16 Reasons Why You May Have or Give a Dud Reading

Most of us have had a reading that was either a dud or made no sense at the time or later or did after some soul searching. There are many reasons why this can happen. Below are as many as I can think of while writing this article.

Within this write-up, I will refer to those visiting a reader as a client, and those who are doing the readings as a Reader, regardless of how they work. Hopefully, it may help both sides of this coin.

Scams

Sadly, in all professions, you will find those who fake and scam their way to riches at the expense of others. The world of Readers, spiritual or otherwise, is no exception. These can range from simple 'cut and paste' readings that give you a few cards and their literal meanings and provide no answers to those who want to make grand claims about curses or what terrible things are coming your way. Not all will want you to return. Some will. Some will take your money and run, others will focus on getting you back under some fear-based guise or another.

Sometimes those who we call scammers are not. Instead, they are just people of a different culture, so they seem so far from what you believe that it seems incredible. To those who visit them at home, they are probably a perfect fit as their belief systems all tie in.

If a reader of any kind or spiritual bent makes you feel like things are too good to be true or scares you, take a step back and think rationally.

 

Working from Ego

This category can spill over into scam territory but can also be those who have a deep conviction that they are in contact with Spirit or can do this or that due to the books they have read or the courses they have taken, as well as be very good at what they do, but mess it up with their ego.

They have a tendency to tell you what is wrong, even if you disagree. For example, they may insist that you’re married when you’re not. They often fail to listen to you, to your energy, or any facts that you present. A lot can stem from them thinking that they are 100% correct, which no reader can be. They will not discuss things with you and can treat you as an element in their own life, projecting their beliefs onto you. They can get angry, take your replies personally, and generally be adamant about what they see, however much you tell them that what they are saying about your life is not the case. A reading from such a person can often leave you feeling bullied, confused, and inadequate.

 

Irresponsible Readers/Not professional

The irresponsible readers will be the ones to tell you that you’re going to get some awful disease and die, or that you’re going to lose someone dear to you this week, etc. You may have met the type. This type of Reader is again ego-based as they presume that they are correct in all things and that they are totally connected to Spirit, or the tool they are using. People tend to leave this type of Reader scared. They lack the wisdom needed to work within the field, as well as a responsible nature and true knowledge of themselves and Spirit if they work under that banner.

 

Trying to be a friend & only telling what they think people want to hear

At times, not just with new Readers; I have had it with some who have worked as a Reader for a long time; there is a fear of being honest with the client. They fail to see that it is what is needed and wish to be a friend, not upset, which means that the client is lied to, however well-meaning it is. So, they have a reading which tells them their wishes will come true when an insecure or a Reader lacking confidence had steered them in the wrong direction.

These readers may appear to be nice people, but they cause far more problems for their clients and their own business in the long run. Here, the art of delivery needs to be considered by the Reader, as the client is left very disappointed.

 

Not experienced

Readers who are finding their feet can often be the cause of issues. While a lot of this can come from both sides, it can also arise if they are not honest with their experience. Ego can step in, and they can hide that they may only have been practising, or even studying, for a short while; they may not have a total grasp of the tool they are using, or if working spiritually, they may not understand their connection and anything which goes with it.

A lack of experience can also lead to a bit of stage fright, and the Reader can avoid asking if things make sense. They may not want to feel challenged. They may not have learned the art of working with people in an emotional state.

 

Not being clear about what they are offering

Readers can, at times, not be upfront about how they work, for very innocent reasons. They may not understand the difference between a Medium or a Clairvoyant, they may be a Tarot Reader who works without any spiritual elements and not state it. They may believe they are one thing but be another due to their understanding of a spiritual title.

They may only want to work with people’s problems but fail to state that and are presented with a client wanting to know about someone in Spirit or a general reading. Each Reader needs to look at who they are and what they are offering and state it clearly. Then they need to discuss it with each client, either in a write-up on their site or ads, or in person before booking. Be clear. A lot of disappointment can arise from someone wanting to see a Reader with a certain skill set and finding they have paid for someone else.

 

Not focused

Readers are human too. It’s true, we are! At times, a Reader may be tired, unwell, or otherwise stressed by their own life. It can take time for any Reader to work out the most important aspect of being a Reader – putting yourself to one side.

A tired reader's focus will often increase during a reading, but if it does not, it can lead to misinformation or misunderstandings. If you are seeing a professional Reader, they will be working – literally. It will not be a hobby for them, or a pastime, or a bit of fun, it will be how they earn their money to eat. At times, they may be tired and have serious issues of their own. Being professional, you will not know about it, yet it can affect things, however professional they are. Most people will be honest with you in such cases.

 

Language/Communication Issues

If a Reader has not learnt the art of delivery and does not check with the client if what they are saying makes sense, or if they have any questions about what they are saying, etc., they can speak a language using words and phrases you do not understand. What a word implies to them may imply something different to you. This can cause untold misinterpretations for the client.

Psychic Leg Humpers

I coined this phrase many decades ago for those who will go to every Reader they come across, free or paid as befits their pocket. These clients rarely accept responsibility for what they are told because they are chasing an idea of what a reader should be or are frequently focused on a single area of their life or a person. Even if they hang off every word, however much love and truth they hold or however much they are scammed, they will just be off to the next Reader they find as soon as they can. Psychic Leg Humper Clients are looking for something which they cannot find, as they are not connected to who they are, scared to hear the truth and want a magic wand to be waved over their life. They are often at fault with every reading they have, either as it was wrong, or it confused them.

