May 8, 2025 • 23 mins
Today on CARD TALK, I’ll cover:
-what it means to have someone else do a tarot reading for you
-benefits to different reading formats
-tips for receiving a live reading
-tips for receiving a recorded reading
-reminders for processing your reading after it's over
Check out my "your first tarot reading" CARD TALK episode for more on finding a tarot reader that aligns with your values.
For more on Meg, check out 3amtarot.com, and order your copy of Finding the Fool through Bookshop.org or your favorite local bookstore.
Find episode transcripts and more over on the CARD TALK website. And as a special thank you for CARD TALK listeners, click here to download a completely free, exclusive workbook for building your best personal tarot practice.
Love what you’re hearing? Support the pod with a one-time donation or recurring subscription, and please subscribe, review, and share with a friend or two!
CARD TALK is written, edited, and produced by Meg Jones Wall of 3am.tarot. Theme music created by PaulYudin.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
I'm Meg Jones-Wall and this is Card Talk, a mini
podcast for tarot basics andevergreen insights.
I'm here to help you build atarot practice that works for
you.
Glad you're here.
In today's episode we're goingto be talking about how to
navigate a tarot reading thatyou have received from someone
else.
Getting a tarot reading from aprofessional is awesome.
(00:34):
It's a really fantastic way toget support from the tarot in a
way that can be more objectivethan reading for yourself.
It's also a great way to liftup and invest other professional
readers and to learn to see thecards from another perspective.
I love having other people pullcards for me, but if you've
never had this experience before, or if you were sitting with a
reading that you got fromsomeone else and maybe are
(00:56):
struggling with it or trying tofigure out where to start, this
episode is for you Now, beforewe get into it.
If you are looking for help intrying to find someone to pull
cards for you, trying to assessa tarot reader or trying to
figure out how to find somebody,that might be a good fit for
you, my episode your First TarotReading includes some really
practical tips for finding agreat tarot reader and booking
(01:17):
your first tarot reading, sohighly recommend checking that
out and giving it a listen,especially if you haven't heard
it before.
The great thing about workingwith other readers is that every
single tarot reader is uniqueand is going to read in their
own style and their own way,bring their own interpretations
and ideas and experience withthe cards to the table, which
means that, no matter howexperienced you are as a tarot
(01:39):
reader, having someone else readfor you is still likely to
teach you something new.
Pretty much every time I get areading from another
professional, I learn somethingdifferent or I hear an
interpretation of a card thatI've never thought about before.
It can be really inspiring andinvigorating and exciting to
hear the way someone else talksabout the tarot.
Now, the flip side of this isthat the reader that you're
(02:02):
working with, even if it'ssomeone whose work you follow or
who you really love andappreciate, still might not
necessarily read every singlecard or every single card
combination in exactly the waythat you do.
Now, personally, I think thisis part of what makes tarot so
wonderful is that we're allbringing our own magic to the
cards and we're all going toread in our own way, but
(02:23):
sometimes our differences inperspective, the differences in
the ways that we mightunderstand or interpret a card,
the differences in ourrelationship to a card, can end
up becoming kind of distractingor confusing, especially again
if we know enough about thetarot to be dangerous and our
own interpretation of a card isreally different than what the
reader presented in the reading.
(02:44):
However, overall, I think anypotential snags or confusion are
wildly overridden by the manybenefits that you can get from
having a professional or afriend but I'm going to
generally be talking aboutprofessionals here pull cards
for you in a reading andbecoming a client of someone,
and so the tips that I'm goingto give you here are going to
assume that the tarot reader whois doing the reading for you,
(03:07):
the reader in question here issomeone that you trust and
respect, someone whose tarotbeliefs align enough with your
own that the reading isn't goingto be irrelevant or go in a
direction that doesn't makesense for you, and I'm also
assuming that this reader issomeone with integrity and
professionalism and experience.
I say this because there areabsolutely shitty tarot readers
out there.
There just are.
(03:28):
There are people who don't havegreat ethics.
There are people who don'ttreat their clients with respect
.
There are people who literallyjust plug cards into chat GPT
and pretend that that's aninterpretation.
On and on and on.
So please be discerning whenyou're booking with a
professional or if you decide toask a friend to pull cards for
you.
Tarot really is for everyone,but that doesn't mean that every
(03:49):
single person who's selling areading is worth booking with.
I also want to say that justbecause someone is just getting
started with selling theirreadings professionally doesn't
mean they can't give you anincredible reading.
Generally, I think most peopleare going to have been reading
for at least a fucking minutebefore they start booking
professionally.
But in this current time ofeconomic crisis and fascism and
(04:11):
all the bad things that we wereexperiencing, we're probably
going to see an uptick in morepeople trying to use tarot as a
side hustle to bring in someextra cash because they really
need it Now.
Again, that doesn't mean thatthese people are not great
people, great readers, peoplewith plenty of experience and
people who might have thecapacity to give you a really
(04:32):
great reading.
But it's still important to doyour homework.
Trust your gut.
Book with people you align with.
Spend time on their websitesand on their social media.
See if their values align withyour own, both around tarot and
just in general.
And yeah, do your homework andbe careful and thoughtful before
you hand over your money tosomeone, especially if you have
not worked with them before.
There are plenty of people whoput testimonials on their
(04:54):
websites and if you have friendswho get tarot readings or have
readers that they really loveworking with, those can be a
great place to start.
