There's The Truth....and The Truth

Did you ever see that episode of the Simpsons where Marge decides to become a real estate agent? Her career gets off to a rocky start when her honesty prevents her from selling a house. Back at the office, schmucky lawyer-turned-realtor Lionel Hutz berates Marge for being truthful and enlightens her on how to sell by bending the facts. “There’s the truth….” (he says in a dark tone with a scowl on his face as he shakes his head from side to side) “and the truth!” (said with a wide eyed disingenuous smile and a vigorous nod of the head).

I started thinking about that episode after recently reading a thought provoking post by Bonnie Cehovet called “Tell It Like It Is” where she discusses how a bluntly honest tarot reading could be harmful to a client. Bonnie made some excellent points but this article raised a few questions for me. Could a frank reading ever be effective and helpful? Does a gentle approach serve every client and every situation?

How you deliver the information is important and a tarot reader must always be conscious of the client’s highest good. I’ve been doing tarot for a long time now and one thing I have discovered is this: a one size fits all delivery does not work. Each client is unique and each person needs a reading that speaks to them in a language that they understand.

As a parent, I’ve also learned some important lessons on giving advice and support. My children are opposites in temperament. My daughter is a sensitive but hard headed girl – with her, I had to be delicate yet know when to draw a line. My son on the other hand is a practical but spacey lad – humor worked well with him but I also had to make sure he was really listening to me. They’ve also been in situations where I’ve had to be alternately hands off, in your face, hyper sensitive, brutally honest or simply present.

The difference between raising a child and serving a client is this: I get to see the results of my advice close up with my children, which allows me to see how effective I am. In the case of a client, once they walk out that door, I have no idea of how the reading served them until I see them again, which could be years or in some cases, never.

A skilled reader needs to bring their intuition to the table before the client even sits down for the reading. They must assess their frame of mind and particular needs. This requires awareness and sensitivity towards the client’s disposition. For example, if someone seems really upset or mentally fragile, it may be time to go easy. However, if they are in a dangerous or illegal situation, this may require a more candid approach. Advice should be delivered in a way that is clear, helpful and empowering to the client.

And that advice must be adjusted for each person and each situation. Not everyone will appreciate the balls out truth – and not every person will want a sugar coated version. Some people may perceive a “tell it like it is” approach to be harsh. Others may feel a gentle reader may not be being 100% honest with them. It is up to us as tarot readers to bring awareness for the client’s needs and personality to the reading and not get hung up on which way is the “right” way to do a reading.

“Whenever you have truth it must be given with love, or the message and the messenger will be rejected.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Blessings!

Theresa