others views on professional tarot readers.

Am curious as to other peoples views on what constitutes a fraud a charlatan when it comes to being a professional reader.

There is one "reader" in my area who charges around 1200 € for readings in which he presents faked messages from ghosts to the clients (he prepares slips of paper with lemon juice or invisible ink, holds them over a candle and when the message shows up he claims that's a message from a ghost).

That's a fraud and a disgrace to each serious reader.

Another one would be the person who says their client is cursed but they can remove the curse for $xx oh wait it didn't work we need a better spell the costs $xxx etc etc until the client's bank account is dry. That is a very common scam that gives readers a bad name.

catlin said:

There is one "reader" in my area who charges around 1200 € for readings in which he presents faked messages from ghosts to the clients (he prepares slips of paper with lemon juice or invisible ink, holds them over a candle and when the message shows up he claims that's a message from a ghost).

That's a fraud and a disgrace to each serious reader.

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I wish the cops would show up at this guy's door for a reading with a message in lemon juice of their own. Only, when they hold it over the candle, it says, "YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR FRAUD".

Shame on him. He's a disgrace and he's a parasite for preying on people who are grieving with his sham "messages".

Just to play devil's advocate...

Where does "buyer beware" play into these examples? Who really takes lemon juice messages from the dead that seriously? I'm in no way advocating what these people are doing - I think it's despicable. But part of me wonders if people who believe in the kind of antics Whoopi Goldberg pulled in "Ghost" actually WANT to believe in it, and thus choose "readers" who will play to them.

I am actually considering going professional, but I have some difficulties with presenting myself the right way, in which I mean, how do I go about it, reaching the right people, but not comming across as a charlatan.

Next to that I wasn't planning on charging much, just enough to present my customer with a cup of coffee an a bit extra to buy new decks, books and the like.... I wasn't planning on getting rich on it.

Good question . What constitutes NOT fraud in reading tarot...?

Let me elaborate: we are trafficking in the invisible, who's to say my invisible is more fraudulent than your invisible? If I decide to pre-write lemon juice messages, how is that more fraudulent than pre-painted tarot cards with pre-determined meanings?

And, lets ask further, is it a bad thing to be a charlatan? (Mojo didn't think so).

Perhaps the only thing I can honestly promise a victim, oops, I mean a querant, is that I will devote time to them, to their question and cards, and do so with the best intentions for them, and with love.

Be it a black cat or a white cat, as long as it catches the rat, it is a good Cat.

If the reader could really prepare messages before hand and suit what you desire for the night, I suppose that is sufficient.

We all seek out for answers, be it through divination or exploration. All in all, we seek to find that comfort to ease our desire for answer.

Lets be frank, of all the folks who approach me for a reading merely wishes to be heard, seek for what they desire, be amazed by the 'wonders' of tarot and etc. Even when provided a solution, few months later, they will just tell, the shit happens. They never listen.

So if you could give them a good night sleep, that is good enough.

I am actually considering going professional, but I have some difficulties with presenting myself the right way, in which I mean, how do I go about it, reaching the right people, but not comming across as a charlatan.

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When I was looking for a new place to do readings on-line, I can honestly say that after searching Google and Yahoo, at least 90% of what I found was a joke and the other 9% did not suite my needs, or did not have any openings.
The best thing to do is run your own page and promote yourself (assuming there are not laws prohibiting this, where you are). If you have never worked as a professional before, then try making some good contacts with other experienced readers, getting refferals. Not sure as where your readings would be, but on-line, dont work from anyplace that makes to feel too uneasy; because you want to be proud of what you do.

There are TONS of frauds and possibly those who are good at what they do, but act in a fraudulent way (I wont name names... Sylvia *cough*). A fraud is someone who "fishes" for answers, using psychology, puts on a show; then over-charges. The person getting the fake reading is led to believe they are the real deal, because the "reader" made a lot of provacative statements - but if they had to list all the specific "psychic" answers they received, their summery would be empty. So, someone who talks a lot, but does not actually give what it is they say.

I agree with firemaiden. It's a good question. A large portion of society views tarot readings as a parlor game. For entertainment purposes. Is it wrong/unethical/illegal to give them a good show? Yes, I think it's unethical if not illegal to bilk people out of a lot of money, to prey on people's genuine fears and to present oneself as something one is not. But where exactly is that line?