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Thanks for My Reading .. Now What?

We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T.S. Eliot

(Inspired by a previous WINGS newsletter article, and with special thanks to all my brilliant clients who’ve sparked this topic!)

I still remember one of the first “real” Psychic readings I ever got, long, long ago when I lived in Columbia, SC. My hands were shaking, and I couldn’t believe I had let my best friends talk me into it.

They knew there was a lot going on in my life, much of it seriously dark and scary. So they had made an appointment for me with Mary Green, a local psychic who was famous back in the day, thanks to her uncanny successes working with the city and state police.

At first it had seemed like a fun idea. But as soon as I entered her modest suburban home, I turned into a nervous wreck. I had no idea what might happen. Could she read my private thoughts? Would she predict my death?

She was not spooky or weird, very ordinary in fact. But her insights were so dead on, it was like she must have had a team of interns following me, reading my mail, tapping my phone, and interviewing everyone I’d ever known.

Of course, that was not the case, and now that I am making my own living in a similar way, I have to laugh at how I was the worst possible client. I even refused speak, except to say yes or no (partly to be recalcitrant, but also because I was terrified).

But luckily, Miss Mary (pronounced “Miss MAY-rih” of course!) was a thorough professional, and gave it to me straight up, no punches pulled. She also recorded our session, and you’d better believe I still have that cassette tape to this day.

It’s a good thing it was taped, because when I played it back later, I discovered I had missed a lot of what she’d told me.

I was so focused on the Big Intense Thing that had been on my mind, I scarcely heard the hopeful parts, or the quiet wisdom as to how I could extract myself from the suffering I was enduring.

So that is why I can very well relate to the natural nervousness and preoccupations some of my clients experience when they get a reading, and why they don’t always hear what the cards and I are saying.

Take a Day or Two to Process

I wish I could say that everyone walks out of my readings fired up with wisdom and total confidence that their questions are resolved and happily ever after has arrived.

But that would not be true.

I do promise to shed light on their matters of concern, and I almost always leave my querents with a “next right action” or two that will help them move out of stuck; or at least quiet the fears that can confuse or paralyze their inner guidance. But sometimes there are still a few shadowy little corners where insight didn’t reach (yet), or where there are still some unresolved questions.

Luckily, this is very natural, and ultimately will add to the juiciness of your reading. Because it is proof that your inner guidance is engaged and working on it.

For example, after our reading together has concluded, some of things that were unclear during the session can suddenly jump into focus.

I might pull, say, the Knight of Swords and will describe his or her influence on the querent’s situation. But they may be baffled. “I don’t know anyone that sounds like that. And it sure isn’t me!”

Only to have an email waiting the next morning, telling me that it dawned on them as soon as they got home exactly who that Knight of Swords was.

Many of my clients have told me that the puzzling parts reveal themselves in dreams after the reading, or else in those situations when we zone out and relax: knitting, taking a shower, driving, listening to music, stirring soup.

Those ongoing revelations, found at one’s own pace and ability to absorb, can be the best part of the experience.

Review Your Recording

Not all readers will agree with me, but I believe that Recording the session should be standard procedure. (Although, yes, there are times when, in matters of a very sensitive nature or even legal reasons, a client may decline, and that’s okay).

My experience with Miss Mary the psychic taught me how helpful and even surprising it can be to review the reading later.

After the querent has let the reading settle a bit, if they are still having difficulty putting it all together, the recording can offer invaluable information they might have missed before.

Notice that I suggest listening to the recording after letting some time pass. I know there are people who are already reviewing and dissecting each word of our meeting, before the snuffed candle on my table has stopped smouldering.

However, this is really a form of anxiety, which is unproductive and will more likely muddy the reading’s messages. Give Time a chance to lend its perspective and clarity.

Also, since my readings are intended to help you find your own power, you will almost never hear me tell you what to do (okay, yes, sometimes, I just can’t help it! I am human!!). Therefore, parsing out every nuance and phrasing in the recording, searching for The Answer is a recipe for frustration.

So this is another good reason to wait a bit, and give your own knowing some time to come into focus and guide you.

There is Still More to Come

In all my years, very few readings have completely ended after our time together was concluded, unless that was the will of the seeker.

In some cases, an insight may present itself almost immediately afterwards. Sometimes it will come weeks or months later.

At other times, the reading is just the beginning of a long, rich, fascinating journey of discovery, and the cards continue to reveal new layers of wisdom for years. (My first ever Tarot reading, given to me by a street reader in New Orleans, was like that).

The key is to be open and receptive. Trust the cards, and trust your innate ability to discern between what you are ready to know, and (sometimes) what you are not.

In situations where there are dramatic choices to be made, time pressures, or the need to “get it right,” fear can cause a kind of psychic clenching down. This, of course, closes us off to guidance.

On the other hand, if you’ve ever had a reading with me, you know that before we start, I always welcome your Guardians, Guides, and Allies – your “A” team of helpers and Inner Contacts.

Naturally, they are still with you long after your visit with me, and I believe that when you remain open to further insight, they are happy to augment the experience of the reading.

Serendipity, coincidence, and even gentle humor can present themselves as reminders of the cards’ messages. Be gratefully expectant that they will come, and pay attention when they do.

When All Else Still Fails

There still may be times when you feel you need follow-up information. That’s fine. I am happy to meet with you again, after you have given yourself a little breathing space, or a chance for things to change.

Please know that I don’t make it a practice to answer follow-up questions on the fly. For one thing, we are no longer in sacred, intentional space together.

And the minute you walk out my door or hang up the phone, the deck of your situation is reshuffled, new directions are in play, and shift is happening.

Of course, when people are in major transition, I am happy to schedule regular check-ins if desired. We can certainly discuss what might be a reasonable time for scheduling additional meetings, and I am delighted to talk again if we both feel it would be helpful.

(However — and every reader I know would agree — please don’t keep seeing me so you can ask the same question over and over and over. Especially if you have done nothing to change the situation.)

Time Is Your Ally, Not Your Enemy

Even when the situation you consulted the cards about seems to be disastrous, or hanging by a thread, the gifts of the Tarot will arrive in perfect timing.

The rush to force outcomes, or be afraid when we don’t know what is going to happen is very human, especially if we are already stressed out.

But getting a reading is one of the most powerful, beautiful ways I know of to re-calibrate your trust in yourself and in the right timing of the Universe.

A Tarot reading will help you to soften your need to be in control (when you aren’t), and to find the harmony that sings between your desires, and the desire of the Beloved One(s) that you are a part of.

May your every reading be blessed.

(Yes, I am currently accepting a very limited number of appointments. You can learn more about my practice, my fees, and my schedule here).

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Thanks for My Reading .. Now What?

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