Liz Worth ~ Tarot

What do you when you’re reading tarot for someone, and they want you to just tell them what to do?

This can be a challenging situation for a tarot reader to be put in.

You might feel put on the spot, or pressured to provide an answer that’s not actually in the cards.

It can also be that your style of tarot reading does not fit such a prescriptive approach.

Many tarot readers aim to empower through tarot by encouraging querents to make their own decisions and take control over their lives – which is the opposite of telling them what they should or shouldn’t do.

Reading styles aside, there are fine lines to walk as a tarot reader when it comes to supporting your querents. Tarot readings don’t replace a querent’s personal responsibility over their own lives.

But if you’re perceived as someone who has all the answers, it’s easy for some querents to try to put that onus on you.

I’ve had tarot clients flat out admit that they want me to...

A lot can happen within the span of a tarot reading.

Like any conversation, a reading might cover all kinds of territory within a short period of time. You might start out with one question, and then quickly move to another once the answer is clear.

Or you might meander along the same discussion from start to finish, digging deep into a single issue.

Sometimes readings offer so much information that it’s hard to keep up. Other times, the message might be succinct but circular, as though all signs lead back to the same answer.

When you’re on the receiving end of a tarot reading, the experience can be exciting and fascinating, but also overwhelming.

When you’re the one delivering the reading, you might feel a lot of pressure to capture every detail there is, and to be as clear, helpful, and relevant as possible.

And all of those are good, important aims when we’re reading for others.

It’s also important not to lose sight of what your querents –...

The New Year can be one of the busiest times for tarot readings.

Everyone wants to know what’s coming up in the months ahead:

“Will this be the year I find love?”

“Will my business be more profitable?”

“Will I move or change jobs?”

Overall, these are pretty common questions that people bring to tarot readers all year round – regardless of the calendar date.

Which is why I started to encourage a more intentional approach to New Year’s readings. When querents ask things like, “Will I move?” Or, “Will I leave my job?” I’m curious to know:

“What do you want to do?”

Even though the energy of a new year feels so fresh and exciting, I’ve learned that life is a lot more exciting if you’re going out there and making things happen, rather than waiting to see what pops up.

A new calendar year is a great time to feel like you’ve got a blank canvas to work with.

You can...

I can’t believe how fast the year has gone.

Where did the month go?

Where did 2021 go?

Time is always in motion.

And even though 2022 feels like it’s sneaking up on me quite quickly this year, I’ve actually been thinking ahead to the New Year for some time now.

I think a lot of us need a reset right about now. Personally, I always look forward to the New Year as a time for fresh intentions. Even though it’s just a change in date, it still feels like the beginning of a new chapter. Or a blank page in a fresh notebook.

These are some of the reasons why December and January are such popular times of year for tarot readings. We get curious about what’s around the corner, and how we can make the most of the year to come.

Here are some of my favourite tarot questions for this time of year. Let me know if you think you might give any of these (or all of them) a try:

• What aspect of myself will I get to celebrate this year?
• In what ways can I grow this...

“I’ve seen some tarot readers online talking about things they do to prepare for a reading. Should I be doing certain rituals before I read my cards?”

I love receiving questions like this.

Maybe you’ve wondered about this in your own tarot practice.

Or maybe you already have some kind of ritual or routine you engage in before you begin a tarot reading.

Tarot rituals can look like all kinds of things: From shuffling techniques to meditation, to saying a prayer, to setting up crystals.

One of the reasons I appreciate these types of questions is that they push us to get clear about our why in tarot.

Why do you think you need a ritual to begin a reading?

Why do you want one? (Or, why don’t you?)

What do you do believe the ritual accomplishes?

If you’ve read my book The Power of Tarot, you’ll know that I don’t subscribe to a lot of rituals or accessories when it comes to my tarot practice.

I have a couple of reasons for being a no-frills...

I used to follow a blogger who went onto become quite famous in the self-help industry.

I fell in love with stories she shared about breaking away from “what no longer served” her.

Reading that blog led me to look for similar people and stories.

Any time I read about someone who was quitting their job, closing their business, or moving to another country, I felt excited.

And inspired.

I hungered for people who were making big changes and taking huge leaps of faith.

I got a rush when I heard that someone was no longer taking clients. Or when they were going on sabbatical.

There is something exciting about the idea of breaking free and starting fresh.

I notice that I crave these kinds of stories when I’m craving change.

What we look for in the world to influence us is often a reflection of what we need to experience for ourselves.

We live in an intensely goal-oriented society. We learn a lot about aim and achievement. But we lack lessons in boredom, fatigue, and...

At my last day job, I worked with a woman who would sometimes pause our conversations and say, "I know it’s off-topic, but can I talk about your tattoos for a second?"

"Sure," I would say. I’ve been getting tattooed for over 20 years. People often have questions.

One day, my colleague finally told me why she was so curious about them. "I really want to get the name of my son tattooed right here," she said, pointing to a spot on her wrist. "But I’m afraid it will hold me back if I ever want to move up in my career."

"It sounds like you’re making decisions for people you haven’t even met yet," I said. "And maybe you never will. Who knows where you’ll be working, or who you’ll be working with? They might not mind."

Though I could relate to her worries. After all, this story isn’t really about tattoos.

It’s about the ways fear of judgement and lack of acceptance erodes joy, confidence, and self-expression.

It’s about the ways we...

What is the point of reading tarot?

Whenever I explain to someone that I believe the future is yet to be created, a question predictably follows:

"Then what’s the point of reading tarot?"

I get where the question is coming from: So many people assume tarot is all about future-telling.

So explain that I read tarot because the cards are a tapestry of possibility. A reading gives you the chance to draw a map of your potential.

I read tarot because it lays out the ideas, thoughts, and feelings that are bouncing around within your head and heart and allows you to get a clearer perspective on what it all means.

I read tarot because it’s an opportunity to sit down with yourself and ask, "What do I really want to make happen right now?"

I read tarot because it gives you the freedom to be yourself by validating your feelings, instincts, and ideas.

There’s a reason why I don’t believe that the future is neatly mapped out for you: If it was, why would you need to make any...

Sometimes reading tarot can feel frustrating.

You might get cards that don’t seem to fit the question, or see something you didn’t expect to come up.

And readings can also feel like they’re just not hitting the right points to feel productive.

When I got my first tarot reading in the late `90s, I was amazed at how helpful it was.

And I held onto a lot of the information I received that day. It became important to me, and
gave me hope for the future.

Which is what I set out to do when I started reading tarot for others.

I do this work to help other people, first and foremost.

And I’m sure you do, too.

Over the years, I’ve seen what tarot can do for people: I’ve had clients who’ve made huge life changes, grown more confident, and gotten clearer about who they are and where they’re going.

But not every tarot reading goes that way.

Sometimes you might not always feel a reading went as deep, or was as productive as you’d hoped.

There are some...

Recently, I’ve been trying to think about how my tarot practice evolved into what it is today in terms of the habits and beliefs I’ve built around my processes.

There are so many things that we learn about practices like tarot on our own, through trial and error, experience and reflection.

It’s not possible to learn everything from a teacher, mentor, class, or book. Our knowledge builds from so many different sources, influences, and experiences.

Here are a few things no one ever taught me about tarot, but that I learned to do along the way all the same:

1. It’s okay to take a moment to study the cards you’ve pulled before delivering any messages.

When I’m reading tarot for someone, I don’t launch into the reading the moment the cards are pulled. I always take my time to see what’s shown up, look for patterns or other interesting details, and consider the elements that are present.

Sometimes this long pause makes querents nervous,...