When do you charge for a reading???

[The crowned one]

Of course doctors consult books but they shouldn't be doing it for the most basic knowledge, I think we can agree. The one I referred to looked up things that he should have known before graduating medical school.

We do agree Now a dentist? that is scary!!! Back to the topic at hand.

Spookier, SuperBall? I feel you have just choosen your word poorly but to answer: I am very down to earth in my readings and factual, also empathetic and compassionate... I like to think.

Spooky can be fun but I do not think it is serious. Save that for party readings, its OK to laugh at ourselves as we are amazing on some levels. Takes the fear out

 

[littlestar]

It all depends on when you feel ready. When it comes to having to refer back to books for basics though and you're charging a decent amount i'd have to say perhaps not quite ready to start charging for readings.
The best thing you can do is keep practising by reading for as many people as you can!

 

[nisaba]

Spooky can be fun but I do not think it is serious. Save that for party readings,

Actually no, don't save it for party readings. The only parties I've done, there've been two rooms: one with nibblies and drinks and laughter, and a separate room with a table and two chairs where I set up and read privately. No matter how good the friendships are, someone (or sometwo or somefour) are going to have serious issues going on below the party surface, and are going to want:

a) complete privacy and confidentiality, and
b) complete seriousness.

Never aim to spook someone out. Aim to help them recognise the blockages in their lives and find ways around them. Oh, and don't have any party food or drink between readings - just a glass of water on the table if you must. Whern you've done the last one, then's a time to pick - lightly! Remember, you are not there as their friend, even when you've finished you're still a professional.

 

[Niklas Zweig]

Oh, I find I don't quite agree with Grizabella on this one.

I think the question of book or no book is not connected to the fee. Right, you will not seem too competent when you need a book to read cards, but if that doesn't bother you or the querent, well ...

Also I'd recommend not to try to help anyone. A reading is a game where you put pieces of cardboard on the table and participate in a conversation over that. All sides can learn from it, it might actually give a good insight into something, but I'm quite suspicious if someone thinks he's in a position to help people. Most of the time I don't know them (I'm sure I don't even know my friends or myself), so how could I think I could help them?

I recommend to charge for all readings, no matter on what level of competency. That's because I think readings should not be available freely, involving no effort for the querent. I think it's an important symbol that the querent offers the reader something. It also limits the number of times you're asked to do a reading for the same person. It doesn't mean you have to charge a lot of money. If you're still a beginner, maybe you like a piece of chocolate or a cup of tea or a glass marble or reiki from your friend who is also a beginner. I don't charge money from friends, but they are asked to invite my girlfriend and me over for dinner. So we all have a nice dinner together and then we do a reading. Lovely.

~Niklas

 

[nisaba]

Also I'd recommend not to try to help anyone. A reading is a game where you put pieces of cardboard on the table and participate in a conversation over that. All sides can learn from it, it might actually give a good insight into something, but I'm quite suspicious if someone thinks he's in a position to help people.

Actually, I never suggested jsut blanket-helping people, in a bandaging-wounds-sorting-out-their-spouses-lending-money kind of way, nor wasw I suggesting that in any way am I "superior" to them at all. What I said was:-

"Aim to help them recognise the blockages in their lives and find ways around them. "

This involves laying out cards, then discussing the meanings of the cards as they fall.

I try neveer to tell people what they should or should not do in their lives: I point out the possibilities and probabilities as expressed in the cards and let them make their own decisions.

If this is too much interference, then perhaps our clients should buy their own decks?

When is a reader doing too much?

 

[Niklas Zweig]

When is a reader doing too much?

Important question, I think.

~Niklas

 

[SuperBall]

Wow, thanks for the insight. Here's the thing, and I hate doing this: typeface read off of a screen is often misinterpreted by the mood of the reader. Yikes. I may be a happy-go-lucky guy, but I take Tarot too seriously. I have to remember, nice and helpful folks aside, that I can't use certain words around here without upsetting the professionals.

I'm already quite weaned off of the books for certain cards. I use 'spooky' kiddingly. I don't do it on purpose, its a side-effect causing the querant to make funny faces/say funny things when I take the lid off of a situation no one knows about because I see it in the cards. Its a word they use, a term of endearment, if you will.

So, I'm sorry if I offended anyone, its not my intention. To the helpful bunch, thanks a lot. I appreciate the insight. To the prickly bunch, you were me once...deal. You all know who you are. I'm starting to foster a love for snap-judgements. I thought I'd left them all at Church.

 

[Gennai]

Perhaps a nice way of checking when and if you are ready, is, when you feel able to, doing readings for a charity of some sort.... then you would be getting feedback, getting some confidence, and also learning face to face... and contributing to worth while causes.

I liked this thread, specially the chat about donations. Donations I have to be honest, have not worked for me here in the UK, yet it really is the way I prefer to work, some people prefer not to send it in because the very word "donation" means voluntarily... and so choose not to, yet come back for reading after reading.

 

[Rev_Vesta]

Koha jar... is a term we use here in NZ..... seems to work quite well....

Karma jar is another good term i have discovered on here that works quite well.......

have a tenner in the jar already a fiver and few gold coins ($1, $2 coins) also seems to work well.......

only you truly know when you are able to charge for clients... when the feedback is positive and you feel you have offered guidance ti a querant with love and support......

for me it was when I was able to do a reading quite comfortably by connecting the cards together in a story..... 3 cards together 3 times......in a basic reading... past present and future..... Issues querant dealing with at this time is related to things in the past, present and future.....

each of us travel different journies....

Vesta

 

[starrystarrynight]

Maybe a way of telling whether or not you are "ready" to charge would be to charge a respectable fee and see how many of the folks that come to you now would be willing to pay that fee...and then how many would be willing to repeat paying that fee for subsequent visits.

As in...what the market will bear sort of sentiment.

If people are satisfied enough with your readings (no matter how you do them--open book or not) to come back for and pay for more, then there is your answer, I guess.

Personally (and maybe this makes me one of the prickly ones ), I would be a too embarrassed to ask for money while I felt I still had to look up card meanings in books in front of the client.