Part Three of Getting To Know The Dragon Lady
21. How do you feel when you do readings?
That depends a lot on the reading that I am doing. Most of the time I feel a pleasant humming vibration when I connect with the cards. Some cards, like the New Orleans Voodoo deck caused more of an electric shock when I used them (maybe related to our voodoo roots, visable on one of our altars above). Some decks feel flat and lifeless, and those are next to impossible to read with, and go into a dreaded box of shame - where they sit until someone buys them or I give them away. There are also times that depending on the situaton we are reading about I may end up wiped out and need a nap - reading can be draining!
22. Do you charge money for your readings and services?
Of course I do. Much like you choose a lawyer who has training, experience and specialties so should you choose your reader that way. So I invest considerable time and money into classes, decks, professional association fees, webhosting, design services, local event booth fees, etc... in order to provide the best possible service to my clients. I find that when i give readings away for free that it devalues the experience that I bring to the table. That being said I DO donate a couple hours a week to read on the Free Tarot Network in order to stay busy and earn experience.
23. What question do you most often ask the deck (or ask on behalf of others)?
90-95% of the questions that I get involve relationships and when will so and so come back. Uggh, I love you guys, I really do - but I HATE these questions. It isn't that I don't like to help people with their relationship issues, it usually has more to do with trying to get them to understand that they need to focus on learning from the relationship issues what THEY can change or do different as oppossed to asking about the other person and their motivations.
24. How accurate do you believe that your readings are?
I'd like to believe that I am always accurate, but the truth is that I am a human being. I may interpret something slightly different from the next reader. Sometimes the client leaves out an important aspect that could totally change the direcion of a reading. And then every once in a while I run into an issue (usually when breaking in a new deck) where the connection isn't as strong yet. So in reality I would say that probably my accuracy rate is around 95%
25. What is the most dramatic or memorable reading that you ever did?
If you read the blog post about Lenormand and the loa, you got a peek at the reading that is the most memorable to me. It was one of those slap you in the face, do I have your attention now kind of reading that still makes the hair on my arm stand up to this day. There are often dramatic readings, especially when talking about relationships.
26. Have you ever regretted a particular reading?
I am not sure that regret is the right word. Sad might be the better phrase. I once did a reading for a client who was having issues with an ex. Her reading offered guidance into how to protect herself and move forward to find happiness. Sadly, when she followed the cards and found a man she was happy with her ex snapped and beat her almost to death. It wasn't the fault of myself or the cards - or even the client - but was still very unsettling for me.
27. Do you have a special time or place that you use your tarot?
No - I carry tarot cards with me all the time and fiddle with them throughout the day. And with 6 kids, three dogs and two cats the reality is that I do tarot whenever and wherever I have a few spare QUIET moments.
28. Does anyone that you know not agree with your tarot practices?
Heavens yes! Not only do I have some DEEPLY religious family members but we also moved from Vermont to an area that has more churches per square mile then any other place I know! There are those I know who tell me I am doing the devil's work, that I am going to hell, that I am corrupting people, etc... For me it was a good year before I "came out" in this town due to worries about reactions.
29. Do you have a tarot mentor?
Sort of. I have several AMAZING people that I can turn to for advice or to learn from. These include Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin, Donnaleigh de la Rose, etc. Facebook is actually a really amazing tool for making communication so much easier! Years ago when I started it was more snail mail for communication - these days I can shoot a quick FB message off to ask a question! It's awesome :-)
30. Do you practice any other forms of divination?
I utilize pendulums and runes on a regular basis with pretty good results. I have tried to do the whole crystal ball/scrying mirror thing - but frankly all I did was give myself a headache!
That depends a lot on the reading that I am doing. Most of the time I feel a pleasant humming vibration when I connect with the cards. Some cards, like the New Orleans Voodoo deck caused more of an electric shock when I used them (maybe related to our voodoo roots, visable on one of our altars above). Some decks feel flat and lifeless, and those are next to impossible to read with, and go into a dreaded box of shame - where they sit until someone buys them or I give them away. There are also times that depending on the situaton we are reading about I may end up wiped out and need a nap - reading can be draining!
22. Do you charge money for your readings and services?
Of course I do. Much like you choose a lawyer who has training, experience and specialties so should you choose your reader that way. So I invest considerable time and money into classes, decks, professional association fees, webhosting, design services, local event booth fees, etc... in order to provide the best possible service to my clients. I find that when i give readings away for free that it devalues the experience that I bring to the table. That being said I DO donate a couple hours a week to read on the Free Tarot Network in order to stay busy and earn experience.
23. What question do you most often ask the deck (or ask on behalf of others)?
90-95% of the questions that I get involve relationships and when will so and so come back. Uggh, I love you guys, I really do - but I HATE these questions. It isn't that I don't like to help people with their relationship issues, it usually has more to do with trying to get them to understand that they need to focus on learning from the relationship issues what THEY can change or do different as oppossed to asking about the other person and their motivations.
24. How accurate do you believe that your readings are?
I'd like to believe that I am always accurate, but the truth is that I am a human being. I may interpret something slightly different from the next reader. Sometimes the client leaves out an important aspect that could totally change the direcion of a reading. And then every once in a while I run into an issue (usually when breaking in a new deck) where the connection isn't as strong yet. So in reality I would say that probably my accuracy rate is around 95%
25. What is the most dramatic or memorable reading that you ever did?
If you read the blog post about Lenormand and the loa, you got a peek at the reading that is the most memorable to me. It was one of those slap you in the face, do I have your attention now kind of reading that still makes the hair on my arm stand up to this day. There are often dramatic readings, especially when talking about relationships.
26. Have you ever regretted a particular reading?
I am not sure that regret is the right word. Sad might be the better phrase. I once did a reading for a client who was having issues with an ex. Her reading offered guidance into how to protect herself and move forward to find happiness. Sadly, when she followed the cards and found a man she was happy with her ex snapped and beat her almost to death. It wasn't the fault of myself or the cards - or even the client - but was still very unsettling for me.
27. Do you have a special time or place that you use your tarot?
No - I carry tarot cards with me all the time and fiddle with them throughout the day. And with 6 kids, three dogs and two cats the reality is that I do tarot whenever and wherever I have a few spare QUIET moments.
28. Does anyone that you know not agree with your tarot practices?
Heavens yes! Not only do I have some DEEPLY religious family members but we also moved from Vermont to an area that has more churches per square mile then any other place I know! There are those I know who tell me I am doing the devil's work, that I am going to hell, that I am corrupting people, etc... For me it was a good year before I "came out" in this town due to worries about reactions.
29. Do you have a tarot mentor?
Sort of. I have several AMAZING people that I can turn to for advice or to learn from. These include Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin, Donnaleigh de la Rose, etc. Facebook is actually a really amazing tool for making communication so much easier! Years ago when I started it was more snail mail for communication - these days I can shoot a quick FB message off to ask a question! It's awesome :-)
30. Do you practice any other forms of divination?
I utilize pendulums and runes on a regular basis with pretty good results. I have tried to do the whole crystal ball/scrying mirror thing - but frankly all I did was give myself a headache!