ethics – Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot

Your local weather

Instead of trying to stop the rain, open an umbrella

How is everyone doing?

I live in Allegheny County Pennsylvania, which has been in the news a little bit during the past couple of days if you follow the U.S. presidential election. I’m one of those by mail votes for each and every democrat you’ve been hearing about.

The actual weather has been very pleasant the past few days. Even for someone who likes rainy days as much as I do.

The energy environment has been a whole other story.

I like to think I usually have a pretty clear idea what is my internal emotional state and what is vibes from the external energy environment. I absolutely believe that kind of boundary awareness and boundary setting is important if you are going to work as a professional psychic of any type. Yesterday, the energy even kicked my black belt level boundary setting backside. Between my own fury at the thought of the fascist, racist, theocrats winning, and being in the bulls-eye of the racist, fascist, theocrats’ energetic fury that we might be the ‘democratic stronghold’ that would ‘steal the election’ from them. I’m not exaggerating when I called it a radioactive brew yesterday. It felt exactly that toxic. I can’t imagine how it must have felt to extra sensitive empaths.

Today is remarkably different. I’m biased, I’ll admit. After a lifetime, my patience has worn thin with that crowd. Maybe it is my biased optimism that the right side might win after all. It might be pride that my one little vote is one of hundreds of thousands making a difference. Maybe it is pride in my state and city. Maybe it is because I’m team Sheetz (Pennsylvanians know) Maybe it is the extra cup of coffee, but I actually feel like we are turning an energy corner.

This explains the coming storm images from the past couple of months. The virus is going to be bad this winter, and it is going to be a weird holiday season, but those are the outer bands of a passing hurricane if we get back to sanity and science.

So true to style (and profession) I pulled a card to see where the energy may be turning a corner TO.

The Nine of Cups is simple straightforward: calm the fuck down and enjoy the holidays. While I get it that is a message aimed right at me, if it feels right for you, it’s for you too. Nine of Cups is the Thanksgiving, family celebration, food and festivities THAT kind of tradition sort of card. So we can all take a deep breath, grab our jar of cinnamon and have at it.

So that’s the energy weather here at vote counting PA west. How are things with you? If you are outside of the U.S. (lucky you) how is the energy feel where you are? If you are inside the U.S. what is your sense of things? Feel free to comment about your ENERGY weather, not a political rant. If you post anything hateful or angry I will block you before you can say maga.

You may noticed that I staked out my turf, and defined my philosophical boundaries over there in the right column (and in the philosophy page of the “about” menu item.) That is nothing more or less than protecting the energy of this cyberspace. If those things offend you, I won’t be offended if you unfollow me. If you don’t mind (or hopefully agree with) these things, I hope we can work together. Tao is in the name because this place is about being true to nature and authenticity. That includes you too. It is important for you to be your authentic self. Everyone has the right and responsibility to protect their own energy boundaries from the general energy environment. At the same time it is not acceptable for anyone to force the shared general energy environment to change to fit their individual boundaries. Think of it as opening an umbrella, not trying to stop the rain.

Q&A: How do you know if a psychic is ethical?

This is one of the very first posts I wrote for Modern Oracle / Tarotbytes blog way back on March 31, 2009. I’ve made a few edits today for spelling and grammar. Oops!

Q: There are a lot of crooks out there. How can you tell if a psychic is for real or not?

A; This question more complicated than you might think. “Real” could mean a lot of things, but in this case they were talking about ethics. They wanted to know how to tell if a psychic really wants to help people or just make a bunch of money.

Good question. One everybody should ask before they pick up a phone or get online or drive to a “psychic”

We are all in this business for one reason or another. It is fair, legal and right to pay for an artistic service like a psychic/Tarot reading. It is no different than buying a ticket to a concert, or buying a book, admission to a museum, paying a therapist or donating to a minister for performing a wedding ceremony. In all of these cases you are paying for all the same things that a Tarot session or a psychic reading gives: entertainment, inspiration, personal enrichment, personal growth, insight…you get the idea. You are compensating the reader for the time they spend with you plus their years of experience and learning. Fair price for a fair service is, ahem, fair for everyone – the same as any other artist or counselor.

