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Ask Teresa Michelsen: Tarot Reader |
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Jobs and Money - The Practical Side of Tarot Reading |
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by Teresa Michelsen |
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This week a reader writes with a question about her personal finances, a subject of pressing concern to many in these uncomfortable economic times. Normally, approximately 90% of tarot reading questions are about relationships or love, but right now the number of people asking about their finances or career is much higher than usual - and many people are suffering financial hardship and anxiety about the future. Because this is a subject that is very practical, and perhaps even considered the opposite of the more spiritual topics that many readers associate with tarot, doing tarot readings about this type of question is not covered in most books or classes. In this column we will explore ideas for how to do readings on financial and job-related questions.
Before we start, I should quickly mention that this column is meant to explore and answer questions about tarot, rather than be a forum for actually doing tarot readings. I did want to mention several excellent resources for receiving free tarot readings on the Internet:
· Free Tarot Network www.freetarot.net
· Free Reading Network www.freereading.net
· World Tarot Readers http://worldtarotreaders.com/
These are just a few I am aware of, and you may be able to find others. The first two above are run by the American Tarot Association, and provide opportunities for beginning and intermediate tarot readers to learn to read for the public. Each new reader is assigned a mentor and guided through the process, so if you are interested in trying this, you can sign up to be a reader at the address above.
Now, back to our chosen topic :) The first thing to realize is that tarot can answer any kind of question, from the very spiritual to the very mundane. The kinds of questions that we as tarot readers may think have the most spiritual value, may not always be the questions that are of most pressing concern to our clients. Once you have been reading for a while, you may be able to list your top 10 most frequently-asked topics, and questions about money and jobs would be near the top of the list. Developing such a list is actually a very good idea, because you can start to develop spreads ahead of time that are specially designed for these questions, rather than using more generic spreads like the Celtic Cross or Past-Present-Future.
One of the most important aspects to a financial or job reading is that the querent usually has at least some control over the situation. Our financial and career positions are partly made up of circumstances beyond our control, but are also very dependent on our own actions, decisions, hard work, and attitudes. For this reason, it is helpful to avoid doing wholly predictive readings, and focus instead on what your client can do to improve his or her position. One of the most depressing aspects of the current economic situation is that predictive readings about jobs and money are more often than not giving negative results, and if we were to just predict outcomes for people, we'd end up with a lot of very disheartened and upset clients. People always need hope, and it's up to us to give it to them, by designing our tarot readings in such a way that we help them overcome their situation, or at least live through it gracefully.
So, if a client asks you, "Will my finances improve in the next few months?", don't just answer yes or no, but design a tarot reading that helps her do everything she can to ensure that they improve. It might look something like this:
Card 1 - General financial influences over the next few months
Card 2 - What you can do to improve your financial situation
Card 3 - The biggest obstacle you will need to overcome
Card 4 - A specific suggestion for solving this problem
Card 5 - Resources you can use to help get you and your family through this time
You may still get a tarot reading that requires you to give some bad news, but at least its message is not set in stone - there is something she can do to try and overcome her difficulties, and you can make this part of the reading encouraging without being unrealistic. It's important to strike a careful balance between giving someone hope and encouragement, without being falsely optimistic. People need to know the truth of the situation, or they can't hope to overcome whatever obstacles may be present. Sometimes the path forward may be very difficult, but at least then she will know there is a path and what she needs to be prepared for along the way.
