Reading at a fair

ArcaneWisdom

Hello Forum! I was wondering what types of items or crystals all of you have on your table while reading at fairs or wherever you do readings. Why do you have these items with you?
 

SabrinaSpellman

I'm actually doing readings at a fair on Friday! I was planning to bring all 4 of my decks to the fair. I'm going to bring all of them because sometimes one deck would give me more details then the other deck and so I was going to see which deck works for the crowd.
I'm also going to wear my rose quartz necklace (of ourse I wear it all the time) but when I touch it and feel it around my neck, I find comfort in it.

That's about it, really :)
 

Rev_Vesta

This is so personal..... for me I normally would take my Selenite Candle holder (Angelic Connection) and Clear Quartz (Clarification and clearing the decks ) smokey quartz- clearing away other's energies......and Rose quartz- Unconditional love....... (just personal though).......
 

Wintersice

When I read at a fair, I take a nice table cover so my table will stand out from the others covered in the provided tablecloths and a stack of business cards. I also have a microphone that goes down to my laptop on a short stool under the table so I can burn a CD of their reading (if they choose to have it recorded for an extra charge).
If the area is large enough and it is allowed in the contract, I take my portable curtain stands so I can create "walls" between me and the next booths for added privacy and to reduce distractions.
I usually only take one "all-purpose" deck with me as I like a quick turnover and querents at fairs don't usually want to spend a lot of time having to decide between decks or being explained to why I chose which deck for their question. Most clients want to sit down, get their reading and move on to shop or go to a seminar, not have to make choices.
As far as decoration, I try to keep the table clear of clutter. I'll usually have a hurricane candle shell I poured or a stained glass look deep bowl with the little battery operated tealight in them (most venues have open fire rules per the fire marshall) and an amethyst geode or quartz point cluster in one corner with the business cards making a nice arrangement.
I stay away from incense or scented anything on my table. I'm sensitive to smells and their is usually enough other readers and vendors stinking the place up that I don't want to add to it. I usually leave with a headache from the sheer olfactory assault of sitting in a room with competing incenses.
I think simplicity is better when decorating your booth. Focus your client on the reading and not on trying not to knock over all your stuff on the table top.
 

Carla

I haven't done many public venues, but I usually just use a big purple cloth for the table and have my business cards out to take, with maybe one candle burning off to the side, if the table is big enough, and a few decks for the querents to choose from. I like to have all the decks with the Strength card turned up so they can pick the one they like the best. No crystals. My crystals are so small I'd surely lose them!
 

tarotbear

I have a 3-inch point that I wrap up with my deck - that is the only one I'd use. Incidentally - although what you do in a home reading is another subject, I would be leery of bringing anything small of value to a faire where it could get lost, broken, or even stolen. :eek:
 

starrystarrynight

I was fortunate enough to pick up a gauzy, sparkly purple-and-black fabric remnant for $3.00 awhile back that I use for a reading cloth. I bring a large and a small reading deck and use whichever fits the reading space best. That way, I also always have a back up in case something happens to the deck I'm using (spills, etc.) I keep the spare deck in my canvas tote, though. It's my choice of deck, and I use whatever I'm comfortable using at the moment.

The things I put on the table are mainly for ambience...a small crystal ball (sometimes two,) a candle or two--or an LED candle if fire laws prohibit open candle flames, a tip box if it's warranted by the type of event, my business cards set on a small art easel, a sign-up sheet and some fliers.

If the table is provided and is large, I have an easel just big enough to hold my 11x14 hand-painted "Tarot Reader" sign that I put right on the table; otherwise, I have a large floor easel that I set the sign on near the table. I don't like a lot of clutter, but I also think that a certain amount of "props" make the area cozier and "attract" clients.

I have been looking for a fifteen-minute hourglass for years (I've seen some expensive half-hour ones, but never a cheap 15-minute one that looks good! :))


As important: bring plenty of drinking water and some headache pills...also some gum or mints to refresh your mouth every once in awhile.
 

Carla

As important: bring plenty of drinking water and some headache pills...also some gum or mints to refresh your mouth every once in awhile.

Too right! Also, if you are having the readings booked ahead, don't forget to schedule breaks for yourself! I once did ten 20-min readings on the trot, with no breaks between. (My fault -- I forgot to schedule breaks!). Well, you could have carried me out of there on a stretcher. And I was only charging £10 each, stupidly. Be sure to schedule breaks, charge enough to make it worth your while, and, yes, the headache pills and water might just be needed. Also not a bad idea to have a box of tissues handy. You'll be surprised at the number of querents who burst into tears. I know I was!
 

Morwenna

It's been some years ago now, but I used to read at small local Renaissance fairs, and they were outdoors. I'd have some colorful table cover, 3 decks to choose from and my runesticks in case someone wanted that instead, a few little items (candle holder with unlit candle, 2 small crystal balls in stands, a little copper cauldron, a couple small pouches of tumbled stones and crystals that I've collected over the years, a couple of small sand-filled animals) which are decorative but also useful, because outdoors one often needs paperweights! They didn't have LED tealights then, but if they did I'd have had one; even if there were no fire regulations, who wants a lit candle outdoors where the wind can either whip the flames dangerously or else keep putting them out?

If I do it again I'm getting a darker tablecloth, and a few more interesting critters. And some LED tealights. :) I'd probably use different decks than I did then.

BTW, two of my fellow Tarot readers solved the paperweight problem in different ways: one had a sheet of clear heavy plastic which covered the layout; one who always used the same deck and the same layout had a spread cloth his wife made for him with little pockets in which to insert the top and bottom edges of the cards.
 

tarotbear

... one who always used the same deck and the same layout had a spread cloth his wife made for him with little pockets in which to insert the top and bottom edges of the cards.

I like that idea! Kind of like when people took paper photgraphs (What? Are they some other kind of digital?) and used those little paper corners to hold them onto the album pages. (Pages? What's a 'photo album'?) :D

One could also do that with pockets made of organza to slip the cards into ...