Tips and advice...

[haleyw]

I'm going to be doing some face to face readings next week, not charging or anything, just for practise, haven't really done these before (apart from a couple of three carders for friends) and want to try it out. Do you have any tips, hints, advice that may help my readings be more successful? Any easy spreads you can suggest using?

Many thanks

 

[gregory]

I have only done this about twice because I get scared ****less...

Don't laugh - but do breathe quietly before you say anything. And then - trust yourself.

If this is sort of a first - I'd stick to three carders anyway, for now - past - present future is popular, though I'm not big on predictive; I am more fond of yes if - no if - maybe if (thanks, James Ricklef !) Loads of cards would make you (well, me...!) feel panicky if you have any problems all of a sudden.

Don't be afraid to ask the sitter if what you just said suggests anything to them, either. It can lead you onward.

And - if you get stuck, never be afraid to say so. But - relax, and it will come to you. If it doesn't - there are experienced professionals who have said to sitters: "I am not getting anything.... I need to leave this for a while" - look at the pro threads here !

Have fun. Tarot is not a courtroom

 

[Topsy]

Like Gregory, I've only done face-to-face reading a few times because they seem so much scarier than online. But bear in mind the advantage of doing readings this way - you can get feedback on how you're doing in real-time and guide the reading based on that. Say if you were doing the reading online and got the Tower for recent past, you might write that the client had a massive shock or realisation recently. But you wouldn't necessarily know the nature of that shock and the rest of the reading would be vague as you referred to "this shock" or "the event". Whereas in real life, the client would say for example, "Yes, I just got made redundant" and the reading would go from there. So work with this advantage - keep talking to the client and discussing the reading as you go along. It will also help both of you feel at ease

Also, a good piece of advice I've been given (which is also true for job interviews!) is that if an answer doesn't immediately come to mind, don't be afraid to say "Can I think about this for a moment, please?" It's much better than rushing into an answer that you haven't thought through, and you're less likely to end up waffling! It also helps if you're doing the reading for someone who you know will be entirely honest with you. I practice with my mum and I know she'd tell me if I was going off on a tangent that wasn't relevant.

I agree with Gregory that three-card spreads are probably best to start off with. You can gradually increase the number of cards as you get more confident.

Good luck and don't get disheartened if a reading goes wrong or you feel it's just not "clicking" that day. Practice makes perfect.

 

[Nightgarden]

For me is important to really have a talk with the sitter.
Not monologize all the time.
I explain via details on the images, how my interpretations come to life...and if they are able to comprehend it.
So it is less like a "3 of Pentacles"-situation and often enough they gave really helpful hints to make the best out of the reading.

I still have stage fright after all these years, but once I shuffle the cards, everything is ok.
;-)

 

[Apollonia]

On a physical note, drink plenty of water throughout, and make sure to ground, clear and center before you begin.

It might be a good idea to decide ahead of time if there are categories of questions you don't wish to read for, such as health or finance, and let your sitters know this.

I mostly use the Celtic Cross, but I like three card readings too. You can get a lot of information from a P/P/F. Another idea for a three card reading: if your sitter asks a "What should I do?" type question, I like to use Do/Don't Do/Advice (or Commentary).

And during the reading, don't be hesitant to take a moment or two before speaking. It may seem like an eternity to you, but your sitter won't think a thing about it. If nothing is coming to you right away, go back to a key meaning of the card and start from there, then describe what is happening in the card. Doing these two things often primes the pump.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[morticia monroe]

The best and maybe only way to really get comfortable with face to face reading is just to jump in and do it! I keep a deck in my handbag at all times, and on occasion I do read for others. The more I do it, the easier it is getting both in terms of reading and also presentation. It's actually just beginning to get really comfortable for me and I've been reading for 7 or 8 years now.

And you know when it got good? When I finally just loosened up and quit worrying about saying things correctly, explaining, etc, and just read, speaking to the sitter and having a conversation about their reading and not just flipping cards and spouting meanings. In other words, do your readings in the way that it is most comfortable for you, the way that feels most natural.


