Six Tips to Finding an Honest Tarot Reader

Are you thinking about seeing a tarot or other psychic reader but are afraid you’ll be ripped off? Here are some simple tips to keep in mind when evaluating a reader or a reading.

How Much Will The Reading Cost For How Long:
Before you start, ask exactly how much the session will cost and how long it will be. If you don’t get a direct answer, that’s a red flag right away. Legitimate readers won’t be afraid to tell you how long the session will be and how much it will cost. Prices vary from reader to reader, but all of them know how long and how much their sessions are. After all, like any other businessperson, it’s up to them to determine their own rates. Don’t be taken in by anyone who claims, “the spirits decide how long the reading goes” or anything to that effect. A reading can be as long or as short as you and the reader wish. Please remember however, if the reading is really inexpensive, i.e. $5 to $25, don’t expect it to be a long one. Prices like that are for samples, not full readings.

Accuracy Percentages:
Beware of people claiming accuracy percentages, i.e. “Madame ZaZa is 100% accurate” or something like that. Of course you expect your reader to be accurate, but % claims are clearly spurious. Who’s doing the follow-up research to determine whether a read was accurate or not? I’d be really surprised if any of the readers who use this ploy ever do. And what would they mean by it anyway? If you come across a reader like this, before giving them a dime, ask them where they got their numbers and what they mean by accuracy.

Don’t Let Them Split You Up:
Some readers say that they won’t read for you with anyone else present. A reason once given to me was that secrets might be revealed that you wouldn’t want another person to hear. As far as I’m concerned, if a client chooses to let someone else be present during their reading, that’s their business, not the reader’s. I can only think that splitting friends up is a suspicious tactic. It’s a lot harder to convince someone of something dubious when their skeptical friend is present and watching out for them.

Watch Out For Grand Generalities:
Keep an open mind, but be cautious of generalities. Known as the Forer or Barnum Effect, there’s a psychological proclivity in humans to see our own personal situations in general descriptions that could easily apply to most people. Knowing this, it’s important to look beyond obvious general phrases. Watch out for patter like the following:

"You have a strong need for others to like and admire you, though you are often critical of yourself. You have vast stores of unused capacity that you haven’t even begun to tap. Though you have some personality weaknesses, generally speaking, you’ve managed to find ways to compensate for them. At times you have considerable doubt about whether or not you’ve made the right choices, but you pride yourself on your independent thinking and thus are fairly confident you’re doing the right thing. You might appear disciplined and controlled on the outside but underneath you worry, hiding your insecurities from others. You like change and variety and feel confined by restrictions and limitations. At times you’re extroverted, friendly, and sociable, while at other times, you’re introverted, wary and reserved. Occasionally, your aspirations are unrealistic."

It’s not that these traits are false. It’s just that on their own, they’re so open-ended they might accurately describe everyone. In fact, they describe being human. If what’s listed above is all that’s offered to you in your reading, you may have come across a charlatan. A legitimate reader might very well mention some of the traits above, but if they do, it should be within the context of your present life situation, not simply as a general character description. Furthermore, if you hear all of the above, recognize it for what it is – a script.

Beware of Flattery:
Try to resist the urge to fall for flattery. All of us are “good people” and all of us like to think well of ourselves. In fact, studies have shown that people are much more likely to accept as true positive descriptions of themselves rather than negative. Don’t let this human trait get the best of you. If the reader seems to find nothing but good to say about you and bad about others – watch out. Obviously we’re not all good (or at least not always) and if the reading is going to be valuable, it will address both your gifts and your challenges on both a general level and within the situation at hand. If it’s all black or all white, your alarms should go off.

Curses, Bad Karma, Winning Lottery Numbers and Lost Loves:
Don’t believe anyone who tells you that they can clear you of a curse, or bad karma, or help you win the lottery, or that they can manipulate another person’s behaviour. Anyone who says they can do these things is lying. Every single day I come across stories about people being seriously ripped off by these same old tricks and yet it doesn’t seem to stop. Please please know for sure that no tarot or psychic reader can bring your old lovers back to you or cause you to meet your soul mate (if there even is such a thing). No tarot or psychic reader has access to winning lottery numbers and none of them can clear your karma. All a reader can do for you is read – whether it’s the cards, the ether, your palm, tea leaves, yarrow sticks, entrails, whatever. That’s what you’re paying for and that’s all you should expect. A reading is a description of what’s going on, not a magical practice that manifests your desires. As is always the case – if it sounds too good to be true – it most likely is.

Psychic and Tarot readings can be a lot of fun and often provide valuable insights to your character and life situations. They don’t, however, provide miraculous solutions to the troubles in your life. More often than not, what they do is validate feelings and insights you’re already working through and describe situations you are already aware of. At their best, they also offer tools to help you go forward in the direction you’re seeking.

There are a lot of excellent legitimate readers out there. Be aware of the tricks of the more unscrupulous types, but don’t be afraid to get a reading. When done right, with the right intentions, a tarot or other psychic reading is a marvelous and highly beneficial experience.