Does the thought of reading tarot for a stranger terrify you? Try these tips.

You’ve been reading for a while now. You’re pretty good. At last that is what your friends and family tell you. You’ve got this tarot thing!

You’re developing a buzz amongst your kin. But then, one day, one of your loved ones declares “hey, I have a friend who wants to get a reading and I told them how great you are!”

Gulp.

You agree to it and there you are…face to face with a complete stranger. They are looking at you with anticipation. Or is that fear? You can’t tell because you’re scared out of your ever-loving tarot mind.

You don’t know what to expect. What if they hate it? What if you choke? Or – gasp – what if you are completely wrong? You might even try to get out of it…but you can’t because they are already at the door.

As your mind races, you start getting hot. Sweat pours down your brow. (If you’re older like me, you might blame it on a hot flash but it’s not. It’s sheer terror.)

Ever been in that position? If you’ve read tarot, I can guarantee you have. (If not, you will be one day. That’s a prediction, yo.)

So what’s a nervous first-timer to do when you’re finally sitting before someone who isn’t related to you?

This:

BREATHE.

That means deep, belly breathing. Take that breath down into your belly and let it expand. As you exhale, gently draw your belly in as if you are bringing your belly button towards your spine and pressing the air out. Repeat. (PS this breath does not work well with corsets so you may want to forgo the Ren Faire costumes. Just sayin’.)

A few rounds of belly breathing will bring you right into the present moment…and into your body.

Hand the deck to the client and let them shuffle. (If you are doing this over the phone, shuffle the cards and tell the client to take a few nice, deep breaths.)

Now, sync your breath with your client’s. That means paying attention to how they are breathing. Link your breath with their breath and then slow it down. See if they shift their breath. (You can do this and be subtle. It doesn’t need to be obvious.) Once you feel that you’ve made a connection with the breath, start laying out the cards.

Now read ‘em.

Do your very best. Ask for confirmation if you feel called to do so. Breathe some more.

Finish the reading.

You did it! Reading tarot for a stranger isn’t as bad as you thought, right? It all comes down to calming your nerves and breathing is KEY.

Now do it 10,000 more times and it won’t ever be a problem again. (Yes, I’m grinning but dead serious.)

Blessings,

Theresa

Whether you’re running a Tarot biz or just beginning to read tarot, you need extra-special tools to protect your energy & sanity. My top tips? Right here: How To Read Tarot Under Any Circumstance

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