- QnA

If you have any questions about issues regarding clients and readings that you would like me to discuss on this page, feel free to contact me and I will talk about it here. You can send me an e-mail at madhavi.ghare@gmail.com or post a comment. I will post the replies on this page itself. Needless to say, your identity will remain confidential, unless you are open to disclosing it here.

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QUESTION:

I had a crazy reading recently. The girl who came for a reading is also a Tarot reader and she wanted to know if she is going to be a widow or not! I did not see any widowhood in her reading, but she says she always get queen of swords when she do a reading for herself and that means widowhood. All I know is if it is reversed, yes..chances are there…..what you think…pls let me know.

ANSWER:

Traditionally the Queen of Swords card is called the “widow” but it does not necessarily signify widowhood.

The card shows a woman who sits on a throne above the clouds (so she is above the cloudy air thoughts). She has a sword in her hand and her other hand is beckoning. In that beckoning hand u see a rope/thread tied – those are the ropes that she has broken from the 8 of swords card. This card shows a woman who has the sword of truth in her hand and has broken from her past self-imposed limitations (hence the traditional association with widowhood). She has come to this place the hard way. She has focused thoughts and is welcoming to people, but does not suffer fools gladly. 

A reversed queen of swords depicts someone who has lost touch with her inner self, someone who has very confused or cloudy thoughts and someone who has become welcoming to the wrong sort of situations. She is upset because she has to bear with lies – whether by circumstances or by her own choice. 

For the lady who came to you for a reading, you can tell her that she is not necessarily gonna be a widow simply because she draws that card. She could be an air sign – or this could be her personality. 

The queen of swords in the final position in celtic cross is basically the outcome card for the reading. It therefore shows that either the client is going to get help from some person whose personality is like the queen of swords, or the client is going to become like her. The queen has triumphed over all odds to come to this position, so it signifies success. 

Of course, the meaning will change if the queen is reversed. That signifies loss and defeat or confusion. 

Also, if you go by what A.E. Waite says in his ‘Pictoral Key to the Tarot’: If you get a court card in the outcome of a celtic cross, then you make that the significator for another celtic cross to see more information on the outcome. 

If the queen of swords appears in the final position of the 3 card spread, the outcome is the same as mentioned before.

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QUESTION:

Is it necessary to do a reading everyday?

ANSWER:

It is not necessary to open your Tarot everyday. Unless you want to do a daily single card opening or a three card reading to see how the day is going to be like and so on. You don’t have to open the cards.

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QUESTION:

I am a student of the Tarot and an amateur reader. I energize my pack about once in two months, sometimes longer. However, there are times when I realize that the energy of the pack is ebbing. For me, the signal is the constant recurrence of 1-2 cards in every reading that I do (the 7 of Swords is one such nuisance). That’s when I energize and reshuffle the pack. My question is two-fold:

a) Are there any other ways to recognize that my Tarot pack needs to be re-energized?

b) Could the recurrence of a card, despite re-shuffling and re-energizing, be hinting at something else?

ANSWER:

Each reader has a different experience of how his / her deck speaks to him / her. To you, the deck speaks out about re-charging by a couple of cards showing up again and again in a reading. To me, the cards tell me that they are tired simply when I hold them in my hand. Sometimes, I just get the feeling that the deck needs to be recharged while I am doing something else. The thought just comes un-bidden in my head and I have to sort it out before I do anything else. Something else might be happening with other readers.  

The cards are telling you something when a card keeps recurring in readings. In your case, it is the 7 of Swords. Let us examine the card for a bit.

In the picture, we see a grinning young man in a soldiers’ camp. The soldiers are far away from their tents and he makes off with 5 swords, leaving 2 near the tent. He carries 2 swords on one shoulder, and three on the other.  To me this looks like he carries the 2 swords of choice on one shoulder and the 3 swords of heartbreak on the other, leaving 2 swords of choice near the tent. In short he takes your choice away, and he will cause heartache, but he leaves you a choice too! Even as he grins about his daring act, he keeps looking back and is not looking towards where he is headed. This shows, that what he is doing is probably just for ‘kicks’ and he has lost sight of the consequences that he might have to face in the future. He is simply reveling in the moment.  

Traditionally, this card is called the “cheater” card. According to Rachel Pollack’s ‘Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom’, this card also stands for wit, cunning, diplomacy, tact, a daring and impulsive act, hiding of true intentions and so on. In her book ‘The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals’, Mary K Greer says that this card can also stand for research, strategy, preparation, and breaking down of trust.  

This does not mean that you or your client is a cheater or something in that vein. Rather, the card is trying to tell you that several readings have, unknowingly, taken the energy of the cards. Now you must remedy it. In the 7 of Swords card, the character is aware of what he is doing. Here the cards are telling you that you are also aware that clients tend to cloud the cards with their energies which cause the cards to get tired down.  

So when the card comes up in a reading, and you know that this has nothing to do with the client you are reading for, the card is trying to tell you that the deck is tired and it is time to re-charge it. It is giving you the 2 swords of choice to remedy the choice that has been taken away and the ache that has been caused by it. 

Look at the cards that recur in a reading to tell you that the deck needs to be recharged. See what it means. Look at the pictures and symbols closely to understand what the cards are trying to tell you. Perhaps, somewhere, they are also trying to tell you how to go about recharging them. 

