Lengthening readings

andromedastarseed

I've started to practice reading for clients (currently I'm not charging as I want the experience), but I'm noticing I'm having a hard time filling a 30 minute reading slot. I'm usually done within 15 minutes, 20 if I'm lucky and the client is chatty.

I guess my question is how do I lengthen my readings? Do I have them ask more questions and cast more spreads, or should I do a giant spread? Or am I putting too much pressure on myself?

Thanks in advance!
 

feminine_mystique

What kind of spread are you doing at present? I find 3 card spreads are usually 15 mins. I gointo detail and explain what each card represents and what they represent when they're together etc.. i find that helps the time go pretty nicely. You could always do a bigger spread. More in detail i guess.
 

kika_meow

I have the opposite problem, my readings are too long.

I go card by card first, I go by the spread position each card is in, I give different meanings to help the querent identify the card (for example if I get a court card I try first asking if he/she thinks is a person in his/her life, if it doesn't seem to fit I interpret it as an energy or a feature of the querent).

Then I go with the storytelling of the cards following the correspondence in between them, the distance, if one card is looking at the other or if there´s a card in between (if I see a king too far away I assume that king is not close to the querent or something like that).

Then I ask if there are questions and may pull more cards for clarifying.

Also, the spread you do is important. I tend to throw one spread of 11 cards for love, one for work/money, one for health and a general one. Although sometimes I do different spreads, depending on what the querent wants to talk about. My 11 card spread is: 3 cards representing the energies inside the querent, 3 cards representing the outside forces surrounding the situation, 3 cards representing the future and 2 cards as advice. This is the way I started and it has worked for me :)
 

Barleywine

In my professional readings, I offer either a 30-minute Celtic Cross spread or a 20-minute, 7-card "environmental development" spread. I had to tighten up on my approach to fit the CC into a half-hour because historically I've spent 45 minutes to an hour to thoroughly explore one. I usually spend a few minutes on preliminary chat on the front end and another few minutes on a summary at the end. In between, beside reading the individual cards as a narrative, I focus on any remarkable features in the spread, like an abundance or absence of any particular energy or influence, and reversals give me an opportunity to expand my interpretive palette as well. I always welcome my sitters to ask questions at any time during the reading, and some take me up on the standing offer. As you develop an "ear" for nuance in a reading, you will find many different avenues of inquiry to travel, and your problem will be "an embarrassment of riches" rather than a bare cupboard.
 

Elven

You could look at the time slot as a Tarot Session instead of just a reading.
You can fill that Session in with a number of things related to Tarot and to reading in general. This will help you fill that time slot if you happen to go under-time and have exhausted all the things you need to say from the reading.

Another suggestion is you could easily just include a 15 minute reading time slot, plus an additional 20 mins time slot, half hour, hour time slots into your reading style. You don't have to be rigid with the amount of time taken to do the reading but there are other things also you can incorporate into your readings to fill in the time.

To stretch out the Reading Session you could maybe -
* Do another reading with the same sitter with a different deck for another question or a clarifying card.
* If there's only a few minutes to fill in - draw a card from an angel deck and write down their Angel message so they can take it with them.
* Do some Yes and No questions over the cards with a pendulum
* Get them to scatter some Runes and ask them to choose one and give them a message before the session ends.
* Ask them to draw one tarot card from a fan of cards for something they can focus on from the reading after they leave.

Sometimes its OK to also get feedback from the clients.
They give great clues and suggestions too.
 

Elven

I just wanted to say that some Readers read quickly, and sometimes a Reader has nothing in the cards to really feed off for some clients. Some clients don't talk at all so you have to engage in one rather long monologue - this these things also can shorten the length of time of your readings.

Quick Readers also have a benefit in some circumstances. They are often very good when doing Expos and Fairs where there is more than one reader and there are many clients. Short time slots and readers who can read within the short time slots are a benefit at these gigs. They are easy to schedule for (if Readers are in an organized group), and no one is left waiting to get a reading because they are concise, direct and time conscious.

Its the 'quality' of the time that matters when the sitter is with you, not the 'amount' of time.

Keep the quicker reading skill you have and add to it with expanding your skills and your reading quality.

You may want to consider reading at places or events which support your own style.
XOX
 

Barleywine

You could look at the time slot as a Tarot Session instead of just a reading.
You can fill that Session in with a number of things related to Tarot and to reading in general. This will help you fill that time slot if you happen to go under-time and have exhausted all the things you need to say from the reading.

Another suggestion is you could easily just include a 15 minute reading time slot, plus an additional 20 mins time slot, half hour, hour time slots into your reading style. You don't have to be rigid with the amount of time taken to do the reading but there are other things also you can incorporate into your readings to fill in the time.

To stretch out the Reading Session you could maybe -
* Do another reading with the same sitter with a different deck for another question or a clarifying card.
* If there's only a few minutes to fill in - draw a card from an angel deck and write down their Angel message so they can take it with them.
* Do some Yes and No questions over the cards with a pendulum
* Get them to scatter some Runes and ask them to choose one and give them a message before the session ends.
* Ask them to draw one tarot card from a fan of cards for something they can focus on from the reading after they leave.

Sometimes its OK to also get feedback from the clients.
They give great clues and suggestions too.

This strikes a chord with me because I've been thinking of taking my Messenger Oracle along for reading sessions since it has such excellent advice phrases that could serve as a kind of "last word" that sitters can take away with them. If time permits, I would have them draw a single card for this purpose.
 

Elven

This strikes a chord with me because I've been thinking of taking my Messenger Oracle along for reading sessions since it has such excellent advice phrases that could serve as a kind of "last word" that sitters can take away with them. If time permits, I would have them draw a single card for this purpose.

Great idea! Oh, that is such a lovely deck to accompany a Tarot Session.
I love having something 'animals' at a reading table - Tarot or other
 

andromedastarseed

I've been using a 7 card horseshoe spread. Card 1 is the past, 2. Present 3. Future 4. Current feelings 5. Other's influence 6. Advice 7. Possible outcome

Maybe I'm not asking enough questions or talking enough?
 

andromedastarseed

I have the opposite problem, my readings are too long.



I go card by card first, I go by the spread position each card is in, I give different meanings to help the querent identify the card (for example if I get a court card I try first asking if he/she thinks is a person in his/her life, if it doesn't seem to fit I interpret it as an energy or a feature of the querent).



Then I go with the storytelling of the cards following the correspondence in between them, the distance, if one card is looking at the other or if there´s a card in between (if I see a king too far away I assume that king is not close to the querent or something like that).



Then I ask if there are questions and may pull more cards for clarifying.



Also, the spread you do is important. I tend to throw one spread of 11 cards for love, one for work/money, one for health and a general one. Although sometimes I do different spreads, depending on what the querent wants to talk about. My 11 card spread is: 3 cards representing the energies inside the querent, 3 cards representing the outside forces surrounding the situation, 3 cards representing the future and 2 cards as advice. This is the way I started and it has worked for me :)



Wow, what a cool idea. It's not that I don't know my cards, I just don't know how to talk about them.