Whether a reader can provide an accurate Tarot reading via e mail is a subject of great debate. There are certainly people in every profession who will trick or con you, who only care about money and will say or do anything to get it. But there are also those who genuinely care about their clients, and provide a service because they want to help.
So let's ask the question: do e mail Tarot readings really work?
I'll explain my position on this, and then we'll look at the arguments for and against such readings.
You might expect that I would be biased. After all, click on 'Ordering a Reading' in the sidebar, and you will see that I provide this type of reading, as well as face-to-face ones. But I will level with you: I only ever intended to read the cards in person. In fact, my interest in remote reading began as an experiment between friends.
I had heard a lot about e mail readings, and was skeptical to say the least. So I contacted two friends I have down in London (I am in Wales, geography fans :) ), whom I have only met once in person. I told them that I had heard a lot about e mail readings, and didn't believe in them at all. And I had a proposition for them: I wanted to perform a reading for each of them, via e mail, and I needed honest feedback.
My intention was to expose the readers as hacks. I have a thirteen year history with Tarot, and saw these e mail readers as charlatans, frauds - adding to the already dubious credibility of my beloved cards.
I was not prepared at all for what actually happened.
Both friends had nothing but praise for my readings. In fact, one of them was so amazed that they started promoting me to their friends. Neither could believe the accuracy of the reading - needless to say, they asked whether I had used the standard card efinitions, or fudged the results a little based on what I knew of their characters.
I now read for people I have never met, and the reaction is always the same. "How did you know that? How did you DO that?"
Of course, I would say this, wouldn't I? So let's ask around, and see what other people have to say on the subject.
Against
People who believe that Tarot cannot be used in this way commonly cite the following reasons:
-The querent must physically touch the cards.
- It is impossible to make a connection with someone via e mail.
- There is no way for the querent to tell whether the reading is genuine.
There are plenty of reasons to be doubtful. So many premium rate phone lines, over priced and auto-generated e mail responses. So many computer programs that will simply select three random cards and give you a standard definition for each one.
For such a supposedly spiritual subject, there is a distinct lack of fiscal etiquette in the world of Tarot.
If you need evidence of this, try typing "are e mail Tarot readings fake?" into Google. When I did this, the first site tried three times to redirect me to a psychic reader and ask for money. The second thing I came to which bore any relevance at all to the subject was an article about how to tell real readings from fake ones. The article seemed genuine enough until I realised the author's main suggestion was to get a reading from the website to which he was affiliated. It seemed little more than an elaborate advertisement.
Some opinions gathered against e mail readings:
From answers.com:
"Question: Are online Tarot card readers fake?
Answer:Yes. There is no principle of divination (or magic in general) that would allow for the reader to be able to divine anything without some form of direct contact from you. In addition, most online tarot card readers use a software program that creates a randomized reading based off the standard descriptions of the card. The ONLY thing the tarot readers do in this case is change the wording slightly to suit the specific question."
In her article "Magic of The Tarot Reading", Sarah Saxon says:
"Tarot reading in recent years has become not only a foretelling tool but also an interactive program which can be found online. What one does is sign up using their email address, then provide their personal information such as their date of birth. The system then calculates their numerology number and gives a tarot of the day reading. This tarot reading can be accessed daily and once viewed, it can be sent to one's email for future reference.
The Internet has changed how business was done in the past. Awhile back, only psychics could perform tarot card reading but now any interested person can just sign up to a website that has a tarot query and input information that then gives back a reading of the day. A downside to this is that it reduces the credibility that traditional psychics once had."
The Middle ground:
When I reached KeriLynn Engel ( writer & web designer: Dreaming Iris Design, and the woman behind The Spiritual Skeptic) for comment, she had this to say:
"I think it depends on the goal of the reading. I don't believe that tarot cards or people have supernatural powers, so if the person receiving the reading is hoping for divine revelation via email, I think they'll be disappointed. But doing a reading for someone else via email to help brainstorm for ideas or problem-solving sounds like it would be a fun and even productive thing to do.
As for the morality of charging for such a service, I think that depends on the people involved. If the tarot reader pretends to have some magical insight or problem-solving ability and charges people for it, that's on their own conscience. One could debate whether or not the people being duped deserve it. If both parties are satisfied, who am I to judge?"
