I had to refund a person this weekend. Hey, it happens. I want to be able to provide readings for everyone, but in this particular case, the question would have been better asked of a medical professional than me. So I refunded the money and urged the prospective client to seek a medical professional’s opinion.
This all ties into me watching Maya Angelou on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday this weekend and a little quote she said. She said that “courage is a muscle”. That being courageous takes practice, and it starts with something small. That you can’t lift a hundred-pound weight without preparing by lifting smaller weights first.
When I first had to refund my services, it was a bad situation. It made me question everything, including whether or not I should continue to do readings. Most professional tarot readers have their doubts from time to time (and I would question any reader that has sailed through their career without a shred of doubt in their abilities). But sure enough, just as Angelou proclaimed, courage is a muscle and takes practice to develop. This time around for the medical question, it was not as hard to maintain my professional boundaries and personal integrity. It was not ethical to read on the situation when the money given for a reading would have been much better used going to the correct professional for the job. Sometimes you can choose what is best for another person… or choose not to participate in a sticky wicket of an ethical dilemma.
This is partially the reason why I always list the whole “for entertainment purposes only” wording. This is as much for the client’s protection as it is my own. It’s not because I believe my tarot readings are charlatanry or razzmatazz. Far from it. I take reading tarot seriously and it is never lost on me that what I say during a reading is both sacred and internalized by the client. But let’s not forget the other part of the “entertainment purposes” wording. It also includes that tarot reading is no substitute for seeing a licensed member of an applicable field, such as the medical or legal profession. Because let’s face it, I’m not a doctor. And while most health readings I’ve done are accurate and proactive, I’ve always prefaced them with “I will read on this for you, but if you are worried and asking these questions, please make an appointment with your doctor.” The same can be said for legal issues. If a client faces a court visit and wants to know probable outcomes, I’m the first to say, “I am not a lawyer.”
So, I’m not saying I won’t read for your health questions, nor your legal quandaries. But if I do feel a question is out of my depth, I will say so. I will bless you and send you on your way, usually with a referral to someone that can better serve you. And when I do so, know that I do it because I want the best for everyone, even if they choose to not work with me, or I choose to not work with them.
Blessings,
~*~Hilary~*~
www.tarotbyhilary.com
Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Join in the discussion: How do you strengthen your courage muscles? In which situations have you had to develop them? Leave your thoughts in the Comments section below.
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That’s valid. There are just times when we are made aware that a reading is not the answer to the problem. I used to find that to be true sometimes when I got the sense that someone would rather rely on my reading than take the necessary steps. I think a refund can be right for a lot of reasons and this would be a priority reason in my mind.
Julie Barrett recently posted…Why Do Other People Have Influence Over You?
Yes, Julie! I don’t react well to clients that try to use me as a magic wand or a band-aid. I can bring issues to the forefront, but I can’t make decisions for them.
[…] This and this to help me remember that though I can’t read for everyone (and I can’t see everything coming), doesn’t mean I should fall into doubting EVERYTHING. […]