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I recently did a reading for a repeat client. "I looked up the cards after I left here the last time I visited you," she said, " and the meanings that you told me were not the meanings I found when I looked up the cards online." 

One of the reasons that people go to a reader -- and often pay good money to do so -- is because of the reader's experience. Anyone can get a deck of cards and do the readings themselves from the little white book that comes with the deck. How accurate is that going to be, though? Is the novice experienced enough to be able to intuit what the cards are saying? Is a beginner going to examine all aspects of the messages from the cards, or will they jump to the nearest conclusion and run with it?

Many of you will have seen the hot news that three girls have been found after having been missing for more than a decade. This in itself is newsworthy, but what grabbed me about this scenario is behind the scenes. Sylvia Browne, the TV psychic who appeared on the Montel Williams show, actually predicted in a psychic reading that one of the girls was dead. It poses the question that if a psychic as renowned as Sylvia can get it wrong, just who can you believe?

Sylvia Browne's website states that she charges $550 for a telephone psychic reading (1). Regarding the incident, Ms Browne says on her website, "I have been right more than wrong... Only God is right all the time..." (2). The social networking site Facebook is alive with comments about this, from those calling her a fake, to fans who are pledging support for her and saying that everyone gets it wrong sometimes. Fair point, but where does one draw the line between a mistake and a fraud?

We touched on how doubt affects a reading in the previous entry, and I want to go a bit deeper into this, because it really can make or break both the reading, and the reader / client relationship. People who do not experience Tarot readings or other forms of divination as part of their usual walk of life may not understand how it is that readers know what they know. 

One of the common ways that readings get jeopardized is when the client questions the reader's capability. I've been reading long enough that it doesn't bother me now, but I remember as a newbie this was a real hot button for me. I think it was because, at that time, I questioned myself. 

Here in central Illinois, the first days of spring have brought with them the heaviest snowfall of the year! It seems even Mother Nature has doubts about what is happening, and what is to happen next, as the Holly King and the Oak King battle it out for the season. Doubt is something that is just part of human nature, but it can truly thwart the energies during a psychic reading.

I often have clients ask me, "How do you know that?" The smartmouth in me wants to reply, "Because I'm psychic and you're paying me to see these things," but I do enjoy repeat clients! The truth is, we have to accept that what is screamingly obvious to us as a reader may be totally alien to the person for whom we are doing the reading. After all, if they knew the answers, they probably wouldn't be seeking them from us, would they?!

One of the most frustrating things that a professional reader can encounter is a client who expects them to do something that the reader does not know how to do. Just like any other trade, different readers work in different ways. Dr Phil and Dr Oz are both reputable doctors, but I wouldn't recommend going to Dr. Phil for open heart surgery!

It's very much the same with readers, too. I do not specialize in finding lost objects, and it is very frustrating when I get a client who wants to know where she put her engagement ring. This creates friction and tension, where, with a bit of forethought, it need not have happened.

At this time of year a lot of people have been asking me if they can purchase a gift voucher or some other way of getting a reading for a loved one as a holiday gift. The answer is yes! Most psychics and readers will gladly do readings for others as gifts. There are some pointers that need attention, though.

It's all well and good to want to go to a reader and see what he or she may have to share with you. However, you, as the client, have to have some very realistic ideas about what your reader can offer to you. Knowing what to expect from your reader can go a long way to the reading being an uplifting and satisfying experience.