A reading rainbow...
Jun. 3rd, 2004 01:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kukla_tko"Butterfly in the sky...
I can fly twice as high..."
I am doing Tarot Readings at SimuCon this weekend.
I am hoping that I am sufficiently decompressed to go to a new event and do card readings for strangers.
Fortunately, I can bedazzle with BS any time I please.
I have had some strange responses to my cards.
My performance group (and friends) made a costumed appearance at a bookstore to promote the release of the 5th Harry Potter book. I was dressed up as Professor McGonagall, and was weaving through the crowd checking up on everyone and making sure all the actors got food and drink, and breaks. The lady who was portraying Mademe Trelawney intended to do random "fortune telling" but got roped into running a booth of "palm reading" ("wanna get your palm red?" Paint it with a marker.)I had brought her a few props (a teacup, a crystal ball, some scarves, and my mini Rider-Waite deck)I stepped in to relieve her when I saw that she had about a dozen people in line and looked very tired. She thanked me profusely, and I worked the crowd. Simple, three card spreads, or "genuine" palmistry. I worked and worked. They tell me I worked that crowd for over an hour, and the line started really growing (up to 45-50 people at one point) once I started reading. I was fast, effective and right on target. (Simpler is better.) Little did I know that I had drawn a crowd behind me, of my own actors. Trelawney was astonished. She had never really seen me read cards before and was really impressed. I think I probably did nothing but read for people for about two and a half hours. On a whim, mind you. Its a shame that we weren't collecting tips...
I once had a guy at a coffeehouse try to get me on "the right path" and wanted to warn me that I was "being deceived" by my cards. He was an earnest, if misguided Jesus Freak. Gotta admit, though, he was better at it than most, and the energy I got off of him was genuine. Real follower of Christ, just a little overzealous. I patted his hand, and gave him my Christian Handshake and Beatific Smile. I explained to him that I wasn't being led astray, I was playing a game and helping people. Doesn't God speak through people when He chooses to?
Which brings me to my point. What do I think I am doing with my Tarot Cards?
The cards themselves are props. Random pieces of art. When you sit opposite me, and I get a chance to "read" you, it is really not about what the cards "say." I am a natural "cold-reader" and I can pick up very subtle and important things from your body language, attitude and tone of voice. I can tell if you are a skeptic or a believer by how you meet my gaze, or if you meet my gaze. I have you shuffle or cut the cards.
So, now that I have given you a chance to fiddle with my deck of cards and make yourself somewhat comfortable, I lay out my modified "celtic Cross" pattern.
I never pull "your" significator in advance. I let the first card down be your significator. I don't care if you think you are the High Priestess, I am going to let chance decide right now.
Now I have a set of images, and they provide context for each other. I take a minute to look at the whole picture, see what jumps out at me. I look at YOUR reaction to the pictures, and see what you are fixated on. I explain a little bit about the pattern, past present future.
And now, I tell you a story. I use the pictures to illustrate this story. When I see an emotional reaction, I elaborate. When I get "nothing" from you, I keep probing. I ask questions. And I listen carefully to the things you tell me.
The thing is, most "fortune telling" is nothing more than common sense and classic wisdom fed to you by someone not directly involved in your current life struggle. Sometimes all I have to tell you is that you can trust your heart, trust your instincts, and that YOU KNOW what you are supposed to do. I give permission for you to do that.
It's an absolution, really. The cards will sometimes tell people about their faults, I get to tell them that they are not alone and that they are still a good person. I get to tell the woman who is obsessed with her ex-boyfriend that she is damaging herself by doing so, but I get to do it in a way that might break through to her. I get to tell the depressed teenager that it will get better and that they are surrounded by people who will love and support him/her, and to let them. I get to tell the girl obsessed with whether she will find a boyfriend that she needs to focus on something else in her life, that having a boyfriend is not a goal or a prize.
So, I get to play with art, tell a story, listen to other people's problems, and give advice.
I freaking LOVE being an oracle.
I know where "the devil" is. I know about self-deception and vanity. I know about choosing the path to the quickest gain despite the cost to others. I know the definition of sin.
I am not doing anything that is an affront to God by helping people with my cards. I am not trying to play with larger powers and bend the universe to my will. At least, not by fortune telling. :)
Is what I do "real"? Am I a "real" psychic?
Define "real." I can get into people's heads, and give mystical experiences. I can give you the best flim-flam you ever saw. I am the gypsy fortune teller who sits in her patchwork tent of threadbare rich fabrics bedecked with cheap jewels; the one with the lightshow under the table which makes my Crystal ball glow and flicker. I am the one in the paint and the scarves with gigantic rings on my fingers, laying out my cards dramatically and putting on a show. I can be friendly, cheerful, solemn, or intimidating.
Because what you pay for is the show. I could travel the country doing thousands of "readings" for nothing, and probably help everyone, too.
But I wouldn't eat, or pay rent, or make my car payment.
