Archive for February 13th, 2010

Certified Professional Tarot Reader: Does it matter?

Saturday, February 13th, 2010
Someone asked me today if being a certified pro tarot reader meant anything.  I said it didn’t mean much to me but it can mean a lot to the public which is why I got it in the first place.
Being certified is something I got for the public, to ease their concerns about booking an appointment with me.   It wasn’t something I got for myself.  If I thought certification didn’t matter to the general public, I wouldn’t have got it.

Pros

  • It showed I was serious about offering my services.  I’m certified under the name “Abella Arthur”.
  • I had to create a code of ethics.  So I had to re-think what I wanted and didn’t want to do at the time.
  • It showed that my peers believed I could read well, professionally.
  • It showed I had an understanding of tarot and how it works.
  • It showed I wanted to approach and ensure that the general public understood I wanted to do this great work in a professional manner .
  • It showed that I honoured the tarot community and was willing to work within the rules.

Cons

  • It doesn’t mean that I have revisited my code or that I follow it.  I do, but certification does not ensure this.
  • It doesn’t prove what type of experience I had or currently have.   Was / are the readings that I had to prove I did for friends and family or were they paid readi1ngs for strangers?  Sure, the certification requirements said I needed the readings to be of a quality that someone would pay for but that’s subjective.
  • There is no standard code.  It is by personal preference.  While I prefer that, there are no standards for the general public to rely on.
  • The certification shows where I was at the time.  As well as doing readings, I’m now an instructor and write about tarot yet I do not “currently” see the need to upgrade my status *officially*.  If I get certified, it won’t show that I’m any less or more of an instructor or tarot author.
  • Certification is not regulated*.  Anyone can certify anyone in Tarot or any other divination / psychic ability.  In fact, I certify readers through my school — Divine Class
  • It doesn’t show that I’m in good standing with the certifying body.
* Some governments require that a reader or psychic be licensed or certified; however, to my understanding they don’t go through any hoops or hurdles (except for paying for the license, etc.) to indicate they are accurate or abiding by professional standards of conduct and service.
There’s probably more pros and cons and I’m open to hearing them.  But at this time, No, I don’t think it matters if a reader is certified if someone is wanting to know if a reader is “accurate” and in the end, that’s what most seekers want (in a reading) — accuracy.  Certification does have its benefits but there is no ultimate security that a certified reader makes for a better reader.