Keeping a record of readings

[KiMo]

Those that read for others, do you keep a record of the readings that you do? This only applies to where that's possible to do of course, e.g. readings done by email or video call. 

 

I have recently started to do readings for friends and family and real life events have started to reflect what came up in those readings. I'm fascinated to see this happening (obviously!) and have also noticed nuances and facets appear for certain card meanings. I'd love to keep a note of these observations as part of my learning journey but I'm second guessing myself as to whether keeping a record of readings done for others is overstepping a boundary.

 

I would always ask a querent if they're happy for me to keep a record, and would obviously keep any readings done strictly private, but I wanted to know if there are others that do this. I do keep a record of readings I do for myself, but I find reading for others a lot more enjoyable and rewarding...

[Chariot]

That's an interesting question, and one I've not actually engaged with yet.  I've only done readings for others for fun, in social settings (usually a little get together at my house) and have not ever kept track of the readings.

I don't know.  I actually might keep track, in case they come back to me with more questions at a later date.  It might be an easier thing to just take a photo of the layout, as a reminder, rather than to give a written account of the reading itself?

 

[Raggydoll]

For written readings, I will typically have a draft saved. I prefer to type out longer readings in a word document so I don’t make any accidental edits or deletions. But I don’t keep a record as such, and I don’t save personal info. My documents are filed under dates and initials or nicknames. It has been valuable to have these saved drafts because I have had former sitters tell me that they’ve lost their copy of the document and that they were sad about that. So being able to dig out a copy for them has been helpful. It seems as it’s not uncommon for people to refer back to readings even years after the fact. And I can understand why. I too value the readings others have done for me. 

[Mister]

Ho!

Good one.

I wish I had. Kept a record, that is.

It simply did not occur to me in the atmosphere following a reading, even though there were plenty of moments of musing thereafter.

Somehow I was more occupied with the reverberation of the questions dealt with in those cases.

Certainly too occupied to write a record, as it seems.

 

Considering ethics, I believe it to be fine to record any reading you did, precisely because you did the reading.

Which of those records could later be published is another matter and best discussed with your clients before execution, I assume.

Edited December 5, 2022 by Mister
ETA: I read face-to-face almost exclusively

[KiMo]

3 hours ago, Chariot said:

I actually might keep track, in case they come back to me with more questions at a later date.

Thank you @Chariot, yes this is another point that I thought about. It also ties in to what @Raggydoll said...

 

2 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

It has been valuable to have these saved drafts because I have had former sitters tell me that they’ve lost their copy of the document and that they were sad about that. So being able to dig out a copy for them has been helpful. It seems as it’s not uncommon for people to refer back to readings even years after the fact.

Absolutely, I know that if I'd had a reading and had lost the notes given to me, I'd be upset! Knowing that I could go back to the reader and ask them for another copy would be valuable. 

 

4 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

But I don’t keep a record as such, and I don’t save personal info. My documents are filed under dates and initials or nicknames.

I was considering the same, a photo of the cards and some notes on the reading but no personal details. I'd save them by date, and assigning initials only is a good way of keeping the record as anonymous as possible, that's a great idea.

 

1 hour ago, Mister said:

Somehow I was more occupied with the reverberation of the questions dealt with in those cases.

Certainly too occupied to write a record, as it seems.

 I can well imagine that face to face readings would be a whole different animal @Mister. I'd like to think that a photo like Chariot suggested and some quick notes would be possible when the reading was over, but in the heat of the moment, who knows?

[DanielJUK]

Well I am a tarot nerd so I kept a log of all my readings 😆

I work a lot better with writing out readings rather than doing them in the moment and "live". There is something automatic writing in style as I just write what comes to me in my readings. So most of my readings are done via that method. Back on our old tarot forum, I spent many hours working on a reading for someone and then just before posting, I lost it on the forum page or my browser crashed or something, I lost every word! 😠 . I was so annoyed that I decided I need to write drafts outside of the forum so that it was saved and I found digital journal software and started always saving my readings for myself, for others and done for me there. So the original intention of it was a saved backup but I find it really useful for many reasons.

