Tarot Tips: Reading Remotely During Social Distancing
Published: Fri, 05/01/20
"If you ever surveyed tarot enthusiasts and asked their reasons why/how..."
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Newsletter of The Tarot School
http://TarotSchool.com ISSN: 1529-0565 Vol. 12 #6 / May 1, 2020
In this Issue: - Welcome
- Tarot Tip: Reading Remotely During Social Distancing - Tarot School Aphorism - What's Gnu? - Diviner's Corner: Doomsday/End Times Prophecies - Best Practices: Survival Tactics for Sole Proprietor Tarot Readers During Economic Hardships Welcome to a new issue of Tarot Tips!
And a special welcome to our new subscribers.
There are no words to articulate the enormity of the crisis at hand. Our hearts go out to all of you who have suffered losses or have been struggling with your health. It’s times like these when finding solace in the arms of our loved ones can help, but almost all of us are forced to stay home, separated from those we hold dear. Of course, we had to cancel the 2020 Readers Studio and Divination Day –– our biggest event of the year and the time so many of us looked forward to hugging each other. Please accept our virtual hugs until we can gather again. A week after we made the announcement to cancel, Wald was stricken with Covid-19 and pneumonia. Our nurse housemate, Meredith and I did our best to keep him alive and care for him at home but that became impossible, especially after I seriously hurt my back and hip in the process. He was lucky to get admitted to a local hospital, where he got well enough to be released to a rehab facility. He’s making progress but recovering will be a long process for both of us. The outpouring of support and love from the tarot community has been an amazing blessing! So many thanks go to Gina Thies, who coordinated this issue of Tarot Tips before everything fell apart. We hope that staying connected in this way can offer reassurance and provide a welcome distraction in some manner. This is unlike anything any of us have experienced in a lifetime so we want to support your tarot journey in any way we can. Feel free to share suggestions or tarot techniques you may have discovered during this time. In the world of connectivity and telecommunications, everyone and everything is just a click or voice command away. Quarantine has transformed how many of us conduct tarot readings for clients. In this issue, we share some tips on how to read for those who are not able to sit across from you at your table or desk. Is this the Apocalypse? Are we living in the end times? These thoughts may have occurred to us, and we may have heard these questions from querents. In The Diviner’s Corner column, we dig into the history of prophecies and predictions about the End of the World. The Best Practices for Professional Readers column offers suggestions on surviving when business takes a downward turn during these times of financial hardship. And one more thing...
Wald's awesome granddaughter, Isabella Amberstone, started a GoFundMe campaign to help us overcome the financial devastation we're currently facing. We know we are far from alone in this and so our gratitude for the amazing generosity of the tarot community is boundless! If you feel moved to contribute to The Tarot School in this way, here's the link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/wald-amp-ruth-ann-amberstone-fund Take care, stay whole and healthy and move forward on your tarot journey, Ruth Ann, Wald, and Gina
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READING REMOTELY DURING
SOCIAL DISTANCING If you ever surveyed tarot enthusiasts and asked their reasons why/how they got into tarot, you can be sure that helping others is among their top 2 reasons. Some have “inherited” their interest in tarot from family traditions, and others adopted the practice as part of a spiritual journey. Some do not intend to read for others when they start out, preferring to use tarot as a self-help tool. However, they sometimes discover an urgent desire to help others at some point. Tarot has long ago left the clandestine shops of the past. Thanks largely to the internet, tarot reading has blossomed into a self-sustaining cottage industry for many. With so much online support and outreach, online readings are everywhere. However, there are still querents who are reluctant to get readings online or in any way other than in person. Personal preference, lack of privacy, visual experience and trustworthiness are a few of their reasons. It’s not only querents; some practitioners want to do in-person readings for some of the same reasons. Their process may include querent participation and interaction, which can be more difficult with reading over the phone or internet. If you are willing to make the transition to reading remotely for the time being, find out if your clients are also willing to compromise or if they would rather put the reading off until social distancing subsides. Reading over the phone or video chat comes easily for some, but may be a technical challenge for others. You can find online help for issues related to the telecommunication requirements for your application or platform of choice. In instances where your gifts require psychometry or reading an item you need to physically touch, of course it will be challenging. Palm readers have found ways to read palms remotely. Some readers don’t use phone or computer apps as they miss the shuffling of paper cards and it is ingrained in their process and helps to center the focus. A few readers and/or querents might even have a sensitivity to electricity or electronics. It helps to keep an open mind as you shift your approach. Here are some practical ways to effectively give tarot readings when you are not able to be face-to-face: • Practice. If you have not yet transitioned to reading without a person in front of you, use a willing participant who will help you get a sense of how it would work for you. • Relax. Take deep breaths and remember, it’s a conversation. Anxiety and nervousness in uncharted territory is normal. • Set up a comfortable quiet space to work. Have several deck options for your querent. If they are a visual type, use the title of each card in the spread you’re using. If they want to see the card layout, take a photo to email or text to them after the reading is completed. • Proceed with your normal reading style. Communication is key. It is important to listen as much as it is to talk. Your querent’s response or lack thereof may give you a clue as to how they are receiving what you offer. There is no harm in asking clarifying questions. • Ask for advice. Know a colleague who is experienced in reading by phone, email or video chat? They could be a good resource to help you with strategies for reading remotely. So if you decide to give remote readings a try, both to help yourself and to help others, remember — You Got This! Tarot School Aphorism (Excerpted from Lesson 8 of The Tarot School Birth Card Course.) SAVE THE DATE! On May 12th go to https://tarotschool.com/Birth-Card-Course.html
NOTE: This is a written course, not an in-person or recorded class.
