How to Recover from Giving a "Bad" Reading

recoverfrombadreading

“Don’t bother, she’s not worth it.”

Those words continued to ring in my ears, long after the reading was over. A snide comment, made to the client’s friend, as they sailed out the door. Whether or not she meant for me to hear it, I’ll never know. But I sure did.

It’s not like I was inaccurate, it was more like the client wasn’t enthralled, and I had to remind myself that not every reading is going to be a slam dunk.

It’s something that we have to, as readers, remind ourselves often… Especially when starting out. Readings may be stilted, awkward, sometimes going very fast like a ticker tape, or slow and having to be drawn out, paused, or outright stopped based on how the cards come out or the information is flowing. This is to be expected.

If you are lucky, after a few years of this work, the majority of your clients will be regulars or “your type” of clients, accustomed to your style or way of working, and the ho-hum readings will become more fewer or further between. You will attract more of the better fit clients, and less of the awkward. Less… But not none.

Inevitably, you will have those meh readings, where you’re not thrilled, and neither is the client.

Some things that could factor into a less-than-stellar tarot reading:

Skepticism. Blockages. Not ready to hear, or not self-aware, on the client’s part, or yourself.
Client doesn’t know the right questions to ask.
Projection of the reader’s issues onto the client.
Reader is sick or the client is sick.

… a combination of the above, or something else entirely.

What do you do when those readings happen?

During the reading, you can breathe. Skip cards and circle back to them. If really struggling, apologize, refer, and refund.

In this article, I’m not talking about readings that are zip connection at all. If there’s zero connection, refund and refer. That’s my motto. But again, we’re not talking about that here.

Sometimes, I’m more accurate than the client seems to want to say (and I can feel it). However, I don’t push it. They’re not ready to admit the truth. On a rare occasion, I’ve even refunded, knowing I was right. It’s a rarity, but sometimes it’s worth a monetary loss to get rid of a headache client that denies the truth. Make room for a better client fit.

But really, I’m talking more about the ho-hum readings, where neither you or the client did anything particularly wrong or right. It’s just… yawn. Maybe the tarot wants to talk about the day to day, general and tiny tweaks to the client’s life. Maybe there’s a majority of Minor Arcana cards, signifying that there isn’t truly a big pivot point you’re discussing in the client’s life right now. Again, maybe a combination of all of the above, or something different. Off. Not quite there.

How do you recover and keep going after a reading like that?

Here’s what I do:

Keep a happy file or review your testimonials (see Alex Franzen’s How to love your work link below) – you’ll quickly remember/remind yourself of the why you do this work in the first place – for the people that truly appreciate it and vibe with your style of reading. I keep a happy file of all readings that have gone well. Look at those testimonials. And remind myself that I can’t read for everyone.
Do energy work to clear the blues as quickly as possible. Donna Eden’s Energy Medicine for Women particularly helps!
Read an inspirational book. Whatever you like that you find uplifting and positive and soothing to your bruised ego.
Exercise or take a long walk, preferably in nature. Surround yourself with greenery, and your problems will melt away or become smaller in comparison with the big wild wonderful natural world. If you can’t be in nature, change your screensaver or wallpaper to outdoor scenes you find pleasant. Greenery doesn’t do it for you, but the beach or ocean does? Find images of the lapping waves or audio of seagulls cawing.
Meditate! It totally helps with everything, including releasing the energy associated with a ho-hum reading. Remember: this energy is not yours to carry anyway. And, if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, you can ask within the confines of your meditation as to the reasons why the reading was off. In the stillness of meditation, ask, and listen for the answer with an open heart free from judgment. You could even bring tarot into the mix and pull one card to answer why the reading was off, as well.
Make sure that my “containers” are intact. What do I mean by a container? A container is a ritual I do to start and end my work day, and especially when I’m doing readings (before and after each). This prevents psychic burnout from being “on” all the time. Your rituals may vary. Some rituals I do are drink a big glass of water before and after a reading, put on and take off my mala beads (a physical sign to the universe that opening or closing “shop” for the day), pour a cup of tea for me and my client if I am doing a reading from home, opening and closing of the chakras, etc. Again, your rituals can be completely different from mine, and that’s perfectly okay. Personalize your containers, and make them work for you. Then, you can do psychic work from the safety of the container that you have created… and you can leave that work behind at the end of the day.
Manage expectations. For the future, make sure to manage a client’s expectations, up front, before the cards are even cast. Sometimes the most disappointed clients are the ones whose expectations of a tarot reading (and what the tarot can or can’t predict) were not clarified beforehand. This is best done before a reading, by saying something about your personal style of reading. My spiel is phrased usually like “I’m not going to tell you something that you don’t already know on some level. I think of tarot as a mirror, showing you the situation and patterns from a different perspective.” If you are a predictive reader, say so. If you are a conversational reader, say so. Know your style, and be up front about it, before the reading starts.

I sincerely hope you never hear that you’re not “worth it” as a reader… but if you do, you know what to do now to get yourself over the slump of a yawn-worthy reading.

Blessings,
~*~Hilary~*~
www.tarotbyhilary.com

How to Recover from Giving a “Bad” Reading

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