The most daunting part of attempting
to earn the credential of Certified Tarot Consultant for me was the
writing of this article. So what the heck is a Tarot Consultant? My
mind reeled, what is a Consultant? UGH! So I asked peers, and
those whom I respect in the Tarot Community; one answer was a laugh
and the statement “Why, you are of course.” Another reply was “You
are already doing it so why do you want to certify?” Heck, more
questions rather than answers, more for me to muddle through.
So, I stewed, and I brewed, and I simmered, at
last I decided to consult the tarot. I pulled out my handy dandy
Tarot Nova Deck (By Dennis Fairchild,
Illustrated by Julie Paschkis Publisher: Running Press Book
Publishers)
asking “Why do I want or need to certify as a Tarot
Consultant? The card I pulled was the Empress card. Ok, a Keyword
for the Empress is Nurture. Certifying would be beneficial as it
would nurture my skills. The number on the card is three; a number
of growth and expression. Certifying would allow me to grow my
skills and aid me in my expression of these skills. The Empress is
an earth card, fertile and full of potential. Certifying will help
me reach my potential. Venus is the ruler of the Empress card; I
should certify because I love tarot and tarot gives me great
pleasure. In looking at the picture on this particular card I
notice that her heart chakra is fully open, as well as her crown
chakra. Certifying as a Tarot Consultant would help me give back
the love I receive from reading the cards; the open crown chakra
indicates that my spirituality would blossom. The Empress card
always sings to me... a song by the Byrds called Turn, Turn, Turn:
To everything
(turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven.
Ok
the time is right! I need to do this.
Reciprocity, what fun!
So, what does consult mean?
Webster’s Dictionary defines consult as “ask advice from”, it seems
that I, as a Tarot Reader, consult the tarot, and my clients consult
me for help with life’s problems, how fun is that!
Webster’s Dictionary defines
consultant as an expert who is called on for professional or
technical advice or opinions. Yikes....an expert? Back to the
Webster’s.... An expert is someone who is very skillful; having much
training and knowledge in a special field. Aha, a glimmer of
understanding at last!
At last my definition of a Tarot
Consultant!
If I needed a new floor put in my
home what would I want, no expect from the person doing it? If I
needed my plumbing plumbed, what would I expect? It was thinking
along these lines that helped me solidify my definition of a Tarot
Consultant.
·
It seems that a Tarot Consultant must have
training, and must be committed to life long learning of
Tarot and must be an available resource that can be called upon for
a variety of issues. (The Hierophant)
·
A Tarot Consultant must provide added value
with the ability to add layers of meaning and interpretation upon
the textbook keyword meanings of the cards by incorporating other
divination systems such as numerology, astrology, chakras, kabala
etc. (Temperance)
·
A Tarot Consultant must be clear about the fee
structure; there should be no hidden fees, no unpleasant surprises,
no extra charges for additional or unwanted services. (Sun)
·
A Tarot Consultant must be objective and allow
the cards to speak for themselves rather than push their own
opinions and agenda’s on the client. (Justice)
·
A Tarot Consultant must be
creative
and be able to implement their
creativity. (The Magician)
·
A Tarot Consultant must be able to facilitate
or “smooth the process” of a reading by speaking in understandable
terms, fostering independence, and creating a calm supportive
atmosphere. Part of this support would be referring the client to
other professionals should the need arise. (The Star)
·
A Tarot Consultant must belong to a professional
organization; adhere to a professional code of ethics and
does not participate in unscrupulous or unethical behavior. (The
Emperor)
So there you have it, the seven
bullets of a Tarot Consultant!
Seven, the number of the
Chariot, a card of progress, movement, and change; a card of
intuition, and the unconscious mind..... Seven a number of faith.
Perhaps above all else a Tarot
Consultant must have drive, spiritual strength, a willingness to
focus both outwardly and inwardly, and possess great amounts of
faith; faith in self, faith in the client, and faith in the process!
To
Rephrase or not to Rephrase: That is the question!
By HOPE CTC
Published in Tarot Reflections
(November 2008)
When I first started reading
tarot I thought it was a simple three step process. Someone asks a
question, cards are pulled, the question is answered. Boom Done!
With further education I learned
that I was very wrong. Client’s must be schooled or coached on how
to word their questions. They can’t use words such as should,
would, could, why, who or when. They can’t ask about other people,
or what is happening in the future. Indeed there are scores of web
pages dedicated to training new readers on what types of questions
to steer clear of and on coaching clients on how to rephrase their
questions.
Call me a
Lemming, I went along.
So, I went along with this
trend. I reworded, changed, and coached.... it didn’t sit well.
I had followed the leader and felt like I was falling off a cliff.
I decided to give this whole issue another think over.
I thought about my personal
ethics, and where I draw the line. I thought about the feelings of
the client who was in essence being told that their question was
wrong somehow.... gads this is not the way to build a client list.
Nor was it a way to treat a person who may already be in distress.
