Frequently asked questions

What you can expect

In this section you will learn Orchid Tarot’s answers to the following frequently asked questions:
- what the tarot is and isn’t
- what you can expect when you book a session
- our approach to reading tarot
- what tarot is good at
- where tarot is limited (and how to work around those limitations)
- our code of ethics
- our policies on bookings, cancellations, payments, and refunds

What is the tarot?
(and what the tarot is not)

Tarot is a centuries-old divination practice that traces from multiple lineages. Tarot as commonly practiced in the U.S. derives from European card decks in Italy and France that were used both as playing cards and as divination tools. The tarot decks that Orchid Tarot uses for readings all derive from the Smith-Rider-Waite deck and are therefore built on common imagery that remains more or less consistent regardless of the deck in use. The tarot uses the 78 cards in the deck to portray a variety of experiences in life; using this visual imagery, the tarot allows us to access answers, intuition, and clarity about the challenges we face.

As such, the tarot is a powerful and potent tool to help us cut through mental chatter, overthinking, and personalizing our problems by showing in pictures what can help us move forward along our aligned path. It is a helpful aid in strengthening our connection to our innate intuition.

In our view, the tarot is aligned with all faith traditions and is not associated with “dark magic” or “satanic” forces. We welcome your unique flavor of faith and spirituality and invite your whole self to participate in the reading. We staunchly reject fear-based readings and often pose questions for the tarot to gain clarity on topics such as: sources of support that are available to us, where we have some amount of control in situations that seem impossible, and how we can best take action even in difficult circumstances.

The tarot is not a substitute for medical, legal, or therapeutic services, and tarot readings never provide medical, legal, or therapeutic advice. Tarot readings are provided for entertainment purposes only; Orchid Tarot staff do not provide clinically licensed therapeutic services, but will provide support with referrals to services as needed / requested.

The session

After we’ve crafted the question(s) we will be centering the reading on, you will be invited to choose your deck based on the artist’s rendering that most resonates with you. Specific details will be provided based on the type of reading booked.

If your reading is asynchronous (you’ve submitted a question for me to read and respond back with a recording):

  • You’ll select your deck at the time you submit your question

  • I’ll record my drawing of the cards and my interpretation of how they are answering your question(s)

  • You’ll receive the recording within 72 hours of submitting your question

If your reading is live over Zoom:

  • You’ll receive info ahead of time to preview the available decks

  • I’ll draw the cards for you in real time and share my interpretation of how they are answering your question(s)

  • Depending on the amount of time booked, it is often possible to identify new questions and draw additional cards for greater insights, clarity, depth, and/or action areas

  • You’ll receive the recording within 72 hours of the session

If your reading is in person at my office in downtown Concord, CA (adjacent to Concord BART):

  • You’ll receive info ahead of time to preview the available decks

  • You and I will draw cards together; I will share my interpretation of how they are answering your question(s)

  • Depending on the amount of time booked, it is usually possible for us to identify new questions during the reading to go deeper, gain further clarity, or broaden the focus of the reading

  • You’ll be invited to record the audio and/or video on your own phone for access whenever you like

  • You’ll be invited to enjoy a variety of beverages and snacks while on site

What questions can the tarot answer?

First, questions should be crafted to focus on you: your experiences, your strengths and supports, your challenges and growth edges. The tarot can provide insights and clarity on any topic in your life; most commonly, people ask us questions about love, romance, committed partnership, work and/or career, family life and children, hobbies, interests, creative passions, alignment with one’s spiritual path, and much more.

The tarot is particularly good at communicating what we might experience as a result of taking an action. Thus, “What might I experience if …” is a common question stem that we use in considering between options or considering a particular course of action.

For more general readings, such as an introductory reading or a birthday or quarterly check-in reading, three-card spreads such as “past, present, future” might be used, or we might customize questions to gain insight into the present season of life in specific topic areas. There is an infinite array of options for what the tarot can answer; we will work together to customize the best questions for your specific interest.

what questions are well-suited for gaining clarity and taking action?

