Liz Worth ~ Tarot

I received a great question on Instagram a little while back: “What’s your feeling on clients recording their tarot readings?”

The first tarot reading I had was in the late `90s at a psychic fair. The reader recorded it on cassette tape (hellooooo nostalgia) and I went back and listened to it several times in later years.

Because that was my first experience with a professional reader, I always just assumed everyone recorded their readings, too.

But I soon learned recordings are not universal among readers.

In fact, a tarot reader who I have had numerous readings from never recordings their readings – and they’ve been in the business for decades.

I’ve also learned there are pros and cons to recording your readings. And logistically, it’s not always a feasible offering.

So here are some thoughts and learnings on the subject:

“Do readers have to offer recordings?”

NOPE! It’s always up to the reader to make this...

Red flags are a hot topic these days.

And there a lot of good reasons for that. I bet we all have at least a handful of regretful or painful experiences that, in hindsight, could have been avoided if only we’d paid attention to the signs.

In service-based work like tarot reading, coaching, or other one-on-one offerings, there’s a lot of advice out there on how to attract your “ideal client.”

Because no one wants to sit down to read tarot for someone who turns out to be a less-than-stellar client, right?

Afterall, you don’t go into business for yourself just to feel like you’re being bossed around by a bunch of pain-in-the-butt customers.

Before I go further, I will say there’s a big difference between choosing “ideal clients” versus feeling like someone is a potential threat to your safety. Obviously, if you feel unsafe, that’s a red flag to watch for.

Outside of that, there are a lot of other recommendations out there...

Do you follow any tarot readers who do group readings, or forecasts for the collective?

Or maybe you do readings like this yourself.

From tarotscopes to daily draws, to card of the day readings that are broadcast across all kinds of social media channels, collective readings seem more popular than ever.

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I seem to be seeing these types of posts more than ever online right now. Maybe lockdown inspired more readers to get online.

But what I’m also seeing, and hearing, is that the lines seem to be getting blurred when it comes to how people are interpreting these collective readings.

The way I see it, a collective tarot reading is similar to following your horoscope. You check it to see what’s up, and take a little bit of inspiration from it if it makes sense to do so. And if it doesn’t, you move on with your day and look forward to seeing what tomorrow’s message may be.

I used to write horoscope columns and offer...

Earlier this year, I was doing some research within the tarot community.

I surveyed tarot readers at all skill levels to find out why they love tarot, and what they most often use it for.

You know what surprised me the most?

Seeing the huge disconnect between what tarot readers use tarot for, versus what tarot clients want and expect in a reading.

What do I mean by that?

I’ve read tarot for over 3,000 people and counting. And you know what the majority of those people have had in common?

They wanted help making decisions.

But when I asked tarot readers what they use tarot for, less than 5% of respondents said they use tarot for decision-making.

So here’s a tip: Tarot clients don’t necessarily think like tarot readers.

I know that not everyone wants to read tarot for other people, and that’s totally fine.

But if you do want to read tarot for others, I strongly recommend developing tarot skills that will help you serve your querents and clients best.

All of...

There’s a pervasive belief in the tarot community that you attract the friends, lovers, opportunities and clients you deserve. 

The idea behind this is that there is a lesson for you: That everyone sent your way is a teacher. Which is fine if things are going great.

On the surface, it’s a way to make sense of your experiences and use them as learning opportunities for your own spiritual growth.

Beneath the surface, however, is an idea that can easily turn into martyrdom, people-pleasing, leaky boundaries, and toxic relationships.

It can feel like it’s your fault that you’re a magnet for problems. The Law of Attraction is working against you and you’d better start thinking more positive thoughts.

I first started noticing this belief when fellow tarot readers would share struggles they were having with clients. There is a massive issue with entitlement in this industry – people shamelessly shop around for free readings, demand discounts, and...

When I launched my tarot business in 2015, I was excited.

And really, really determined. So determined, in fact, that I deleted my resume to send a message to the universe (and myself) just how serious I was about making this business work.

But I was also really, really scared.

And I learned how helpful fear can be as an emotion: It kept me out of complacency and pushed me to work hard enough to avoid failing.

This was important, because it wasn’t my first venture into self-employment. In another time in my life, I’d worked as a freelance writer, and that experience immersed me in a starving artist mentality where I was surrounded by peers who believed that if they could make just enough to cover their bills, that was good enough for them.

Which often meant that many of us were breaking even in our businesses, settling for low expectations and precarious financial situations.

I realized that as a tarot reader, I’d have to grow out of those limiting beliefs...

One thing that tarot readers have in common is how much time we’ve spent developing our skills.

It’s not unusual for spiritual practitioners of all types to spend years training. Many of us consider ourselves life-long students of our craft, always learning and going deeper into esoteric studies.

It’s also not uncommon for us to invest heavily in programs, courses and trainings over the years. If we can’t always afford to take a class, we make up for that in books, blogs, podcasts, and more.

Of course, we know it’s not really about the monetary investment behind a skill set that adds value to their work.

That comes from practice, experience, and ability. Which often is gained from the sheer amount of time, energy, and practice that goes into learning and then integrating acquired knowledge.

There are a lot of amazing tarot readers out there who are walking around with priceless spiritual knowledge within them.

But when it comes to getting their work...

When I started my tarot business, I was determined never to go back to the 9-5 I’d left behind.

After working for eight years in the charitable sector, and hustling my days away as a freelance journalist in the years before that, I was tired.

It wasn’t just the nature of the work I was doing that had worn me out.

It was everything else on top of it, too. Errands and chores felt like they were chasing me. As soon as I finished one thing, something else needed to be done.

I was also pursuing a career in creative writing at the time and working on my writing as often as I could.

And I was doing tarot on the side, reading at parties and for friends, and starting a newsletter to build my network.

Instead of feeling like I had evenings and weekends to relax, my downtime became just as busy as my workdays.

I was always trying to catch up to myself. While my friends and family were getting together on weekends, I was sitting at my computer, writing.

Which doesn’t sound so...

Sometimes the projects I take on keep me in knots.

Again and again, I questioned myself:

Is this wrong, or right?

Am I making a huge mistake?

Am I deluding myself?

Is this a complete waste of time, or does someone actually need to hear what I have to say?

This is the emotional rollercoaster that comes with talking about money.

And in spiritual work, money gets weird.

Why?

The roots can run deep and stem from a range of beliefs and feelings. Some spiritual practitioners, including tarot readers, feel guilty for charging for their work. They aim to help as many people as possible, burning themselves out in the pursuit of their labour of love rather than creating a fair exchange of energy.

It doesn’t help that in this industry, there are plenty of potential clients who are happy to take advantage of guilt-ridden, people-pleasing practitioners. Have you ever heard someone say that it’s wrong to charge for tarot readings because diviners have been “given a gift from...

A common trait that many tarot readers share is that we want to help other people.

Whether you still consider yourself a student of tarot, or you read professionally, I’d bet there’s a good chance you’ve been called to read cards out of the desire to be of service in some capacity.

But good intentions can backfire. Sometimes, the desire to help can actually leave your querent feeling insulted, put down, and unheard.

Why? Whether you’re reading tarot for practice or professionally, you’ll have to navigate the numerous perspectives and beliefs about tarot that are out there.

Some people see tarot as a predictive, psychic tool.

Others see it as a psychological one.

Some use it for self-exploration, healing, and reflection.

And some people seek out tarot readings for fun, entertainment, and curiosity.

In short, there are a lot of reasons why people seek out readings. And the more you read for the public, the more you’ll realize that your average tarot...