The F Word

Fortune Teller.

Some people in the tarot community don’t even like to say it out loud. Some are fearful that it may just stick to them like a giant scarlet letter.  If a client innocently uses this word, some readers will give an uptight lecture on how they are “not one of those” and how their work is somehow above all that.

Some don’t offer predictions at all and make a really big deal about stating that their work is more about counseling and that predictions and fortune-telling are not in the client’s best interest.

Why does “fortune teller” have such a bad rap?  Why are we so quick to treat these two words as somehow disrespectful to our profession?  I find it odd that so many readers fear this title, considering how many people call me on the phone and ask for the “fortune teller” or “psychic” without one iota of disrespect or trepidation.  Clients don’t give a damn about which title we use – they just want insights into their future.

There are several reasons why “fortune teller” has gone out of vogue in our industry.  First of all, divination of any sort is frowned upon by some religions. This has created a stigma against this type of work as it is often associated with “witchcraft” or “sorcery”.  This “witch hunt” mentality is the source of many of the laws against fortune-telling, some of which exist to this day. This has forced many tarot readers to use a different title such as “spiritual advisor” out of fear of prosecution.

The practice of fortune-telling has also become dirtied by con artists who will tell a vulnerable client that they have “negative energy” and then offer to remove the “curse” for a large sum of money.  This illegal fraudulent activity that preys on people’s fear and superstition is committed by a VERY small minority but has managed to create a nasty stereotype that no professional reader in their right mind would want to be associated with.

That said, there are con artists in EVERY profession.  Do we stop using the title “doctor” and only use “physician” because there have been some unethical doctors?

There has also been a growing trend in the community itself where readers do not want to offer predictions to their clients and prefer to be “counselors” regardless of whether or not they possess the education, license or credentials to claim that title.  Even those who have appropriate credentials to be counselors are doing a great disservice to the heart of tarot reading when they dismiss predictions as somehow disempowering.

When a prediction is made, it shows the potential of what may come and this gives a client a clear road map so that they can choose to continue on or make changes. Awareness allows us to live more consciously and perhaps avoid potential problems.  I like to compare it to driving down a road with a radar detector.  If that detector goes off, I know a cop is around the corner and I can choose to slow down or risk getting a ticket.  That radar detector lets me know what possibilities lie ahead.

A tarot reading can be therapeutic.  But, the main reason people come to see me is to find out about their future.  They WANT me to “tell them their fortune”.  And it is in this process that they have the chance to gain insight into their own inner workings through the reading.

So I am making an effort to reclaim the title “fortune teller”.  If quality readers act professionally and ethically, there is no reason we cannot redeem the dignity of this profession regardless of the title one chooses.

My name is Theresa.

I am a fortune-teller.

I read tarot cards.

I divine the future.

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Blessings!

Theresa

special thanks to taoxproductions for the image and help editing