Divination Weekly Topic ~ Read for the Public?

[Hope]

Ok the weekly topics are a great place for everyone to share their thoughts or questions on a certain topic about divination. Hopefully we can learn or share something new for ourselves or others.


This week:

How does a person know they are ready to do public readings?

If you have a suggestion for a weekly Divination topic, please PM me.


love
hope

[tarotgirljess]

A person is ready to give readings when they
1) feel comfortable enough to trust their own judgement
2) when they are no longer reading out of the book
3) has the self confidence to be secure in their reading
4) has the ability to know that they can be wrong
5) the ability to withstand criticism, religious conversations, and adults draging their children away from you in fear.


Or at least these have been my expieriences. i read the tarot in my hometown at a fair. Grown adults would drag their children off, People would make a wide circle around the booth, people would tell you you were going to hell. Yet others were curious and interested. in case anyone is curious? out of the people i did readings for, i did more for little old ladies than i did kids or anyone else.
one thing i did that I think helped with making the customer feel more secure was I offered them that if they felt the reading was wrong for them, or of no use they could have their money back. of those that paid me none asked for their money back. where i did run into problems were the people who wanted a reading just to prove i was a fraud. i had no qualms telling them to take their money and leave.
The other thing that caught me off gaurd was i should have had kleenexs at the booth. when giving readings you need to remember that you are dealing with human's with powerful emotions, and depending on the reading, sometimes those emotions come out. It can get very emotionally charged.
I hope this helped. If you have any other questions i failed to answer, just ask.
Jess

[Kudzu]

I think whenever they are comfortable with doing so, they are ready! Though usually that may take a few smaller steps, first! My first time reading in what I'd consider "public," I was doing a fund raiser for my Pagan student group. It was a nerve-wracking notion to read in-person for stranger after stranger, but I think it helped that I wasn't in it to make a profit that first time. I could build confidence in myself while keeping the knowledge that, even if I said something wrong, I was still just doing my best to raise money for a good cause.

[SageofThyme]

Personally I went to a centre to learn -so they adviced me. As the public reading was to stand in front of an audience and read (psychic readings) for members of the audience (anybody was allowed in and it was a donation not a fee to get in). My biggest fears from day one was not my ability but the fact that I was social phobic and standing in front of a crowd was terrifying

To be fair I think going by my own personal experience people should learn together where possible (be in it person or online) as there were people in my group who never actually managed to read anything but it wasn't about who was the best reader and we helped each other learn and grow as people and readers

As for when your ready - you'll know

[Hope]

lots of great feedback so far

i think yes part of it is being comfortable, and like tarotgirljess said, being tough skinned

because people will be harsh, and there are always people you read who are so SURE they KNOW what you should say! (umm then why get a reading lol)
and when you are not saying what supports their opinion/delusion they are not happy

(best is when they come back later and say sorry, i cant believe i was wrong and you were right and gee that was amazing, cause i just KNEW.... lol)


but i digress....

i dont agree that people always know when they are ready, i have seen a LOT of folks that think they are ready, and they are not imo even close

one of the things i try to remind people is that when you are doing public readings you are very much a public face of all of us that do readings, and people will judge us all on you......much like we are judged as miss cleos etc

doing a reading is much more then memorizing something...


anyone else?

love
hope

[Kaliel]

Well,

Confidence in your abilities is a big one, knowledge that you will please some, but you can't please all is another, and generally you have to get passed that point where you have personal issues in yourself. You have to be able to put those aside in order to just read for another person.

[Hope]

nods personal issues is a great point

i know a lot of readers that are pushing thier problems on to others
directing it...

anyone else??

love
hope

[Kudzu]

i dont agree that people always know when they are ready, i have seen a LOT of folks that think they are ready, and they are not imo even close

one of the things i try to remind people is that when you are doing public readings you are very much a public face of all of us that do readings, and people will judge us all on you......much like we are judged as miss cleos etc

doing a reading is much more then memorizing something...

Yeah, but I don't think that the negative public image of tarot readers is based on newbies bumbling along because they thought they were ready. It's based on shrewd con artists who know exactly what they're doing. I don't think newbies should be discouraged from trying public reading because they might give the rest of us a bad image. I'd much rather have a sincere person who hasn't quite found their rhythm out there representing me than a pro who is just out there to screw folks over.

[Hope]

oh i disagree,a nd am talking about more then just tarot readers

you go to a festival for example
and people are getting "readings" from a person that is just not really capable

and the entire group is judged


love
t

[RunningRiot]

When they don't need charts or books to look up the meanings of the symbols they use! :)