Okay, on to today's topic: Why do readers use cards, candles or other tools when they do readings?

Some readers use Tarot cards, crystal balls, astrology, numerology, candles, crystals, muscle-testing, or other tools when they work with clients. Other readers don't need any tools and can just look at someone and read their energy. Readers who use tools say that the tools either help them access the client's energy and bring in fresh ideas and information, or that they don't really need the tools, but they like having them around. Crystals and candles enhance the setting for the reading. Tarot cards provide pretty pictures for everyone to examine. In addition, cards provide a bit of a barrier between the readers and the clients so that the readers can maintain their personal space. The cards can also provide a nice distraction from the intensity of the reading. Several readers told me that some individuals are afraid that the reader can read their mind and it scares the client. By using cards, it seems as if the information comes from the cards and is just being interpreted by the readers, instead of having the reader directly access a client's energy or information. This makes the client feel more comfortable.

Each psychic has a unique style of working. One way or another they will attempt to access a client's energy so it's important to relax and try to keep an open mind.

Here are some of the summarized, paraphrased, answers to: Why do you use cards or other tools when you do readings?

I use tools to improve my ability to access information

☼ I use crystals because of their strong, clear vibration. Depending on the person I am reading for, or where I am going to get data from, a certain crystal might align with their energy and I will know to bring that crystal with me. I also uses flower essences because they shift my energy into a state where I can more-easily hear, or receive, guidance.

☼ I use astrology charts to go back to the past and come forward to the future. Before I meet with someone, I have them fill out a form which asks about their birth date and time, and the birth dates and times of the people who are related to them. The astrology charts provide the technical answers. I try to look at the technical charts then paint a picture. This is my gift. I can read the charts and I can also get additional information.

☼ When I do a Tarot card reading, I do a general reading which includes work, life, relationships, and the house they came from. Then the client and I discuss their priorities, problems and goals; slowly we move towards those goals. I like to use the Tarot cards. I like the visual images, I like the stories. I am very visual.

☼ I like the cards because I have a trust issue. I like having the cards between me and the other person. I am a very emotional person and I cry. I like having the cards in between us so that I can stay out of it. I just say what comes to me.

In addition, the cards open up things. I see the cards, get ideas from the cards, and then things open up. I tell people what I see. I also get a feeling about it, an atmosphere. I am picking up the energy surrounding things. I will sometimes get flashes of something which mean nothing to me, but might mean something to someone else.

☼ I always have a candle lit because it brings helpful energy towards the reading. Like a flash light in the dark, it shines light where it's needed.

☼ I use numerology because it is a tool to get me to a certain point. First, middle and last names all have a strong impact on the individual. That's why we have those names. We choose our own names.

☼ I work with the One Brain system. This system uses muscle testing to understand what a person is experiencing. Muscle testing provides bio-feedback and information from the body. I don't know what someone's truth is, or their story, but their body knows it. Muscle testing is the body's validation of the person's own truth. I just touch their arm and I ask "yes" and "no" questions. I talk really fast so that their brain doesn't get in the way. I do a light touch and it is almost like a pendulum test. I ask the body how it signifies "yes" and "no" then I ask questions and allow the body to answer them. Their forearm provides biofeedback. In Chinese medicine this is known as pulse testing.

☼ I like candles because they draw spirits in and out. I think they help our thoughts go out into the Universe. I think they help me focus. I also like rocks and stones. Quartz crystals seem to channel energy.

I use tools to help both myself and the client

☼ I use Mah Jongg cards. I have done Tarot card readings and I have a collection of card decks. Decades ago, I started with the Tarot cards and I find that they have many layers of meaning and symbolism. When I started collecting cards, I found the Mah Jongg cards. I changed my focus to the Mah Jongg cards because they provide more-immediate information and that is what most people want. They reflect the here and now without going into a lot of esoteric information. I also have worked with the Akashic records.

