If you want to read tarot professionally, you’re going to have to get comfortable with risk.
It’s not work for the weak-kneed, the easily intimidated, or for those who seek safety. You’re going to need guts, determination, and a skin as thick as a rhino’s.
Did I scare you off? Still want to take the tarot pro plunge? Pull up a chair and let me educate you on the occupational hazards and my tips for navigating them like a badass daredevil:
Risk #1: Self employment. If you love a steady paycheck and working 9 to 5, you’ll hate being an entrepreneur, no matter what line of work you choose. If your family depends on a regular income and you’re too squeamish to give that up, do your tarot work on the side. Let it be your evenings and/or weekend thang. It may just blossom into full time work – or not. With a regular job, you won’t worry anyhow. You’ll just take in that extra cheddar and use it for some “mad money”. But if you are ready to go for it like a true tarot gangsta, here’s my #1 advice for making it work: treat your business like a business. Go pro and stop half assing it. Learn everything you can about business and be willing to adapt to new technology. And as RuPaul says: “you better work.” Don’t be expecting easy street, especially if you are just starting out. Pay those dues and keep grinding.
Risk #2: Telling people what you do for a living. Just try saying “I’m a professional tarot reader” to a stranger and then you’ll know what I mean. Even if you are not in this work, try it once. You’ll feel that instant vibe of “oh god, I hope they don’t judge me” creeping in. You’re relieved when they seem delighted or curious – but secretly hurt when they look at you sideways, say “oh” and then turn away and scoot off as if you just announced that you contracted ebola. Sorry to say this, but the latter happens more than you’re going to like. You’ll have to be less sensitive about it because it’s inevitable. Tarot, although more mainstream, still has a bit of a stigma attached to it. Don’t let that hold you back from talking about your work. Gather your tarot balls, say it with pride, and brush your shoulders off.
Risk #3: Your family might just freak the eff out. If your loved ones perceive this work as weird, you might end up feeling (and being treated) like an alien. They may feel embarrassed to even tell people about what you do and they may resort to speaking in hush-hush tones any time the subject of your work comes up. This may leave you feeling like the black sheep or family felon. Don’t take it personally. Instead, set a shining example of kindness and professionalism. You may just change their minds.
Risk #4: You may be attacked by those who feel your work is “against their beliefs”. One time, at a public event, I had an aggressive, red faced man screaming inches from my face and calling me the devil. Two men had to pull him off before he started getting physical with me. While that is an extreme example, it shows you how nasty some people can be. You may never experience that level of crazy, but you may occasionally get hate mail or rude comments on your blog. Don’t even engage. In these types of circumstances, it’s best to be as civil as possible and get as far away from the energy as you can. Pick your battles wisely and don’t get into pissing matches with skunks. It’s not worth it.
Risk #5: Predictions are not 100%. If a client is expecting that level of accuracy, they are going to be mighty disappointed – and if every detail doesn’t work out exactly the way they want, they may try to make you feel like shit later (“How come you didn’t see that accident coming?”). Tarot, and any mystic art for that matter, is about 80% accurate, at best. No one can “see it all”. Some readers won’t even attempt divination because that fear of not being 100% is hard on the ego. While there is no mandate on “having” to predict, many clients come to tarot readers for exactly that. If you are going to do predictive tarot, do your very best and make sure your clients are aware that predictions are never set in stone. Set realistic expectations for them and for you. (PS some people might also throw you shade for not reading tarot “right”. Develop your own style and don’t feel that you need to conform to anyone else’s “way”. Different tarot strokes for different tarot folks!)
Risk #6: Some people will be outraged that you dare charge for your services. I’ve had this happen to me – and it usually came from people in my industry, not clients. There are those who believe that it’s somehow “not spiritual” to take money for your work. That’s bullshit. People are paying you for your time and your services. Ignore the mindset of the starving tarot artists who will try to belittle your ambitions. You’re not doing this work to please them and you owe them no explanation. If they are so outraged by your choice to make tarot your career, tell them that they can pay your bills and support your lavish lifestyle so you have all the time in the world to do your work for free. (Memo to anyone who wishes to support me in that manner: I’m a fan of Gucci purses.)
Risk #7: Difficult clients will come through your door. Any work (not just tarot) will have its share of challenging client situations. A bad session or an unreasonable customer may just rattle your business confidence. Put up some hard core boundaries as soon as you hang out your shingle – and hold firm. That may sound simple but it’s not. I’ve had some really unusual circumstances (such as a banned client showing up here with a fake name and a disguise), which made me get a bit militant with my policies. You may need that stance too. Always remember: you don’t have to take any abuse or rudeness. If someone is not a good fit, politely show them the door.
Risk #8: You might fail. Even the most talented readers fail. Sometimes it’s due to poor business skills, other times due to external factors (like a recession or a family illness). That fear of failure is a hard one to overcome, and for most self employed people, it never goes away. This is where you’re going to have to be like a boxer. Even if you lose a fight, you get back in the ring and try, try again.
Ultimately, none of these risks will matter one teensy bit if you have the passion, the determination, and the mission to serve. Your higher calling will trump any of the perils of this work every single time. When you are thoroughly committed, an unsteady paycheck, a sideways glance, a rude client, or even some haterade from your peers won’t mean jack. You’ll simply keep on keepin’ on because you must.
“So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?” ~ Hunter S. Thompson
Blessings!
Theresa
© Theresa Reed | The Tarot Lady 2014
image from stock photography
I’m Theresa Reed (aka, The Tarot Lady). I’ve been a full-time tarot reader for 30+ years — which, in my industry, makes me pretty badass.
I’m definitely not your average Tarot expert — I drop the F-bomb, I quote rappers, and I’m obsessed with pop culture + reality TV. Folks come to me for straight-talk + tough-love — without the woo-woo fluff. 
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