Choosing an Advisor and Getting the Most from Your Tarot Reading

Practical Advice for Choosing an Advisor

I consider myself a very professional and ethical Reader, and as such, I feel it my duty to educate any who are willing to learn, on the practice of choosing an advisor that will provide you with a value-added experience, and not false hope or even worse, dark despair.

When we are in a crisis and searching for answers, we need to reach out and seek those answers. This is natural. Perhaps our friends and support network are tiring of hearing our lament, or we want to keep our problems private from those close to us, this is when we reach out to readers.

The problem is, there are many so-called "advisors" out there who do not have the skills, education or experience to provide you with professional counsel. If you are not careful you could end up on the phone with a "card flipper" who considers reading the insert that came with their tarot deck as an understanding of the tarot, or worse, someone claiming to be psychic who is pulling answers out of the air for you.

When you are looking for an advisor, I strongly recommend that you steer clear first and foremost of those who claim to use "no tools" and say that they are psychic, clairvoyant, clairaudient, clairsentient, etc. etc. etc., unless someone you trust has recommended them to you or you have some particular intuitive draw to the advisor.

Although some of these claimants may well possess a talent in one or a few of these areas, it is very difficult to validate. If a reader is using tarot, you know that they are using a tool that mankind has utilized for centuries to tap into the human psyche, and you are able to question them as to how they are divining their interpretation, thus achieving validation through the interpretation of the cards. I have nothing against using someone claiming psychic abilities, but be sure that someone has recommended them to you or you have some other reason to feel comfortable with their abilities.

NEVERand I mean NEVER go to someone who claims to be 100% accurate.

NO ONE is 100% accurate, it is impossible. As well as those who claim to be 99.9% accurate and so forth. There is NO MEASURABLE WAY to track an advisor's accuracy, so any claims of a stated percentage of accuracy, in mathematical terms, is FALSE!

PLEASE BE SURE TO THOROUGHLY READ THE ADVISOR LISTINGS. IF THE LISTING SAYS THAT THE ADVISOR DOES NOT PROVIDE GENERAL READINGS, PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THEM AND EXPECT THEM TO GIVE YOU A GENERAL READING. IF THEY DO NOT PROVIDE A SERVICE THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN AND CLEARLY STATE IT, PLEASE LOOK FOR AN ADVISOR WHO DOES! You can also email an advisor before hand and ask how much information they need to read for you. Myself, I need a clear question and the first names of the persons involved. Asking me "What can you tell me about Joe?" is not a clear question. Asking me "What are Joe's intentions, thoughts and feelings toward me?" IS a clear question.

You are looking for projections in human behavior, and humans, even the most banal humans, are quixotic at best, and at any given moment can change. A humble reader is going to be honest and direct with you, and state to you that this is what is "likely" to happen, no reading is written in stone. Each interaction you have, or the person you are reading about has, following a reading, can possibly change the course.

You cannot possibly ask every foreseeable question, therefore, you cannot know for certain what the chain of events that happen after your reading will cause.

The rule of thumb is: If you like the outcome of your reading, stick to the same path, make no changes, if you do not like the outcome of the reading you receive, consult the cards and ask, what, if anything, can be done to change the outcome, and adjust your course of actions accordingly.

Look for readers who are experienced, perhaps they have been reading for many years, perhaps they have written a book (like myself), or have some type of credential or verification to show that they are serious about what they are doing.

Choose a reader with life experience, a work history in the mainstream in a position of managing other people, experience as a parent, step-parent, a reader who has been married, perhaps divorced, someone who has lived life and experienced difficulties, preferably with experience in the situation you, yourself, are dealing with. You wouldn't ask a childless person for parenting advice, so why would you ask a person who has not had a healthy relationship in years for advice? They have no insight.

Just as you would not ask a homemaker for business advice, why would you call someone who has never held a position in business for career advice? Be careful as to who you contact for advice. Relationship advice, seek someone with a history of successful relationships.

Okay, now you've found a reader who seems mature, experienced and educated.

If at any time, any reader, tells you they can "fix" your problem for a fee, (by burning candles, casting spells, etc.), disconnect immediately and never call them again. They are trying to take advantage of you and they are not ethical. Although the practice of spell-casting is recognized by many religions, as are candle burning rituals, these practices should be done by you, yourself, for maximum potency, and if you have an interest in performing these spells or rituals, many ethical readers will teach you how to do them for yourself as part of your reading sessions and not offer to do them "for you". Your energy needs to be a part of any ritual work and is only totally effective if YOU do it YOURSELF.

Now, you found someone who has all of the qualifications we've discussed and is ethical as well. To get the most out of your reading, don't call them up and say "tell me about my love life". You will get what is known as a "cold read". This is not necessarily inaccurate, but it will be very general and not as in depth as you would like. The cards are multifaceted, and not knowing the nature of your situation will make it much more difficult than it has to be for the reader to tap into your situation. You wouldn't go to a counselor and sit down and say "Tell me how to fix my life", would you? It's the same with an advisor.

For instance, you ask a vague question about where your relationship with so-and-so is going and the Two of Cups appears at the base of the reading.

The advisor can interpret this in several ways to say the least.

This could mean you two are married, were married in the past, are very much in love, or that your current love interest is married to someone else, or that he or she was married in the past.... a lot can be deciphered by the surrounding cards, but why make the reader guess, it takes the focus off delivering clarity and puts the pressure on the reader to "prove themselves".

Instead, when you contact a reader, give them a brief summary of your current situation, and then ask your question. It will save you time and money and you will get a much clearer and concise reading from your advisor, thus, more quickly cutting to the chase of what you may need to do in order to achieve your goals.

Please understand that tarot reading, despite how it has been viewed and how some readers present it, is not a cure-all and end-all as to what is going to happen in your future. It is a guide, a tool, to help you to make the choices that are right for you, to help you to see what the potential of your situation is and to hopefully inspire you to grow and to learn. Tarot should help you to let go of situations that no longer work for you, give you projections of what is likely in store for you, teach you how to be prepared for what is coming down the road toward you and give you insight into other peoples' thinking and their feelings.

So, I hope this helps you the next time you are cruising for a reading to make an intelligent and wise choice in who you choose to let into your psyche.

Peace!

Brigid Bishop