Being a Professional tarot reader

[Bartmanhomer]

Hey everybody! I just started thinking like probably a couple of days ago because one employee from Borders ask me about becoming a profession tarot card reader for money. And I think it would be a good idea but I prefer doing a free reader first. I even ask the tarot cards about the decision. But I just want to hear it for you! if it's a good idea for me to start a profession for free or money.

[SilverClaw]

First off I think before you become a professional reader you need to make sure you have enough experience and study under your belt before taking on such a venture.

2) It really depends on what you mean becoming a professional tarot reader.
Do you mean open up a store to do readings? If so then there is alot of research, paperwork, legalities and money involved in preparing such a venture.
Or are you going to do readings at psychic faires or things like that? Or at a local metaphysics store ?

3) Another aspect is your ethics. Some people do not think the gift of tarot should be used to make money off of, while others do not agree and do so.

Also another thing is your personality, strengths and weaknesses, your health? is this something you can do steadily as a business ?

So really it is alot to think about and is not something to rush.



On a side note this is something I have considered to have 13 years of Tarot study and I still do not think I am ready for such a thing ... you really need to follow your intuition and be realistic with what you think is best in this situation for you.

[brymble]

I've been a professional reader for 11 years, and am still not making a full-time living with it, even combined with NLP. Of course, I moved across state, so I have to build a client base again, and my home burned, which is preventing me from opening my practice right away.

I'm just going to restate what I said in Silent's "Fortuneteller" post, because I have the flu and don't feel like typing today:

http://mysticwicks.com/showpost.php?p=3524246&postcount=4

[SilverClaw]

I've been a professional reader for 11 years, and am still not making a full-time living with it, even combined with NLP. Of course, I moved across state, so I have to build a client base again, and my home burned, which is preventing me from opening my practice right away.

I'm just going to restate what I said in Silent's "Fortuneteller" post, because I have the flu and don't feel like typing today:

http://mysticwicks.com/showpost.php?p=3524246&postcount=4

Brymble that was an awesome post and thanks for linking to it :)

[aranarose]

It's not easy. I've been reading professionally off and on for years. And if you make it your full-time and only income, you're pretty much screwed if you get sick. You don't get disability or sick pay when you're self-employed.

It takes a lot of work. Building a clien-base. Advertising for yourself. It can be hard to find appropriate venues for advertising. In my area, the community of readers, as small as it is, is very, very cliquey, and if you don't fit in (like I don't) good luck on that. We have one pagan store in the area. It's in the mall, which would be GREAT for a reader, except I don't particularly get along well with the owners. I do fine when I'm in the store, as long as the owner isn't there. So that's out the door for a reading venue.

You have to decide where you would read, who you would be willing to read for, how much to charge, etc. As far as charging, it can be difficult to feel comfortable charging the going rate, but then if you drastically undercut the going rate, you end up hurting yourself as well as the other readers in the area. Some clients may think you're a newbie, a beginner, and won't want to get readings by you if you don't charge enough. Others will take advantage of your low rates, and try to monopolize all of your time.

There is a practical advantage to high rates for readings. It helps to discourage dependency, which is a HUGE issue in the reading community. If you're charging $60 or more an hour for readings, people are really going to think twice about whether they really need that reading or not, and you tend to get a better client-base because of it. And if you're worth it, you'll get it. People WILL come to you, no matter what you charge, if you're worth it. I can be sitting in Borders playing with my cards, and have people swarming me for a reading. I've gone to Borders for the simple purpose of buying a new deck, and as soon as someone sees me with the cards...

Doing readings for pay is a relationship building business. Most business, when I'm doing readings, comes from word-of-mouth. Clients like me, and tell their friends about me. I have business cards, and had a website, which I'm taking down because I haven't been reading for a bit, and am not sure when I'll be ready to go at it full-swing again, but most of my business was from the friend of a friend of a friend sort of thing. I also did parties, and picked up a few clients that way. Parties are great because I do 10-minute reading for 10 people at $15 each, and make an easy $150 for about 2 hours of work. It's great. Generally, out of those 10 people, 2 will come back for more readings, and 1 will book another party. When I get back full-swing, that's what I'll concentrate on.

About the dependency thing, it's a HUGE issue, and until you've had a client calling at all hours of the night, begging for a reading because they just don't know what to do.... and the question is so utterly simple that you could answer it without the cards, in your sleep, you won't understand exactly what I mean by dependency. Some people will look to you to run their life for them. They don't want the responsibility, and if they find someone willing to take over for them, they'll happily fork over the dough. I have client policies in place to prevent this. For example, I tell every client that I won't do more than one reading per month on a topic, and that topics are not questions. Topics are Love, Money, Career, General Health, and other General questions. That means a client can get 5 readings a month MAX. Yeah, this limits my income somewhat, there are people that would happily fork over $1000 or more a month just to have me run their life for them, but there are times I can barely run my own life. I don't want that responsibility for someone else.

I never knew how bad dependency could become until I worked a few months on Keen. I had a client who would call every single time I was available. I was charging $4.99 a minute at that point, and she'd talk for two hours. That's $600 a call. There was one week she called 4 times. $2400. After the Keen cut, that was still a good chunk of change for me. And after that week, I quit Keen. The money was great. Hell, if I'd stayed there, I'd be sittin' pretty right now, but my sanity couldn't handle it. My life is ****ed up enough as it is. I don't need other people's lives seeping into mine, and I had enough contact with her that her energies were seeping into my off hours too. Not cool. Not worth all the money in the world.

I'd been reading for over 5 years before I even felt remotely comfortable going professional, and I STILL get nervous before every reading.

[brymble]

'You must spread some karma around the community before touching anarose's again."

Excellent post!

[Bartmanhomer]

Wow must be a very bad idea to run a business for tarot reading.

[aranarose]

Wow must be a very bad idea to run a business for tarot reading.

Not a bad idea, necessarily, but not easy either.

[Bartmanhomer]

Maybe it's best me to practice a littlle longer or better yet don't go for it and do a free reading instead. Thanks for the huge info.

[SilverClaw]

Wow must be a very bad idea to run a business for tarot reading. No it is not bad you just need to know what your getting yourself into like any other business you start.



Maybe it's best me to practice a littlle longer or better yet don't go for it and do a free reading instead. Thanks for the huge info. Ah ya practice definitely :thumbsup:

[Bartmanhomer]

You're right about that! I just need to buy more tarot books and practice more. But like I said I'll stick with free tarot reading for now!

[teishabee]

I say save your money, use the internet and mediate on the cards.

[SilverClaw]

You're right about that! I just need to buy more tarot books and practice more. But like I said I'll stick with free tarot reading for now!Well I do not think you need to buy more books necessarily just practice use the information in the tarot forum here and other resources or tarot forums.

[Bartmanhomer]

Well I do not think you need to buy more books necessarily just practice use the information in the tarot forum here and other resources or tarot forums.

Sure. No problem! :smile: