Frequently Asked Questions

I prefer not to think of Tarot reading as fortune-telling.

My style of reading is based on aiding my clients to create the future they desire, rather than simply telling them what is going to happen. This will naturally include letting you know if I see something that falls outside of your control if it has a bearing on the situation. However, I will always be more interested in the things you can control. This is about building the future, not merely predicting it.

There are certainly Tarot Readers who call themselves fortune-tellers and read cards for the purposes of divining the future. However, even these Readers tend to believe that the future is not fixed. These days, it is becoming increasingly common to use Tarot primarily as a means of helping people move forward by empowering them.

Think of it this way: even if you are currently heading towards a certain future, we have the power to change this outcome just by laying the cards on the table and engaging with them. This is the true purpose of Tarot. You are never helpless when it comes to the direction of your life.

It depends on what you understand the word 'psychic' to mean.

Many Readers dislike this term because it has gathered so many negative connotations over the years. It is often associated with fraudulent or manipulative practices. Some people go the other way and assume that psychics are miracles-workers who can tell everything they're thinking. It can be an equally problematic term for the most credulous and sceptical. As a result, it is often misunderstood.

My personal belief is that being psychic is not a supernatural ability, but a natural extension of intuition, empathy, and sensory perceptiveness. This means it can be taught and learned. Of course, some people have more of an innate 'knack' for it. However, we arguably all can develop ‘the sight’ through practice and training. When one practises, one can develop an uncanny lucidity and ability to perceive things which are personal and private. Others often mistake this ability to be supernatural. It is not.

It is important to know that I will have questions for you during our session, as well as the other way round. Just because I have certain skills, it does not mean I can tell exactly what you are thinking or work miracles.

No, you don't.

In my experience, Tarot readings can work just as well for atheists and spiritual sceptics. In fact, I often find that such people make excellent clients, provided their rationalism is paired with a good level of openness and self-awareness.

It can certainly aid the reading if you are not completely closed to spiritual ideas. However, the idea of the ‘spiritual’ is vastly different depending on who you are talking to. To many, it is simply living under a set of moral principles that allow humans to live in harmony. There certainly doesn’t need to be anything ‘woo’ about it.

The most important thing is a sense of openness. In my experience, so-called ‘spiritual’ people can be just as closed-minded about certain things as people who have no spiritual beliefs. Everything is relative. If you do have particular beliefs, or are strict about your lack of beliefs, please let me know at the outset and I will avoid terminology that is likely to make you uncomfortable.

I deliver all my readings either face-to-face or via Zoom. If it's your first time booking with me and would like a face-to-face reading, I may request a quick phone call before your reading.

When held in-person, readings are held at my home address in South-East London.

If you are coming to my house (where I do all my face-to-face readings), we will use the living room/dining table area for the reading. It is a warm, calming space; I like to set up my table with candles and play ambient music softly. When you first arrive, I will offer you a drink and we’ll get settled in. Then we'll follow the reading format outlined below.

First, we’ll have a brief chat about what you’d like guidance on. We will either agree an exact question to ask or an approach for a general reading. (You would have filled in an online form beforehand, which will help with this.)

Then I will choose a spread (a structured layout of cards) based on what we have decided to discuss. Before I begin reading, I may conduct a very short meditation for us to make sure we are both feeling calm and centred. Then we will begin the reading.

I will shuffle the cards, lay them out in the chosen spread, and start talking through the cards. I will probably do most of the talking at first, though I may ask you questions. You will also have opportunities to talk and ask questions. As we do this, the reading will deepen.

At the end, I will summarise everything we have discussed and any guidance the cards have imparted, and draw an Oracle card if there is time. (This will give us further consolidation for the reading.) Then you will have an opportunity to ask any last questions.

Whether online or face-to-face, I do my utmost to make my clients feel safe and comfortable. You are, however, of course free to stop the reading at any time. Everything that is said during our session is completely confidential – please see my Terms & Conditions.

There are certainly a few darker images in the Tarot, but to call these cards ‘bad’ is to misunderstand them entirely.