So I put on a show, and people pay me for the show. They also get a significant experience out of it. I'm a real bargain.
I can fly twice as high..."
I am doing Tarot Readings at SimuCon this weekend.
I am hoping that I am sufficiently decompressed to go to a new event and do card readings for strangers.
Fortunately, I can bedazzle with BS any time I please.
I have had some strange responses to my cards.
My performance group (and friends) made a costumed appearance at a bookstore to promote the release of the 5th Harry Potter book. I was dressed up as Professor McGonagall, and was weaving through the crowd checking up on everyone and making sure all the actors got food and drink, and breaks. The lady who was portraying Mademe Trelawney intended to do random "fortune telling" but got roped into running a booth of "palm reading" ("wanna get your palm red?" Paint it with a marker.)I had brought her a few props (a teacup, a crystal ball, some scarves, and my mini Rider-Waite deck)I stepped in to relieve her when I saw that she had about a dozen people in line and looked very tired. She thanked me profusely, and I worked the crowd. Simple, three card spreads, or "genuine" palmistry. I worked and worked. They tell me I worked that crowd for over an hour, and the line started really growing (up to 45-50 people at one point) once I started reading. I was fast, effective and right on target. (Simpler is better.) Little did I know that I had drawn a crowd behind me, of my own actors. Trelawney was astonished. She had never really seen me read cards before and was really impressed. I think I probably did nothing but read for people for about two and a half hours. On a whim, mind you. Its a shame that we weren't collecting tips...
I once had a guy at a coffeehouse try to get me on "the right path" and wanted to warn me that I was "being deceived" by my cards. He was an earnest, if misguided Jesus Freak. Gotta admit, though, he was better at it than most, and the energy I got off of him was genuine. Real follower of Christ, just a little overzealous. I patted his hand, and gave him my Christian Handshake and Beatific Smile. I explained to him that I wasn't being led astray, I was playing a game and helping people. Doesn't God speak through people when He chooses to?
Which brings me to my point. What do I think I am doing with my Tarot Cards?
The cards themselves are props. Random pieces of art. When you sit opposite me, and I get a chance to "read" you, it is really not about what the cards "say." I am a natural "cold-reader" and I can pick up very subtle and important things from your body language, attitude and tone of voice. I can tell if you are a skeptic or a believer by how you meet my gaze, or if you meet my gaze. I have you shuffle or cut the cards.
So, now that I have given you a chance to fiddle with my deck of cards and make yourself somewhat comfortable, I lay out my modified "celtic Cross" pattern.
I never pull "your" significator in advance. I let the first card down be your significator. I don't care if you think you are the High Priestess, I am going to let chance decide right now.
Now I have a set of images, and they provide context for each other. I take a minute to look at the whole picture, see what jumps out at me. I look at YOUR reaction to the pictures, and see what you are fixated on. I explain a little bit about the pattern, past present future.
And now, I tell you a story. I use the pictures to illustrate this story. When I see an emotional reaction, I elaborate. When I get "nothing" from you, I keep probing. I ask questions. And I listen carefully to the things you tell me.
The thing is, most "fortune telling" is nothing more than common sense and classic wisdom fed to you by someone not directly involved in your current life struggle. Sometimes all I have to tell you is that you can trust your heart, trust your instincts, and that YOU KNOW what you are supposed to do. I give permission for you to do that.
It's an absolution, really. The cards will sometimes tell people about their faults, I get to tell them that they are not alone and that they are still a good person. I get to tell the woman who is obsessed with her ex-boyfriend that she is damaging herself by doing so, but I get to do it in a way that might break through to her. I get to tell the depressed teenager that it will get better and that they are surrounded by people who will love and support him/her, and to let them. I get to tell the girl obsessed with whether she will find a boyfriend that she needs to focus on something else in her life, that having a boyfriend is not a goal or a prize.
So, I get to play with art, tell a story, listen to other people's problems, and give advice.
I freaking LOVE being an oracle.
I know where "the devil" is. I know about self-deception and vanity. I know about choosing the path to the quickest gain despite the cost to others. I know the definition of sin.
I am not doing anything that is an affront to God by helping people with my cards. I am not trying to play with larger powers and bend the universe to my will. At least, not by fortune telling. :)
Is what I do "real"? Am I a "real" psychic?
Define "real." I can get into people's heads, and give mystical experiences. I can give you the best flim-flam you ever saw. I am the gypsy fortune teller who sits in her patchwork tent of threadbare rich fabrics bedecked with cheap jewels; the one with the lightshow under the table which makes my Crystal ball glow and flicker. I am the one in the paint and the scarves with gigantic rings on my fingers, laying out my cards dramatically and putting on a show. I can be friendly, cheerful, solemn, or intimidating.
Because what you pay for is the show. I could travel the country doing thousands of "readings" for nothing, and probably help everyone, too.
But I wouldn't eat, or pay rent, or make my car payment.
