The Importance Of Being Honest? (Part One)

   Ah, disclaimers. All Tarot sites have them, and you should be wary of those who don't. "100% accuracy" is likely to be lawyer-speak for "universally vague". "Instant reply" is another way of saying "pre-written reading". Any site worth your time and money should state that nobody is perfectly accurate all of the time. The trouble is, a lot of these disclaimers can appear suspect, a way of the reader covering his or her butt when things don't go to plan. To an extent, perhaps it is.

  
   The main two run thus:

   1: Cannot guarantee one hundred per cent accurate

   Well, of course. On the one hand, if you're paying someone money for a service, you expect them to do the best job they can. And if a reader really is consistently godawful, they shouldn't get a penny. But it isn't an exact science. In a world where there is always a (thankfully slim) chance your surgeon will leave his watch inside you, to expect every Tarot reading you have to be perfectly accurate is just ludicrous.

   You have to find the balance between being too vague, and being too specific. If ever you want to see an example of this, check your daily horoscope, and wonder just how chillingly accurate such a sweeping statement can be. Since everyone in the world has money and relationship issues every damn day, to point this out, however eloquently, is NOT divination. Of course, the catch-22 is unless you're omnipotent, your details will trip you just as easily. Which is why most Tarot sites will tell you their readers deal with upcoming themes in your life, and simply cannot tell you the exact day you will win the lottery. For every reader over-claiming, there are so many querents over-expecting.

   2: Readings are for entertainment purposes only and are not intended to replace the advice of trained professionals

   They'd better be, because you're playing with fire when you tell a man to leave his wife, or a girl to give everything she has to be with her boyfriend. It may seem far fetched, but there are people out there who are lost. Often when a person requests a reading, they are in a delicate and sometimes desperate situation. It can be very easy to believe in someone who promises you all the answers. A professional reader should NEVER offer medical advice - with the exception of suggesting someone seek professional help if required - and should present you with choices, NOT dictate to you. Because no amount of divination is as effective as taking an active role in your own life. And from the reader's point of view, to be asked to take responsibility for someone else's life like that is horrifying.

   A lot of these rules, though they may seem like cop-outs on first glance, are there to protect both parties.

Next time: Part Two - Bad News