This is a question I get a lot.

Despite what we often see in pop culture, tarot reading is not akin to fortune telling. Tarot is a tool to read the energy around a situation or relationship that we may not always be able to see. Each of the 78 cards has an archetypal meaning, with nuances that can be interpreted by a skilled reader's intuition. The cards are excellent at tapping into the subconscious and bringing to light things we may not be fully aware of---energies we are closed off to, blind spots we may not be able to see when we're too close to a situation, etc. They are a neutral, intuitive third party. They are not a Magic 8 Ball that we can shake and receive a binary fortune.

Say for example you are a single client wondering when you might meet your soulmate. Rather than asking exactly when you will meet that person, a better question would be how to get to that point - what you need to do or work on, what type of energy the soulmate will give off, how you will know when you meet him or her, etc. The information given in that reading will be far more detailed and accurate than expecting the cards to tell you you're going to bump into the person at Starbucks eight Tuesdays from now. By looking at the energy of the situation and your eventual partner's energy, you can better prepare yourself to be as connected to your highest self as possible when the time comes.

The other thing that makes fortune telling unlikely is that we all have free will. We can make any decision we want at any point in time. I personally do not believe that our futures are set in stone; rather, they shift and evolve as we shift and evolve as people. Going back to my previous example, perhaps you're on track to meet your soulmate that fateful Tuesday, but you decide instead to save some money and make your coffee at home instead of going to Starbucks. Or, perhaps I receive a reading that tells me a potential job is a good fit for me. It is still ultimately my decision whether to accept the offer or not. The cards tell us about our energy at the time of the reading; it can and will change if we veer dramatically off course.

Bottom line, tarot is better suited to being used as a guide in helping you make the right choices or getting clarity on how you actually feel or the energy around you. To write it off as merely a fortune telling tool is not doing a service to anyone.

If you follow any tarot or other spiritual businesses on social media, you've probably noticed that the scammers are out in full force lately. It's incredibly upsetting as readers to see our clients being preyed upon, and I truly feel for anyone who's been swindled. Instagram in particular has been ineffective in offering any solutions, so it's up to all of us to be as careful and aware as possible.

One of the most common scams I see is the creation of fake accounts that spoof real readers. They generally adopt a very similar username by adding underscores or periods to the real account's name. They copy the real account's bio and photos so their feed looks identical. Then, they reach out to the reader's followers to offer their "services", requesting payment up front. In the end, unsuspecting clients are left without the money or reading.

It's a sucky situation, for sure. Fortunately, a little knowledge and common sense go a long way in protecting yourself from scammers. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• First and foremost, a legitimate reader will never contact you out of the blue to solicit a reading. Even if you are a regular client, I never will contact you saying I feel "called" to read for you. The only ways to engage my services involve you reaching out to me by booking an appointment on my calendar or sending me an email. Readers are professionals. Would you trust a mechanic who randomly slid into your DMs saying he felt called to sell you four new tires?
  
• Check the username. If you receive a message, look carefully at who it's from. I only have one professional Instagram account, @anchorsaweightarot. If you see any weird symbols, numbers, or misspellings, it ain't me.
  
• On Instagram, look at the dates in the feed. A real account will have posts spanning months or even years. Was every photo posted last Tuesday? This is a sure sign of a spoof account.
  
• Read the content of the message. Is the language stilted? Is the account referring you as "beloved" or an equally odd term of endearment? Is the pricing in line with what your reader actually charges? How about payment methods? For example, I am very up front that I only accept Venmo or PayPal for virtual or email readings. A message asking for money through Cash App or Zelle should raise a red flag.
  

So, what should you do if you're contacted by a scammer? It's not worth it to engage with them. Simply report the account as impersonating someone else, block them, and move on. I also find it helpful to select the option that lets you block future accounts they create. You may want to let the impersonated account know so they can alert their followers.

If you really aren't sure, contact your reader directly through their website or email. They will be able to set you straight.

By practicing common sense and vigilance, we can all stay a little safer. The internet is a crazy place; be careful out there!