 

Wow apparently my first readings in it were from back in 2014! I saved the readings I did but also didn't save personal identifying info like @Raggydoll. The readings for others are useful if they want them again but also I can really see how my reading ability and style has changed, it is SO much better now and I have confidence. It's a useful learning tool to see how you were doing your readings then. My ideas and views of the cards have evolved and changed. We are all always learning, I will probably have different views again in years to come. I also saved readings I did for myself, it's useful to see what happened next, how did they turn out in the end? I save readings done for me professionally as well, again it's useful to go back to them later. I do write notes on my reading, how accurate were they and how did they turn out? This is really my journaling for me.

 

It is a palaver to keep a record of your readings, I think you have to find a method that works well for you and motivates you or you won't do it. Digital journaling fits me perfectly.

[Eric13]

What @Raggydoll said is the sign of a true pro! I've never kept records of individual readings because when I read for others it was always in person or over the phone. When it was over the phone, I would send pictures of. the spread. I'm not bragging, (or maybe I am!) but I have a pretty good memory and I can recall individuals questions, spreads I did for them and the readings. I never thought of keeping any thing written/digital, but I think it makes good sense to do so in case of repeat sitters. And I don't anything wrong with you wanting to keep something for your private use to learn from. 

[FindYourSovereignty]

2 hours ago, DanielJUK said:

 

It is a palaver to keep a record of your readings, I think you have to find a method that works well for you and motivates you or you won't do it. Digital journaling fits me perfectly.

I agree and haven’t found what works for me yet. I hope I do soon.

[Mister]

10 hours ago, KiMo said:

I'd like to think that a photo like Chariot suggested and some quick notes would be possible when the reading was over

Actually, I think so too! It does not come across as something impossible to be done. It honestly seems easy enough.

 

10 hours ago, KiMo said:

but in the heat of the moment, who knows?

And that is the thing.

As it is a pain to get to where I am, we usually do several questions to cover anything what brought someone here. I call it a session.

You might have figured it out already: I do not refuse to deal with certain questions, which is why stress cooldown comes first for me.

Even if I can keep my mind to remain silent, the heart is another matter.

[Teemu]

As a newcomer and hobbyist, I do readings only for myself, and, rarely, online in a german esoteric forum.

 

I always make a photo with my phone and write down date, querent, question, deck and spread , along with my reading - in that order. Each session is stored in a separate TXT file.

 

OT: I have to be aware of the 'vultures' who jump on every opportunity for a free reading, asking the same thing all over again though never truly listening. We call it beratungsresistent 'immune to suggestions'. Every time I have to make a draw. I have a spreadsheet with every querent so far, and probability in the draw takes into account the number of earlier spreads I did for each of the querents. 😉 😇 😈

[Mister]

18 hours ago, KiMo said:

real life events have started to reflect what came up in those readings. I'm fascinated to see this happening (obviously!) and have also noticed nuances and facets appear for certain card meanings. I'd love to keep a note of these observations

Just wanted to point out, those observation-records are what makes the whole thing interesting (from my point of view, at least).

 

58 minutes ago, Teemu said:

I always make a photo with my phone and write down date, querent, question, deck and spread , along with my reading - in that order. Each session is stored in a separate TXT file.

It might well be a matter of developing the habit (to record layouts) early on - something I certainly did not.

However, it is fairly easy to imagine a number of cases where such records would come in handy, and so:

Everyone in the mood/with the aptitude/who's got a drive to do that; Go ahead and write those records!

 

I do doubt that there will be any problems, especially if kept private. Sharing upon consent should also work.

[dippingin]

I'm not ready to read for people but I'd imagine it would be great to record and look back months later. I think when doing a reading, I may be biased to be right so months later I can be more objective. Being objective in looking at interpretations is probably the best way of learning.

 

[Mister]

2 hours ago, dippingin said:

probably the best way of learning

Doesn't exist, at least not on a general level.

 

Speaking for an individual now: It does exist, and it is that ones job to figure out what works best for her.

 

It is not so much the methods used, they often enough bear some kind of similarity, it is more about the degree in which we incorporate one thing or the other.

A plain example, not to be taken directly, just to show the dynamic:

One reader might opt for sticking to the Golden Dawn meanings of cards (not similar to Waites, rather beeing the source for both Crowley and Waite) despite her having their own, perhaps even different, viewpoint about it. They feel more comfortable reading that way, and it works.

Another reader might simply throw the whole lot of GD-meanings out of the window, take that RWS-deck, a knife and an edding and put clothes on No. 17, scratch the backgroud of the 3 of swords away, along with the swords through the heart, and redraw the whole thing so that the background is sunny and the swords protect the heart. It will also work.