☼ I typically read cards for people. They are called Shustah Divination and Meditation cards and they are similar to Tarot cards. Shustah Cards have the same philosophy as Tarot cards, but they are a different deck with different pictures and numbers. In order to read the cards, I have the person shuffle the deck so that their energy is in the cards. I work with energy. If they have a specific question, I ask them to focus on that question. If they want a more-general reading, I ask them to focus on their breath and relax so that they don't get nervous. Once they give the cards back to me, I spread several of them out in a crescent moon shape. Then I read the cards. The cards trigger something in me and they give the client something to look at. I also like having cards to look at. If I did a five-card spread, the client would be the center card, with half of their cards in the past, and half in the future. Then, it triggers a story or an event and I just have to tell the client whatever comes to me.

I use tools to help the client

☼ I really like stones. I had a teacher who told me that stones were atomic medicine; they worked with the energy of the atoms of the body. I like to make the setting look nice for the clients.

☼ I use Tarot cards for the person I am reading, not for me. People feel more comfortable if there is something they can look at. Or I can just open the calendar, lay it down, and read the calendar. However, when I just sit down and read people, it freaks people out because they don't have to say anything in order for me to read them. They can bring me somebody's name on a folded pieced of paper, or a photograph, and I can tell them about the person and about the things that have happened in that person's life without ever seeing the person, without having the person near me. People don't have a frame of reference for what I do. That's why I use the Tarot cards. People think that the cards are saying something, but they have no idea how much extra I am getting.

One of the difficult things when I do a reading is telling the difference between "spirit time" and "people time." There is no time over there and there is time here. In spirit time, "soon" could be anything from tomorrow until three months from now. With the Tarot cards, I can be very precise about time. The cards makes it easier for the person being read.

☼ Most people are frightened when you don't have a tool in front of you. That's why I always play with the numbers. It keeps them grounded and from thinking that I am reading their minds. I don't read minds, but I do pick up the vibrations of what is taking place.

☼ Before I go out to do a reading, I ask the crystals what I should bring today, then I pick what I like. I think it makes the client feel better. I don't use cards or numerology. I'm just out there on my own and if I have stones around me maybe clients think I am a little bit more legitimate.

☼ I place a quilted table runner on the table because it is soft on people. I like something soft on the table. It is as if I have set a place for the reading. I also put out a sacred holy card, with the drawing of a hand, which has a protective energy. I also put out a holy card of Mary and a holy card of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. These cards bring in the highest and best energy.

I also have Tarot cards, but I only pull them out when people ask for them or when Spirit tells me to use them. Some people need the cards for a distraction or as something to focus on. When I have read for someone several times, I don't want them to think that I am just remembering the things I told them at a previous reading, so I pull out the cards. The cards are impartial. I do my spread of the cards, I turn the tape recorder on, and I begin readings.

☼ I use sage. Native American sage and sweet grass are used for purification of the environment and the person. Sometimes, I use a drum or feathers.

☼ I use Tarot cards because the public likes cards. I can also work with stones which people have carried with them or held. I shuffle the cards until Spirit tells me to stop shuffling, then I interpret the cards the way Spirit wants me to interpret them - I just listen. The cards help organize the reading and the thoughts. I can also read shells and use a crystal ball. When I use the crystal ball, I see things in it. I get messages through the crystal ball. I can also do sand readings. I place my hand on the sand to get vibrations and then I sprinkle colored sand on top and do readings.

☼ Sometimes when I do a reading I use Tarot cards. I can use the cards but, because I am clairvoyant, I don't need to use them. The cards are a tool, but I don't know what half the cards mean! Even when I use the cards, I ask Spirit to help me to step aside so they can work through me. I ask my Spirit Guides and angels to talk to the client's Guides and angels so that I can help them for their highest good for what ever reason they came to see me. I hold their hands for a moment and feel their energy, then I look at the cards and (in my head) I ask Spirit what they want to tell me. I step out of the way, then I hear the message and I tell the client. After that, I move on to the next card. Sometimes its about the future and sometimes it's about the past or the present. Sometimes I will receive a message from a loved one. Often, I receive self-help tools to give to the client. I am activating people and helping them with their life's purpose.

I also have a beautiful crystal wand with gemstones in it. I use it in my healing work. I hold it in my left hand because the left hand receives energy. I use it to cut things out of a client's aura. I do psychic surgery and it is my psychic scalpel. It amplifies the energy. Energy comes in through the left and the crystal amplifies the energy.