In general, some of my bestadvice, and also some of the
hardest advice to follow ifyou're someone who's pretty
fluent in the tarot, when youare getting a tarot reading from
someone else from aprofessional or a friend,
remember that your role in thisreading is going to be as the
(05:17):
client or as the querent, andthey are the primary reader in
the situation.
Now, what this means is that,while you personally might
interpret cards differently,when you're reading for yourself
or when you're looking at acard on its own, in this
particular situation, you areconsenting to trust the reader
to serve as the interpreter ofthe cards meanings.
(05:38):
You are sitting down and askingthis person to translate the
reading for you in their ownlanguage and in their own
experience and with their ownwisdom.
Now, don't misunderstand mehere.
That does not mean your ownreading of or understanding of
those cards is completelyirrelevant and can't enter the
conversation, but it does meanthat in the moment of the
(06:00):
reading, you are looking to thisother person to share their own
insights and observations andguidance and wisdom and truth
filtered through the lens oftheir own experience.
Now that might sound reallyobvious.
You might be like, yeah, I wantto pay someone to read the
cards for me.
But if you're someone thatreads the cards a lot on your
(06:20):
own and maybe hasn't gotten alot of tarot readings, or if
you're asking for a readingabout a really tender topic,
sometimes it can be reallytempting to listen to the pro
talk but internally be like Idon't agree with that.
I think I would have read itthis way.
This is the answer I want tohear, and I think those cards
are telling me what I want tohear, and this reader is not
reading it that way.
So this can be a thing that isimportant to remember when you
(06:43):
are going to a reading withsomeone else.
Now, tarot readings can bedelivered in a few different
kinds of formats.
Tarot readings can happen liveand in person.
They can happen live via videocall or a phone call, or through
tarot app like Moonlight, orthey can be given to you as
something that was created whenyou weren't sitting in front of
them right With, either as awritten reading through email or
(07:06):
as a PDF, through a videorecording that the reader makes
on their own, or through anaudio recording that the reader
makes on their own.
Now, each of these formats,each of these reading styles,
has great benefits and,depending on who you are and how
you best process and understandinformation, you might find
that you end up having a reallystrong preference for one format
(07:27):
over another.
Now, no matter what format youlike, I promise that there are
talented, ethical tarot readerswho work and deliver readings in
that format, no matter what itis.
You are not weird for having apreference.
You just know your brain, andthat is a good thing.
Now, sometimes readings can bedelivered in multiple formats,
(07:47):
which, for my money, is the bestoption.
A live reading that's given viavideo or audio can probably be
recorded, and different readersare going to have different
lines around that, differentways of supporting that or
giving it to you.
Some of them might ask thatthey be the ones who record it.
Some of them might allow youpermission to record it and some
of them might not want theirwork recorded, so if having a
recording is important to you,that's something to check out
(08:08):
before you book with someone.
Similarly, a recorded video oraudio reading might include a
transcript or images to helpgive you additional ways to
process the information that'sin your reading and, again, do
your homework here.
Does the reader that you'reworking with offer that, if
that's something that'simportant to you, or could you
pay them a little bit extra tohave that included, even if
(08:29):
that's something they don'ttypically do?
If you're going to make thatrequest, be extremely respectful
, and if they say no respect,they're no.
A live in-person reading mightgive you a deeper sense of
connection or intimacy with thereader, which sometimes is a
complaint from folks who gettheir readings, you know, in a
recorded way or via video orwhatever.
The benefit of a live readingis that sometimes it can
(08:51):
generate some new questions andif the reader is open to it and
available and willing to do it,that could turn into an
additional reading oropportunities to ask some
additional questions and kind offlex and discover things as you
go, and the tips that I'msharing here are mostly going to
apply to all of these deliveryformats, whether it's live or
recorded, whether it's writtenor video or audio, but some are
(09:14):
going to be a little bit morespecific.
So I'll try to be clear whenI'm talking about a tip that
really is only relevant to oneor more kind of formats.
During a live reading, don'tinterrupt the reader to tell
them how you would read a card.
Again, this might sound reallybasic, just like basic respect,
but you would be surprised athow many people feel the need to
share their own interpretationof a card while the reader is
(09:37):
still halfway through giving thereading.
Let them do their job and sharewhat they see, what they hear,
what they feel and what theyunderstand.
This is a really importantaspect of both respecting the
gifts of the reader and alsoallowing them to listen to their
own intuition and honor what isbubbling forward in real time.
As it's happening Now, somereaders utilize other gifts as
(10:01):
part of their card services.
So, especially if the person isa really talented psychic or
medium or is utilizing anothermodality in tandem with tarot,
that's probably going to colorthe way that they interpret the
cards and impact the messagesthat are ultimately delivered to
you.
Now it's really important tohonor and respect those gifts,
(10:23):
especially if they're ones thatyou don't possess or might not
completely understand.
And sometimes readers havegifts that they're relying on
that they might not necessarilyfully articulate or that they
might not even be completelyaware of.
Okay, some of these gifts arereally subtle or really quiet,
and it takes a lot of energy forreaders sometimes to be able to
hear those messages and filterthem into language and deliver
(10:43):
them to the person that'sreceiving the message.
So, as much as you can give thereader space in a live format
to share what they're hearingand feeling and understanding
with you in their own unfilteredway, give them time.
Interrupting them to tell whatyou think the card should mean
or how you think they might bewrong or what you think they
might be missing might mess uptheir flow and cause them to
(11:06):
lose track of a piece of wisdomthat they really wanted to share
with you.
