For me the central point here is that the reader cannot *know* anything about the sitter. Sure they can *intuit* a great deal. But what does this mean? It means that you are picking up information on a level below (or slightly below) conscious awareness and processing this information subconsciously (this can be anything from the way she looks, moves, speaks - her facial expression, micro-movements of the facial muscles, odd twitches, words used and so forth). So intuition can be a little hit or miss (depending upon how this information is filtered through the prism of *your* subconscious), although the more you rely upon it the more reliable it is.

As for the cards - they are symbols, nothing more, nothing less. The cards have no 'power' other than the power invested in them. Of course in *performance* you may suggest otherwise, but to *think* otherwise is foolish and will lead you up ****-creek pretty quickly.

So if you know nothing about the sitter, and the cards know nothing - where does the reading come from?

The obvious answer to this is that it comes from the sitter herself. In my opinion, 100% of the reading *should* come from the only source of authority present in a reading. The more the sitter makes her own reading, the more ecological that reading is. Only she can know. So you may be thinking; 'Well, why not just ask her?". She knows the answer to her own questions, however she may not have conscious access to these *potential* solutions. Given the right context the information she needs to solve her own problems will arise spontaneously from her own subconscious. So what *are* these 'right circumstances'? The first and most important circumstance is the most important factor of any reading - she is talking to someone who is *genuinely* listening. If the reader is good (and by good I mean a good, empathetic *listener*) she will form a bond of trust that will allow her to 'go in' and access deeper information. She is also in a context where *she* may believe she is gaining this information from some 'higher source'. I think it is fine to allow her to believe this. Firstly because *she is*. Secondly, because she will feel that this is what is happening and will trust this process more than if she believes this information is coming from her. So, in my opinion, a good reader acts as a conduit between the sitter's subconscious and conscious realisation. Incidentally, I do not use the word 'unconscious', as we can never be aware of that which is. This information arises into the twilight world of that which is intuited, that which lies just below conscious awareness.

I say that this is the 'ecological' way to perform a reading. This is because, not only does the solution, or potential solution lie within the sitter, but she will also be her own best judge of the validity or usefulness of this information. If it 'feels right' it will be an insight that she can productively act upon. If it 'feels wrong' it may not fully arise to consciousness in the first place, and if it does, it is unlikely that she will act upon it.

Given these two factors (A trusted listener and a 'mystical' context) and the sitter will arrive at her own conclusions, and the reading will be more enjoyable, more insightful and of greater practical use, it will certainly be less damaging.

I regard the reader who imposes meaning on a system with the same repulsion as I do any other profession, be it a psychologist, parent or any other person who thinks they know something more than the subject knows about herself. We all know of the problem of 'contagion' (if we do not, we should not be talking to people, let alone 'reading' them).

This means there are many dangerous people out there doing tremendous damage. Put the performers needy ego into the mix and this danger is intensified exponentially. It is of no importance that the sitter thinks you have 'special powers' - that should be your last reason for doing a reading. If you want this, a standard magic trick will serve you better and will cause less harm.


So next time you see a reader saying 'This card means *this*' - please give them a slap.

Beautifully said, sir.
Marc

The Three of Spades? Oh no! That means you will become allergic to dairy products. And it is next to the Two of Diamonds, which means your love of money will cause all your friends and loved ones to abandon you - additionally, you will probably paint someone gold from head to toe and cause them to die by skin asphyxiation. All of this will happen in the next two weeks.

...

Can you avoid it? I'm sorry, you can't. The cards have spoken. That will be £20. Have a nice afternoon.

...

Skin asphyxiation? Yes, it's a thing. I saw it in a film once.

Of course the reader will remove the curse - for a fee no doubt!

Ours is an unusual craft, my friends. We wield a great power over the unsuspecting and as a wise one once said, "With great power comes great responsibility". The cards and talking board tell those that experience them what they wish to hear. As another of our esteemed practitioners once said "People are hard wired to make connections where there are none". As we are in the know of how these things work, we have a responsibility to our sitters to protect them from making the wrong connections. A responsible person would tell their sitters something positive and give them something they can use to better themselves. An irresponsible person will tell people things like "Don't worry about where the money is hidden" just to watch the victims tear a house apart looking for something that isn't there. We sow seeds in the minds of our audience, and we must be mindful of the crop that will spring forth.

For instance, when I was 6 or 7 years old, we had a little Halloween program at school that included a "fortune teller". This was a 6th or 7th grade kid in a costume wielding a deck of cards. I was told to turn over a few at random, and the pattern I chose in the turning, and the cards revealed would tell me my future. This "fortune teller" decides to tell me that I will die in a war. That was almost 40 years ago and it's stuck with me ever since. Of course, I know it's baloney, but the point is this kid told me something that would always be in the back of my mind. Imagine the impact this would have had on a believer!

