What was your worst Tarot reading ever

Wow, some pretty bad readings here. Be grateful if you didn't have to pay. I had a bad reading too, and it cost me $40 USD!

Several years ago, a friend of a friend of mine had a tarot party. She hired a professional tarot card reader to give all of us gurls readings. We had to pay for it, though. I was young and green, and knew almost nothing about tarot. But I was curious, so I paid the $40. After all, I thought, this was a tarot card reader. She should have access to all kinds of secret, mysterious knowledge.

At the time, I was involved in a casual relationship. So I asked the reader if it would turn into something more serious.

She used the Rider-Waite, and a Celtic Cross spread. She looked at the cards a minute, and then asked me, "What's he doing with his hands?"

I had no idea why she would ask this. I found it odd that she saw anything to do with hands in the cards. I explained that he worked with camera equipment. "Oh OK," the reader said, and then looked at the cards a little more. So I asked her again what were the chances of a serious relationship with my current beau, and her answer was, "Give him time." That was all she said.

So we sat there for a few seconds, and I asked her if that was a yes or a no, or whatever, and she just repeated, "Give him time." And that was it. She said it with an air of finality, as though That Was The Reading.

Then she said to me, "Do you have any other questions?"

Huh? She didn't even answer the first question! I just said No.

I didn't know how to handle it. Not knowing anything about tarot, I assumed that that was what a tarot card reading actually WAS. Just a few cryptic words, and no more. The Great Oracle Has Spoken. Now Be Off.

Now, years later, I realize that this woman was a total know-nothing and a charlatan. A good reading, especially one that involves as many cards as the CC spread, should consist of more than three words. And repeating the same three words a second time doesn't count.

Anyway, my relationship fizzled out instead of getting serious. Meantime, I've learned a lot about tarot. I've learned enough to be able to recognize a quack. Especially an expensive quack.

My worst tarot reading was years ago when I was still using the Morgan Greer. There was a new show on satellite tv that used psychics and tarot readers and they encouraged you to phone in, I think it cost a couple of pound at the time, and they would give you a two card daily. Very quick readings but I noticed the reader was using the Morgan Greer so I phoned in, left my message asking for a daily reading. Well when they did your reading your name came up at the bottom of the screen so I watched for a good half hour then my reading came up.

She shuffled really well and pulled two cards - Death and The Tower. The look on her face was totally priceless, the lady presenter who was with her didn't know what to say. Up until then all the readings had been bright and breezy. To be honest, there isn't much you can say about Death and the Tower in a two card reading lol - and the tarot reader had absolutely nothing to say apart from oh dear and sorry and that was it she moved on. I never phoned the show again after that. lol

Oh, you are all making me laugh with these, but Emily if I had been drinking tea I've no doubt I'd have sprayed it everywhere.
I had a reading in London some years ago now and perhaps it was to do with the busyness of the street around us, but I felt very distracted the whole time and couldn't focus on what the reader was saying. Esoteric, a bit dark and mystic, obscure and ultimately utterly forgettable. And it cost a LOT of money.
Starla
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I've only had 2 actual paid face to face readings and I probably will not have any more.

Shortly after I started learning to read cards, I went to a psychic fair where you get 2 readings for $20. I went with the intent of finding out how real readers read. The first reader called my name and I almost jumped out of my skin. I had the idea she was going to read my mind or something and I was very, very nervous. I thought she would be able to see my deepest darkest secrets...I didn't know...We sat down at a small table and she began to comment on my hair, my jewelry, my outfit, etc. I wasn't dressed any particular way but she went on and on flattering different things about my appearance. I found that extremely odd. Then she got to the "Tarot Reading"but those were not Tarot cards they were angel oracle cards. I really have no connection with angels and did not want all of that fluffy bunny stuff. She asked my birth date and I knew by what she said was just going off numerology and the general characteristics of Pisces.I was not impressed, because I had come to get a TAROT reading...she was listed as a tarot reader. Finally she said she had a "Crystal" deck and asked me to shuffle the cards and pull one. I pulled Flourite. She left the table for a minute, handed me a book and said for me to read the page about Flourite!!!

So, I went to the next reader who did some palmistry first and she was really great with it, but when she got to the cards I couldn't relate to anything she said.

