for JMD from Ania
Many apologies, have been offline for a few days ...am posting this for Ania, explanation below ....
jmd said:
Ribbitcat earlier asked for some feedback regarding the post included on behalf of someone else (who therefore presumable does not post hereon).
***I do not post here because every time I try to sign up, it craps out
and I'm gettting fed up of typing in my numerous decks etc to no avail.
I have tried about 5 times to join the group and it fails every time
So let me address a few issues raised.
Firstly, regarding:
"I am surprised and more than a little concerned by your experience of our [ie, TABI's] Free Reading service. Grammar and spelling is something we take very seriously and devote as much attention to this as to the content of the reading.
From this, one can take it that the endorsement supposedly says two thing about the endorsee.
On the one hand, that their literacy is such that they are able to communicate in the written form. Of course, ideally all adults would have this, but personally do not see why this need form a basis for a person offering, for example, live readings from a shop front, or by audio-recording (as long as they do not have accents very difficult to understand for us foreigners to certain regions of the UK). This aspect of 'endorsement' has nothing to do with tarot reading
per se.
***Professionalism includes the ability to communicate effectively and
coherently. In the form of email, grammar and spelling are just as
important as content, in face to face the spelling is unimportant but
the ability to construct a coherent sentence is. Let's face it, when you
get an email that looks as if it was typed by a roomful of monkeys or is
"wrtn n txtspk" bacause the writer just can't be bothered to type the
whole word, are you going to be impressed by the content? I wouldn’t be!
Would you be impressed by someone who punctuates every sentence with
"er", "yeah" and "ummm"? In written readings it’s the same thing - why
shouldn’t grammar and spelling be important.
The other aspect, about the so-called 'content of the reading', is explained in the ensuing part:
Our (ie, TABI's) aim in mentoring readers in the Endorsement scheme is to help them to develop a professional standard of reading, in terms of interpretation, ethics and presentation.
Unless this so-called 'professional standard' of 'interpretation' has altered from a previous discussion in the thread I linked to earlier, it
excludes more insightful off-the-cuff interpretations, and
requires a particular manner of viewing the cards - fine for some individuals if they want, but this gives an false view as to Tarot interpretation. Far broader interpretations than the (also wonderful and
possible, but not only nor
necessary) interpretations
suggested by Joan Bunnings are not only possible, but likely. The reader need not also be able to necessarily do a 'meta-reading' - in other words, s/he may be a great reader without being able to
explain why they see things in a particular manner in a particular reading-at-hand.
***You must recognise the intent in a particular card. Even if you
choose to design your own deck and assign whatever meanings you choose
to the cards, you must then stick to a reasonable approcimation of these
meanings. A card that has negative undertones can not suddenly become a
"happy ever after" - surely you appreciate this?
Regarding the so-called 'ethics', this is, from earlier looking at the site, no more than a codification of certain directives, rather than entering ethical considerations into the situation at hand.
***Do you not appreciate that as tarot readers we must have certain
basic ethics? Do you feel that it is acceptable to give people false
hope? To spy on others on their behalf? To predict a future theat they
believe they have no power over or ability to change? Is this acceptable
to you? Joan Bunning is not the be all and end all, but she has a good
beginners course, which we teach to beginners. It is not linked to the
Endorsement scheme. If our readers have leaned through our course, then
yes, they will have interpretations based on these meanings, but this
does not limit their own insight and learning from other sources. We try
to accommodate all kinds of readers from a variety of backgrounds, but
we deal in tarot and have limited facility to mentor people who hear
"voices". As a tarot reader yourself, if you received a reading that was
totally off the wall and the interpretations bore no relevance to the
traditional meanings of the cards, what would you think?
I would also suggest that a 'ongoing peer quality check' means nothing more than a way in which only certain types of readings are deemed legitimate. Fortunately for the world of tarot, no such things have either existed in the past in a broader manner, nor were the public duped into thinking that such 'peer quality check' showed what those terms would be assumed to imply. In this case, 'peer quality check' does not check the accuracy nor quality of any reading-at-hand.
***Not at all. The posting of anonomised readings allows readers to
discuss readings and feedback with their peers as part of a learning
process. Often we get no feedback whatsoever from the querent. This can
be very demoralising for a new reader and the readers list can give them
the opportunity to get (what is known in the business world as) a 360
degree feedaback. The difference between this and a list like this is
the shared experience of the Free Reading service.
I would suggest that those of us not involved in any form of 'certification' nor formal 'endorsement' process (other than personal recommendation, as we would anyone we knew and wanted to recommend) be vigilant in preventing a slow creeping invasion of any kind of formalisation of readers or reading processses.
***Once again I see this forum rubbishing what they know nothing about.
If you do not wish to be endorsed by your peers, then that is your
perogative. We advocate endorsement for those who wish it as a way to
have their talents and knowledge acknowledged by their peers. If you
care nothing for this, then fine, but don't imply that it is a worthless
process - it isn't for a great many readers, many of whom get confidence
from knowing that they have the recognition of their peers.
The wide diversity of books currently on the market hopefully shows that each decade opens yet new aspects to manners in which Tarot is used and viewed, and an argument for 'certification' or 'endorsement' by an organisation on grounds of presumption of public protection from the evil clutches of con-artists does not hold. Rather, it would only give a credence of legitimacy to con-artists who would flutter to gain such.
***Are you suggesting that TABI are con artists? I rather think that our
300+ members would disagree with you.
This is not a criticism of the other aspects of TABI, by the way. Neither would a criticism of the other UK-based body that provides so-called accreditation or certification for Tarot Readers be a criticism of its other aspects.
It does put into question, however, whether by joining TABI the applicant is giving implicit support to such farce... I will welcome the day when TABI (and a few other Tarot organisations who still include such as part of their membership) formerly declare that certification and endorsement does not in any manner suggest that those readers are any better than readers without such.
***I am really offended that you refer to what we do as a farce. We do
not and never have claimed that our readers are necessarily better that
any others. What do we attest to is that they have a basic knowledge of
the cards (i.e., they are not just making it up on the fly), that they
do have a basic code of ethics (see our website for details) and can
present a reading in a coherent fashion. WHAT IS YPOUR PROBLEM WITH
THAT?! You can probably tell that I am really getting quite annoyed now!
If I could sign up to this bloomin' group then I would post this myself,
but since I can’t, I can only offer that Ribbit passes on my details via
PM if you wish to take this up with me personally. Incidentally, you can
find my details on TABI's contact pages - my name is Ania, I am the
current Treasurer and thus a member of the panel, as well as an Endorsed
reader and Mentor.
And will rejoice when a decision is also made by those same organisations to abandon claims to either certification or endorsement!
***Why should we abandon what our members want just bcause you, in your
infinite wisdomn, don't approve? What is it you fear? That perhaps your
peers would not agree with your own opinion of your readings? Perhaps
it's easier to bask in the approval of less knowledgable clients, that
be open before your peers.
Ania.