Just my two cents.

The amount of narcissistic ego the reader in the original poster's story exudes in downright baffling. The fact that there are readers out there that believe their own press to that degree is nothing short of scary and upsetting.

To add onto, and provide further context to Chris's main and important point, may I offer the following?:

If a sitter can ask a question they already have the answer inside them... The best advice for a reader: "Speech is silver, silence is golden."

"If one can conceive the question, one can conceive the answer."
-- Afrikan Proverb

"You cannot solve any real problem without first answering the question of who you are."
-- Emblem of Justice

"A 'great' person does not become 'great' because he or she has all of the right answers. A 'great' person becomes 'great' because he or she has all of the right questions."
-- Akil

"If you are a leader [reader], be courteous and listen carefully to the presentations of petitioners [sitters]. Stop not their speech until they have poured out their heart and spoken that which they came to say. Those with grievances like to speak out and have their petitions heard. But whosoever stops a presentation raises the question of why does one having this power act in this manner. Not all that is asked for can be granted, but a fair hearing satisfies the heart."
-- Ptahhotep

"Be not silent when it is your duty to speak, but be cautious in your speech lest you offend."
-- Ptahhotep

"Don't boast to your neighbor. One has great respect for the silent person."
-- Ptahhotep

"Speak only when you know you can assist in the solution of a difficulty. For silence is better than useless chatter."
-- Ptahhotep

"Keep silent and it will serve you well."
-- Ani

"Resist without fail the impulse to speak recklessly, for the life you save may be your own."
-- Rhem Hotep

The word education comes from a latin word educere which mean to "lead out" and to "bring forth that which is within." Real education is intuitive, it is internal NOT external. Books, tarot, and palms are used as tools to bring out that which is intuitively already within you.

Regarding the egotistical performer:

Confidence is silent. Insecurities are loud. 'Nuff said!

~ Nyama ~

Glad you brought that up sir, you are of course 100% right and silence is one of our most useful tools, and it was missing from my post.
... but not from the Kadar books ;-)

Thank you Chris for being my inspiration... I wholeheartedly agree! Your post was full, spoke volumes and certainly hinted at the silence part. The Kadar books are invaluable, I read them daily, not only to apply to the kabinets and kards, yet also to life itself. Much wisdom to wise the dome inside those mighty tomes.

Ironically, if one switches around the letters of the word "LISTEN" one can create the word "SILENT"... Food for thought.

Shemhotep,
~ Nyama ~

"Skin asphyxiation? Yes, it's a thing. I saw it in a film once."
Goldfinger with Sean Connery

Silence also creates profound moments in music and knowing when to talk and listen is just important as play the right notes.

The four powers of the Sphinx: To Know, To Will, To Dare, and To Keep Silent!

Great conversation, and insights, everyone. In the end, I don't believe that cards from a Tarot deck tell any kind of story. They are a multi-vocal pack of pictograms that assist the Reader in helping the Sitter to clarify their own story. Many of us cannot step outside the narrative arc of our lives, and the Tarot facilitates the clarity that comes from such a process. A meaningful readings is about dialogue; between the reader, sitter, and the cards themselves. That said, a fun reading for entertainment is another thing completely....but still requires ethical stewardship.

All my heterodox opinion of course.

I love the many view points here. Many of them reflect my own. Ah, but I beg to disagree... the cards DO tell a story. That's almost all they ever do. I agree that the sitter is the one that hears how that story relates to their own selves. Still, it's the images relating to each other that weaves something together. Those relationships evoke a tale. No one card is apart from another. It is a story. Often not linear. Still, a tale. And... lesson learned. The Café might not be a good place to discuss Tarot readings! My very best to all a y'all. ( those of you who haven't read Calvino's Great Work on the Tarot may find it inspiring... or not )

I would have to kindly disagree. We are presented with a series of free-floating signifiers. Put into a pattern, it is up to the Reader, as an augur, to make a narrative from them. Alone, they say nothing. If a pack of tarot is dropped from a building, their pattern on the sidewalk conveys no story. But If a storyteller stops, and creates a meaning from the pattern, something profound happens. If a second storyteller stops, the two could argue ad infinitum about what the narrative is. The cards aren't magical, WE are, and not in some occult way.

I'm not saying anything different.

You could put it this way: just like you would say "the story is in the book" ( of course you have to read it... that's a given ) you can also say "the story is in the cards". Saying that, I'm not equating the cards with sentient-patterns like some of the silly responses on this thread have implied... On another note; anyone interested in exploring real magic with the Tarot? I recommend the new book by Camellia Elias called "the Oracle Travels Light: principles of magic with cards" Have fun! And don't pancake...it can't be cereal. It's only just a pack of cards.