Just because a reader tells yousomething that doesn't quite
exactly align with how you wouldinterpret the card doesn't make
their interpretation wrong.
But again, it really might meanthat they are also finding some
extra information through othergifts or through other
modalities and that is all goingto be combined in various ways
(11:29):
to provide you with a specificmessage and interpretation as
part of your reading.
Now, I say this because mostexperienced readers are going to
build in chances for you toshare what's coming up for you
or how you might see a card oryour relationship with a card,
chances to ask questions orclarify things as needed.
So, truly, you're not missingout on the conversational
(11:52):
benefits of a live reading bynot interrupting them, but trust
them to do their thing andspeak or share once you're
invited to do so.
I can't remember the last time Ihad a reading with a reader who
didn't go out of their way totake multiple breaks and make
sure to check in with me, seehow I was doing, ask how this
was landing with me, ask if Ineeded some water or a break.
(12:13):
Like most experienced readersare going to be really great
about doing this on a regularbasis, and the other side of
this coin is don't be shy aboutliterally actually asking
questions or gettingclarification.
If you don't have a question,it's fine, you don't have to
force it.
But I can be guilty of thismyself, as I often am booking
with people I really respect orhave wanted to work with for a
(12:35):
long time, people whose work I'mfamiliar with, people who I
have dear friends, who havereally trusted and get readings
with, and so I often then, inthose situations, like to let
the reader kind of run the show.
I often will tell them to letthe reading take them where they
want to go to share with methings that feel most
interesting to them.
You know, that kind of thing,for me that's a really fun way
(12:57):
to get a reading.
So this isn't necessarily a badthing.
I do it myself.
But sometimes that can mean thatif you're not checking in with
yourself in those moments whenthe reader invites you to do so,
you might end up walking awayfrom the reading wishing you'd
asked another question orwishing you'd actually checked
in with yourself to see if therewas something that needed
clarification.
Now again, most experiencedreaders are also going to tell
(13:20):
you how you can get in touchwith them later If you have
follow-up questions, ifsomething comes up, if, on
re-listening to a recording orrevisiting the reading in your
notes, you realize somethingdoesn't make sense or you want
some additional help with it.
Now, this is a very kind thingthat most readers don't get paid
for, although may have builtinto the cost of their reading,
(13:41):
and so it can be really usefulto have that access point,
especially if you do somereflection and realize that you
aren't certain about somethingor want to make sure that you
understand it, I will say pleasebe respectful with the reader's
time and energy in doing so.
I'm not telling you not to doit.
It's a really great thing to doand it's a really kind thing to
do for yourself.
But if you realize that youactually have a lot of questions
(14:03):
that aren't directly related tothe original reading, other
things that come up that youwant to explore, other questions
that you wish you'd touched onin the reading, just book a
second reading.
Please don't just indefinitelydepend on the free labor and
generosity and kindness of thereader because you did pay for
one reading.
Live readings can be reallyfantastic for a feeling of flow,
(14:24):
for that kind of back and forthconnection and for readers that
are really great at speakingthings out loud and sharing
things as they come to mind.
So if that's something that youreally like from your readers,
if you like having the option toimmediately ask things as you
go, if you like the option topivot or shift halfway through
(14:45):
the reading.
A live reading might be areally great place for you to
start and a really great thingfor you to try out, but there's
also a lot of benefits torecorded or written formats,
formats where the reader isgoing to ask you a bunch of
questions ahead of time, kind ofdo a consultation in advance
and then create and prepare andsend you a reading that they
(15:05):
have done, like in the privacyof their own home, basically,
and a lot of the same principlesthat we would use for live
readings like respecting thereader and, you know, asking
questions as needed and notfighting with them about their
interpretations or doubtingtheir gifts also apply to these
recorded or written formats.
You're just going to end uphaving a slightly different kind
(15:26):
of interaction with the readerbecause it's not going to be
live.
But I do have a couple littlethings that I want to say, for
if you're receiving a cardreading in this kind of
pre-created format, now in arecorded or written reading, I
highly recommend taking in theentire reading before you start
reaching out directly to thereader for clarification or
(15:48):
questions.
Now, I say this becausegenerally the readings that I do
are in this format.
I mainly do recorded audioreadings or written readings
that I then send via email, andI always encourage my clients to
listen to or read through thereading a few times, because
it's intense to receive so muchinformation at once and we're
(16:09):
not usually building in breaksthe same way that we might with
a live reading, which means youkind of have to be responsible
for your own breaks.
But that's also a really greatbenefit is that you can pause as
much as you need to.
You can revisit the readinganytime you want.
You can take notes as you asyou need to.
You can revisit the readinganytime you want.
You can take notes as you go.
You can write down questions asthey pop up.
There's so many different waysto engage with that information.
(16:31):
The benefit of the non-livereading is that you can really
take your time processing whatis being shared with you.
You can pause and go for aliteral walk if you want to, and
you can also replay sections asoften as you need to.
You really can engage with thematerial in a way that's going
to work best for you.
But, just like with a livereading, you will probably have
(16:51):
the option to reach out to thereader after the reading has
been delivered and ask anyadditional follow-up questions,
clarification questions, etcetera.
Don't be shy about doing this.
I know as a reader, I love tohear back from my clients about
what worked for them and whatdidn't, what was helpful and
what maybe was confusing, andhave an opportunity to provide
additional support as it'sneeded, so that my clients feel
(17:14):
like they've really been heardand they've really had their
questions and their queriesaddressed in a clear way.
