The Bulls*** Detective, Part 2

Did you watch the last episode shown on BBC3 last week? The Detective investigated Tarot; unfortunately he did a bad job.

In case you missed it, let me recap for you what was said:

1. Three readers were invited to do a reading for the Detective; they all got it wrong, were 'fishing' or generalised. One even charged £200.
2. You can become a Tarot reader overnight. All you need to do is memorising some basic scripts and meanings.
3. You can easily set up a Tarot phone line and earn thousands of pound in a week. (I wish!!!)
4. Tarot readers are con artists, only interested in making as much money as possible.
5. Tarot is a load of bulls***t.

*sigh*

The whole thing was so terribly one-sided. Clearly, they did not bother to investigate Tarot on a more objective, open-minded level.

Let me offer you some counter arguments, in case the program made you doubt the benefits of Tarot:

1. There will always be less able readers out there. If you want to get in touch with a decent and ethical reader, visit TABI online (Tarot Association of the British Isles). I'm listed there, too. One of the readers on the program, Paul Hughes Barlow, is also a TABI member and published author. Strangely, his reading was never shown, nor did he get sufficient time on the program (he wrote to TABI in an e-mail that he was filmed for about an hour and a half; this time was cut down to 3 minutes. I wonder if he wasn't 'bad' enough for them...). Instead the program makers concentrated on the female reader, who did some poor fortune-telling, which was a complete disaster (if she was a member of TABI, I'd expect her to be expelled).
2. If you learn a script and do a reading, then you don't use the cards. In that case, you're not a Tarot reader. If you do that sort of thing, you intentionally deceive people. It takes many years of study to reach a professional level.
3. Setting up a Tarot phone line with a premium rate number costs a lot of money. This money needs to be invested before anyone even thinks about calling you. This also requires a good amount of Marketing investment. The programme complained about the £1.50 price tag per minute. This is the price I charge for my phone readings; 50% of that is taken by the company that maintains and markets my listing. The net pay I earn covers for the time I'm on the phone to my client as well as additional time I spend either preparing the reading (in case of appointments made in advance) or recapping the phone reading in an e-mail message afterwards, so my clients will not forget the important bits that were said. (You can find out more about my phone reading service here)
4. In the program, all Tarot readers were placed into one box with the label 'con-artists' - hypocritical for a presenter, who complained about the readers coming out with 'general statements'. You will find bad apples in any profession - remember the hairdressers, who weren't qualified yet still opened up salons and ruined some people's hair and scalp, scarring them for life? Remember racist policemen, corrupt politicians etc. I'm sure you can think of many more examples.
5. If you feel that Tarot is a load of rubbish, then you are welcome to your opinion. However, it doesn't mean that you are right. Is religion a load of rubbish? Spirituality? Meditation? Aromatherapy? Crystal healing? In pursuit of happiness and contentment, one thing works for one person but not for the other. In order to form an opinion and perhaps dismiss something completely, you need to explore the subject in question from all angles. And it will always be difficult to write something off that can never be scientifically proven. Why not include some people on the program, who had Tarot readings, which transformed their lives in a positive way? If you have watched the program, you may doubt that these people exist, but they do!

Overall, shoddy journalism as shown in the Tarot feature on the Bulls***t Detective can be damaging for honest and competent readers, who are trying to take Tarot from a dubious fortune-telling device to the next level - that of personal development, self discovery and life guidance.

However, one positive aspect has emerged from the program: the necessity to regulate the industry. A start has already been made when TABI was created in 2001, an organisation, which is highly regarded in the Tarot community, not only by Tarot readers and students but also by clients, who are looking for insightful and empowering readings. TABI is going from strength to strength, but there is still a long way to go in terms of publicity and wider recognition.

Apart from that, on this occasion the Bulls***t Detective sadly can only be viewed 'for entertainment purposes only'!

Why not let me know what you think and post a comment? Do you agree or disagree? I'm looking forward to reading and publishing your views.

Best wishes,

Christiane

www.cosmictarot.co.uk