Dear Julia:

I've been studying tarot for a few years, and have recently begun to do readings for close friends. My friends all tell me that I am very good at it, and that they find my readings helpful. They're encouraging me to branch out and do readings for others. Usually the cards just "shout" to me and I get intuitive messages as I do readings. Occasionally, however, I hit a block, and I don't seem to get anywhere with the reading. Sometimes these readings are more confusing or don't seem to really address the issue at hand. I don't know if there is a certain prayer or ritual I should do, or just what a "block" might mean. (I always pray over the cards and invite guides and angels to help and protect us on our journey.) I'm still fairly new at this, so I suppose these things are just part of the learning process, but I would very much appreciate your insights. Can you enlighten me a bit? I do enjoy tarot and would love to do readings on a regular basis for people. Thank you for your time.
- LeAnne

Dear LeAnne:

There are a number of key ingredients that go into a powerful, accurate, helpful psychic reading. If any of these are missing, the reading will fizzle.

First, it's great that you pray with every reading. This will do more than draw spiritual forces to help you; it will raise your vibration so you can access your psychic awareness. Praying or meditating before readings should shift you into an altered state of consciousness wherein you feel "dreamy" and are able to view situations from a higher perspective. At this level, everything takes on a deeper sense of meaning. Compassion, love and understanding flow. Peace blossoms within you. Insights and answers spring instantly into your awareness as soon as you ask a question. In this state of consciousness, reading feels easy and natural.

If we try to develop psychic abilities without concurrent personal spiritual development, we may get hit or miss results because we have a shaky foundation. It's essential to be fully engaged in living a spiritual life and expanding our consciousness via spiritual practices such as meditation, yoga, energy healing - whatever calls to us. This should be our primary aim, with psychic ability as a wonderful side effect. This approach will ensure a smooth journey through psychic waters. It will also raise our everyday spiritual vibration so that it's easier to shift into psychic mode.

Once we are on track in terms of our own spiritual and psychic development, there are a number of factors to consider in psychic reading work. First, there are limits to the use of divination tools, and for this reason, it's wise to develop a very strong, clear conscious connection with Spirit, whether "Spirit" to you is an abstract source of guidance or spirit guides in the form of distinct non-physical individuals. I recommend Spiritualist development circles for this purpose.

It's also important to set clear, conscious intentions. Dabbling is fine when we're just starting out, but when we want to move deeper, we should become very discriminating. Clear, focused intentions are essential because our intentions largely determine the quality of our experiences.

I recommend you establish an agreement with Spirit that you will do your very best for everyone who seeks your psychic help, and you will trust and honor the psychic impressions that are given to you. In return, Spirit will always be available to answer you in some way, even if that is just to tell you that something can not be known at this time. Ask Spirit that you only be given information that you should communicate to the one receiving the reading, and that your readings always prove fruitful, empowering, uplifting, healing and comforting.

Once you've established a solid foundation in the form of the ability to access a higher (psychic) state of consciousness, a strong relationship with Spirit, and very clear intentions for your psychic work, if you run into blocks or "draw a blank," here are some other issues to ponder.

First, how strongly does your querant desire guidance? General readings born of curiosity rarely yield powerful results. The power and focus of the querant's questions are the fuel for the reading; if there isn't much desire there, the reading will run out of gas. Playing around summons vague, wishy-washy energy from the Universe.

Also, does your querant really want the truth, or are they blind to all but what they hope to hear? It's wise to ask Spirit to only send you folks who will value and honor true guidance.

Sometimes when we draw a blank or hit a block in a reading, it's simply because the wrong question is being asked, and re-approaching the question can instantly shift things forward again. For example, if a woman asks you how she can make her ex-boyfriend come back to her, and this is either not possible or would not be a good thing for either one of them, you may draw a blank. At this point, it would be prudent to explore if this would be a wise thing to pursue, and more importantly, what she can do to move toward greater happiness in love in general.

There are also some things we aren't allowed to look into and some things we're just not meant to know for our own good. For example, I sometimes have clients ask me if a partner is having an affair, and it's not ethical to go there. I can, however, ask if my client can "trust" this person, and pretty much anything that directly relates to the person I'm reading for. I am sometimes asked when someone will die, and whether or not I am given an answer usually depends on the motivation for the question. If nothing positive will come from knowing an answer, then I won't be given one. Spirit will, however, address the deeper issue from which the question arose.

Asking if someone "should" do this or that may cause us to draw a blank. We have a lot of freedom to decide what we want in life - Spirit generally doesn't tell us what we "should" do. In such situations, it's more helpful to explore the various possibilities associated with the options on the table. It's also helpful to ask, "What is the highest path?" Do remember to allow your querants to determine their own questions, and stick to them. I don't poke my nose into folks' business beyond what they ask me to do.

Sometimes a reading will be going fine when your querant suddenly tries to block you. When you're accurately laying their deepest fears, dreams and secrets out on the table, they may feel nervous or exposed. At this point it's wise to stop and ask them if they'd like to continue. If so, have them ask fresh questions, for this will open them up again.

Above all, if you encounter a block, immediately ask Spirit for guidance on what to do next. Never push your way through it, for this either won't work because it will lower your vibration and disconnect you psychically, or it will lead to regrettable results. Instead, just pause, relax, breathe, smile, and turn your face heavenward. Affirm that whatever you need to do or know next will come to you. Expect divine guidance to flow, and act on the impressions or impulses you receive.

Trust is essential to the psychic reading process. Unfortunately, it's tricky to develop this level of trust without lots of experience. This is sort of a Catch-22. While it's wise to test Spirit, it's also very powerful to be able to trust your impressions. Sometimes we don't think we're getting anything, but in truth, we're just afraid to trust and acknowledge what we're getting. Often the weirdest, most unlikely perceptions prove the most amazing, powerful and accurate when we summon the courage to communicate them.

May you enjoy effortless communication with Spirit forevermore!

- Julia

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