Something else that's kind of a pet peeve... overly staged photos of cards and spreads on social media. When someone finds out that I've studied tarot since I was a teen, one of the first questions I'm met with (after the Satanic crap) is do I have an altar like they've seen on Pintrest, tumblr, Instagram, etc...
OK now... I have a Tarot Altar.
However - it is not on a table - it is on the wall - because I have no table space and I usually read the cards on my bed.
There are crystals hanging on-the-wall around it, some crystals on the floor below it, false flowers that I change, a miniature brooch of a scarab with two ladies either side (statuette - sort -of), I refresh the layout mostly with every pagan season - or sometimes by mood, and ah - no cat hair - because she can't bl**dy get there! (I hope!) - though she does think skimming the round Carnelian crystal below, across the carpet is fun.
...The other peeve isn't really a peeve, just something I find amusing. It relates only to people who use the Thoth deck. It seems to me that there are some people, not a lot just some, who use the Thoth to do readings but not to answer the question. This reader lays the cards out on the table, and then gets into talking about the decans, the astrological correspondences, the Kabbalah aspects, etc. They'll say that this card represents Venus in Pisces, and that other card is Saturn in Aquarius, and that this card represents Yesod and another relates to Hokhmah. And that's it. So hey, it's interesting hearing about all these correspondences and stuff, but can you or can you not tell me if I'm going to find a new boyfriend this year?
BWahahahahah!
...I do have a few peeves about reading for friends. When I first started learning Tarot, I would offer my friends free readings in exchange for feedback, I would encourage everyone before every reading to be open with me on how accurate they felt the reading was as well as my delivery, and all I would get back after doing a 30 min reading was "it was good"...UGH!!!!! do I seriously have to PULL out feedback, that's not cool.
Ah see now - asking friends for feedback can be tricky.
First of all - like Grizabella said - you need to spell out exactly what you mean by that.
Secondly - depends on the friend doesn't it? Is it a loooong standing friend who knows you really well and knows that REALLY - you will be alright with them saying exactly what they think?
I can't get on with readers who are so "fluffy" and "in Spirit" - that they forget the practical stuff (all energy and no structure
). E.g. I said recently to one "so ah, did you bring a Tarot cloth? I forgot mine and I'm kind of worried about protecting my cards on this table..." - reply "Oh - you know, it's really easy to "protect" your cards from negative energy, you just bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla".
To which I (metaphorically rolling my eyes) make a chopping motion in the air and say - "no dear - I mean - this is a PUB table - it will likely be sticky with all sorts of alcohol and vittles. I don't want to be putting my cards down on that!"