Maybe my expectations were too high, but I thought even at my early stage of reading I could do better than those 2 did.

Where do I start...?

Many years ago when I first started reading tarot I went to a really old woman who was well reputed. She told me she had a very old deck of Russian cards & she didn't really need to look at them, just lay them out & she would get information. She lay them out, then began telling me of my life as a priestess in the temple of Bast, how I would work in PR, & told me I would have 3 children. Then she proceed to roll her eyes back in her head & started to speak in a really low growly mumble while pawing at the cards as if looking for something, the way she mumbled & carried on I honestly thought she was going to throw up over her cards!!! Then as suddenly as she did it she stopped as if nothing happened & carried on talking. She then insisted I stroke a black cat button she had stitched onto a piece of cloth...

Needless to say nothing she said unfolded - I have 1 child & work as a reader... Wonder if that's PR...?

I can only give my own worst I gave to someone else.

It was at the end of a party where I'd had a line that went around the person's house...it was just crazy - fun, but exhausting. I gave some great readings that night. But it was a LONG night.

The last person I read for was the brother of a friend of ours, who was a real skeptic. I was so hoping to give him a great reading that would turn his disbelief into something else. But I was out of gas. The cards said nothing. So I gave a really generic reading. it sucked, and he knew it, and caught on to the fact it was generic. Plus I was totally done. I was disappointed in myself.

I image he still feels the same way about tarot - maybe even more so. Which is too bad.

Citrin said:

My worst reading was an e-mail reading from Biddy Tarot (free reading in exchange for feedback). Not that much made sense in my situation, didn't feel like it was about me at all, and it also felt very short and based on very standard meanings (ugh...).

So I replied to this reader pointing out the parts that were correct and the advice I found helpful of course, but I also chose to point out that “this and that really doesn’t seem to reflect my thoughts on the issue though. I actually feel much more negative towards this person than your interpretation is saying.”. The reader wrote in a snappy tone something along the lines of “Well, fine, if you don’t like your friend, just ignore them instead. It’s your own choice you know?”. I mean, what?! You don’t need to read tarot cards if you’re just gonna advice people to stay away from someone who they’ve had a argument with or similar, now do you?! So that annoyed me. If you don't want feedback, don't ask for it...

The readers you have met seem to be the type who play a role, like Etene wrote above. :/ The second one sounds like a really bad "cold reader" lol.

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OMG !! THE SAME FEELING OVER HERE :/

Disa said:

Then she got to the "Tarot Reading"but those were not Tarot cards they were angel oracle cards. I really have no connection with angels and did not want all of that fluffy bunny stuff.

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I used to own these Angel cards and my impression of them is they are terrible, fluff, lack any real substance. They are just affirmation cards really, you can't glean anything from them. I cringe everytime someone tells me they've booked a reading with someone who uses Angel cards. Maybe I'm judging too harshly here but my impression is that these are decks most people start on when they have no idea about divination and are just starting out with the New Agey thing. Most people I know who are into divination seriously progress off them very quickly.

So saying all that, I've given a few bad readings here. Not intentionally but I ended up just reading myself instead of the sitter. The trouble is I can't tell in the moment that's what I'm doing. It all feels the same but then the feedback comes through that it's really off. Hmmm....I got some advice on how to prevent that in the future. Yeah.....embarrassing.

Metafizzypop:
OMG What a horrible reading! LOL! I laughed so hard. Glad you got into tarot yourself though...

I really get annoyed with the charlatans out there. They just ruin the whole reputation for everyone else, who actually studies the tarot and its system for years, and gives a lot of energy and information. "Give him time"... LOL. Oh my.

Will have to think about it for me.....

Not had many bad readings really, but am not sure if just "Tarot" based.

Two of my sisters went to a Tarot card reader in Brisbane, Queensland, who was an older male and all he touched on was "sex, sex, sex" with the both of them and yet it was not why they were there for at all. Separate readings. One wanted to know about her career and as for the other...not too sure. Both thought he was an absolute creepy pervert.

He was there for his own kicks at the expense of whatever sitter.

So, the WORST readings for them as he was focused on one thing only, and it was an invasion of their basic human rights as well as very unethical on his part.

A complaint was put in against him.