Could you just pull a quick tarot card for me...for free?

It happens all the time. A stranger, someone I have never met or worked with before, sends me an email or comments on one of my social media platforms with this:

“Can you do me a huge favor and just pull a tarot card for me?”

Sometimes the request comes with a sob story. Other times, it’s more sly – a plea to “interpret a reading” that they or someone else did that left them “so confused.”

9 out of 10 times it’s a question centering around “will he come back.” The other time, it’s “what is my future” type stuff. There is never an attempt to get to know me beforehand. There is never offer of payment either.

Can you understand what this might feel like on my end? If you provide a service (yes, tarot is a service), then you might know. If you don’t, let me illustrate how this might look:

Imagine if I went to my dentist and asked him to “just polish one tooth.” Or what might it look like if I ask the plumber to “just unclog one sink quickly”. Or let’s say I go to a restaurant and request that the waitress “just give me a couple of fries…on the house.” Icky, right? I would never do that, not in a million years.

It’s because I respect people’s time and skills. I like to pay people for their work. It feels good and it’s an equal exchange of energy. They work, I pay. Simple as that. The world works better when we value people and their work.

I want my time and skill respected too. Because guess what, freebie seekers? It takes energy to do tarot readings. There is no “quick card.” I still need to center myself and tune in if I want to deliver a good reading.

If you’re someone who is considering reaching out to a professional tarot reader for a freebie, think twice before you send that request.

Instead, use Google to find free tarot reading services. My favorite is the American Tarot Association’s Free Reading Network. They offer pro-bono readings from ethical tarot professionals. Another ethical + trusted source for free tarot readings is TABI – Tarot Association of the British Isles (they also teach + mentor aspiring tarot readers).

Another idea: join online communities that are geared towards practicing readings. Facebook has MANY of these sorts of free groups. (Hint: don’t just show up begging for free readings – you need to reciprocate too.)

Even better: learn to read your own cards – then you can pull a “quickie” all day long if you like. There are plenty of free resources out there such as my e-course or Joan Bunning’s fabulous site.

While professional tarot readers love to help people (it’s why we do what we do), when it comes to delivering a personalized reading or giving interpretation advice? That’s not free. We are business owners and we need to charge for our services. This is our livelihood – and it’s what we love to do! We wouldn’t expect you to do your job for free – and you probably wouldn’t want to either.

If you’re a professional tarot reader, you might wonder how should you deal with those people who want you to “just” pull a tarot card for them.

You have a few options:

You can ignore them.
You can send them a link to your payment page. (For the record, this has never lead to a sale. Not once. They will go off to pester someone else.)

Set your boundaries and stick to them. Remember: you teach people how you want to be treated. If you want your time and skill to be respected by others, then you need to respect your time and skill too. Which means: feeling free to say no to freebies.

“The one who tries to get something for nothing generally winds up getting nothing for something.” ~ Napoleon Hill

Blessings,

Theresa

image from stock photography