Because the tarot is not good at certain types of questions (see “What kinds of questions should I avoid?”), we offer a few guidelines for crafting your questions:

  • Use open-ended questions rather than “yes/no”, binary, or closed questions. For example, instead of, “Will I get this job?” consider asking, “What am I meant to know about the outcome of this interview?”

  • For problems that seem too big to handle, the tarot can help us focus our efforts on aligned actions we can take with questions like, “What is an aligned action I can take to help me get unstuck in this area?” or “What is my next best action here?”

  • For “fork in the road” moments — should I stay or should I go? Should I take the job in the faraway city or should I stay status quo?” — the “what might I experience” question prompt is extremely well-suited; we’ve experienced incredibly clear readings with this type of question.
    This results in a spread with at least two cards, one for each choice being considered. The default question in this type of reading is “What might I experience with option A/B?” etc.

  • Lastly, “What does the tarot think about [or want me to know about] ______?” is a great question. You can substitute “my higher self,” “god/goddess,” “my intuition,” “my inner knowing,” “wise mind,” or any other invocation for “the tarot” in this question; whatever feels right to you is right for this type of question.

what kinds of questions should i avoid?

Orchid Tarot will not pull cards or otherwise read for “third party” questions. An example of a third party question is, “What does my crush think of me?” or “What does my mother-in-law want in this situation?” It’s extremely tempting to want answers about other people, but we won’t read for this type of question for several reasons. First, we believe that a tarot reading is a consent-based conversation with your unseen guides; in a question like this, the “third party” isn’t present and can’t consent. Second, what other people think about us is not really our business and it certainly isn’t within our control to change. We find that the tarot provides much clearer answers when we focus the questions on those things we can control more directly; we do this by focusing our questions on you (see “What questions can the tarot answer?” above for more on this topic).

The tarot is not good at time-bound questions, such as, “When will I find love?” or “How long will I be experiencing this difficult season?” The reason for this is because divine timing and human timing rarely align the way we think it should, so there’s a “translation” issue in effect with these types of questions. We find we get better answers to questions like, “What am I meant to know at this time about this difficult season?” or “What is my next best step toward inviting love into my life?”

Lastly, the tarot is not great at “yes/no” questions. The good news is just about any “yes/no” question can be transformed into the kind of open-ended question the tarot is well-suited to answer (see “What questions are well-suited for gaining clarity and taking action?” above). We can work together to ensure that your questions are framed to maximize our ability to interpret what we see in the cards.

  • I am committed to providing you with honest, truthful, and accurate information at every stage of the process, from the first interaction to the last.

  • Orchid Tarot’s services are not predictive in nature; they reflect “what is” much more accurately than “what might be.” I believe that nothing is preordained and that the future is a co-creation between who we are in this moment and who we are becoming, and in every moment we have free will. I commit to maintaining a stance of equanimity and holding space for you to explore options.

  • I am aware that my perspective is limited; the guidance I provide is always offered in the spirit of invitation, never “advice.” I honor that you are the expert on your own life, and I seek to partner with you in helping you discover your own best solutions.

  • Your trust is everything to me; I hold our conversations in the strictest confidentiality. Recordings of sessions are done so with the consent of both parties and provided only to the client; no copies are stored with Orchid Tarot after the recording link is sent upon completion of the session.

  • I commit to guarding my own well-being so that I can come to our sessions as present and well-resourced as possible. I commit to guarding my spiritual, emotional, and energetic boundaries so that our work together is as free, authentic, and empathetic as possible.

Code of ethics

booking, payment, cancellations, and refunds

Live Zoom calls and in-person sessions are booked using the Calendly platform. The services section of this website delineates reading options and price for each type of reading. Payment via Venmo or PayPal is due at the time of booking.

Rescheduling Zoom or in-person readings can be done up to 24 hours prior to the scheduled session. Less than 24 hours’ notice will be considered a late cancellation and charged the full rate for the service.

Any cancellation (without rescheduling) within 24 hours of the scheduled service will be charged the full rate for the service.

It is our sincere hope that you are satisfied with your experience, and we will endeavor to ensure that your needs are met at all parts of the process. We do not, however, issue refunds for services provided.