For too long in the west, we have equated darkness with ‘bad’ and ‘evil’. The darkness can be a protective cloak to wrap around us, a recuperative space, the fertile compost to seed something new. In fact, it is from engaging with these shadow cards, as I call them, that we often have the biggest personal epiphanies.

Each shadow card has a kernel of light at its heart. In a similar way, the traditionally positive cards have their dark underbelly. No card is either fully good or bad. This is what makes Tarot so subtle and powerful.

If you look up ‘bad’ Tarot cards on Google, webpages will mention Death, The Devil, The Tower, the 5 of Pentacles, the 10 of Swords, etc. Some will paint these cards in a negative light and make their meanings sound awful. The images may look a bit disturbing, but I assure you that their true meanings are more nuanced.

Context is everything. The Tower will change its meaning dramatically depending on the question and the cards surrounding it. This subtlety never comes across on webpages and books explaining card meanings. At the heart of every card, no matter how dark it appears on the surface, is a message of grace. Together we will find it.

There are not many areas that Tarot can't help with.

The most common questions generally concern career and romantic relationships – unsurprising given how much these areas affect our lives. However, I have helped artists who are creatively blocked and mothers who are at loggerheads with their children. I have done readings for people trying to find out what their exact spiritual calling is, and students wondering what to study for their PhD. Whether you’re looking to make new friends, move house, heal an emotional wound, or improve your health, the Tarot can help you.

A little caveat here: Tarot provides spiritual guidance. So, I can guarantee that it won’t be able to tell you exactly how and where to invest your life savings! It will, however, be able to give you some idea of how you can cultivate an investment mindset and healthy emotional relationship with money.

Likewise, the Tarot cannot tell you what exactly is causing your migraines or whether you’re getting arthritis. It can point to the emotional and spiritual reasons for health problems, however, and make helpful suggestions to deal with these factors (alongside the understanding, of course, that you will also be making time to see a qualified medical professional).

It is good to have a general idea of what you would like to explore, but you don't need to have a specific question.

If you would like to ask something specific but aren't sure how to word it, we can work on that together. Even if you are unsure of the exact area you would like to ask about, we can begin by doing a general reading and see what it reveals. General readings often serve as jumping-off points for specific issues.

Yes.

If it is your first reading with me, I suggest you begin by booking a 1-Hour Tarot Reading with me. We may make excellent progress during this session and cover everything you need. However, if it becomes apparent during the session that more work is needed, we can always book another one.

Yes. It is a good idea to select the reading type that will allow us enough time to answer them all, however.

If you have booked a 30-Minute Tarot Reading, for example, we may not have time to answer more than two questions. If you have a complex issue, it may be better to devote an entire session to that single question or book a 1-Hour Tarot Reading instead.

If you are unsure which type of session to choose, send me a message.

There are two types of question that are good to bring to a Tarot reading.

The first is an open question like: ‘How should I approach my job search in the next 6 months?’ The second is a yes/no question like: ‘Should I try online dating?’

Open questions are often favoured by Tarot Readers as they can garner rich results. Yes/no questions, however, in my experience, can be just as rich, and often profound.

My most important tip for phrasing questions is: ask about things you can control. Questions should also avoid limiting your options too much. For example, a question like ‘How can I become head of this department?’ could be rephrased to something more open, like: ‘What is the best next career step for me?’

If you’re unsure about how to phrase a question, I can help you during the session. Just have an idea of what you want to discuss.

Yes, Tarot can be extremely helpful in this regard.

If you are keen for actions steps and specific guidance, I can bear this in mind and tailor the reading accordingly. However, remember that Tarot will always provide the kind of guidance you need, not necessarily the kind you want. Maybe, for example, you want to decide between two options, but the truth is, it’s simply not the right time to decide because you don’t have enough information yet. If you need to do some more thinking and research before deciding what to do, the Tarot will tell you. And that is specific guidance.

I take all payments in advance, via a secure online payment system.

When you buy a Tarot reading, you will automatically be prompted to pay. Once you have paid, you will be sent a confirmation email. I will then be in touch within 24 hours (though usually much faster) to arrange an exact time and date for your reading.