Another question that is often asked at the moment is about starting a new business, particularly a home or other independent business. As more and more people are laid off from traditional jobs, they are looking for alternatives, but are unsure of whether such a venture would be successful and how to get started. There are also many people considering career changes. Think of such a tarot reading as something like developing a business plan, but with access to non-traditional sources of information. Set up the card positions to ask very specific questions that any new business needs to know. If you have not started a business yourself, this may be something you could ask a friend to help you with. For example:
Card 1 - Strengths and resources you bring to starting this new career or business
Card 2 - Weaknesses or areas in which additional resources are needed
Card 3 - Best focus of this new career or business
Card 4 - Any preparation that is needed before starting up
Card 5 - Short-term issues that will need to be dealt with
Card 6 - Long-term prospects for financial success
Card 7 - Long-term prospects for personal fulfillment
Asking these types of questions can highlight modifications that need to be made to the business plan; for example, the need for a partner to focus on accounting and business aspects, the need for additional training, the need to refocus a product line, insufficient financial resources, or other problems that can be overcome if they are known and recognized in advance. Sometimes you may find that the proposed business or career would most likely be financially successful but personally unfulfilling - or vice versa. Then the client can look at all the trade-offs and decide what to do.
Other questions that could be asked based on individual circumstances include the effect on a marriage or on the family, whether relocation would help job or career prospects, whether the person could be competitive in a particular market, and whether there are any hidden pitfalls or concerns that he or she should be aware of. It is always a good idea when designing this type of reading to ask the client whether he or she has any specific concerns, worries, or questions, and then work those directly into the reading.
Lastly, I'd like to offer a 3-card reading that I've found very helpful for questions where a client is dealing with another person who influences their financial status or situation. This could be someone who wants to know how to get a raise at work, or is having arguments relating to financial problems with their spouse. In truth, this spread is applicable to a wide variety of problem-solving situations, and is called Thought-Word-Deed. It works like this:
Thought - This card indicates the most positive and effective way to think about the situation that will bring about the desired results. Or, if the desired results are not possible to obtain, it will help the client best cope with the situation as it is. If there are changes in attitude that are needed, this card will show the way - for example, if they are not considering an option that might work out, or need to be less stubborn about something.
Word - This is the communication card. In any situation involving two or more people, communication is the key to problem-solving. This card shows the most effective way to talk about the situation with others and try to resolve the problem (or get the raise, or the bank loan). This card may indicate either the style of communication that will be most effective, or the content that needs to be presented.
Deed - This card indicates whether there is anything the client can actively do to improve the situation or bring about what he or she desires. In a financial situation, examples could include ways to earn more money, cut back on expenses, or improve job performance to help make the case for a higher salary.
Reversals in any one of these areas will show what may be the hardest for the client to do, either because of internal resistance or because external circumstances make that area the hardest to accomplish. The overall number of reversals will suggest how easy or difficult it may be to accomplish the overall goal.
These are just a few of many suggestions for ways to address practical issues with tarot readings. If you are interested in looking up some other ideas, there are examples of completed readings related to jobs, money, careers and other practical areas in the Readings section of my website at http://www.tarotmoon.com. There is also a chapter on designing practical tarot readings in my recently-published book, "Designing Your Own Tarot Spreads," available from Llewellyn publishers or Amazon.com.
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Teresa Michelsen,
Tarot Master
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Teresa Michelsen is a tarot reader and instructor who has been reading and studying tarot for 25 years. She teaches beginning and intermediate tarot courses and workshops on-line, through her Tarot Adventures and Tarot Explorations study groups.
Teresa has published many articles on tarot on the worldwide web and in American Tarot Association publications. Her first book, "Designing Your Own Tarot Spreads" is being published by Llewellyn in March 2003, and she is currently working on her second book, "The Practical Art of Tarot Reading," which will be published in 2004.
Teresa is a Certified Tarot Master and Secretary of the American Tarot Association. Her award-winning tarot website, Tarot Moon, is a favorite destination of tarot readers who come for her lessons and articles on tarot and fully illustrated examples of completed tarot readings. She is currently involved in planning the ATA Pacific NW Tarot Conference, to be
held in Portland, Oregon in May, 2004.
Teresa lives near Seattle, Washington with her husband Niels and black cat Shadow. In addition to her tarot activities, she holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering, and works out of her home as an environmental consultant.
Tarot Moon:
www.tarotmoon.com
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