I know I mentioned recordingsbefore, but I also just want to
say that if you are doing a livereading via video chat or phone
call, even if the readerdoesn't offer, you can still ask
if you can record it.
They might say no and they'reallowed to, but they might be
fine with it, and I find thatcan be really helpful with live
(17:37):
readings, because then you don'thave to scramble to try to take
notes and you instead can justbe really present for the
reading.
If you love live readings butstruggle to remember all of the
wisdom shared, first of all, hi,you can come sit with me.
I never remember things in mybrain from a live reading.
I need to have a record, and sothis can be a great way to get
the benefits of the liveinteractive piece but also still
(17:59):
have a record that you canrevisit and take notes with on
the other end At the end of theday.
Remember during the reading thattarot is very open to
interpretation, but that stilldoesn't take away your agency.
Regardless of what a reader maysee in your cards, what they
might say to you during thereading, or what they might
recommend or offer at the end ofa reading, you still get to
(18:20):
decide what you want to do withthe information that's offered
to you.
If a reader is telling you thatyou absolutely must do
something, honestly, personallyI would consider that kind of a
red flag, but you do your, babe.
The last piece of this is, ofcourse, actually listening to
and processing the informationthat is being shared with you,
(18:41):
and personally I think it can bereally helpful, after you've
finished listening to a readingor after your live reading has
ended, to make an immediaterecord of your impressions,
whether you're writing it downor just making a quick little
audio note or whatever.
Make a record of some kind foryourself about how you felt when
the reading was over, whatimmediately stood out to you and
(19:01):
what things you want toremember, no matter the format.
Remember that this is a readingfor you and about you, that you
were part of the magic thatmade that reading possible.
And so give yourself anopportunity to reflect, to pay
attention to how your body feels, to what might be kind of
buzzing in your mind or whatmight feel the most important or
relevant, and make a record foryourself so that you don't
(19:23):
forget and so that you canrevisit it later along with the
reading.
If you have a format that allowsyou to revisit it really easily
, I think it's perfectly fine tolook at the reading and
consider how you might interpretit.
I don't think that that's a badhabit to do.
But I will say that if you wentout of your way to find a
reader, purchase a reading fromthem and do the whole thing of
(19:45):
actually getting the reading,it's worth respecting the reader
and really allowing some of themessages and ideas and insights
and truths that they share withyou to actually resonate.
I know that there are timeswhen people get readings from
readers and basically kind ofsay I don't agree with anything
(20:05):
you said, I don't believeanything you said and I wish I
hadn't done this, but there'sonly so much that a reader can
do for the querent.
All we can really do is try toanswer the questions that are
posited using the tools that areat our disposal, interpret the
cards in the clearest waypossible and pass that
information on.
But at the end of the day,remember that readers are human
beings, tarot readers are humanbeings, everybody makes mistakes
(20:27):
and every professional has offdays.
If you genuinely leave areading feeling like a reader
didn't address your concerns,didn't respect what you wanted
out of the reading, or like theyliterally made a mistake that
impacted the quality of yourreading, reach out to them.
Just be kind about it.
Chances are that it was anhonest mistake or that the
reader knows that something wasoff and is wondering if you felt
(20:50):
it too Okay, legitimately.
I once had a reading from a verytalented astrologer who
accidentally plugged in aslightly off birth date when she
did my chart and my reading,and I didn't even realize it
until months later, when I wasrevisiting the recording,
because it was such a goodreading, I realized that the
date was wrong.
I sent her an email and she wasimmediately.
(21:11):
She got back to me so fast andshe was so apologetic and
immediately offered to redo thereading using my correct birth
date and time, at no charge tome.
It was a great experience.
It worked out for everybody andit was.
It was literally fine, and nowI have a reading that's more
accurate and more correct andreflects what I needed.
Don't assume the worst andplease just be kind, be
(21:31):
respectful.
I promise you.
Every single professionalreader has a horror story or 10
about clients who were cruel,who were abusive, who were
obsessively emailing them or whojust otherwise awful and
disrespectful.
Don't become one of thosestories.
Now, this whole episode wastips and tricks, but I want to
offer one final one here at theend and just remind you that
(21:53):
people who read tarot forclients professionally and all
of this really applies to peoplewho read professionally in any
modality, in the sacred arts,from astrology, numerology,
akashic records, fixed stars,whatever but people who read
tarot for clients work really,really hard and they juggle a
lot of different things in orderto make that business happen.
So if you do get a reading froma professional trust that your
(22:15):
feedback, your testimonials,even your posts on social media
make a huge difference for thatperson and can have such a
positive impact on your reader.
If you have a great reading,tell your reader that you loved
it and tell your friends thatyou loved it.
Testimonials don't have to belike multiple paragraphs, they
don't have to be super long tostill be super valuable.
(22:36):
Even one sentence makes all thedifference and it's going to
make the reader's day.
Plus, letting your reader knowwhat worked for you and, if they
request full feedback, not justtestimonials, what didn't work
helps them improve.
As a practitioner and as a smallbusiness owner, it might only
take a few minutes out of yourday, but I promise it will have
a massive and lasting impact onreaders.
We all want to improve, we allwant to get better and we also
(23:00):
all want to know what works bestfor our clients, so giving that
feedback really can make a hugedifference.
That is all I have for youtoday, but, as always, thank you
so much for sitting with me,for listening to this episode,
and I will be back again soonwith more Card Talk.
