How is tarot different from other occult practices, such as astrology, or playing with a Ouija board, or working with a medium? Tarot is a tool to make your life better. It is a tool for understanding yourself and your loved ones, for analyzing interpersonal problems, and getting to the source of why things are happening the way that they are.
A good tarot card reader will explain to you that your fate is not sealed in stone. Rather, you are a child of God, and therefore, powerful enough to make your life whatever you want it to be. Your limits are your own mind, and your tarot reader, if he or she is a good one, can show you where you're limiting yourself. "As above, so below," is the saying of the hermeticists. This idea is pictured on the tarot's Magician card, card number one as the first great truth and principle for living, with the god Hermes reaching one arm to the heavens and another down toward earth. It means: where our minds are, substance follows. Or, as author/psychologist Wayne Dyer put it in his book title, "You'll see it when you believe it."
As your tarot card reader, it is my job to show you the path that you're on, the path that you already know to be true in your sub-conscious. I am just reflecting it back to you, showing you, good and bad, what you're doing to accomplish your goals, or how you're managing to stay stuck and/or get in your own way. If you see something you don't like in your cards that is ahead for you, you simply change what you're doing. As a tarot reader, I am not a counselor, or a healer, or a magician. I am a conduit to show you your own higher wisdom, to improve the things in your life that you would like to improve, and to help you to grow.
Many people become very emotional when I read their cards. Sometimes there are tears of happiness, or sadness. Sometimes there is gasp, or a burst of laughter--what my counselor friend calls "the recognition response." Often they express feelings of embarrassment, but I try to explain that this is a turning point. I know then that the healing is already taking place. Through the mere understanding of it, through feeling the feelings that we've squashed down and tried to ignore, we become free from its grip.
One of my regular clients said to me, "I have been going to a counselor for years, and I got more out of just one session with you."
What a compliment! But stepping away from my ego for a minute, it makes perfect sense: it had little to do with me, of course, and everything to do with the power of the cards. Tarot gets right to the heart of it. The tarot card reader does not have to build up trust and candor over a course of months or years in the way that a psychologist, counselor, or psychiatrist does. The cards don't lie, and it's all right there, in Swords, Wands, Cups and Pentacles.
Tarot is not meant to replace these valuable professions mentioned above, but rather, to enhance them. Tarot should never be used instead of medicine in the case of treating mental illness. No, the tarot is best used for one who wishes to take charge of his or her life. One who understands that blame and regret are games for losers. This means that the person getting the reading must be willing to accept full responsibility for his role in his own life. He can't point to circumstances, or family, or bad romantic relationships, or money, any longer as the cause of his suffering.
So how do you know if you have found yourself a good tarot reader? There is no such thing (as far as I know) of tarot card board certification or licensing. If you have the opportunity, talk to and read up on your tarot reader. He or she will probably have a website, and maybe also provide testimonials or videos (those who wish to see my tarot presentation videos may write me privately). Your tarot reader should probably be open enough to talk to you over the phone or by email, for at least a few minutes, at no charge. You may want to ask what your tarot reader's spiritual practice/path/belief is. We are all the product of our minds, as I explained earlier, and what we feed our minds and spirits will be reflected in our work. My own spiritual path is A Course In Miracles, which I have found is close to a lot of ideas in Buddhism, Hermeticism, and of course Qabalah (also spelled "Kabbalah" if you're referring to the Jewish version, or "Cabala" if you're referring to the Christian brand). I am also a novice at Jungian Alchemy, or the process of Individuation (similar to Maslow's "Self-Actualization"). A Course In Miracles is not so far from Christianity, but with one important difference: ACIM does not look up to an outside savior, but rather, is about recognizing the God within oneself. With this as my mindset and my spiritual path, my tarot card readings will reflect this for you. You may or may not be comfortable with that idea, and I encourage you to ask questions until you are at ease with someone you're allowing to peer into some quite personal aspects of your life.
Your tarot card reader should never ask you personal questions you don't volunteer on your own. Your tarot card reader should never make you feel embarrassed, humiliated, or put on the spot in any way. Your tarot card reader should not judge you. If you are not completely at ease with your tarot card reader, I urge you to find another.
Word of mouth and friend referrals are a great way to find a tarot reader. But the very best possible way to find a tarot reader, of course, is to meet him or her in person and try it out. Tarot readers such as myself often work festivals, fairs, casinos and other special events where you can get a quick reading for just a few dollars. Often, that is enough to know if this person is the right person to read for you. Many of my clients found me first this way, and then they hire me for regular hour-long individual appointments later, and/or they bring me in to their own parties and special events. I have some clients whom I have never met who get regular telephone tarot readings, and they get a lot from them. I've just started reading on Skype, too.
Finally, please respect your tarot card reader's time, and value it accordingly. These days, gas is not cheap, and time has never been free. It takes time to commute to and from a reading. Some balk at my rate of $60 an hour for an individual reading, but given commuting time and the effort of the work, this is not a fortune. A tarot reading is an emotionally draining experience for the reader, too. There is a beautiful kind of weight that comes with this huge responsibility of directing lives toward happiness and healing---but it is hard work! Please do not take advantage of your tarot reader's time and caring heart. Please don't ask for free readings, or push for deals, if this is not your reader's regular practice. Occasionally, we readers will sense a need, and want to offer them on our own. After all, we would not be in this work at all if we did not want to help others, and to make the world a better place. But we know, too, that this cannot be done when we do not first value and care for ourselves.
Whatever your flavor of tarot: in-person private consultations, the party atmosphere, or using electronic and digital possibilities, there is a way to fit tarot into your life for your own personal growth. I would be honored if you chose me as your tarot reader. Please feel free to call or email for more information. My tarot website is www.nighttimes.com/tarot.htm.
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