So I put on a show, and people pay me for the show. They also get a significant experience out of it. I'm a real bargain.
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readings.
Date: 2004-06-04 05:48 am (UTC)It's funny. I got a calling from the cards since a very young age. Perhaps before middle school, but I can't really remember, they sort of found me. Too intimidated by Rider-Waite, I initially read playing cards, derived from the minor arcana. A boyfriend later brought me my first deck the Hanson Roberts deck.
I never really cared to be all dressed up at such. While I agree that this was not necessarily the best marketing strategy. People still always voted with their feet, lining up.
I'll never forget the day I was at a coffeehouse reading for free. I had a very loud, rude naysayer that came up to the table while in the middle of a reading for someone else, who said,"What a crock, she's bilking you out of your money and wasting your time!." The person getting the reading was a complete stranger, stood up and asked, they naysayer, "Ok, why don't you sit down and see for yourself before going around and opening your mouth."
The naysayer sat down and I read for him about 10 min. The silence from him was unbelievable.
Another equally strange event was another free read. It was done for another person a friend of a friend. He really was just looking for amusement, but I had unusual clarity with the read. He at the time told me I was crazy and the items discussed were highly unlikely to occur.
A few months I got a call from him saying he was stunned. He said, "I can't believe it but you are the real deal, everything you said regarding my ex and the reading happened. I saw all the psychic crap on TV and such and thought everything was fake. I was wrong." He stated another friend was in deep need and wanted me to meet with her.
It's a great way to help people as long as your heart is pure. I worry about the ones who put up a show and keep people strung along. I hope to teach people to find their own answers, not to keep them dependent on me.
Purity of Heart
Date: 2004-06-04 07:03 am (UTC)I like to help people, and I am providing a service. I have found that my best Troupe fund-raisers are the ones where we sell services, rather than tangibles. I don't have the time, investment capital, or storage space to maintain an inventory. But I can keep a box with face paints and a few decks of cards.
I am working on an interactive experience/fortune telling project for Crystal Spiral. I will post about it sometime today.
Last night I was running HOT. My first reading turned into what
She never told me what I had given her, but we both knew when it happened and felt it very strongly. She hovered around my table making small talk and trying to come down enough to rejoin the con.
Guess I shouldn't bring out the big guns right out of the box like that, eh?
Counting the "warm up" for Allura, I did a total of 4 readings last night. Today I expect to do far more, as those people will have a chance to tell everyone that I am there and that I am good. I also read (for free) for a friend who was there. She is having some troubles, not all of which I am privy to, and was truly astonished at the reading. She reads cards, too, you know. And I used the Mini Rider-Waite, which meant that she was doing the reading in her head right away.
Once again, she got what she needed.
Painted one face, and that child is the kind I LOVE to get. Eager, excited, quite sure of what she wanted, willing to challenge me, and wanted every color I had to appear on her face. (Asked for a full-bodied Unicorn with a rainbow mane, and a butterfly of her own design.)Her mother kept vetoing her choices, at which point I would look up at her and say, "Actually, it's ok. I can do that, and I am happy to do so." I got tipped well, too. Fa la la...
Apparently this child (a brilliant negotiator) has been the terror of the face painting industry.
Bring them on.
Bwa ha ha.
Re: Purity of Heart
Date: 2004-06-04 10:50 am (UTC)You do an excellent job in your readings and you bear no resembelance to the ones I rail against.
You have probably spent a considerable time and expense learning to read. I know that I have. (Time is money!) Compensation is certainly ok by me. I would be the last to critique someone about making a little money doing this especially when we both give so much away for free.
I am more against the ones do like the doom and gloom readings that terrorize people unnecessarily, just to get a power trip. This is something you generally will never worry about because you have a good spirit, heart and tact.
Some times the cards do have some hard truths and honesty is imprortant otherwise one really is not helpful. Your last story proves that you can really tell someone not just what they want to hear but things they need to hear.
Re: Purity of Heart
Date: 2004-06-04 11:45 am (UTC)Have I told you lately how incredibly fabulous you are? You started with the cards earlier than I did (Although I have been "reading" playing cards for ages) and were one of my biggest inspirations to follow this path.
Your gift is eerie. But in a good way.
I hope you can come back into town soon. :)
Or perhaps I need to do a scouting mission for festivals and fairs in your area?
:)
Re: Purity of Heart
Date: 2004-06-04 12:28 pm (UTC)Until then I should be studying. I gave a up a trip to Greece/Olympics to do this certification. Once that is over, I'll have more free time.
I'm not sure the the festival circuit has out here but you and your friends are always welcome. We have a guest bed, 2 couches and a loveseat with plenty of floor space for crashing.
Once the house is more cleaned up hick0ry and I would like to have JenCon 1.
The house is gradually getting in more shape to entertain. We just bought a Weber grill and some inexpensive patio furniture. B has the kegatorator up and running. Due to a freak accident we have discovered he can also make sparkling sweet mead. Bring on summer! :)