Card Talk episodes are alwaysfree for everyone to enjoy, so
if you love what you hear,please consider supporting the
(23:21):
podcast by subscribing,recommending Card Talk to a
friend or two or donating tohelp with production costs.
You can find episodetranscripts.
Learn more about me and join mysignature Tarot Conservatory
membership program through mywebsite, 3amtarotcom.
Thanks for listening and seeyou next time.
I'm Meg Jones-Wall and this is Card Talk, a mini
podcast for tarot basics andevergreen insights.
I'm here to help you build atarot practice that works for
you.
Glad you're here.
In today's episode we're goingto be talking about how to
navigate a tarot reading thatyou have received from someone
else.
Getting a tarot reading from aprofessional is awesome.
(00:34):
It's a really fantastic way toget support from the tarot in a
way that can be more objectivethan reading for yourself.
It's also a great way to liftup and invest other professional
readers and to learn to see thecards from another perspective.
I love having other people pullcards for me, but if you've
never had this experience before, or if you were sitting with a
reading that you got fromsomeone else and maybe are
(00:56):
struggling with it or trying tofigure out where to start, this
episode is for you Now, beforewe get into it.
If you are looking for help intrying to find someone to pull
cards for you, trying to assessa tarot reader or trying to
figure out how to find somebody,that might be a good fit for
you, my episode your First TarotReading includes some really
practical tips for finding agreat tarot reader and booking
(01:17):
your first tarot reading, sohighly recommend checking that
out and giving it a listen,especially if you haven't heard
it before.
The great thing about workingwith other readers is that every
single tarot reader is uniqueand is going to read in their
own style and their own way,bring their own interpretations
and ideas and experience withthe cards to the table, which
means that, no matter howexperienced you are as a tarot
(01:39):
reader, having someone else readfor you is still likely to
teach you something new.
Pretty much every time I get areading from another
professional, I learn somethingdifferent or I hear an
interpretation of a card thatI've never thought about before.
It can be really inspiring andinvigorating and exciting to
hear the way someone else talksabout the tarot.
Now, the flip side of this isthat the reader that you're
(02:02):
working with, even if it'ssomeone whose work you follow or
who you really love andappreciate, still might not
necessarily read every singlecard or every single card
combination in exactly the waythat you do.
Now, personally, I think thisis part of what makes tarot so
wonderful is that we're allbringing our own magic to the
cards and we're all going toread in our own way, but
(02:23):
sometimes our differences inperspective, the differences in
the ways that we mightunderstand or interpret a card,
the differences in ourrelationship to a card, can end
up becoming kind of distractingor confusing, especially again
if we know enough about thetarot to be dangerous and our
own interpretation of a card isreally different than what the
reader presented in the reading.
(02:44):
However, overall, I think anypotential snags or confusion are
wildly overridden by the manybenefits that you can get from
having a professional or afriend but I'm going to
generally be talking aboutprofessionals here pull cards
for you in a reading andbecoming a client of someone,
and so the tips that I'm goingto give you here are going to
assume that the tarot reader whois doing the reading for you,
(03:07):
the reader in question here issomeone that you trust and
respect, someone whose tarotbeliefs align enough with your
own that the reading isn't goingto be irrelevant or go in a
direction that doesn't makesense for you, and I'm also
assuming that this reader issomeone with integrity and
professionalism and experience.
I say this because there areabsolutely shitty tarot readers
out there.
There just are.
(03:28):
There are people who don't havegreat ethics.
There are people who don'ttreat their clients with respect
.
There are people who literallyjust plug cards into chat GPT
and pretend that that's aninterpretation.
On and on and on.
So please be discerning whenyou're booking with a
professional or if you decide toask a friend to pull cards for
you.
Tarot really is for everyone,but that doesn't mean that every
(03:49):
single person who's selling areading is worth booking with.
I also want to say that justbecause someone is just getting
started with selling theirreadings professionally doesn't
mean they can't give you anincredible reading.
Generally, I think most peopleare going to have been reading
for at least a fucking minutebefore they start booking
professionally.
But in this current time ofeconomic crisis and fascism and
(04:11):
all the bad things that we wereexperiencing, we're probably
going to see an uptick in morepeople trying to use tarot as a
side hustle to bring in someextra cash because they really
need it Now.
Again, that doesn't mean thatthese people are not great
people, great readers, peoplewith plenty of experience and
people who might have thecapacity to give you a really
(04:32):
great reading.
But it's still important to doyour homework.
Trust your gut.
Book with people you align with.
Spend time on their websitesand on their social media.
See if their values align withyour own, both around tarot and
just in general.
And yeah, do your homework andbe careful and thoughtful before
you hand over your money tosomeone, especially if you have
not worked with them before.
There are plenty of people whoput testimonials on their
(04:54):
websites and if you have friendswho get tarot readings or have
readers that they really loveworking with, those can be a
great place to start.
In general, some of my bestadvice, and also some of the
hardest advice to follow ifyou're someone who's pretty
fluent in the tarot, when youare getting a tarot reading from
someone else from aprofessional or a friend,
remember that your role in thisreading is going to be as the
(05:17):
client or as the querent, andthey are the primary reader in
the situation.
Now, what this means is that,while you personally might
interpret cards differently,when you're reading for yourself
or when you're looking at acard on its own, in this
particular situation, you areconsenting to trust the reader
to serve as the interpreter ofthe cards meanings.