I don't need any tools, but they make me feel good

☼ I have a beautiful prayer box. I am drawn to holy objects. I picked up this prayer box and it felt right. I didn't even know what it was used for. I came home that night, laid in bed and asked for information on the box. I saw an image of a monk sitting in a lotus position with this box hanging around his neck; it was like his altar. It has been a traveling altar and it has great energy. I think there is still a monk attached to it who is one of my Guides. Sometimes when I am going to a psychic fair or to do Reiki work, it says, "Bring me."

☼ Occasionally I put something on my table, but not as a tool. Sometimes I just want something on the table so I will ask, "Who would like to come with me?" and I will take something. I take a little castle or a candle with an essential oil; it just depends. I need the room on the table to do card readings so I don't take too much.

☼ I think crystals are pretty.

☼ I started out with a couple of crystals and people have brought me new pieces. Other times, I have found interesting stones and added them. I don't really know stones, but when I find something that feels good, I use it. Crystals have energy. I have a labradorite piece that always seems to end up at the front of the crystals.

I don't use them at all

☼ I don't usually put anything on my table. I just put out a sign which says what I do.

☼ I don't generally put anything on my table when I read. Sometimes, I use Gypsy cards. They are similar to Tarot cards, but you read them forward. I can also read sea shells. I only use the cards if someone asks me if I read Tarot cards. I tell them that I have Gypsy cards and I can use them if they are interested. I shuffle them, then I ask them to pick cards for a 10-card spread. I just read off the card and sometimes it shows me what the client needs to know.

☼ I have a Doctor's bag! My bag is always by my side when I do readings. I don't always open it up, but it is nearby. My bag contains Florida water (part of the hoo-doo tradition) which is used to cleanse and clear. I am able to call on several entities who work with me to open up energies. I also have my Mother Peace book which I received at the Harmonic convergence; my Mother Peace Tarot cards; my Medicine cards; my Animals Speak book; and a pendulum which I was directed to make.

The imagery on the cards can sometimes trigger information and bypass the rational mind. It's a tool. I rarely use the tools anymore, but they are always here just in case I need them. Once in a while, I will use the reference materials.

☼ I have a desk and on the top of the desk there is a handmade spirit house which contains a stone statue of Kwan Yin. On her house I hang my jade mala beads and a jade bracelet with Kwan Yin on it. There are two stones, one is jet and the other is quartz. Those represent balance in all things. I have a small statue of a Buddha who is faced towards Kwan Yin. I do not use a Tarot card deck unless I need more information that I, for whatever reason, can't see for the reading. The cards do not make me more psychic. However, they give a second opinion on what I have already said or they offer more insight. Do I need these things to be a better reader? No, but to me they represent balance and that is what my clients seek.

If you have comments, or would like to tell me how you feel when you give a reading, please contact me at gail@MyPsychicSearch.com. Thanks!

Here is another one:

Messages of the Divine Feminine Pouring Onto the Earth 8.11.10

To the Women:

Women, you are the one you seek.

The one who nurtures, guides and supports you is here pouring love on Mother Earth right now to each of you. No man can fulfill that for you. I am your Source of Love and Nourishment. No one outside of yourself can do this. No man can fulfill this role which only I can give.

No man can lead now. No man on the planet knows how to lead at this time of Birth on Earth.The women know what needs to be done, what is important in the world to sustain each other, their children, their husbands, fathers, sons. Look not to Man for your Provider. Each woman must remember her Origins. She must remember she is Sacred. The men are waiting for you, the Earth is waiting for you. The men will support you.

I am the Divine Feminine, la Virgen de Guadalupe, Mother Mary. Thank you for responding to my Call.

What does it mean when a psychic says that they can't read for someone?

