What I've learned so far as a professonal tarot and oracle reader
I’ve been reading tarot and oracle cards for 7 years now, but I’ve only been offering readings professionally for the past 3 months - mostly on another social media channel. (Of course, Tumblr folks get first dibs on all my discounts and new launches!)
One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that tarot and oracle reading is both time-consuming and emotionally tiring, but also deeply fulfilling. I’ve also come to realise just how much I love tarot and oracle decks as pieces of channelled art. It’s such a joy to interact with someone’s creative work and intuit another person’s story through the cards.
There are some teething problems, but that’s totally expected. For instance, I sometimes get clients who are in a really dark or anxious place. That makes sense - most people turn to spirit guidance when things aren’t going well. In those moments, it’s tough when the cards don’t show what we were hoping for. I’m still learning how to stay true to the message of the cards while also being mindful of the client’s emotional well-being.
That’s one of the reasons I lean more towards guidance-based readings rather than pure future forecasts. I’ve found they’re usually far more helpful. For one, fortune-telling isn’t always accurate. And two, when the message is heavy or not what they wanted to hear, clients can end up feeling defeated. But often, the cards are just showing what’s likely if things continue as they are - other futures are possible. But a tough reading can make it feel like there’s no hope.
Another challenge is when clients aren’t sure how to ask their questions, or ask too many things at once. Some people don’t realise how much time and energy goes into a reading and try to squeeze in a bunch of questions under one session. That’s when I have to gently explain how the Q&A process works and help them get more clarity on what they really want to know.
As for the readings themselves, I’ve noticed the cards can be a bit fuzzy when it comes to timing. Sometimes they’ll show something as if it’s already happening, but in reality, it’s just around the corner -maybe a week or a month away. That can trip up a reader if we’re not careful, so I’ve learned to remember that the cards don’t experience time the way we do. They’re more tuned into whether the energy has entered your field yet, not necessarily when it will physically show up.
The other thing is that tarot (and some oracle cards) can be very literal. They’ll often highlight the most dominant energy in your life, even if it seems unrelated to the question. You might ask me about your love life, but if you’re knee-deep in home renovations and that’s messing with your schedule - and by extension, your time with your partner - the cards might just show me a scene of construction work with no explanation, lol. Then it’s on me to pull clarifiers or look at the story flowing through the cards in the spread to figure out how the construction work ties back to your relationship.
Those have been my experiences as a professional tarot reader so far. Did you learn any lessons or have any interesting experiences as a professional tarot and oracle reader that you want to share? Let me know!
