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In Practice: The Business of Tarot!
The Business of Tarot
by Bonnie Cehovet |
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Each day we are faced with making many diverse decisions. How well we process those decisions determines how successful we are going to be. If we focus our energy, and place intent behind our decisions and subsequent actions, our paths will be well lit and well traveled. If we scatter our energies, we move from our centers, lose our groundedness, and our paths become dimly lit and chaotic.
Decision making by nature needs to be accomplished in a timely manner. With the advent of the Internet, cell phones and other technological advancements, the window which we have to make our decisions in has become smaller and smaller. These same technological advancements have made access to information easier on a phenomenal scale - we are literally overwhelmed with the information that we need to consider in making our decisions.
As Tarot professionals, we have a distinct advantage in the decision making category - we know how to access our intuition. If we did not have this ability, we wouldn't be in this field! We can use the Tarot to ground and center ourselves, to help us determine what information is key to making our decisions (or helping our clients make their decisions), and to then determine how to carry those decisions out.
At times we find ourselves making our decisions when we have reached a crossroads - either personal or professional. We recognize that the decision that we make here is going to change our lives, and the task of making that decision becomes a very daunting one. Many people make their decisions here by simply "not" making a decision - they allow life around them to follow its own path, which they may or may not be happy with. The path they end up on may also not be the one that was the best one for them, the one that would support them in reaching their destiny.
How can we fine tune our worlds so that we aren't afraid to make decisions, and so that the decisions we make are supportive of who and what we are? The first thing that each of us needs to do is to determine which process works best for us (decision making is indeed a process!).
We need to develop a personal process that helps us do the following:
1. Put the decision that we are making into concrete form - into words. This is a key focus factor.
2. Make a list of key factors for making each decision.
3. Take the list of key factors from point number two, and cross off those that are really not pertinent. (Often you won't realize how not-pertinent they are until you see them written down.)
4. Prioritize the remaining factors.
5. For each factor, jot down what you know about it, and any questions that you might have.
6. Identify resources for researching any questions that have been identified.
7. Do the research on any questions that you may have.
8. Sleep on the results! LOL By this time you are on overload, and need to let go on a conscious level. Don't worry, your unconscious will continue the process.
9. Make of list of all possible decisions.
10. Go back over the list of possible decisions, and take out those that are too far fetched - or just not really feasible to implement.
11. Take your short list of possible decisions, and list both the positive and the negative consequences of implements each decision.
12. Eliminate the decisions that have less long term value. (Going for short term value may quiet some voices, but can end up creating a bigger problem, and a need for more decisions in the not so distant future.)
13. Make you decision.
14. Ask yourself how you feel about this decision. If you are uncomfortable with it, ask yourself why. More than likely you have made a decision that does not reflect who you are - your core values.
15. Once you have found a decision that you feel comfortable with, implement it!
I know that some of you are already disgusted with this relatively long list of "talking points". Actually, it takes longer to write the list than it does to implement it. It is a very "common sense" series of actions, and will come to you quite easily. There are times when a decision needs to be made more quickly. In a case like this, the process becomes more of a series of mental lists, than written ones. And there is no time to sleep on it! The one thing that you need to remember to do before you make a decision is to ask yourself how you feel about it. Listen to your body - it won't lie to you.
After you have implemented a decision that you had little time to prepare for, follow the results to see how well it is doing. If it is not working well, or as well as you would like it to, try and determine why. Then make another decision that will get the process back on track, and implement that decision. In the end, with this process, you will find yourself making better decisions, feeling better about them, and finding that they are accurate reflections of who you are, and what you believe in.
We also need to look at are outside factors that are involved in the decision making process. Such things as:
1. Is this a good time for me to be making this decision? Emotions can tend to get the better of us, and many of our decisions can become emotional ones. If we recognize this, we can give ourselves a "time out" until we can address the issue with a clear mind.
2. Who can I use as a resource in making this decision? We need to get the input not only of others that will be affected by our decisions, but input from a neutral party that we trust. An impartial eye can give us a fresh view, an expanded view of the issue we are deciding on.
3. An addendum to obtaining input has to deal with "too much" input. Your decision is your decision, and you are responsible for the consequences of your thoughts and actions. Be aware of the pressure from those around you - business acquaintances, family, and friends, for instance. Be careful not to allow their personal agendas to intercede in your decision making process. If there is no alternative to bowing to external pressure, I would say that it is time (past time!) to look at your life as a whole, because it is definitely not reflecting who you are and your core values.
4. Pay attention to, and be open to, all of the options available to us. The first option that comes to our minds may not be the best all around option.
5. I like to keep in mind the Native American concept of seven generations. Look seven generations back (look to the past) to see how the issue came to be what it is today. Look seven generations forward to see how your decision will affect future generations - your sons and daughters, your grandchildren etc. Thinking in the short term is more than likely a stop-gap effort, and has the potential for creating future problems.