The key word here is fair. Honesty is hard to gauge outright. The hard truth is that there are a lot of people who use spirituality to trick gullible people out of large sums of money. It isn’t just psychics. Some churches arguably do the same thing. (2019 me: hell, we put a corrupt con man in the white house…it definitely isn’t just psychics!)

These are some of the positive traits I believe a good psychic should have:

HONESTY: An ethical psychic will tell you what intuitive work can and can not do. No one person has all the answers for everything. I never take medical or pregnancy questions. You should handle those with a doctor. No one is “100% accurate”. Phrases like “100% accurate” or “guaranteed results” always make me run, not walk, in the opposite direction. If it sounds to good to be true…it probably isn’t true. To guarantee results is to rob you of your freedom and free will. Even if it were possible, it would be wrong to do. An ethical psychic will give you a realistic idea of what to expect from a reading, and respect your choices about the information they give.

CLARITY: Does the psychic make the information understandable to you? Is the reading helpful? Can you USE it to make better decisions or make better sense out of your concerns? Psychic readings aren’t any good to anybody if they make no sense. This is why the next point is so important. If something isn’t clear to you or you don’t understand it, ask them to clarify.

WILLINGNESS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS: Sometimes it is hard to put the nonverbal images and impressions we receive into words. That is where the real skill of a psychic lies. We all have intuition and ‘psychic’ ability. The real “gift” is in being able to communicate the information in an understandable, helpful way. If you are in a reading, and you don’t understand what is being said, ask. If you are working with an e-mail reading…send a follow up question (but not a dozen – be fair to the reader) Someone who really wants to help will be willing rephrase and make an effort to make the reading understandable to you. Don’t take what a psychic says at face value just because it sounds fancy, esoteric or educated. Ask them to use plain language. If they won’t or become angry or offended, you may want to re-think if this is the best psychic for you.

OPENNESS ABOUT PRICES AND BUSINESS POLICIES: The reality is, whether the psychic approaches the readings as counseling, spiritual guidance, entertainment or what have you – it is still a business. Especially if that is their sole livelihood. Prices, policies about returns, scheduling, cancellations all should be as clear and up-front as with any other professional practice. By the same token, it is important for you to know and respect their guidelines and disclaimers as well.

PROFESSIONALISM AND COURTESY: In my opinion, Psychic and Tarot work is all about helping people. I give Tarot the same level of professionalism and ethics that I gave patients when I worked in mainstream medicine, and that I give my Natural Health clients now. More often than not, if someone seeks out a psychic reading it is because they have some very real problem. Often they are emotionally upset and more vulnerable than they usually are. Some psychics exploit that vulnerability, but the majority seek to help and heal it. An ethical psychic will not take advantage of a situation like that. A reading should never make you feel more vulnerable. If you feel intimidated, taken advantage of or belittled in any way, that should be a warning sign to you.

RESPECT FOR YOUR DECISIONS AND BELIEFS: You should be the one to decide when, if ever, you go back for a reading. Getting too many readings in too short of a time can get confusing and ultimately do more harm than good. Intuitive readings shouldn’t ask that you believe certain things or not. Skepticism will not scare away or block “spirits” and lack of ‘believing” won’t keep you from getting a good reading. You should feel as if you are being treated with dignity and respect…not blamed if a reading doesn’t go well.

UNETHICAL OR MIS-MATCHED?:

If you don’t feel comfortable with a psychic it doesn’t automatically mean they are doing anything unethical or illegal. Just like doctors and ministers, we all have our own specialties, our own styles, and our own belief systems.

For example, some people love to go to dramatic, flamboyant psychics – it makes the reading more interesting and fun. Some people need the extra drama to ‘believe’ and let themselves be helped by the reading experience. Other people like a more practical style. My goal is to be the “no drama”, calm, reassuring type of psychic.

Different kinds of problems need different kinds of psychics. Some psychics work very well with medical concerns ( like the Carolyn Myss and Edgar Cayce, for example). The same is true with bereavement, or issues of life after death. Some are mediums and connect with crossed loved ones very easily, while it happens less often for others psychics.

DOES THE PSYCHIC HAVE STRUCTURED GUIDELINES?

This is a tricky one. Just because a psychic doesn’t share YOUR particular beliefs doesn’t mean they are unethical or criminal. (looking at you evangelicals) The key is if they have some sense of ethics. Usually the easiest way to see that is their business practices and disclaimers. If they have it together enough to write those, they have it together enough to treat you fairly.

(2019 me: In my practice, the guidelines go both ways. It keeps us all safe. When we both know what to expect, then giving you a good reading takes top priority. I expect my clients to treat me with the same respect I give them and reserve the right to terminate any session or appointment for inappropriate comments or behavior. If either of us need to cancel or reschedule, it isn’t a big deal, but we should give the other person notice…that sort of thing)

As for negative traits….

Here are some things about psychic readings that make me uncomfortable. I wouldn’t feel comfortable with a psychic that shows these things. Most of the ones I’ve met fortunately don’t. It is your choice of course, but I suggest being on the lookout for:

claims of 100% accuracy
promises of a specific outcome: like “fixing your love life” or what have you
anger or agitation at questions
doesn’t let you take notes or make recordings of the reading for later reference
unclear pricing … free times, holding you online in a per-minute reading etc
demanding regular or “faithful” return visits or frequent readings
demanding that you believe certain things or the reading won’t “work”

IN THE END, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS FEEL BETTER AFTER A READING THAN YOU DID BEFORE THE READING STARTED. YOU SHOULD NEVER FEEL FRIGHTENED OR INTIMIDATED BY A READING.

Most of all, the best way to know if a particular psychic is a good match for you or not is to use your own intuition and street-smarts. If you feel like something is wrong, it is.

Auuugah! Abort! Abort! Abort!

I love science.

We’ll get into the superficial, seeming contradictions between Tarot, spirituality and science some other day. For now, Imma indulge my science loving geek girl side.

In the words of my all time favorite TV show, Mythbusters, “Failure is always an option.”

Only ideas that are confronted can ever change. The best way to challenge an idea is to kick the tires and take them out for a test drive. Also known as an experiment. Tarot, holistic health is based on experimentation and science. Ok, ok I can practically hear your eyes rolling out there. True enough, the 100% accurate predictions, promise to fix your love life, only see me and send money crowd doesn’t pass the smell test, scientific or otherwise. True enough, you can’t objectively measure and double blind control subjective things, but that hasn’t stopped psychology has it? Neither should we intuitive folk be cowed by science snobs. THINK about it. Tarot has been in use for problem solving, personal enrichment, stress management and defacto therapy for hundreds of years. That is a heckuva data set. Everyone and their uncle weighs in on Tarot etc. Those skilled in it write books and practice it, skeptics harpoon it (with and without reason) and charlatans exploit it, but it is clearly doing SOMETHING or people follow the empty promises so easily and they wouldn’t spend their hard earned money on it so consistently. The difference between the good the bad and the ugly falls to ethics. Science celebrates the ethic of honesty as much as we do.

Honesty meaning admitting you have failed. That’s always an option, remember? Not only is it an option, it is something to be celebrated. My favorite part of watching “Meet the Robinsons” with my daughter is when Lewis’ invention fails. Everyone cheers. Everyone is thrilled for him. “From failure you learn. From success, not so much”

So why am I opining about failure? Because I’m pulling the plug on the “Tarot Without a Net” series. It isn’t a failure as a Tarot exercise, but it is kind of a bust as far as being an interesting blog series for you to read. I encourage you to watch Phil Plait’s TED talk below. The first lesson of failure (even tiny ones like this) is admit them to move the larger body of knowledge forward. Admitting failures is an ethical imperative and an important part of science…and Tarot.