 

One person learns best through detachment, anotherone through immersion...

...and so on.

😉

[dippingin]

Yes I take your point mister. We all learn different ways. 

[KiMo]

On 12/6/2022 at 12:18 AM, DanielJUK said:

Well I am a tarot nerd so I kept a log of all my readings 😆

Ha! Well @DanielJUK, at the risk of sounding corny I've never been so drawn to anything as I am to the tarot. I just want to soak it all up like a sponge! It's exactly what you say about our relationship to the cards being an ever evolving journey. I'm so fascinated by this, both for myself and for those who may get a reading from me. Your suggestion of using digital journaling software is a really good one, and I guess there might be a version out there with password protection, making it even more secure? I'll do some research.

 

On 12/6/2022 at 12:33 AM, Eric13 said:

When it was over the phone, I would send pictures of. the spread.

Thank you @Eric13. I've made it a habit to take a photo of every spread I do, and I think if I were ever in the position of doing an in person or over the phone reading, a photo of the spread and some quick notes after the fact would be enough to help me remember. Even just some keywords or phrases would be really useful.

 

On 12/6/2022 at 10:48 AM, Teemu said:

Every time I have to make a draw. I have a spreadsheet with every querent so far, and probability in the draw takes into account the number of earlier spreads I did for each of the querents.

This is actually a very good point @Teemu, I guess that it would be good practice to stay vigilant of certain patterns forming in the way of repeated questions from querents...

 

On 12/6/2022 at 10:24 AM, Mister said:

stress cooldown comes first for me.

Even if I can keep my mind to remain silent, the heart is another matter.

I think this is actually something important to bear in mind @Mister... I'm always surprised at the fatigue that hits after a reading and I doubt I go anywhere near as in depth as you do. I guess what you then go on to say about forming a habit is key, if I know how a reading may affect me then I can be conscious of when to take the necessary notes. Multiple questions and spreads must be more challenging, but I'm nowhere near that stage yet.

 

Thank you for everyone's input, it's been really helpful!

[Mister]

2 hours ago, KiMo said:

forming a habit is key, if I know how a reading may affect me then I can be conscious of when to take the necessary notes.

There you said it. Despite not having formed said habit myself, the above feels doable.

 

2 hours ago, KiMo said:

I doubt I go anywhere near as in depth as you do.

Please do not.

 

To doubt either one, your skill or intuition, or the depth you may reach in reading, won't get you anywhere, as you may well know already.

It is still better to make mistakes and learn from them than to doubt yourself.

My impression is that depth hinges on the question/intent when getting the cards ready (get pack, shuffle, draw).

If the question, or a string of them, goes to the heart of the matter, the reading will most likely go deep/be felt as such.

 

Not sure the following is a good thing to say, but screw that:

I have been impressed by various readers over time, as well as authors.

What remained from all of it?

It ain't worth a dime if it ain't yours.

However grand of an impression someone makes on you (for being scholarly, for being brisk, being well-versed in the matter, connected to a kind of spirit, etc), however much one aspires to become some specific kind of reader, all dust.

Sticking to what is comfortable with yourself/feels reliable to you, whatever anyone else may have to say about it, has proven to hold true the most.

(note: "the most", not "at all times")

 

(comfortable needs definition here. the rucksack should contain everything you need while allowing you to walk nicely. as this is a mental picture, keep in mind that different people have a differing build, as such, one may feel comfortable with an amout of stuff anotherone would feel to be overloaded by)

 

And now, back on topic, here or elsewhere, I assume.

😉

[KiMo]

17 hours ago, Mister said:

To doubt either one, your skill or intuition, or the depth you may reach in reading, won't get you anywhere, as you may well know already.

It is still better to make mistakes and learn from them than to doubt yourself.

And right here is my biggest issue, I have a very bad habit of doubting myself when really, I shouldn't. I suppose, bringing it back to the record keeping, my observations would be both a way of validating when I get it right, and making it unambiguous when I get it wrong (and can therefore learn from it rather than let it become an abstract thing that I stew on).

 

Thank you for the reminders @Mister that my tools and methods are my own, and that they'll work for me if I hone them. It's really important that I hear that sometimes!

[Mister]

Well, what is left to say?

 

1 hour ago, KiMo said:

                                                         "My tools and methods are my own, and that they'll work for me if I hone them."

                                                                                                                                                                             -KiMo

 

😎