In the end, we need to be able to live with ourselves and with our decisions. We need to walk our talk - we need to find our path in life, and walk it with integrity. Be willing to take the responsibility for your own decisions, and for their consequences - to yourself, and to those around you.
Let's take a real life example of a decision that many Tarot professionals face at some time or another, and follow it through this process. One of the first issues that we face in forming our business is whether to read from home, or to read in an outside location. Step one of our decision making process is to define the decision that we are making. For this example, I would phrase the question as: "Which venue is better for me - reading from home or reading in an outside location?" What I did here was limit the question to home vrs away from home, so that my energies were focused. If I decide that a location away from home is advisable, I will use the decision making process again to go through the list of available options.
The next thing that we want to do is make a list of key factors involved in making this decision. They will differ from reader to reader. This would be my list (one thing not one this list, but that would need to be determined before considering the option of working from home is what the local zoning ordinances are):
1. Do I feel comfortable having strangers in my home?
2. Do I have a space within my home that I feel comfortable reading in?
3. How does my partner feel about having strangers come into our home?
4. How will my pets react to strangers in the house?
5. Is my home in a location that is easily accessible?
6. How will my neighbors react to my working from home?
7. Are there locations outside of my home that I would have access to for doing readings?
Looking over my list, I feel that all of these are pertinent factors in making my decision. I feel that my list is in line with what my priorities are, and that nothing needs to be changed.
This is what I know about each factor, as well as what I need to research:
1. Do I feel comfortable having strangers in my home?
I am comfortable with having strangers in my home, as long as there are no more than two of them at a time. (Many clients are nervous going to a readers home, and will ask to bring a friend or family member with them.) My question here would be: "Can I get them out after a reading without wasting a great deal of time?"
2. Do I have a space within my home that I feel comfortable reading in?
Yes, I have more than one area that I feel comfortable reading in.
3. How does my partner feel about having strangers come into our home?
My partner is also in a serving profession, and he was taught that it was not a good idea to work from home. He would go along with this, if it was what I really wanted. He also has safety concerns.
4. How will my pets react to strangers in the house?
My female cat loves people, my male trusts no one but me. It would be stressful for him.
5. Is my home in a location that is easily accessible?
I live in the country, but the address is easily located, and the parking is very good (we have a turn around in front of the main house).
6. How will my neighbors react to my working from home?
We already have businesses in the neighborhood, but they are more along the lines of manufacturing, where no clients come to the house. There might be some questions at first about the strange cars coming to my house!
7. Are there locations outside of my home that I would have access to for doing readings?
There are several different locations - with one of them being less than five minutes from home.
This is a fairly straight forward list of factors, and not one that really needs researching, other than talking to my partner at greater length about his true feelings concerning my working from home.
My decision will be one of two things - work from home, or work at a separate location. In going over the factors above, my decision was to work away from home. I realized that my home was very private to me, and that while I really don't mind doing reading there, I do have a concern about getting clients to leave gracefully after their reading. I also felt that in not wanting a great many strangers going through my home I might subconsciously limit the expansion of my business - which would be one of my primary objectives!
My partner not being comfortable with my reading at home - for whatever the reason, was also a major concern. As was the stress factor on my male cat - there is no reason for me to put him through that. He more than likely would never adapt - I adopted him as a feral cat, and he will always carry his early fears with him.
My neighbors would not really object to my working from home - although they would be right in there with my partner worrying about safety issues!
I am comfortable working away from home - my work area might not be exactly as I would like it, but I will have some control over it, and I don't mind the money spent on renting the space.
The factors in your decision making process will be different from mine, but they will reflect who you are as a person, and where you are in your life.
I hope that this template helps you to fine tune your decisions, so that they are true reflections of who you are. May we all walk our talk, and find value in our paths.
Please contact me at Crystalgate@aol.com with any subjects that you would like to see discussed in this column. I want this to be reflective of the needs and concerns of the Tarot community at large.
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Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master, and Reiki Master/Teacher.
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Bonnie Cehovet is a Tarot Master, professional Tarot reader and Reiki Master/Teacher.
Bonnie has been reading the Tarot professionally for over ten years. She has served in various capacities with the American Tarot Association, including Secretary and Web Assistant For Links. She is currently Certification Director and Secretary for the American Board For Tarot Certification. Bonnie is also a founding member of the World Tarot Network.
Bonnie has had her work published in the ATA newsletter, in Geraldine Amaral's "Celebrating The Tarot" print newsletter, on the World Tarot Network and other internet sites. She is editor for her own monthly newsletter "Gateway To Tarot" (Yahoo Groups).
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