As a general rule, I do not use spreads. I feel compelled to lay cards in three sets of three, and then at the end of a reading, I draw a shadow card, one that reflects on and wraps up the reading. So when people ask me to read for them, that is how I do it, unless they request a specific spread.

Also, as you read for others and get their feedback, affirmations, etc, your confidence will increase tremendously.

I hope things work out wonderfully for you.

 

[haleyw]

I have only done this about twice because I get scared ****less...

Don't laugh - but do breathe quietly before you say anything. And then - trust yourself.

If this is sort of a first - I'd stick to three carders anyway, for now - past - present future is popular, though I'm not big on predictive; I am more fond of yes if - no if - maybe if (thanks, James Ricklef !) Loads of cards would make you (well, me...!) feel panicky if you have any problems all of a sudden.

Don't be afraid to ask the sitter if what you just said suggests anything to them, either. It can lead you onward.

And - if you get stuck, never be afraid to say so. But - relax, and it will come to you. If it doesn't - there are experienced professionals who have said to sitters: "I am not getting anything.... I need to leave this for a while" - look at the pro threads here !

Have fun. Tarot is not a courtroom

Thanks a lot Gregs!

 

[haleyw]

Like Gregory, I've only done face-to-face reading a few times because they seem so much scarier than online. But bear in mind the advantage of doing readings this way - you can get feedback on how you're doing in real-time and guide the reading based on that. Say if you were doing the reading online and got the Tower for recent past, you might write that the client had a massive shock or realisation recently. But you wouldn't necessarily know the nature of that shock and the rest of the reading would be vague as you referred to "this shock" or "the event". Whereas in real life, the client would say for example, "Yes, I just got made redundant" and the reading would go from there. So work with this advantage - keep talking to the client and discussing the reading as you go along. It will also help both of you feel at ease

Ah yeah, that's a great way of looking at it. You know better if you're on the right track

Also, a good piece of advice I've been given (which is also true for job interviews!) is that if an answer doesn't immediately come to mind, don't be afraid to say "Can I think about this for a moment, please?" It's much better than rushing into an answer that you haven't thought through, and you're less likely to end up waffling! It also helps if you're doing the reading for someone who you know will be entirely honest with you. I practice with my mum and I know she'd tell me if I was going off on a tangent that wasn't relevant.

I always thought doing it for someone so close is a bit like cheating(in the nicest possible way ), because you know most things anyway?

I agree with Gregory that three-card spreads are probably best to start off with. You can gradually increase the number of cards as you get more confident.

Good luck and don't get disheartened if a reading goes wrong or you feel it's just not "clicking" that day. Practice makes perfect.

Thanks for the advice Topsy.

 

[haleyw]

For me is important to really have a talk with the sitter.
Not monologize all the time.
I explain via details on the images, how my interpretations come to life...and if they are able to comprehend it.
So it is less like a "3 of Pentacles"-situation and often enough they gave really helpful hints to make the best out of the reading.

I still have stage fright after all these years, but once I shuffle the cards, everything is ok.
;-)

Do you shuffle the cards or do you ask the sitter to shuffle?

Thanks for your advise Nightgarden.

 

[haleyw]

On a physical note, drink plenty of water throughout, and make sure to ground, clear and center before you begin.

It might be a good idea to decide ahead of time if there are categories of questions you don't wish to read for, such as health or finance, and let your sitters know this.

I mostly use the Celtic Cross, but I like three card readings too. You can get a lot of information from a P/P/F. Another idea for a three card reading: if your sitter asks a "What should I do?" type question, I like to use Do/Don't Do/Advice (or Commentary).

And during the reading, don't be hesitant to take a moment or two before speaking. It may seem like an eternity to you, but your sitter won't think a thing about it. If nothing is coming to you right away, go back to a key meaning of the card and start from there, then describe what is happening in the card. Doing these two things often primes the pump.

Good luck and have fun!

Yes, I think I should set some ground rules first about what I will read for.


I think I would be comfortable using the Celtic Cross for a more detailed reading, but general definitley three cards and I really like those examples.

Thanks Apollonia