You get a swords card, which deals with intellect and thoughts. Perhaps, a form of meditation will be the best method for you to recharge your cards. 

If you find it tough to deal with the recurrence of certain cards in readings where they have no relevance, (and this can be quite irritating, especially when you are doing a professional reading), you might want to try recharging your cards at regular intervals, irrespective of their tiredness. For example, you can recharge your cards once every 5 or 10 readings, or once every month – just to ensure that your cards are always charged.  

In fact, another way of resolving this, is asking the cards themselves. Ask your cards how they would like to be treated, and if there is some way in which you can make the process of reading better for them and for you. Draw out three cards – one for each part of the question, and see what the cards stand for, mean and so on. See what comes up. Perhaps that will further clarify and enhance your relationship with your deck of cards. 

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QUESTION:

“How often should I have a reading?”

ANSWER: 

A common question that is asked when a client has an interesting experience during a reading. To be honest, it depends on the reader and the reading style of the reader.

I recommend once every two months. This ensures that you remain in the flow. Also, if any issues or guidance is required, then that too can remain in the flow.

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QUESTION:

How does one handle “problem clients” ?

ANSWER: 

While a Tarot reading is often meant to provide guidance for the future, there are times when the client is not ready to listen to reality. If that is the case, it can be quite an experience for the reader to take in.

Perhaps that is why most readers show an aloof and detached outlook towards the client and his problems. After getting a few clients where they have tried to be helpful and it went awry, they often develop this self-defense mechanism.

However, it might not be wrong to be open-minded about ‘problem clients’.

I have been questioned several times by so many of my colleagues as to why my readings often go on for a long time. When people open up, I listen. Sometimes it just helps for them to let go.

Of course, with experience and practice, you learn to tell the clients that they can talk after the reading is over. I am prepared to listen. Most people understand and we often end up sharing so many beautiful thoughts and insights on life, living and everything in between. I learn so much from each of my clients!

The ‘problem client’, according to me, is someone who refuses to listen to or deal with the reality of what is being told to them.

There can be many reasons why someone comes for a reading. Most times, people want answers to problems, most times they are curious to see what a reading is like, and most times they are helpless and lost and need guidance and direction. A Tarot reading can give guidance for people with all kinds of issues.

But the problem client is one who has no motivation to listen to the truth provided by the reader.

This client knows what the solution to the problem is before she comes for the reading. She knows it way, deep inside of her. But she is refusing to accept it. She wants ratification from the reader that what is wants is absolutely correct. So you can go on telling her that she is wrong or right, but she will not listen to what you are telling her. Rather, she has come to you to listen to what she wants to hear. And when you don’t tell her that, she just keeps on and on and does not stop.

How far can you go along playing nice, and being polite?

Which is why, you need to make it absolutely clear, right from the start that a Tarot reading is not going to give you stuff that you want to hear, but stuff that you have to hear. Let the client digest that for a while. Let her understand what you are saying and let her see that you mean it.

If she persistently keeps at it, and refuses to acknowledge the reality, then give it to her straight.

What else can you do?

There is another issue with many a ‘problem client’ – and that is of the timelines.

When you tell them that so-and-so thing will happen at so-and-so time, they cannot wait that long. They want what they want, and they want it now. Tough as it is, you have to tell them, that you don’t have to power to make things happen.

They often want to keep checking back to see how things are going on – especially if another person is involved. They want to see how things are going with this person, and what is going on in his mind, his life and so on.

I genuinely question the ethics of this. Yes, as a Tarot card reader, you can ask the cards to tell you what the other person is thinking and what is going on in his / her life, but then isn’t it akin to invasion of privacy? If a reading has shown us what is going to happen in a specified timeline, then why push it? Let it happen. Why do you want to look inside another person’s life in detail to get inside information? Is it correct? Would you feel comfortable if he / she were doing the same to you? Consider it. I do.

As a reader, one has to make sure that we follow our personal ethics to the dot. There is a good reason why we have these ethics, and it is damn sure right to follow these ethics while doing readings. And it is absolutely OK to tell a client that you will not do such a thing since it is against your ethics.

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Here is a link to an interesting article on Psychic Dependency that I found on the net. It is quite an interesting read. A few quotes from that article are given below:

In regards to how often you get a reading. Go by the questions you are asking. If you are given a reading with particular time frames and a general outcome, It’s best that you allow this time to pass and the events to play out! In other words if your psychic gets that an outcome will not manifest for approximately 3 months, wait 3 months! Feel free to consult another reader of course for confirmation if you feel it is necessary. It is suggested that you do wait at least a day or so before getting another reading, for this confirmation. If the other reader gives you approximately the same time frames for the same questions, chances are it is going to take that long! Calling for a reading once a week on the same issue does not speed it up! If you have new situations crop up that require a new reading, by all means feel free to question it. These new situations do not pertain to just feelings. We are speaking of actual physical changes or manifestations in you situation or dilemma.

 

Our psychics have had many people say well psychic so-and-so told me it was going to happen, why are you saying the opposite? These same people that get conflicting answers from other readers also tend to ‘psychic surf’. They don’t like or want to hear what is said and off they go to the next one. They will go from one to another and to another looking for answers, wanting to hear over and over a certain outcome, in fact sometimes demanding it! The bottom line is there is no guarantees! You heard it right here. I don’t care what psychic you consult, how good they are, how long they have been doing it. There is no psychic reader that can claim 100% accuracy!

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