So, you heard about this tarot reader from a friend. “He/She’s amazing, so accurate, so helpful… you must make an appointment!” Okay, word of mouth praise is a good thing.
So you go to the tarot reader, and what you hear makes your skin crawl. She’s talking about people in your life like they’re snakes in the grass. Lots of talk about what’s going on in their lives… it might even be stuff that you didn’t know; their secrets coming to light.
If you came to me for a reading, I probably wouldn’t be talking too much about other people in your life. After all, we can’t control other people’s actions; we can only control our own. So I would be focused on you. What YOU can do to change your life for the better or handle other people/situations better.
So, who is the “right” tarot reader? Whoever it is that matches your own set of personal ethics. One reader friend of mine says this, tongue firmly in her cheek, “I read your Tarot behind your back.” Some readers don’t even do celebrity predictions. Some readers will not read for someone or on behalf of someone without permission. And some do. Whether it’s right or wrong is completely up to you. What vibes with your personal ethics?
How do you find out about a reader’s code of ethics? Most readers now will have a separate page on their site (if they have one) dealing specifically with ethics. If they don’t, check out their About page, and you should be able to get a good sense of what the reader will and won’t do. If that section doesn’t offer a clue, try looking at a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page if there is one. But don’t hunt too long. If ethics aren’t important to the reader, they won’t have any listed. But then you must ask the question… “Do I want to work with this person?” If ethics ARE important to them, they will be prominently displayed. You won’t have to look for the proverbial needle in the haystack to find them.
The crux of my ethics page (website coming late September!) will always be, “I will never share the details of your reading with anyone else.” Heck, I don’t even remember what I’ve said in a reading if the span of an hour goes by. The info isn’t for me to retain OR repeat. The info is solely for the client, to do with what they wish.
Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
What ethics do you look for in a reader? Where do you draw a line in the sand? Let’s discuss in the Comments section.
Great post! I personally think this line- So, who is the “right” tarot reader? Whoever it is that matches your own set of personal ethics. is the best! I would be absolutely appalled at some possible questions, but querents deserve to not be judged, which of course I try not to do, but certain questions I do not find helpful so I probably wouldn't even read well on them.
Manda: Yeah, this post is totally along the vein of "finding the right reader for you." Finding someone with similar core values is an excellent step in the right direction! And I absolutely agree that querents deserve to not be judged. Judgment is for the nonobjective, and I try to remain as objective as possible during a reading to provide the best advice and accuracy. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
Personally I have no problem doing celebrity readings,they are public figures. Even Linda Goodman(my idol) analyzed celebrities like Zsa Zsa Gabor and Abraham Lincoln in her books way back. I feel that it really increases your intuition, the more you challenge yourself into getting deeper into a situation, given that you hardly know anything about it. Also finding out that what these celebrities sometimes actually project is not true can be a revelation. (most of them project images very contrary to their true selves). It definitely makes me believe in my reading skills more and more if I predict something before the newspaper does!
I do believe that what happens in the tarot room is between reader and client, unless the client insists on bringing along a friend who I let sit and hear the whole thing if the client insists.
Kareena: I haven't had any cause or call to do celebrity readings, but I'll go with the "never say never" approach. There may come a day when I will. I included the "celebrity forecast" angle because I know there are a few readers out there that won't do celebrity predictions, but some do. Again, personal ethics.
I agree with you about the privacy between client and reader. The client can feel free to share the details of their reading with other people, or bring along a friend, as long as it's okay with them. I will never disclose a client's reading to anyone but the client 🙂
This is such a good post. You are so right about the reading being about the querent not the people in their life. I have read for people who have had bad experiences with other tarot readers. Your post 'hits the nail on the head'. Thanks.
The Whispering Path: Thank you so much for reading! Ethics are so important to me… it just makes sense to find a reader that has similar ethics to yourself.