Some who fall into this bracket can also be those who are deeply interested in the work itself and development yet can tend to get lost in the romanticism of the work or otherwise overwhelm themselves with their interest.

 

Not Listening, Avoiding Truths

We have all done this as it is a part of human existence. We do not wish to hear about things we are not ready for. We may only want to hear about the good things and the things we desperately want. Sometimes, as a client, we may be disappointed with a Reader because they have not told us what we wanted to hear. Or confused as the mind is not ready to hear the truths spoken and we just see a mass of words that hurt and do not make sense. This can leave us feeling angry and triggered, even insulted. Time and personal honesty can bring these readings to life as the information slowly sinks into the clients' minds, even if that takes months, or longer.

 

Not being honest about their own problems, and lying to themselves

Clients can think that Readers are all-seeing beings. We’re not. Clients can approach a reading thinking that what is wrong must be obvious, and yet the way their individual Reader works may not even mention it. They can sometimes tell the Reader what is wrong in a cryptic manner, which can lead to an equally cryptic reply that just leaves them with more questions.

Such clients can then feel that Reader is rubbish or not the real deal as they themselves were not open to them. We can all hide from our issues, those things which we desperately want answers or insights into, and within a reading can hope that they can be picked up on. Sometimes they will be, yet within a reading the Reader will work the way they do, and time can be a factor when dealing with what is asked about or otherwise presented by the reading. All readings should be confidential. Take time to find one who you feel is welcoming. Talk to them before and feel if you can trust that Reader as a person as well as for what they can do for you. At times, if someone works with Spirit or energy, for example, those things you keep hidden, stay that way until you take responsibility for bringing them up.

 

Going for who you can afford, rather than who you wish

At times, we may feel drawn to someone, a Reader who we cannot afford, or travel to, or get help from in one way or another. That’s life. This can mean that we go to anyone we find and do not gel with, be they good or bad. Or find someone excellent but do not listen to or gel with them as they are not the person, we wish to have help from. In such things, the client gets in their own way with a short-sighted view of what they may have missed if they could have seen who they wished to see.

 

Clinging Clients

It is lovely when clients find a reader who gels with them, their energies, and sees into them and can help. Within such relationships where the Reader will not allow abuse of the professional relationship, magic can happen when it is needed.

Yet, clients can cling to Readers. In this, they can try to force the answers they want, get abusive when that does not happen, be impatient and demanding. On the flip side, they fail to understand that a reading is for guidance and avoid personal responsibility, laying the weight of every choice at the Readers' door and the words they use, being overwhelmed by emotion as things do not happen quickly or to plan. Of course, they may not have a reader who is good for them just because they have decided that they are. When clients cling, they will find that they are singing praises one day, week, or month and then blaming, hating, and being angry towards the Reader or the reading.

 

Not understanding the type of Reader, they need or are visiting

Clients can put all Readers into the same basket. Assuming that all readers can communicate with the deceased and read energy or understand astrology or Tarot, I have encountered countless clients who do not understand that we are all unique. At times, this can come from what they believe a spiritual title to mean.

A client may also want a reading about a specific question and find they have picked a Reader who will not allow them to ask any. They may still get their answers, yet it is also that they will not, as the Reader will go where they wish to go or are led. Each client should ask the Reader exactly what they do to avoid confusion before they start to think about if that Reader is for them, as the Reader may not always be clear in their own promotion, or those who have told you by word of mouth may not know themselves in much detail.

 

Not asking the Reader about the things they do not understand within the reading

During a reading, clients often feel that the Reader is in control, that they must know what they are doing. In that, they fail to take control of their own reading.

A reading is a two-way street; energy flows, and whether the reader is working spiritually or not, if any aspect, word, or anything does not make sense, ASK RIGHT THERE. To fail to do so can often lead the client to then ask another Reader what it meant, and that new Reader cannot answer as they were not there, did not have "that" connection, nor the original Readers' outlook. A good Reader will welcome your questions and try their best to explain things differently and discuss them with you.

 

Differing faith, beliefs

Readers, like clients, come in all manner of faiths and beliefs. It can be common for a client, as well as a Reader to think that all who come to them or do such things will see things from the same perspective. If you have an issue with Christianity, for example, and you have a Reader who talks about God or in Christian or other terms, you may not hear their message as it triggers issues within yourself. Or you may be not very into the "new age" and find a Reader who is and uses words which you find too "flowery" or "fluffy" or even very irrelevant to how you live your life.

Do some research about the Reader you go to, as however good they may be, if their approach turns you off, you will never hear more than the words that go against your own belief system, leaving you feeling it was all mumbo jumbo.

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Both Readers and clients can contribute to dud readings. Both sides can make a good situation confusing and lack insights due to beliefs, delivery, experience, and not doing the best they can to own what they do or what they are seeking. Having a bad reading can be down to simple con readers, yet what is more often the case is a lack of personal responsibility in seeking and finding a Reader who is for you, and for Readers not being professional enough or open enough to the client.

You will find more blurb posts here which deal with some of the issue above. 

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