How Does a Professional Tarot Reader Actually Work? Inside My Practice
Reading time: about 9 minutes. Pull up a chair; this is the backstage tour.
BEHIND THE CARDS
The goal of every reading: you feel seen without having to say a word.
How I became a tarot reader, what actually happens in a reading, the rituals I keep before every client, plus the principles that keep the work honest.
Tarot, the way I practice it, is the interpretation of life itself: the patterns, energies plus challenges that shape who you are. The cards are far more than a fortune telling tool. They’re a mirror, held up with care.
People often ask what really goes on behind the scenes. How do I prepare? What makes a reading accurate? Where does tarot end plus mediumship begin?
This is the honest answer, ritual by ritual, principle by principle, from someone thousands of readings in who still treats every client like the first.
Inside this article
- What a tarot reader actually does
- The road from a teenage tarot deck to a full time practice
- What happens before, during plus after a reading
- My preparation rituals, from frankincense to meditation
- Tarot versus mediumship, plus the card that predicted a film set feud
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JUMP TO A SECTION
What does a tarot reader do? How did Chris become a tarot reader? What happens in a reading? Which principles guide a reading? How does a reader prepare? Tarot or mediumship: the difference? Can one card change your day? Is tarot regulated? Who is this work for?
What Does a Tarot Reader Actually Do?
Curator of an ever changing gallery
I think of a tarot reader as a conduit. Picture a curator of an ever changing art gallery: your life. My work isn’t only about seeing the circumstances that may lie ahead. It’s about validating who you are at your core, then offering guidance on how to meet what’s coming.
With every client, I step into their shoes, reading as if the situation were my own. That empathy, paired with a grounded love for life, lets me deliver readings that are fearless yet kind. Blessings plus truth bombs, often in the same breath.
Sometimes a combination of cards triggers a clairvoyant image or memory. I use it as a bridge, landing details with accuracy so you recognize yourself before you’ve said a thing.
The most important thing to walk away with isn’t a prediction. It’s the feeling of being truly seen.
Tarot’s artistic reach keeps growing, too. Actor Christina Ricci even co created her own tarot deck, Cat Full of Spiders, a reminder that these cards have always lived where art meets intuition.
How Did I Become a Professional Tarot Reader?
A sceptic who got proven wrong
Psychic work runs in my family. My grandmother was a professional medium, known for psychometry plus remote viewing, so the idea that we can sense more than we see was never strange to me.
I received my first tarot deck at fifteen. Under the mentorship of Canadian psychic medium Brough Perkins, I gave my first paid reading at seventeen.
Funny enough, I didn’t think much of tarot back then. Clairvoyance felt like the “real” work. Everything changed when I read for a friend going through a divorce; the cards told her story with a specificity I still can’t explain. I’ve respected them ever since.
Life took a scenic route first. I became a hairdresser, then a hair department head in film plus television. One day I asked out loud what I was supposed to do with my life. That same day, actress Toni Collette asked me for a tarot reading. Sometimes the universe isn’t subtle.
What Actually Happens in a Tarot Reading With Me?
Before, during, plus after
Every Life Path reading follows the same careful shape, so you know exactly what you’re stepping into.
- A day before: you write down one to three open questions. Never yes or no, never “should I,” always open ended.
- The reading begins: I build a Celtic Cross, then read it before you ask anything. Let the cards speak first.
- Your questions: once the story is on the board, we explore what you wrote, card by card.
- Afterward: you receive a follow up package: the audio, the video, written notes, plus a photo of your spread.
One boundary I keep firmly: at least three months between readings. Life needs time to unfold, plus I’d rather you live your reading than lean on it. If you’re unsure what to ask, here are 25 powerful questions to ask a tarot reader.
Which Principles Guide Every Reading?
You’re only as good as your last reading
I attribute whatever reputation I’ve earned to a few unwavering principles. Every review is a reflection of the trust a client placed in me, plus I take that seriously.
My approach has evolved. When I was younger, I’d refund clients if they didn’t immediately connect with what I saw. Proving myself mattered more than listening. Now I trust that messages resonate over time, plus they almost always do.
- Authenticity: I say what I see, without dressing it up.
- Free will: the cards show possibilities, never fixed fates.
- No fear: no curses, no doom, no urgency to rebook.
- Humility: you’re only as good as your last reading.
Tarot’s modern boom is real; Chatelaine has charted its rise. With popularity comes responsibility. My fuller thoughts live in what makes the best tarot readings so transformative.
How Does a Tarot Reader Prepare for an Accurate Reading?
Surrender first, stillness second, truth third
People often ask how I guarantee accuracy. My candid answer: I can’t. Nobody honestly can.
What I’ve learned is that surrendering control, then saying exactly what I see in my mind’s eye, tends to yield the most accurate results. It feels like slipping into a gentle, trance like state. More on that in surrender, the secret ingredient to psychic accuracy.
