I am currently reading The Steampunk Tarot by Barbara Moore before I post a review and in her Tarot Basics chapter she asks the reader to ask themselves some questions about what they believe a Tarot reading to be.

The questions are good ones and I encourage anyone who works with the Tarot either as a tool for spiritual development for themselves or a professional reader for others to ask these questions.

So I am going to pretend that Barbara is asking me these questions and share them here.

1. Can the future be told, and if so to what extent?

I believe that the Tarot can let a person glean what is most likely in their future as the future is mapped out in the time that the reading is cast. People have free will so they are able to decide if they want to change their course or not. External forces can be predicted, but some are not even shown to even the most experienced reader or gifted psychic.

Short answer: Yes to a degree

2. Where does the information gleaned in a tarot reading come from?

I connect to my spirit guides so I listen actively to the information that I am given by them. I also think that some information is going to come from the person that you are reading(you may think duh) but there is more to this than on the surface. They may give you direct information but it is not always what is really going on and their higher self or spirit guides may also give information if you are tuned in. Then of course it is some from the actual Tarot reader, they have the experience gained from their own experiences reading the cards and studying so they are going to have their own information to share.

Short answer: Many sources, depending on the type of reader you are. (Whole different blog post on that one)

3. What is the role of the Tarot reader? A guide for the querent? A voice of for the gods? An interpreter of symbols? A teller of stories? A creator of the future?

Scrap the creator of the future, that I believe is only up to the individual and the divine. Also scrap the voice of the gods, I am not naive enough to think that I speak for any god but I do communicate with and work with my spirit guides.

A story teller? To a degree, I held a workshop at the Combined Covens Spring Camp this year on weaving stories with the Tarot, which was great fun and packed (thanks all for making that so successful) and in that workshop we explored how to connect cards and create a story for the person you are reading for so that they have a good understand and a flow to their readings. Making shit up however…..I am not down with that.

Interpreter of symbols for sure, that is part of the skill of being a good Tarot reader and something that if you are a good Tarot reader people will seek you out for.

Most importantly I think that the role of the Tarot reader is to be a guide for the querent. People often come to Tarot readers in times of crisis and confusion (just listen to Six Degrees of Separation by The Script, love them and love the song but the Tarot aint shit boys!) A talented and reputable Tarot reader is going to assist the person sitting across from them bearing their soul gain some clarity and give them some options going forward or prepare them for the next few steps on their journey.

Short answer: If you are a good reader your role is multifaceted, if you are crap you make shit up or even worse charge money and read from the book (you should be all slapped for that)

4. Is the reader obliged to tell the querent everything they see in the reading or should they hold somethings back?

This one is hard and it all comes to being very discerning with your information. I had a reading years and years ago at a corporate Christmas function and I was reading a pregnant woman who was struggling with her pregnancy. I saw in the reading that not only was this going to continue but that HER head space was creating extra crap for her and the baby to be dealing with. It would not have helped the situation or me to have told her that she was contributing and to snap the f*ck out of it. Firstly not the right time or place and secondly it would make me a world class bitch.

What did I do? I calmed her down first, asked her all of the right questions about the medical care and environment she was in and told her that she was doing the right thing by listening to her doctor and that if she continued to be diligent with her and her bubs care then everything was going to be fine.

I wasn’t lying to her. I was helping her create her own future where she wasn’t getting in her own way mentally. I never met the lady again but I felt her whole energy relax when she walked away to enjoy the rest of the party and if that is all I gave her then I think my job was done.

This is a case by case basis and there is no one rule fits all. There are some great books about counselling and having a great moral code in the world of spiritual healing and reading and they are I believe essential skills for professional reputable Tarot readers.

Short answer: Don’t go to a Tarot reader if you don’t want your dirty laundry aired and the hard questions answered.

5. Are any types of questions or subjects off-limits?

Yes I believe so anyway, I am not about to go physically invading people I have not got permission to do so. But if information is given to me then I all pass it on.

Anything anyone asks me malicious questions or if people are have left their moral compass with Jack Sparrow at Worlds End then I stop the reading then and there or at least tell them we need to change the subject.

You can tell a lot about a person how they act, what they ask and what their motivations are for going to a Tarot reader……just sayin.

Short answer: Yes if you have a conscious.

So that is the end of the mini interview. Thanks Barbara for the great questions.

I will be reviewing the Steampunk Tarot and book soon.

If anyone wants to hit the wonderful woman’s website up it is  – http://practicaltarotreadings.com/