(05:38):
You are sitting down and askingthis person to translate the
reading for you in their ownlanguage and in their own
experience and with their ownwisdom.
Now, don't misunderstand mehere.
That does not mean your ownreading of or understanding of
those cards is completelyirrelevant and can't enter the
conversation, but it does meanthat in the moment of the
(06:00):
reading, you are looking to thisother person to share their own
insights and observations andguidance and wisdom and truth
filtered through the lens oftheir own experience.
Now that might sound reallyobvious.
You might be like, yeah, I wantto pay someone to read the
cards for me.
But if you're someone thatreads the cards a lot on your
(06:20):
own and maybe hasn't gotten alot of tarot readings, or if
you're asking for a readingabout a really tender topic,
sometimes it can be reallytempting to listen to the pro
talk but internally be like Idon't agree with that.
I think I would have read itthis way.
This is the answer I want tohear, and I think those cards
are telling me what I want tohear, and this reader is not
reading it that way.
So this can be a thing that isimportant to remember when you
(06:43):
are going to a reading withsomeone else.
Now, tarot readings can bedelivered in a few different
kinds of formats.
Tarot readings can happen liveand in person.
They can happen live via videocall or a phone call, or through
tarot app like Moonlight, orthey can be given to you as
something that was created whenyou weren't sitting in front of
them right With, either as awritten reading through email or
(07:06):
as a PDF, through a videorecording that the reader makes
on their own, or through anaudio recording that the reader
makes on their own.
Now, each of these formats,each of these reading styles,
has great benefits and,depending on who you are and how
you best process and understandinformation, you might find
that you end up having a reallystrong preference for one format
(07:27):
over another.
Now, no matter what format youlike, I promise that there are
talented, ethical tarot readerswho work and deliver readings in
that format, no matter what itis.
You are not weird for having apreference.
You just know your brain, andthat is a good thing.
Now, sometimes readings can bedelivered in multiple formats,
(07:47):
which, for my money, is the bestoption.
A live reading that's given viavideo or audio can probably be
recorded, and different readersare going to have different
lines around that, differentways of supporting that or
giving it to you.
Some of them might ask thatthey be the ones who record it.
Some of them might allow youpermission to record it and some
of them might not want theirwork recorded, so if having a
recording is important to you,that's something to check out
(08:08):
before you book with someone.
Similarly, a recorded video oraudio reading might include a
transcript or images to helpgive you additional ways to
process the information that'sin your reading and, again, do
your homework here.
Does the reader that you'reworking with offer that, if
that's something that'simportant to you, or could you
pay them a little bit extra tohave that included, even if
(08:29):
that's something they don'ttypically do?
If you're going to make thatrequest, be extremely respectful
, and if they say no respect,they're no.
A live in-person reading mightgive you a deeper sense of
connection or intimacy with thereader, which sometimes is a
complaint from folks who gettheir readings, you know, in a
recorded way or via video orwhatever.
The benefit of a live readingis that sometimes it can
(08:51):
generate some new questions andif the reader is open to it and
available and willing to do it,that could turn into an
additional reading oropportunities to ask some
additional questions and kind offlex and discover things as you
go, and the tips that I'msharing here are mostly going to
apply to all of these deliveryformats, whether it's live or
recorded, whether it's writtenor video or audio, but some are
(09:14):
going to be a little bit morespecific.
So I'll try to be clear whenI'm talking about a tip that
really is only relevant to oneor more kind of formats.
During a live reading, don'tinterrupt the reader to tell
them how you would read a card.
Again, this might sound reallybasic, just like basic respect,
but you would be surprised athow many people feel the need to
share their own interpretationof a card while the reader is
(09:37):
still halfway through giving thereading.
Let them do their job and sharewhat they see, what they hear,
what they feel and what theyunderstand.
This is a really importantaspect of both respecting the
gifts of the reader and alsoallowing them to listen to their
own intuition and honor what isbubbling forward in real time.
As it's happening Now, somereaders utilize other gifts as
(10:01):
part of their card services.
So, especially if the person isa really talented psychic or
medium or is utilizing anothermodality in tandem with tarot,
that's probably going to colorthe way that they interpret the
cards and impact the messagesthat are ultimately delivered to
you.
Now it's really important tohonor and respect those gifts,
(10:23):
especially if they're ones thatyou don't possess or might not
completely understand.
And sometimes readers havegifts that they're relying on
that they might not necessarilyfully articulate or that they
might not even be completelyaware of.
Okay, some of these gifts arereally subtle or really quiet,
and it takes a lot of energy forreaders sometimes to be able to
hear those messages and filterthem into language and deliver
(10:43):
them to the person that'sreceiving the message.
So, as much as you can give thereader space in a live format
to share what they're hearingand feeling and understanding
with you in their own unfilteredway, give them time.
Interrupting them to tell whatyou think the card should mean
or how you think they might bewrong or what you think they
might be missing might mess uptheir flow and cause them to
(11:06):
lose track of a piece of wisdomthat they really wanted to share
with you.
Just because a reader tells yousomething that doesn't quite
exactly align with how you wouldinterpret the card doesn't make
their interpretation wrong.
But again, it really might meanthat they are also finding some
extra information through othergifts or through other
modalities and that is all goingto be combined in various ways
(11:29):
to provide you with a specificmessage and interpretation as
part of your reading.
