How to Progress from Online to In-person Tarot Reading
I recently surveyed my ‘tarot clan’ one of the struggles that one of my readers was having was finding the confidence to do in-person tarot reading. They were a very accomplished tarot reader but used to doing readings over email rather than in-person.
This was the question they sent me….
“I really enjoy doing readings by email (distance readings) and get good feedback but find face to face reading difficult as I tend to ‘go blank’ or freeze up, so embarrassing. Any ideas?”
Finding the confidence to read tarot face to face
As you can see, she was very comfortable doing email readings and was getting great feedback but she was finding face to face reading difficult as she was going blank under the pressure.
First off I want to assure you that if you are experiencing this that you are not alone.
I have previously put together a post about how to avoid mind blanks during tarot reading but in this post, I wanted to explore tips, techniques and strategies that could help you progress to face to face reading.
What’s wrong with email readings?
The short answer is NOTHING! In fact, I absolutely love doing email readings and it probably accounts for around 90% of the readings that I do.
You may never want to do face to face and that is absolutely fine. Personally, I do like to do face to face readings every now and again as it’s a slightly different experience, but it’s up to you.
Building Confidence
Make sure that you have lots of experience reading by email first so you build your confidence. It helps if you know the cards inside out but the most important thing is to trust your intuition and don’t hold back.
One of the great things about email reading, especially for newer readers, is that you have time to really ponder the spread and think about your response before typing your reading. I know some readers that take a day or 2 to really think about the spread before sending it back. I don’t have the patience for this but I do admire the tenacity.
Practice Makes Perfect
Next time you go to do an email reading why not have a go as if you were face to face. Nobody is listening, so there really is no pressure.
Lay your spread and just talk with nobody listening. Be sure to speak out loud. One of my tarot students from my tarot course had an issue that she raised with me. She would look at the cards and knew what they meant and could see all the stories unfolding but she just couldn’t articulate what she was feeling. The only way to get over this is to talk out loud. It’s almost like a muscle memory. The more you express yourself verbally the easier it will all come to you.
Record Your Reading
You might not feel ready for this but it’s good to record your reading and listen back to it. Trust me, nobody likes to listen to themselves so don’t be hard on yourself.
This could be a good way of your getting a feel for the flow of your reading and you might pick up on some improvements that you could make to your style or structure.
Use your Friends and Family
Start reading face to face with friends and family. Be honest and tell them this is a pain point for you and that they will be doing you a favour by being receptive. Everybody loves a free tarot reading, right?
I would urge you to take it seriously. There is a temptation with friends that we slip into ‘friend mode’ and not treat them like real clients. Brief the person that you want them to act like a paying customer! It’s kind of like a role play without the pressure!
Progress to friends of friends but don’t charge. This is all about building skills, knowledge and confidence.
My Number 1 Tip
Instead of typing your reading, why not do an audio recording and send it to your client? I use this system all the time and love it – my clients also love it as they feel like I am in the room with them.
Here is a post on the tech side of how I record and send my readings.
I draw the cards before recording but when I hit record I don’t stop. I just read as I go and this works really well as it means my intuition flows and I don’t give my ego enough time to step in and block me!
Choose Your Spreads Wisely
Start by using spreads that you are very comfortable with. Maybe you have a favourite like the Horseshoe or Celtic Cross?
It’s good to know the tarot spread inside out as this will make you feel more comfortable.
Take your time. Don’t feel that you have to turn the spread and just start giving information. Breathe. Take it all in and then start talking.
Work with your Client
Collaborate! Work with your client and encourage them to ask questions. Ask if it makes sense, do they need clarification? How does a card make them feel?
Remember that you are in this together and it’s all about getting a great result for your client but it really will take a connection between you to get the best information possible.
