Apollonia
Give me a break!
I would be appalled by this. So what service did she provide that was worthy of a fee--a place to sit? Why didn't she just hand you the cards and the book and go on a break? There's a big difference between using friends and family as guinea pigs for free readings when one is just starting out, and charging people for a service. When you charge for a service, by definition you are a professional, and I feel one's behavior should reflect that professionalism.
Being a professional Tarotist involves more than reading canned text from a book, or even parroting memorized meanings; it involves relating cards to each other within the spread, and even back to a previous spread, having a feel for which meaning of a card is relevant in the situation, deciding whether a Court Card refers to an event, to the sitter, or to someone in the sitter's life, and, in my opinion, adding something extra that is unique to each reader, whether it be a knowledge of numerology, animal symbols, the Kabbala, or whatever else can add to the reading. Good grief, these people are paying the reader money they earned, and the reader should give something of value in return.
I would be appalled by this. So what service did she provide that was worthy of a fee--a place to sit? Why didn't she just hand you the cards and the book and go on a break? There's a big difference between using friends and family as guinea pigs for free readings when one is just starting out, and charging people for a service. When you charge for a service, by definition you are a professional, and I feel one's behavior should reflect that professionalism.
Being a professional Tarotist involves more than reading canned text from a book, or even parroting memorized meanings; it involves relating cards to each other within the spread, and even back to a previous spread, having a feel for which meaning of a card is relevant in the situation, deciding whether a Court Card refers to an event, to the sitter, or to someone in the sitter's life, and, in my opinion, adding something extra that is unique to each reader, whether it be a knowledge of numerology, animal symbols, the Kabbala, or whatever else can add to the reading. Good grief, these people are paying the reader money they earned, and the reader should give something of value in return.