Now, I say this because mostexperienced readers are going to
build in chances for you toshare what's coming up for you
or how you might see a card oryour relationship with a card,
chances to ask questions orclarify things as needed.
So, truly, you're not missingout on the conversational
(11:52):
benefits of a live reading bynot interrupting them, but trust
them to do their thing andspeak or share once you're
invited to do so.
I can't remember the last time Ihad a reading with a reader who
didn't go out of their way totake multiple breaks and make
sure to check in with me, seehow I was doing, ask how this
was landing with me, ask if Ineeded some water or a break.
(12:13):
Like most experienced readersare going to be really great
about doing this on a regularbasis, and the other side of
this coin is don't be shy aboutliterally actually asking
questions or gettingclarification.
If you don't have a question,it's fine, you don't have to
force it.
But I can be guilty of thismyself, as I often am booking
with people I really respect orhave wanted to work with for a
(12:35):
long time, people whose work I'mfamiliar with, people who I
have dear friends, who havereally trusted and get readings
with, and so I often then, inthose situations, like to let
the reader kind of run the show.
I often will tell them to letthe reading take them where they
want to go to share with methings that feel most
interesting to them.
You know, that kind of thing,for me that's a really fun way
(12:57):
to get a reading.
So this isn't necessarily a badthing.
I do it myself.
But sometimes that can mean thatif you're not checking in with
yourself in those moments whenthe reader invites you to do so,
you might end up walking awayfrom the reading wishing you'd
asked another question orwishing you'd actually checked
in with yourself to see if therewas something that needed
clarification.
Now again, most experiencedreaders are also going to tell
(13:20):
you how you can get in touchwith them later If you have
follow-up questions, ifsomething comes up, if, on
re-listening to a recording orrevisiting the reading in your
notes, you realize somethingdoesn't make sense or you want
some additional help with it.
Now, this is a very kind thingthat most readers don't get paid
for, although may have builtinto the cost of their reading,
(13:41):
and so it can be really usefulto have that access point,
especially if you do somereflection and realize that you
aren't certain about somethingor want to make sure that you
understand it, I will say pleasebe respectful with the reader's
time and energy in doing so.
I'm not telling you not to doit.
It's a really great thing to doand it's a really kind thing to
do for yourself.
But if you realize that youactually have a lot of questions
(14:03):
that aren't directly related tothe original reading, other
things that come up that youwant to explore, other questions
that you wish you'd touched onin the reading, just book a
second reading.
Please don't just indefinitelydepend on the free labor and
generosity and kindness of thereader because you did pay for
one reading.
Live readings can be reallyfantastic for a feeling of flow,
(14:24):
for that kind of back and forthconnection and for readers that
are really great at speakingthings out loud and sharing
things as they come to mind.
So if that's something that youreally like from your readers,
if you like having the option toimmediately ask things as you
go, if you like the option topivot or shift halfway through
(14:45):
the reading.
A live reading might be areally great place for you to
start and a really great thingfor you to try out, but there's
also a lot of benefits torecorded or written formats,
formats where the reader isgoing to ask you a bunch of
questions ahead of time, kind ofdo a consultation in advance
and then create and prepare andsend you a reading that they
(15:05):
have done, like in the privacyof their own home, basically,
and a lot of the same principlesthat we would use for live
readings like respecting thereader and, you know, asking
questions as needed and notfighting with them about their
interpretations or doubtingtheir gifts also apply to these
recorded or written formats.
You're just going to end uphaving a slightly different kind
(15:26):
of interaction with the readerbecause it's not going to be
live.
But I do have a couple littlethings that I want to say, for
if you're receiving a cardreading in this kind of
pre-created format, now in arecorded or written reading, I
highly recommend taking in theentire reading before you start
reaching out directly to thereader for clarification or
(15:48):
questions.
Now, I say this becausegenerally the readings that I do
are in this format.
I mainly do recorded audioreadings or written readings
that I then send via email, andI always encourage my clients to
listen to or read through thereading a few times, because
it's intense to receive so muchinformation at once and we're
(16:09):
not usually building in breaksthe same way that we might with
a live reading, which means youkind of have to be responsible
for your own breaks.
But that's also a really greatbenefit is that you can pause as
much as you need to.
You can revisit the readinganytime you want.
You can take notes as you asyou need to.
You can revisit the readinganytime you want.
You can take notes as you go.
You can write down questions asthey pop up.
There's so many different waysto engage with that information.
(16:31):
The benefit of the non-livereading is that you can really
take your time processing whatis being shared with you.
You can pause and go for aliteral walk if you want to, and
you can also replay sections asoften as you need to.
You really can engage with thematerial in a way that's going
to work best for you.
But, just like with a livereading, you will probably have
(16:51):
the option to reach out to thereader after the reading has
been delivered and ask anyadditional follow-up questions,
clarification questions, etcetera.
Don't be shy about doing this.
I know as a reader, I love tohear back from my clients about
what worked for them and whatdidn't, what was helpful and
what maybe was confusing, andhave an opportunity to provide
additional support as it'sneeded, so that my clients feel
(17:14):
like they've really been heardand they've really had their
questions and their queriesaddressed in a clear way.
I know I mentioned recordingsbefore, but I also just want to
say that if you are doing a livereading via video chat or phone
call, even if the readerdoesn't offer, you can still ask
if you can record it.
They might say no and they'reallowed to, but they might be
fine with it, and I find thatcan be really helpful with live
(17:37):
readings, because then you don'thave to scramble to try to take
notes and you instead can justbe really present for the
reading.
