Tarot Philosophy

My philosophy about my Tarot practice can be summed up in one short statement:  “I am a Fortune Helper, not a Fortune Teller.”  However, if you want more details, read on…

The following are some of my thoughts on what a Tarot reading can and cannot do, and what it should or should not be used for. These are just my opinions — I am not trying to say this is how everyone should use Tarot cards. However, this will give you a fair idea of how I read Tarot cards so that you can decide if I would be a good reader for you.

** Readings for the future **

While a reading can indicate a probable outcome, I don’t believe that it can tell the exact future because the future is never etched in stone. We make our own future. What we do now affects our future, and how we respond to events in the future affects our lives at that time.

That’s why I try to rephrase questions that start “What’s going to happen…” I prefer to help people empower themselves and not think they’re slaves to fate. Even if there is a strong rip tide in the flow of time, you can still swim against it if you are forewarned!

So, it is my philosophy that the purpose of a Tarot reading is to provide you with insights about yourself and the world around you in order to empower you to create the future you want. This is why I tell people that I am not a “fortune teller”; I am a “fortune helper.”

** Readings for other people **

I cannot do a reading to see what someone other than you, my client, is doing or feeling — mainly due to the ethics of privacy since they aren’t the ones requesting a reading. Thus, for example, I won’t do a reading for questions like “Is Jane cheating on me?” or “Does John really love me?” I can, however, do a reading for you to see what you need to know about your relationship with that other person.

** Readings to tell you what choices to make **

I don’t believe that the purpose of a reading is to tell you what you should do, but it can give you insights to help you make your decisions for yourself. So for example, if you are faced with a choice between Option 1 and Option 2, I won’t tell you, “You should choose Option 1.” Instead, I’ll try to give you the pros and cons of each option, and maybe some other deciding factors that come up in the
reading.

** Frequent Readings **

I’ve heard that “psychic phone lines” encourage people to call often for a reading. It seems that the owners of those lines are more concerned about their income than they are about your ability to live your life and to learn to make your own decisions. I prefer not to do readings for a person more than once per month (at most), especially on the same subject, because if you are seeking advice from a Tarot reading too often, you are probably avoiding making your own decisions, taking responsibility for your own actions, or heeding the advice from your previous readings. This may mean less revenue for me, but I hope that it will encourage people to take control of their own lives.

Of course, there are exceptions. Let’s say you get a relationship reading, and then a week later you find that you are up for a promotion at work. I would have no problem doing a reading for you at that time to help you discover what you can do to get that promotion.

** Readings for medical, legal, etc. issues **

As for health questions, I tell people that I am not a doctor and that if they have specific questions about their health they should see one. Ditto for legal issues, psychiatric issues, etc., etc.

Addendum:
If you would like to see my philosophy on how my Tarot readings can be more helpful than most, see a post called, “How Tarot can really help.”