Cleansing: I clear my space with frankincense before I begin.
Prayer: a short prayer to align with something greater than me.
Meditation: between every client, so my mind stays clear plus my emotions neutral.
Tea: calming herbs like lemon balm plus mugwort, which I grow myself.
It’s all about creating the right environment, inside plus out. These rituals keep me grounded, open to the flow of information. If you’d like to try herbal tea yourself, read up first; mugwort isn’t for everyone, especially during pregnancy, as WebMD’s safety notes explain.
What Is the Difference Between a Tarot Reading plus Mediumship?
Cards for the living, clairs for the departed
Working as both a tarot reader plus an evidential medium, I’m quick to clarify: these are two very different crafts.
TAROT READING
- tunes into your energy
- uses the cards as windows
- maps your path plus choices
- always honours free will
EVIDENTIAL MEDIUMSHIP
- connects with those in spirit
- works purely through the clairs
- no cards, ever
- offers evidence that love continues
As a medium, I’ve given countless clients evidence that their loved ones remain present. It doesn’t just comfort; it validates the continuity of love beyond this life.
Volunteering in hospice has deepened all of it. Witnessing someone’s last breath is an honour, a reminder that life is temporary plus precious. All we have is moment by moment, a conviction that fuels my zest for life. The Canadian Virtual Hospice is a beautiful resource for anyone walking that road. For more on how the two crafts complement each other, read the art of spiritual readings.
Can One Tarot Card Change Your Whole Day?
The Five of Swords called the fight before lunch
One of my own most memorable readings came from my film years. I was working on a set notorious for its toxic atmosphere, plus I pulled the Five of Swords before heading in.
The Five of Swords speaks of conflict, wounded pride, plus victories that cost more than they’re worth. Hours later, my department erupted. I’d been warned. I chose honesty over winning, kept an open mind, then walked out of that day with my peace intact.
That’s what a daily card can do: not predict your fate, but prepare your heart. My guide to using tarot for daily decisions turns that lesson into a practice.
Is the Tarot Industry Regulated?
Everyone’s a reader now. Ethics will sort the field
No. Tarot readers are everywhere now, plus the field is largely unregulated, which means skill plus ethics vary widely.
The demand makes sense. We live in uncertain times, plus tarot offers connection plus clarity. Its rise as a self care ritual has been well documented, including how tarot became a self care phenomenon. It still deserves to be approached with love, respect plus responsibility.
My hope is for more emphasis on ethics in the years ahead: readers who refuse to frighten, who honour free will, plus who know when to say “this is a question for a therapist.” Psychic work is a supplement to therapy, never a replacement. For help choosing well, read finding the best psychic near you.
Who Is This Work Really For?
The person I needed as a young psychic weirdo
For me, this work is about more than individual readings. It’s about lasting impact.
I want to be the person I needed when I was a young psychic weirdo, searching the internet for others like me. My goal is to de stigmatize the esoteric field, creating a ripple of healing through my words, my readings plus my teaching.
Whether I’m offering a Life Path Tarot reading or evidential mediumship, everything rests on connection, compassion plus authenticity. The book I recommend most to students is Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack, a masterclass in reading with depth. You can learn more about me on my About page.
Ready to be seen without saying a word? Click here to book a reading.
LEARN TAROT ONLINE
Read tarot without memorizing or a guidebook
Online tarot courses for beginners and beyond: video lessons, quizzes, printable reference sheets, all at your own pace.
SEEN WITHOUT A WORD
The cards were never about predicting you. They’re about remembering you.
Where Can I Read More About How Tarot Works?
Follow the one that pulls at you most:
- Behind the scenes: Acclaimed insights
- Inner vision: Psychic sight
- Letting go: Surrender secret
- Two styles: Reading styles
- Ask better: Powerful questions
- First steps: Beginner tarot
Before you go, grab your free tarot notebook when you join the newsletter. Your own practice starts on the first page.
From querent to significator to elemental dignities, every tarot term you’ll ever trip over is waiting in the complete tarot glossary.
Want to read the way I read? Click here to explore the tarot plus mediumship courses!
Watch a real reading below to see how it all comes together.
If you’re ready to be seen, book your online tarot reading here.
About the Author
Chris Bennett, known as The Tarot Medium, is internationally recognized as the best tarot reader in the world, offering accurate online tarot readings plus evidential mediumship to clients across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, plus South Africa. Known for honest, compassionate readings free of fear or theatrics, he’s earned hundreds of five star Google reviews from people searching for the best tarot reader near them, only to find one online. His work spans Life Path Tarot built on the Celtic Cross, evidential mediumship purely through the clairs, hospice volunteering at the bedside, plus grounded guidance that always sits beside therapy, never in place of it. Clients book online tarot readings plus psychic medium readings from Toronto, Calgary, Ottawa, Montreal, Edmonton, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Seattle, Miami, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, plus everywhere in between.