People have told me that a psychic refused to read for them and that they were frightened that it meant that the psychic didn't want to tell them that something terrible was about to happen. What does it mean when a psychic says that they can't read for you? Not much. It just means that at that particular moment there wasn't a connection. Or, it can mean that there is a different psychic who would be better able to convey the message you need to hear. The psychics have told me that sometimes they know that a different psychic has just the right words, or the heart connection, that a client needs. Perhaps, a different reader can say things in just the right way so that the person will really understand what they need to hear. Often, one psychic will send a client to a different psychic. Most of the time, that is all it means. So don't worry if a psychic says that they can't read for you at a particular time. Just find someone else.

One psychic explained, "It doesn't mean anything if a reader can't read someone. It just means that, at that moment, the psychic can't read them. There might have been a connection from another lifetime. Or the client's energy stunned the reader and threw them off-guard. A reader needs to be in their zone and if they are stunned sometimes they just can't get into their zone. It is nothing more than that. It has nothing to do with the person. The reader is just not the person to read them that day."

Of course, there are people who come for readings, but really just want to test the psychic. If they close their energy to prove that they can't be read, they will be right - they can't be read. They win . . . and they lose . . .

Here are some additional insights from the psychics:

Some psychics can read everyone

☼ There isn't anybody I cannot read. I can read anybody, even if they don't want me to read them. If they don't want me to read them, I won't do it, but if I really have to, if I feel like there is something odd going on, I will read them just to warn them that there is something they need to know about. I don't usually invade their space uninvited.

☼ I was doing a class and there was one guy who no one could read. I tried reading him and I read him just fine. I knew where he lived as a child, I knew addresses, and I knew what the house looked like. I opened my eyes and looked at the guy and beads of sweat were rolling off of him. He looked at me and said, "Wow." I said, "See, it doesn't hurt." He sat back and suddenly three other people could read him. He had been so blocked that no one could read him.

☼ If they come for a reading, I can read them. However, I don't read people who don't ask me to read them; it is a violation of their privacy.

Sometimes it is difficult to read people

☼ I can read some people more easily than others, but I haven't come across anyone who I have not been able to read. However, I might not get as much information from some people because they are afraid and it might take me a little longer. After a half hour or so they relax and I can get additional information.

☼ I have never had that happen when someone has hired me to do a full reading. Occasionally, I have drawn a blank with someone at the Psychic Fair. They will sit down, we will chit chat, and I will be sitting there with nothing. Either I will tell them to see another reader, or I will take a breath, look at the cards, and go back to basic readings from the book. As soon as I do that, it begins to flow. It is something in me. Either something about that person is a challenge to me, or there is something I am going to say to that person that I also need to hear. I need to get past my own block. If I start with the basics, it always starts to flow.

☼ Any time someone has asked me for a reading, I have been able to read them. The only people who I have not been able to read have asked on the spur-of-the-moment at public venues. Typically, if I can't give a reading it is either because I am very distracted by something which is going on, or because that person is very distracted by something which is going on. If the two of us can't hold our intention of coming together for the purpose of new information coming through, then we don't have the connection to bring it through. I prefer phone sessions, rather than meeting with people, because people don't get as distracted by body language.

Sometimes people can't be read. This is why it happens:

☼ Some people jam your radar. There are people who are very intense, and they don't want to tell you anything about themselves. They close off their energy so you can't read them. If you want a reading, you need to keep the energy open. I tell them, "You're really uptight. Why don't you walk around and try to loosen up a bit then come back." Then they say, "Well, I thought you were psychic," and I say, "I am, but your energy is closed off."

☼ To me, it means that I am not the one to deliver the message. Someone else has the correct vocabulary or the heart connection to be able to give them the information which they need. I tell them that today is just not the day for us to connect. Some people think it's because they are too skeptical, but that doesn't have anything to do with it. Often, I give information to people who are skeptical and later they tell me that the information was correct.

☼ When I sense that the person wants their healing to come from me versus the healing coming from the universe, I will tell them that they need to trust more in the healing energy. If I feel like a person is blocking their own healing energy, I will ask them why they have come for healing. I can read people pretty easily if they allow themselves to surrender to the process of healing. If someone doesn't want healing, they won't allow themselves to be healed. For example, they can eat all the right foods, but they won't allow themselves to be healed. Some people would rather just be sick. They go to healer after healer, psychic after psychic. They want the attention, but they don't want the healing. That person is not going to get better. I tell them that they need to find another healer or another psychic.

