By Frances
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What do you do with the client who wants to be read every day? The one who asks you the same question over and over again and doesn't even try to camouflage it? The one who wants you to dictate their every move? When is enough enough?
I rarely read for myself. When I do or have someone read for me I look on it as advice. It is not a directive. When I do read for myself it's usually when I am very turned around about something and the cards help me focus and get a better feel for the energy surrounding the subject. They help me tap into my intuition. They help me see through a blind spot. I never read on a topic over and over again, I think it is counterproductive.
When I encounter people who want to be told what to do, I stop and counsel them very carefully about what they are doing. I take a deep breath and look for a way to bring them solace but more importantly I want to leave them with the power to make their own decisions or at the very least an awareness that they should want to. I work on bolstering their confidence in their own intuitive and cognitive abilities. To work on meditation to get in touch with their inner guide. The last thing you want to do is cut them free to fall prey to the unscrupulous. I talk to them about limiting their readings to once every few months or at least once a month.
When a client repeatedly ask the same question. My first move, always, is to look within. Was I clear in my delivery? Did the client hear me and understand? If I feel I wasn't clear I go over the reading once more with the client but nine times out of ten it's not about the delivery or the reading or me; it's about the client. It's about their insecurity. Again a deep breath comes in handy. Sometimes I reword their question to help them find peace and move forward. Most of the time they need to hear that they have to stop asking this same question. That it has been asked and answered and asking it again and again is not going to bring a different outcome.
I explain that readings are best used to gather more information about a topic, to tap into the motivations and personalities of the players involved, to try on different paths/options and see which one might fit better, to get a glimpse of what might be, to confirm what you know, as a source of comfort and hope, as an aid to help one focus. They are not meant to replace free will. They are not meant to replace your own intuition, logic and experience. They are but a snapshot in time. Moving in a different direction will most definitely alter the outcome. Asking the same question over and over again won't change the answer.
After all of this, there have been times when a client or friend continues to plow through, undeterred, wanting to be read incessantly or be told what to do. I find it upsetting to say enough is enough but in some cases you are left with no other choice.