Spoiler alert: I can only wear one hat at a time. And by hat, I mean: doing a tarot reading.
“You are so spot-on!” the email read. My heart swelled. I always like to hear I’ve nailed an email reading… it’s hard to know sometimes.
2 minutes later…I was surprised to get another email in my inbox from the same person. It was a surprise not because I had already provided clarification and she confirmed what I had said was true…
… but because she was asking to purchase a service that I don’t do. Nowhere on my website did I or do I guarantee, promise, or otherwise deceive that I am anything more than a tarot reader. I read tarot. That’s what I do. That’s what all my services are based around: reading your cards, or teaching you how to read tarot, or teaching you how to combine tarot cards and spell-work. But the common denominator? Always tarot.
Yet I am constantly facing a barrage of emails or in-person requests for astrology, mediumship, past-life regression, or spell-casting (on behalf of someone else). Where do I advertise this? Nowhere. But people just assume that I can do it all. And while that’s flattering, it’s certainly far from the truth.
The Simpsons would know better than me what your past life was.
And as for astrology and your horoscope? Read the paper, or consult Family Guy.
I genuinely want to help you, really I do. But I know that my gift, the one I know well, have practiced for years, and been doing professionally for over 11 years… that is the skill that I charge for, and that is the skill that you are paying for. I know it seems that psychics or woo people must be able to do everything, and indeed, I do enjoy my share of astrology and experimentation with other forms of divination, including runes, oracle cards, lenormand, mediumship, pendulums, and clairvoyance in general. But if I were to charge you for this experimentation, it would be a disservice: to you, and to the professionals that do that work for a living. I read tarot: that’s what I do. When I add an additional something to my services, it is after months or even years of study working within that new system that I am adding, and I do not do it lightly or for experimentation sake: I do it in service to you, the client.
It’s not unusual for people to come to me and expect that I can connect with spirits (mediumship) or do a synastry/compatibility chart with astrology. Why? Because I have on occasion performed mediumship or intuited a relationship to come based on astrological sign with a tarot reading’s context. But to say that it is a major part of my work would be a lie. The main part of my work is tarot. It is my expertise in that arena that you are being charged for, and not my fumbling attempts at a comparative natal chart reading. You don’t want a fumbling professional: that would be an oxymoron!
So while I love to branch out and try something new, I’m not going to do that during your reading, especially if you are paying me for it. You are paying me for my expertise in tarot reading, and not for my fumbled or clumsy attempts at Lenormand or my flipping back and forth in a book while reading… would you expect that from a professional reader, if I had a guidebook sitting next to me, and was constantly referring to it for every single card and nuance? Probably not. You’d walk right out the door!
While it never hurts to ask, please don’t be surprised if my answer is no, and/or a referral. I know plenty of people that do what I don’t do, and plenty of people don’t do what I do: and the mutual referrals are a’happening. It’s a lovely two-way street that I don’t mind continuing.
So while I am all about growth and making sure that I continue to evolve as a reader, that evolution may or may not involve outside divination sources. Tarot is a very full metaphysical field that takes a lifetime to master: Let’s just say I’d have enough on my plate doing tarot and only tarot for the rest of my life. And if I do branch out or integrate other divination tools into my tarot readings, my first crack at them is not going to be during a paid client session for the tarot. This is an ethical concern for me, and my main goal always is for the client to have the best session with me possible. My best right now is through the tarot. If that changes, I’ll let you know!
Blessings,
~*~Hilary~*~
www.tarotbyhilary.com
Photo Credit: Roberto Herrett Flickr via Compfight cc
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©2016 Hilary Haggerty | Tarot by Hilary
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