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tarot_scholarUmbrae's month of May rant on AT included two very interesting questions, ones he said anyone interested in reading Tarot professionally should consider:
Why do I want to read (for others)?
Why do people come to us?
I think these are important questions to consider no matter what you do with the Tarot.
I read (in general) because sometimes I just need the advice, or because I want to know what's going to happen or what's going on. I read because I like the mountains of information available and the myriad nuanced ways you can interpret things. It is systematic and chaotic all at once. I read because sometimes I get lost in life.
And for others? To be perfectly honest, I am a creature that seeks control. Not necessarily "go there, do this, get X for me" kind of control. But a transformative kind of control. I want to change people's lives, take them out of bad places and show them the path to better ones, both because I just want to help and because I (selfishly?) want to be recognized and respected for my sound advice. As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. It's enough for me that the horse even considers drinking.
I also want to feel like I'm making a difference in the world. Making a difference means my time on this planet isn't just a one way, take take take, faceless experience. It means it mattered that I was here. And by effecting change in people's lives, I can make a difference. And I do love the warm fuzzies of a good reading.
A number of reasons:
Umbrae asked a good question, in addition to these two, but I feel it's more a sub-category of this one:
"Who are you when you read?"
Who you are—that is, how you're presenting yourself "Tarotistically"—will have a great effect on the people who come to you for readings (if you are the kind to read for others), and will shape the answer you give for why they come. People read Tarot for as many reasons as people seek professional readers.
I do not want to put on a mystical woo-woo "shock and awe" show. I don't want to use high-sounding terms without explaining what they mean in concrete, practical ways. When I read, I am (want to be) someone down to earth and, at least on some level, in touch with reality. All of the trappings (candles, incense, etc) detract from that. Those who do that, in my estimation, attract people to the Tarot because of its spectacle. And that doesn't sit right with me. Not a judgment call, but a simple statement of fact: I do not regard the Tarot like that.
I believe that, even if the initial process of Tarot is esoteric, subjective, non-rational and "mysterious," such a process should stay out of the reading. You should never try to explain your own intuition to anyone but yourself, lest you turn yourself into a spectacle. If something comes up that makes you think of a ginger tabby cat, or a car accident, or a new baby, say that. Point to the cards that made you say so, but in the end, accept that such a concept synthesized in your head of its own accord, and the important thing to do is to relate that concept to the reader in sensible, logical ways. Ways they can easily understand and apply to their own lives so that they may be all the more wiser and happier than before they paid a visit to you. Because that's the best way to sum up any worthwhile intent (for me) when it comes to getting a reading. Because people sometimes need outsider, completely non-rational advice.
Why do I want to read (for others)?
Why do people come to us?
I think these are important questions to consider no matter what you do with the Tarot.
I read (in general) because sometimes I just need the advice, or because I want to know what's going to happen or what's going on. I read because I like the mountains of information available and the myriad nuanced ways you can interpret things. It is systematic and chaotic all at once. I read because sometimes I get lost in life.
And for others? To be perfectly honest, I am a creature that seeks control. Not necessarily "go there, do this, get X for me" kind of control. But a transformative kind of control. I want to change people's lives, take them out of bad places and show them the path to better ones, both because I just want to help and because I (selfishly?) want to be recognized and respected for my sound advice. As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. It's enough for me that the horse even considers drinking.
I also want to feel like I'm making a difference in the world. Making a difference means my time on this planet isn't just a one way, take take take, faceless experience. It means it mattered that I was here. And by effecting change in people's lives, I can make a difference. And I do love the warm fuzzies of a good reading.
A number of reasons:
- They want a novelty experience.
- They're unsure of what to do in some situation.
- They're in great duress, requiring
*comfort
*advice
*reassurance
*a place to destress
*etc - They want to disprove the reader/Tarot/whatever.
- They're curious about the Tarot.
- They seek to add a "higher dimension" to their life.
Umbrae asked a good question, in addition to these two, but I feel it's more a sub-category of this one:
"Who are you when you read?"
Who you are—that is, how you're presenting yourself "Tarotistically"—will have a great effect on the people who come to you for readings (if you are the kind to read for others), and will shape the answer you give for why they come. People read Tarot for as many reasons as people seek professional readers.
I do not want to put on a mystical woo-woo "shock and awe" show. I don't want to use high-sounding terms without explaining what they mean in concrete, practical ways. When I read, I am (want to be) someone down to earth and, at least on some level, in touch with reality. All of the trappings (candles, incense, etc) detract from that. Those who do that, in my estimation, attract people to the Tarot because of its spectacle. And that doesn't sit right with me. Not a judgment call, but a simple statement of fact: I do not regard the Tarot like that.
I believe that, even if the initial process of Tarot is esoteric, subjective, non-rational and "mysterious," such a process should stay out of the reading. You should never try to explain your own intuition to anyone but yourself, lest you turn yourself into a spectacle. If something comes up that makes you think of a ginger tabby cat, or a car accident, or a new baby, say that. Point to the cards that made you say so, but in the end, accept that such a concept synthesized in your head of its own accord, and the important thing to do is to relate that concept to the reader in sensible, logical ways. Ways they can easily understand and apply to their own lives so that they may be all the more wiser and happier than before they paid a visit to you. Because that's the best way to sum up any worthwhile intent (for me) when it comes to getting a reading. Because people sometimes need outsider, completely non-rational advice.