Diviner's Corner DOOMSDAY / END TIMES PROPHECIES From man’s beginnings on this plane, there has been a sense of the world in which we are born into changes and therefore, in beginnings there are endings. The coming of the end of the world has been ingrained in us through sacred teachings from all corners of the world and in all civilizations. Think about this, haven’t you heard most of your life that we are living in the end times? In the Abrahamic religions, predictions are eschatological. Written in detail in scriptures with harrowing descriptions of how the end of the world will happen. Ironically, followers don’t seem to mind the dire destruction of the world because it signals the Second Coming of Christ. Regardless, the concepts are borne out of a notion that the future won’t be the same as the past. In essence, it is supposed to eschew the actual self-imposed destruction of existence on earth. Apocalyptic predictions are an ever-remaining obsession given numerous wars, epidemics and climate change. Historically, these predictions come from individuals with some platform or agenda living in times of great stress or change. Interestingly, these foreseers of doom were not soothsayers or psychics by definition. Often they were astronomers, mathematicians, or educated in other sciences. There must be an explanation for all that is unseen, and when the explanation isn’t within our grasp to understand then it is common to assign it to the supernatural. In all cases, the prediction of the end of the world has been wrong. You might know it because we are still here. Recent attention has been on the prediction made by the late famous psychic Sylvia Brown who wrote in her book, ‘End of Days: Predictions and Prophecies About the End of the World’, “in around 2020 a severe pneumonia-like illness will spread throughout the globe, attacking the lungs and bronchial tubes and resisting all known treatments.” Sylvia may have gotten this one right, so was it a lucky guess or true psychic insight deduced from the happenings and habits of the humans that live among us? End of Times themes and predictions will be with us until the end of time. It keeps people talking and believing. We’d love your suggestion or submissions for this column! If you have an idea or would love to contribute, please contact us at [email protected]. Best Practices for Professional Readers SURVIVAL TACTICS FOR SOLE PROPRIETOR READERS DURING ECONOMIC HARDSHIPS By Gina Thies www.tarotadvisor.com / www.facebook.com/tarotreaders www.tarotcoupling.com / www.oraclesoup.org It’s been hard to watch the coronavirus pandemic take place. It’s even harder to really settle into the economic crisis it has created. Events are cancelling because of social distancing, and clients who have reduced hours or job layoffs have cancelled reading appointments. When cutbacks are needed, it is common to cut back on things not deemed as essential like food, water, housing and apparently toilet paper. Whilst spiritual enrichment and guidance is a non-negotiable for many clients, we are living in a situation that has caught many of us off guard. Over my life, I have seen my friends and family members go through layoffs, job loss and unemployment. These situations have probably also impacted your life directly or indirectly, and may have been a contributing factor to why you wanted to start a business or supplement your income by doing readings. In starting or running a business, the financial strength of the individual or partners should be considered. It has been recommended to have a minimum of 6 months salary set aside before walking away from a job to go out on your own. Statistically, most Americans are not able to save enough to retire on, so that might not be as feasible as it was decades ago. In these times, we live on loans and credit unless we have inherited significant means. Let me tell you, it is frightening when there are no appointments. My online calendar is open but most times my regulars call or text me for an appointment. Talk about spoiled. I think what this will teach us is to never have just one source of income. Things happen, clients are fickle and there will be slower than usual times. The next thing is to add services to your roster. If you only do one-hour sessions, try doing a 15-minute session or email readings that you could price out reasonably. I do not recommend lowering your normal prices. It will be challenging to raise costs later for your regulars. Plus, they may have already referred friends to you, telling them that it only cost them $X.XX, and that will be a fun conversation. Post a policy that fees and costs are subject to change. Build value into what you are charging for rather than your features. It’s great if you have 45 years of reading experience but if the client doesn’t know what they are receiving for the $150/hour reading, they won’t be able to justify the cost. Become a reseller. If you have unopened decks or books that are collecting dust on your bookshelf, consider selling them to other enthusiasts who will appreciate or use them. There are several marketplaces that make it easy to sell your stuff such as LetGo and others. Many creditors are offering options during this crisis. Don’t wait until you think you might need them, go ahead and look into options right away. It is human nature to feel a little embarrassed about needing financial help. If you don’t need the help offered then they will be happy to take full payments as normal, but it is better to have something in place than not. Revisit your budget. You may be in okay shape. Use the time to get creative about what is next for your business. One thing about loss is that it can catapult us into stretching resources and ourselves. Be well! Resources: • 3 critical ways you can strengthen your business during the pandemic • How to maintain a business mindset during the coronavirus • Business booming for psychics and astrologers during coronavirus pandemic Join our 10,950+ fans and join the fun!
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