☼ I am not sure what it means when I can't read someone. Perhaps I just wasn't the right reader. I didn't have the answers which they were looking for.

☼ This happens when the person is afraid, or doesn't believe I can read them. It is like they are in their own little castle and they won't lower the drawbridge so that I can get in. I don't know why they come for a reading. Maybe so they can de-bunk the idea that they can be read. They want it, but they don't want it. Their logical mind is saying, "No, it can't happen."

☼ When a reader tells someone they can't read for them, people think it's them, or that something terrible is going to happen to them, but that's not it. That's why it's important that the Intuitive tell the client the reason they can't read. Others have told me that sometimes they don't want to read for someone because they know what they are going to have to tell them. Other times there is no connection between the reader and the individual. However, the person who is supposed to get a reading will get a reading.

☼ Sometimes I have a bad day and my energy is not there, or sometimes we are just not connected. The main reason that I may not connect with a client is that the client has come to test me and really isn't interested in getting a reading. In that case, it does not work.

☼ There are times when I can not read someone. If the person has decided to play "stump the psychic," use illicit drugs, or alcohol, or intentionally try to deceive, it is difficult to read for them. What does it mean? It means that Spirit will not allow me to mingle my energy with the person who is asking questions.

☼ Sometimes I can't make a connection and I tell them that I can't read them. Some people put up a wall and I can't pick up anything. I suggest that we reschedule the reading and try again.

☼ When I do bodywork, I test the person and ask permission to do this work. If their body says we can't do it, we can't do it. If their energy is blocked, they need to shift their energy. If their body is telling me it's not for their highest good because the timing is wrong or the person isn't ready for the information, we can't work. I have to trust that the body knows best.

What about reading animals? I asked the Animal Communicator and she told me:

"There are times when I can't read an animal. Sometimes an animal feels accused. For example, an animal may have had an accident in the house. This is upsetting to the humans and it is also upsetting to the animal, but the humans may not understand that. It could be that the animal asked to go out, but the human ignored the requests, or the human isn't doing something the animal needs so the animal is seeking attention.

"When I can't read an animal it can be because the human has such a bad attitude towards the animal that the animal is ashamed and afraid that something will happen or that it will be given away. Animals don't want to be given away, they want to fix what is wrong. If I can't read an animal, it can be because the animal has shut down out of fear of what might happen. I try to be neutral and not accuse the animal of anything. I don't want to put them on the defensive."

Sometimes the psychic can read the person, but doesn't want to read them

☼ I don't know if I can't read them, or if I don't want to read them. Sometimes it just doesn't feel right. It's not an energy with which I would want to be involved.

☼ I don't remember having a time when I couldn't read somebody, but I have had people sit down who were agitated and I could feel they were waiting for me to do something so they could say "Aha! You're wrong" or "Why are you saying it like that?" We have had people at the Psychic Fair and I have said that I didn't think I was the right reader for them, then I recommended that they talk to someone else. Intuitively, I knew that I was not going to connect with this individual even though the individual felt they were going to connect with me. The reader gets that feeling. I haven't told people that I couldn't read for them, but I find that some people are there to be a challenge; it's a test for them. We have had people who go to two or three readers, sit with their arms crossed, and say, "Tell me, what do you know." This isn't show and tell. I didn't come to them, they came to me. I can't help people who don't want to be helped.

☼ One time I was doing readings in a public place and a gentleman sat down with me. I was going to read him when Spirit rolled a shade down with a skull and cross bones on it. I looked at him and told him that I wouldn't read him. Spirit must have known something about that person's energy and given me a signal not to read him. I protect myself. When they told me not to read him, I didn't read him.

Here is another twist on "readability." One psychic told me that, "There aren't really times when I can't read a person. But there was a client who showed up and I could barely see her. There was a haze over her. I told her that I could barely see her and I asked what she thought it was. It turned out to be a huge level of grief which she had never dealt with. She thought she was coming for one thing, but we ended up dealing with this huge level of grief. When we finished the work, she began to look more solid."

What do you think? If you have additional insights, contact me at gail@MyPsychicSearch.com.