I am a reader myself from a different state and was gifted a visit here while visiting friends in Minneapolis. It was honestly completed with a very basic "psychic 101" type of skill level and was without question the worst reading I've ever experienced. It reminded me of the "cold readings" a friend of mine who worked at a carnival years ago used to do.
It was supposed to be an hour reading with tarot, palm, and "psychic" readings. The older owner of the shop in Uptown told me that she would not be doing the reading, but that a younger woman would be doing all three of those things for me. After the owner left, the girl told me she would not be doing a palm reading because of Covid (huh? That makes no sense - just wash your hands.) but she only discounted the reading by $15.
She was using a "starter" Tarot deck with meanings typed on the face of the cards. I've seen this deck before and I think the interpretations printed on the cards are very limited and also contradict some other teachings about tarot meanings. But beyond that, every true and skilled tarot reader knows that each card has many nuances in meaning that become specific to that psychic's readings over months and years of pulling those cards in combinations with certain other cards or issues at hand for the client. She was literally reading the descriptions off of the cards.
And speaking of "issues at hand," this young woman made it very clear at the outset that her expectation was that I tell her all the things that I am worried about or have questions about and she will provide "answers". She more or less said I NEEDED to ask her questions or tell her my issues in order to have a reading. This is just not how psychic readings work. Yes, sometimes a psychic will have questions for clarity because a signal they receive could be read a few different ways, but no true psychic reader needs for you to elaborate in any detail at all on your issues for them to be able to give you a strong reading. And she was seeking constant validation ("Does this make sense to you?") which is also something a true psychic does not need after each sentence they say. In a real reading, the vast majority of the information is coming from somewhere else, not the client. Asking for an occasional confirmation or little bit of added detail for clarity is normal for any reading. But that's it. Look up "cold reading" on Wikipedia if you are wondering what I mean.
So for this reason, I consistently provided a very limited amount of information and asked for a broad reading on the impressions and messages that the reader received on all aspects of my life. What I got was a textbook carnival-style "cold reading" filled with what we call "specific generalities" that sound so extremely personal to the client but in reality sound personal to anyone who hears them (You're tired of feeling unappreciated when you give so much, or You have been thinking about a different way to make money but you are feeling indecision about whether you should go for it, or People around you think you are a lot stronger than you privately feel like you are...the list goes on and on). Every now and then, a "showman reader" gets a "direct hit" on a really specific guess about something you didn't already tell them (such as: I see two children in your life, or you recently changed jobs, or you have a difficult relationship with one of your parents...etc.), but this reading didn't even have those. It was just her regurgitating anything I told her back to me with her opinion about it attached (such as: Since this guy really hurt you, you aren't ready to date anyone for a while, and don't be a booty call - LOL - what?).
As such, my reading was pretty short - 35 minutes. And she told me to feel free to tip her.
To really evaluate a reading, my advice is to always record them. Always. You can reassess them later to hear yourself and the reader and see how much you told them versus how much they told you. Run like hell from anyone who says you can't record.
I am not a competitor or an enemy or a skeptic -- I wrote this long review because I am a reader who really, really hates to see people be taken advantage of when they are vulnerable - which most people are when they visit a psychic. I also hate to see the blessings (and reputation) of a real reading be tarnished by people out there who are using showman tools to make money. read more
