I love Tarot. When I chanced upon my intuitive gifts and discovered my purpose to bring light, clarity and assurance to the people around me, using my Tarot cards, I came in contact with numerous clients from all over the world, and from different walks of life. Over time, these clients have become more than clients, They became friends. I care a lot about my friends and when I do a Tarot reading for them, it's with the genuine purpose of holding their hands through life's challenges, the way any friend would walk with me through difficult times.
Because I care a lot about my clients, governing my Tarot reading with a set of code of ethics is very important to me.
As a Certified Professional Tarot Reader, I hold very strongly to my ethical codes. I am governed by the ethics of my certification from the Tarot Certification Board of America and am proudly adhering to the code of ethics upheld by the American Tarot Association and the Tarot Association of the British Isles at which I am a member. There are some things I am more finicky about and these are the code of confidentiality and that I do not answer questions bordering on offering health, financial and legal advice, preferring to leave these to professionally trained experts in their respective fields of practice. I care a lot about my clients, so the code of ethics are designed to protect them as clients, and to uphold my professionalism as a Tarot reader.
A Focused Question Please
There are also other things I am finicky about in my practice as a professional Tarot reader. They are not part of the code of ethics but I adhere strongly to them as well. For example, I am really strict about the need for clients to provide me with a focused question and not expect me to do a "general reading". Like the code of ethics, my being strict about this has to do with 1) my caring immensely about my clients so much, that I refuse to "fluff" a generic interpretation out of a Tarot spread for him or her and 2) I have way to much respect for my Tarot cards.
The Tarot is a powerful tool, but it must be used properly and with respect, not only for the knowledge it contains but for its ability to connect with the deepest recesses of our inner wisdom. Although the Tarot can be successfully used to answer mundane or practical questions, its highest value is as a guide to genuinely help people who are going through real adversities in their lives. That's why I always ask clients to provide a specific question focused on an aspect of their lives or on a pressing issue that they may have, so that the Tarot cards can provide a focused answer to help support my clients in need.
I have immense respect for my Tarot cards and the intuitive gifts that the universe has bestowed on me that I am determined to use them only to serve the higher purpose of holding my clients' hands through challenging times. So please don't ask me for a "general read" because the cards are not like the rabbit in a magician's hat, to be pulled at whim whether for pure entertainment or as a test of my Tarot reading skills. I believe that if one could prioritize time between multiple commitments in life, then one should be able to prioritize issues amongst a slew of challenges life throws at him or her. So please, if you don't have any issues, I am genuinely happy that you are so blessed. However, don't waste a Tarot reader's time by asking him or her to do a general read. Instead, allow the Tarot reader to spend time and energy on helping another client with genuine issues resolve one.
Also, another thing I don't do is to put out a Tarot spread to do a reading about celebrities and various aspects of their lives. I don't care why Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise split and I don't care for Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. Doing a Tarot reading for anyone without expressed permission is downright rude.
Don't Get Me Wrong
Please don't misunderstand my intentions. I don't let pride get in the way of my genuine love for helping my clients. My Tarot cards are way too clever. If I let my pride get in the way of the practice, the cards and my intuition will never open a world of clear options and answers for my clients and me. And if I was in it for the money, these strict adherence to the code of ethics and my beliefs would never creep into my practice. They would have gone out of the window along with my clients and my consultancy.
I am in it for the pure intent of using my gifts from the Universe to provide my clients with clarity and assurance.
“Professionalism is not about adherence to the policies of a bureaucracy. Professionalism is about having the integrity, honesty, and sincere regard for the personhood of the customer, in the context of always doing what is best for the business. Those two things do not need to be in conflict.” ~ Eric Lippert, software expert, author.
About The Writer:
The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and was recently certified as a numerologist in Singapore. A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also a reader for the Free Tarot Network and is a mentor for the ATA.
She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com
You are absolutely correct; professionalism as a Tarot reader is fundamental to the service. I admire your code of ethics and thank you for elaborating on it here. The part I really resonated with was where you say you don't do celebrity readings; I also believe one should have permission to read for another. Good article.
ReplyDeleteThanks hon. Am glad you're with me on this:)
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