If you love live readings butstruggle to remember all of the
wisdom shared, first of all, hi,you can come sit with me.
I never remember things in mybrain from a live reading.
I need to have a record, and sothis can be a great way to get
the benefits of the liveinteractive piece but also still
(17:59):
have a record that you canrevisit and take notes with on
the other end At the end of theday.
Remember during the reading thattarot is very open to
interpretation, but that stilldoesn't take away your agency.
Regardless of what a reader maysee in your cards, what they
might say to you during thereading, or what they might
recommend or offer at the end ofa reading, you still get to
(18:20):
decide what you want to do withthe information that's offered
to you.
If a reader is telling you thatyou absolutely must do
something, honestly, personallyI would consider that kind of a
red flag, but you do your, babe.
The last piece of this is, ofcourse, actually listening to
and processing the informationthat is being shared with you,
(18:41):
and personally I think it can bereally helpful, after you've
finished listening to a readingor after your live reading has
ended, to make an immediaterecord of your impressions,
whether you're writing it downor just making a quick little
audio note or whatever.
Make a record of some kind foryourself about how you felt when
the reading was over, whatimmediately stood out to you and
(19:01):
what things you want toremember, no matter the format.
Remember that this is a readingfor you and about you, that you
were part of the magic thatmade that reading possible.
And so give yourself anopportunity to reflect, to pay
attention to how your body feels, to what might be kind of
buzzing in your mind or whatmight feel the most important or
relevant, and make a record foryourself so that you don't
(19:23):
forget and so that you canrevisit it later along with the
reading.
If you have a format that allowsyou to revisit it really easily
, I think it's perfectly fine tolook at the reading and
consider how you might interpretit.
I don't think that that's a badhabit to do.
But I will say that if you wentout of your way to find a
reader, purchase a reading fromthem and do the whole thing of
(19:45):
actually getting the reading,it's worth respecting the reader
and really allowing some of themessages and ideas and insights
and truths that they share withyou to actually resonate.
I know that there are timeswhen people get readings from
readers and basically kind ofsay I don't agree with anything
(20:05):
you said, I don't believeanything you said and I wish I
hadn't done this, but there'sonly so much that a reader can
do for the querent.
All we can really do is try toanswer the questions that are
posited using the tools that areat our disposal, interpret the
cards in the clearest waypossible and pass that
information on.
But at the end of the day,remember that readers are human
beings, tarot readers are humanbeings, everybody makes mistakes
(20:27):
and every professional has offdays.
If you genuinely leave areading feeling like a reader
didn't address your concerns,didn't respect what you wanted
out of the reading, or like theyliterally made a mistake that
impacted the quality of yourreading, reach out to them.
Just be kind about it.
Chances are that it was anhonest mistake or that the
reader knows that something wasoff and is wondering if you felt
(20:50):
it too Okay, legitimately.
I once had a reading from a verytalented astrologer who
accidentally plugged in aslightly off birth date when she
did my chart and my reading,and I didn't even realize it
until months later, when I wasrevisiting the recording,
because it was such a goodreading, I realized that the
date was wrong.
I sent her an email and she wasimmediately.
(21:11):
She got back to me so fast andshe was so apologetic and
immediately offered to redo thereading using my correct birth
date and time, at no charge tome.
It was a great experience.
It worked out for everybody andit was.
It was literally fine, and nowI have a reading that's more
accurate and more correct andreflects what I needed.
Don't assume the worst andplease just be kind, be
(21:31):
respectful.
I promise you.
Every single professionalreader has a horror story or 10
about clients who were cruel,who were abusive, who were
obsessively emailing them or whojust otherwise awful and
disrespectful.
Don't become one of thosestories.
Now, this whole episode wastips and tricks, but I want to
offer one final one here at theend and just remind you that
(21:53):
people who read tarot forclients professionally and all
of this really applies to peoplewho read professionally in any
modality, in the sacred arts,from astrology, numerology,
akashic records, fixed stars,whatever but people who read
tarot for clients work really,really hard and they juggle a
lot of different things in orderto make that business happen.
So if you do get a reading froma professional trust that your
(22:15):
feedback, your testimonials,even your posts on social media
make a huge difference for thatperson and can have such a
positive impact on your reader.
If you have a great reading,tell your reader that you loved
it and tell your friends thatyou loved it.
Testimonials don't have to belike multiple paragraphs, they
don't have to be super long tostill be super valuable.
(22:36):
Even one sentence makes all thedifference and it's going to
make the reader's day.
Plus, letting your reader knowwhat worked for you and, if they
request full feedback, not justtestimonials, what didn't work
helps them improve.
As a practitioner and as a smallbusiness owner, it might only
take a few minutes out of yourday, but I promise it will have
a massive and lasting impact onreaders.
We all want to improve, we allwant to get better and we also
(23:00):
all want to know what works bestfor our clients, so giving that
feedback really can make a hugedifference.
That is all I have for youtoday, but, as always, thank you
so much for sitting with me,for listening to this episode,
and I will be back again soonwith more Card Talk.
Card Talk episodes are alwaysfree for everyone to enjoy, so
if you love what you hear,please consider supporting the
(23:21):
podcast by subscribing,recommending Card Talk to a
friend or two or donating tohelp with production costs.
You can find episodetranscripts.
Learn more about me and join mysignature Tarot Conservatory
membership program through mywebsite, 3amtarotcom.
Thanks for listening and seeyou next time.
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