients or those at a distance.

For many readings, I prefer to not know the question in order to not limit what may be seen. & depending on the client, sometimes I explain that in such a reading, 'anything goes'. If that does not pose a problem, then I proceed.

I approach a cold reading as a general reading, where a lot of information can result for different areas of a person's life. & it can also concentrate on a particular area, depending on the cards.

 

[Umbrae]

Find it odd that "cold reading" equated with "fake readers", since I understand it to refer to reading "cold"--without a question or knowledge of a client's background.

Sorry, but the history of the term comes from the carny community (and the magician community) and dates back to the 30's.

For us to incorporate the term, is to do ourselves a disservice.

Please please please – Research the term! It is a historical and linguistic fact.

we cannot simply take words and assingn new meanings in ignorance.

Research:

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcoldreading.html

http://skepdic.com/coldread.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_reading

http://www.denisdutton.com/cold_reading.htm

http://www.prairieghosts.com/coldreads.html

http://www.xprojectmagazine.com/archives/paranormal/coldreading.html

 

[Baroli]

Well, I just googled "cold reading" and besides coming up with a ton of places to read about this phenomenon, I came upon the skepticsdictionary.com


http://skepdic.com/coldread.html

An interesting article about cold reading that supports what Umbrae was talking about.

However, it does equate this with physics, Tarot readers, etc.

Baroli


Like i said on another thread, I need to learn to type faster.

 

[Durant Hapke]

rock on...

Rocking, Umbrae,

Bring it.

Blistering thought box, nice bit of linking -- cognizance expanding -- Jack bird appreciated.

Durant "looking into a complex bubble makes me hungry" Hapke