For
People who defend e mail readings often cite the following reasons:
- Universal energies connect us all, and are not limited by distance.
- Only the medium of delivery has changed: the practice of Tarot is the same as it ever was.
Any Tarot reader worth their salt will tell you that there is no right or wrong way to approach the cards. For every person who says that the querent must touch the cards, there is another who claims that nobody other than you should EVER touch them. For this reason, many readers feel that the skeptics' argument regarding the touching of the cards is completely invalid.
There is also an argument that by not having physical contact with the querent, the reader cannot partake in cold reading practises such as the reading of body language and gestures.
Amid the readers waiting to take your money in exchange for an auto-generated reading, there are plenty of people out there with honest intentions. It is unfortunate that such people are not always easy to find. It certainly seems, as stated by Sarah Saxon in the quote above, that a few rotten apples have spoiled the bunch. Tarot is certainly not met with universal reverence - the scam artists out there have ensured that any genuine attempt to read Tarot is met with at least a little cynicism, and in some cases outright scoffing.
The question, then, is whether to allow the reputation of a sincere reader to be tarished by the unscrupulous actions of others. Which poses a second question: how are you to tell when you are being scammed?
Be cautious of anyone who charges an extortionate amount, that's a given. But also, pay attention to the reading you recieve. Auto-generated responses often seem wooden, somehow, and devoid of personal allusions. Read it over. Could the reader be talking to anybody, or does it feel like he or she is talking specifically to you? Also, research the person if you can. Don't just accept the testimonials on a person's website. Keep your eye out for the complaints. All readers get it wrong sometimes - claims to the contrary are another thing to look out for - so complaints are inevitable, but common sense will tell you whether you should be taking notice.
From Tarot By Jeanne:
"Q: How can you do a Reading from a distance or through e-mail?
A: Because the human consciousness transcends time and space, tapping into the universal information does not need to be done with someone only in person. Psychics/Intuitives have the ability to tap into this information."
Theresa Reed was more than happy to get involved in the discussion, and pointed me to a blog she wrote on this very subject, where she had this to say:
"First of all, email is no different than any other sort of communication. Energy is energy and your vibrational blueprint comes through loud and clear via email. Sometimes even more so! The reason why is this: you actually have to sit and think about what you are asking...there are a few ways to make sure you get a clear answer. Here are some tips to consider should you decide to pursue the wisdom of the tarot electronically:
Make your question as clear and direct as possible. Avoid long, convoluted backstories. Do NOT use text abbreviations as some readers may not get what you are referring to. Write plainly.
A vague question will get a vague answer. Make your question as specific as possible. For example rather than asking “What about love?”, a better question would be: “What is the potential of a healthy relationship with Sheldon?”. This gives your reader something to work with and guarantees you get an answer that is helpful to your situation.
Don’t jam two separate questions into one. Sometimes people will play sneaky and try to find a way to get two questions for the price of one – hence, they’ll ask two unrelated questions and try to pass it off as one. Don’t do this. It muddies up the works and is really rude. If you have two situations you want advice on, then purchase two questions.
Include a picture of yourself or the people you are asking about along with birth dates. If I know a client, I can visualize them easily. If I don’t, a pictures gives me something to focus on while I read the question and shuffle. This helps the reader to make a link and is especially helpful for visually oriented persons like myself."
You can read the full blog Here
As you can see, opinion is most definitely divided. The best advice I can give anybody is to make up your own mind, research the subject. If you are skeptical, try it out - either get a reading from a recommended source, or try using the cards yourself. Do not rely solely on the opinions of others, and trust your intuition - be wary of frauds, but do not let too much doubt harden your heart.
I would like to end this article with a quote from Mary K Greer, who this afternoon provided me with the most balanced view of all. While not inclined to perform such readings herself, I found her live-and-let-live approach to them refreshing.
"I don't have a lot to say since I don't do tarot readings via email, and I prefer interacting with a querent, whether it's in person or on the phone/Skype/web conference room. Chat might also work although it would be tedious. But email is fine for those who like to do it."