Call me a Rebel, I go my own
way.
Ok, I’m not a Rebel but it
sounded good. What did I do? What I always do. I asked around.
Although I had never had a bad experience with tampering with
client’s questions apparently some of my peers were not as
fortunate. One peer was actually told by a client that he “didn’t
want to hear all the psychobabble bullshnit, he just wanted an
answer to his gosh darn question.” (I edited that for
appropriateness, I guess you figured that out!) So I simmered, I do
that a lot too and it occurred to me that people want what they
want; they ask a question because they want an answer. Unskilled
rewording can lead to answering questions that were not asked.
So what
direction did I go in?
Sideways of course, I’m a crab,
or rather a Cancer. I skirt the issue. My job as a reader is to
interpret the cards, not formulate the client’s questions. Should,
would, could, why, who or when are tricky questions I agree, but I
don’t have to announce this to the client. When I do e-mail
readings I don’t restate the question, I simply state that I
shuffled while thinking about the question. For live readings or
chat readings I state that I want to explore the situation.
Sometimes I answer as asked; sometimes I sidle around the issue. I
ask questions of my own, like “What do YOU want to do?” I say
things like “Let’s look at BOTH sides of this issue.” This allows
me to be more interactive with the client and involves the client
more in the reading process. I come across as caring and
interested, which I am, rather than superior and all knowing which I
am not! With enough information given the client is able to
discover the answer to their question on their own which is
empowering.
Power to the
Crab!
This circuitous route is true to
my crabby nature! I can avoid the boiling pot of reading traps, I
can avoid being high and dry by rephrasing the client’s question,
and I can avoid offending my client. This looks good from all
angles to me!
U Cards Suck!
by Hope CTC
Published in
the Tarot
by Olympias Newsletter (Spring O9)
“WHAT” I sputtered out loud.
Yes, it was a text book sputter; I even watched a cat chase the
little drop of spit that flew out of my mouth. “Oh No She Didn’t!”
Wait, wait... take a deep breath, TOWER moment....TOWER
moment...think, think. “I don’t quite understand Ms. Hater, you
agreed to everything I said in the reading.” She was calm, she
didn’t see my WHEEL turning, didn’t see the great spit incident (Ace
of Cups Reversed) because we were instant messaging.
As it turns out, she liked my
reading, she hated my cards. She had checked them out on the
internet and hated them. “U Cards Suck” she said. Ouch, this was
certainly a fall from glory and I think I hit the 10 of Swords on
the way down.
From my Tower moment I went to a
Star moment of Ah Ha! Cards have curb appeal. I have always been
choosy about my decks; one card that I don’t like in a deck can sour
me on the whole deck instantly. I have given away more decks than I
own for one reason or another; the Kings aren’t manly looking
enough, who would follow a wimpy King? The Devil card is too
cliché; too much gratuitous boobage, too many hairy manly parts.
Wanton nudity in cards makes me uncomfortable, especially when
reading for men, younger giggly women, and stern looking women that
remind me of my Queen of Swords mother.
The deck that I had used that
fateful Moon lit evening had manly looking men, the devil card was
fine, and there was no nudity.... what was the problem? “U Cards
Suck.” The words haunted my dreams. I had a few 9 of Swords nights
and then the Sun came out and I realized that the cards were too
tame, too safe; too child like, there was no intrigue, no air of
mystery about them. You can’t judge a book by its cover...yet
client’s do. The deck I had used was a nice deck, a popular deck
that can pack a powerful punch, yet the client did not have faith
that this fun looking deck could help her answer her heart rending 3
of Swords problems.
Ok, so I thought I would
experiment. I took out another deck, full of shadows, and bizarre
symbolism. I met a girlfriend at the local bar and presented the
deck to her. “Check out my new cards” I said. She took one look at
the first card and politely put them away, changing the subject.
This woman is no weenie, but the cards didn’t appeal to her and she
was too polite to say “U cards suck!” It just so happens that on
that same night I did a reading for a King of Swords military man, I
used that shadowy deck and he loved it. Oy vay! (That’s Yiddish for
Temperance where are you?)
Once I quit pulling out my hair
a light bulb went off in my head as bright as any Ace of Wands. Not
only do I need to be comfortable with the cards, so do my clients.
I need to know my clients, my client’s needs, and my venue. It
seems that shadowy, dark cards are fine when you read for macho
Knights and Kings in a bar, probably cards with gratuitous boobage
would work fine too but I draw the line! However these same cards
may be too harsh for Pages of a more sensitive nature. Cards that
are too light weight, too innocuous aren’t taken seriously by
Queens, Kings, or Knights who drive tanks. Mini decks don’t fair
well either, they lack stature and authority.
So what did I do? You can’t
stereotype people; I did what I always do, I skirt the issue. I’m a
crab, or rather a Cancer. I carry two or three decks in a variety
of artistic styles and make the client decide! Now if they say “U
cards suck!” I can say “Well you picked them!”
