When good cards go bad...

Typically I wake up to an inbox full of emails with questions, work orders, and a hefty number of "oh my God, I can't believe how spot on your predictions were--you said X would happen and now it is!!!"  I don't feel the need to make exorbitant claims about my abilities or services because my testimonials say it all and then some, but these excited affirmations do give me a warm and fuzzy feeling--unless I predicted something negative and that is what's happening--that just ticks me off!  But every now and then there comes a time in a professional card reader's life when the question must be asked, "Miss Bri, what the @#&* happened?  The cards we got are not describing the situation accurately AT ALL!"  Can the cards be wrong?  Can a reader be off?Being the perfectionist, micromanaging, anal retentive gal that I am--believe me, it bothers me more than you.  And its a darn good question because we all know that even the best readers sometimes give readings that are a little less than spot on.  In my 18+years of doing this professionally, here are the top reasons why a reading may not end up describing future events:

1. Readings describe events that occur in space and time.  Space and time are fluid concepts--they are dynamic and changing.  If you believe in a locked down fate or destiny with no chance of free will then I really don't understand why you are getting a reading.  Ergo, as time changes and space changes the future can also change.  A reader is taking a snapshot of what is happening now and using that information--as well as her intuition, spiritual gifts and guides, divination system, etc, etc to tell the client what will be happening.  But if the snapshot changes dramatically then the reading may be less than accurate.  A good example of this that's true to life is the following: girl calls me to get a reading for a reconciliation case.  She is brokenhearted that her guy has left her--will they get back together?  I read the cards, the cards say--yes, they have a good shot of getting back together.  A few weeks go by without work and then the girl calls again--she has found someone new, someone she is truly in love with and they reciprocate!  Yay! Guess who she's not getting back together with, despite a positive reading?

2.) Misinformation, lack of information, or miscommunication on the part of the client.  While you should be leery of any reader who demands that you "feed" them information, you should also be leery of any reader who just starts reading you, "cold" as it were.  A reader, especially one such as myself that does a lot of diagnostic reading, is going to need some basic background information.  If you forget to tell me that the love of your life is married with children when we talk then that might really change the outcome of the cards.  If you consciously misinform me then the only thing you are wasting is your money and my time.  Typically this is not a huge problem because there are tell-tale cards that can and do show up during a reading to let me know I am dealing with one of the situations described above, but it is known to happen occasionally.  In some cases it is perfectly legitimate too--you may not know that the object of your desire has a wife in a different country--but if they do and we don't know about it, it can effect the accuracy of the reading.

3.) The cards themselves.  Each card is layered with symbols, meaning, and possible explanations.  Interpreting cards is kind of like navigating through an enchanted forest--its beautiful and compelling but there are many paths of interpretation to choose from.  The best readings in my experience are the ones where the client and reader are working together to hone an ever clearer picture of what is happening and what will happen.  Sometimes the cards are interpreted one way and it can seem very "off" when events do transpire, but if you re-examine the cards that were pulled you can often make sense of how one interpretation may seem off, but another is spot on.  In short, my answer to questions like, "were the cards just wrong?" is almost always "no."  Its not because I'm a relativist--I'm not.  I believe in right and wrong and absolutes--however in the world of cartomancy its rarely as simple as the cards being wrong.

 

Deck 'Em

As always there are candle and ritual reports to write up and send out, but I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some ideas that have been stirring about in my brain.  It started several weeks ago when I started realizing that my role as a reader and ritualist for people has led me down some pretty awesome roads and that many of my long term clients have also become friends over time.  This in turn led me to reflect on the role of the professional reader and rootwork ritualist.  I was listening to last week's Hoodoo Rootwork Hour Radio Show hosted by miss cat and Dr. K and miss cat mentioned something in passing that really resonated with me.  She was talking about how the internet has changed the face of Hoodoo and of professional magic--and its true--I get to encounter and read for a number of people and I am different than workers of the past because more of my clients live outside of my town and state than those that do live around these parts--that's because of the world wide web.  However, cat also mentioned that with this broadened exposure we lose one of the primary functions of the old fashioned worker--these were people who were spiritual advisors and when they had a client who had no one else to turn to--no family, friends or churches, they knew they could go to their worker.  This is the nurturing part of our job--nowadays we may call it "client relations" but however you slice it, it has to do with how we nurture and nourish our clients.  I have a very personal relationship with each of my clients.  When I cut cards for someone I become invested in how they are going to receive the information I have to give them and what actions they will take after the reading is over.  I want each and everyone of my clients to lead the happy, fulfilled, beautiful life that he or she is meant to lead.  This goes beyond rootwork know-how--that is important--but an intimate connection between a client and her worker is as if not more important.  The intimate connection I have with each of my clients and the way that my long term clients become companions on this thrilling journey that is life is so meaningful and important to me.  I feel blessed to have such wonderful clients and I pray that each and everyone of you is blessed in turn!  

One of the cards from the Melissa Lenormand

These meandering thoughts then led me to consider the differences between my clients--just as you would consider the differences between your friends and this leads to a query that I get a lot--is there a specific type of reading or card deck that I recommend for specific clients?  My answer to this question has changed over time--at first I felt that I could read for anyone with the standard RWS and I can and have.

The Industry gold standard Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot
 

BUT, I have also come to feel that certain decks really do resonate with different people's energies.  I don't know if they necessarily make for a more accurate reading but the right deck can definitely make a different in how an individual hears the information that I have to impart to them.  The images, language, and associations surrounding each deck are unique and specific so it makes sense that different clients are going to have preferences.  I also find that I will have preferences for a client and want to read from a specific deck for their case.  If you have a connection to a reader or if you enjoy reading for yourself but you find that the readings are not as accurate or on point as you would wish them to be, then you may want to experience with different decks and see if you get more clarity.  Ask your reader what decks they use and if they have a deck that they might recommend especially for your case.

 

The Bohemian Gothic Tarot from Baba Studio