Hi, Tarot Bumblebees,

Today I want to talk about what to do when you have completed your Tarot reading, and your client doesn’t want to hear it. As with everything I share, take what resonates with you and simply leave the rest. Before I jump into the strategies of dealing with this as a Tarot Reader, I want to set the stage so you know exactly what I’m referring to. I have made up a scenario that is a culmination of different experiences I have had as a professional reader.

Betty has come for a Tarot reading with you about her love life. She has shared a little bit about her situation with you: she has just started to see someone, and after a few wonderful weeks, this person has completely disappeared. She has come to you wondering if she will hear from this person again and what she did to make them pull a Houdini.

Betty shuffles the deck, cuts the cards, and pulls out the Seven of Swords, The Three of Wands, The Hanged Man, and The World. You let her know that it is unlikely that she is going to hear from him again. The Seven of Swords indicates that there was something he hadn’t told her and the Three of Wands states he isn’t looking to come back and has probably moved on already. The Hanged Man lets Betty know that she did nothing wrong; it was his choice, and The World is a sign that there has been a completion to their relationship, even if it was not what she wanted.

You deliver the reading in a professional and compassionate way, being the messenger of the Tarot, and Betty looks at the cards on the table, scanning them as if to try and find something you must have missed. I call this looking for the lifeline. She looks up at you and says with complete confidence, “that simply cannot be; we were so connected.  I have never felt like this before. Maybe his mother is sick, or aliens abducted them, or they had a work emergency”.

You pass on how sorry you are that this was not a more favourable reading and that maybe there is someone better matched for her out there, and did she want to look at the cards for that. Betty is still monologuing that maybe this person is working undercover with the FBI, and you know at that moment you have lost her, and she is not going to take anything else in. She is in Tarot-denial. You contemplate hitting her with a little sass and tell her he is just not coming back, but that may not go down well if she is hurting (and it is not something many readers feel comfortable saying). You professionally close out the reading only to receive an email from Betty later that day, basically all but telling you, you’re wrong. She still hasn’t heard from him, but you’re wrong.

So now what do you do? Fear not, my fair Tarot Reader!  I have some advice and tips and tricks so you can shake it off and not let it derail your day or bust your confidence.

1. Deliver Your Reading

You delivered your reading.  You have done your job. If you are reading this post before a situation like this happens, know that this is what people are coming to you for. Whether you get the shitty feedback during or after the reading, your role is to conduct the Tarot Reading in a professional manner that you would be proud of.

Personally, I do not lie about the meaning of the cards to make my Client feel better. Firstly it would make me look stupid when the lie doesn’t come to pass, and there goes my reputation with that person, and I wouldn’t feel good; it is wrong. I will tell it like it is, in a nice way, but I will not deceive my clients.

When you get feedback from a client where they are not hearing or taking in what you have to say, repeat what the cards said. This is why I like recording my readings. Betty can go back later and listen to it when she is in a better place to do so. To reiterate. Deliver your reading with integrity.

2. Detach From Your Client

Does it suck that someone ghosted on Betty? Yep, it sure does. Do you know how crappy that feels cause that has happened to you? Yep, you sure do. Is that your burden to carry or wrong to right?

Nope, it sure as shit ain’t. While I do have fond fantasies about a Tarot Reading Vigilante Superhero (I would kill to see this, maybe I should write a comic), who rights the wrongs of the brokenhearted and misused. After the reading has closed for the day, it is not our job, and also, it’s illegal and probably really expensive.

There’s a reason Bruce Wayne is a multimillionaire. Let me repeat that IT IS NOT YOUR JOB TO FIX YOUR CLIENT. Or to fix their life, their car, their computer, their cat, their funky wardrobe. So take a big ole step back, acknowledge your energy, lessons, and responsibilities in life and what is theirs. We can be compassionate, and I have totally become friends with some of my long-term Clients, but I am also not responsible for fixing my friend’s lives. Ground, centre, aura spray, sage, dance naked in the rain, have a bath or do whatever you need to do to clear off and detach from your Client so that you can remain present in your own life.

3. Move On and Keep Reading

Keep going. Keep reading the cards. Keep studying and honing your craft.

Sometimes you are going to be wrong, and you know that clients are often just not in the space to hear it when they come to you. However, they will likely contact you later, telling you just how right you actually were and book with you again.

There is another thing here that I want to say that I feel is important. Sound advice from a Tarot teacher of mine was never to read to someone when they are in crisis energy.

They are unlikely to hear any of the news you will give them and probably need a hug and a cup of tea rather than the universe giving them some truth through the Tarot.

If someone has come to you and is using language that puts up red flags, refer them to someone they can talk to, like a counselling hotline or chat. Otherwise, give some time and space before you read for them (at least a few days).

I have said it before, and I will say it again. Tarot Readers hear all sorts of not-so-nice things. This is something to take into consideration when looking at becoming a professional reader. Even if you are extremely empathic (like I am), there are ways to hold space for others and keep your energy yours. If hearing and delivering uncomfortable news is not something you want to be doing, this may not be the professional path for you. That is something only you can decide.

What if it doesn’t make sense? Well, I have another post and video about that where I talk about that very issue. You can find it here – What If A Tarot Reading Doesn’t Make Sense.

I hope you have found this helpful. I would love to hear from you all wonderful community. Has this happened to you? What did you do?