You like it when I take you behind the scenes of this profession, when I talk about what you don’t necessarily see from the other side of a consultation, the little habits, the misconceptions and, sometimes, the rather entertaining situations that being a psychic can create in everyday life. So today, I’m taking you into territory that many psychics know very well and that, over the years, almost becomes a classic: friends, acquaintances, people you meet in passing who discover what you do and who, sooner or later, end up uttering that famous little phrase.
There are, indeed, certain phrases that, after a few years, trigger a tiny warning signal somewhere inside you. Nothing dramatic, of course. No siren, no flashing lights, no message from the ancestors. Just that very precise feeling that something is about to land on you. In my profession, that phrase comes down to a few words: « So, could you read the cards for me quickly? » It usually arrives at a moment when you absolutely did not ask for it. You’re having dinner, you’ve just poured yourself a drink, someone is talking about their holiday in Tuscany and suddenly, somewhere between the Parmesan and the apple tart, your profession has taken control of the evening again.
A small clarification while we’re here, because it always makes me smile: I don’t necessarily « read the cards » at all. Cards can of course be one of the tools I use, but in the way I work, what I mainly need is often a pen and a blank sheet of paper. Nothing particularly spectacular, then. There is no need to carry half an esoteric shop around in my bag for a consultation to begin. A sheet of paper, a pen, concentration, and the work can already start. But in the collective imagination, a psychic « reads the cards », so the expression has stuck. And don’t worry, I don’t usually correct anyone: explaining all of this before even answering the question would already risk considerably extending the famous « quickly ».
The best part is precisely that « quickly ». The expression contains an entire programme in itself. Because « quickly » in psychic work has a remarkable ability to expand. It starts with a very simple, almost modest question: « Do you see anything happening romantically? » You answer. Then, naturally: « But soon? » Next: « With someone I already know? » And since we’re here anyway: « And my ex, do you think he still thinks about me? » Ten minutes later, we have left dessert behind, travelled through two romantic relationships, discussed a possible career change and vaguely considered a move to Bordeaux. What was supposed to take three minutes has just opened an entire season.
There is something rather peculiar about psychic work: many people seem to forget that it can actually be a profession the moment they personally know the person doing it. A lawyer remains a lawyer at drinks, yet nobody discreetly slips a property contract under their napkin and asks them to « just have a quick look ». A dentist can spend an entire evening without anyone lying down on the dining table and opening their mouth wide. A hairdresser is not expected to produce a pair of scissors because a friend suddenly thinks their fringe is a little too long. The psychic, on the other hand, sometimes seems to enjoy a special status: people assume they can work anywhere, at any time, with some kind of tool to hand or, in my case, sometimes simply a blank sheet of paper, a pen and the remains of a glass of champagne.
Obviously, put like that, it’s funny. And often it genuinely is. I’m the first to laugh at some of these situations. But behind the joke lies a real question: why do we so easily assume that an intuitive reading, a card reading or a psychic consultation can be requested as a small favour with no real consequence? Probably because the work itself is invisible. You may see the cards. You may see a sheet of paper filling up. You hear the answer. What you don’t necessarily see is everything happening in between.
A consultation is not about turning over three pieces of cardboard and waiting for a miracle
There is still this slightly folkloric image of the psychic turning over a card, narrowing their eyes and immediately receiving a fax from the spirit world. That would be wonderful. Above all, it would be considerably less tiring. In reality, a serious consultation requires a great deal of concentration. You have to make yourself available to the person, their question, their circumstances and whatever comes through, while remaining clear-headed enough not to confuse intuition, personal projection and what the person sitting opposite you hopes to hear.
In my own practice, cards are therefore not compulsory. They can come into it, but they are not the mechanical centre of every consultation. Very often, I work with a blank sheet of paper and a pen. I write, I make notes, I allow elements, words, impressions and connections to emerge. I like this very simple setup precisely because it leaves all the space to concentration. You do not necessarily need an impressive setting in order to work seriously. And, ultimately, that sums up my view of psychic work rather well: what matters is not the folklore surrounding the gesture, but the quality of what is perceived, understood and conveyed.
When I work, I am not simply commenting on a tool. I have to listen, feel, make connections, notice what keeps returning, distinguish what seems clear from what seems less so and, above all, resist the temptation to fill in the gaps simply to satisfy someone. There are moments when something comes through very clearly, others when it needs more time, and others still when the only honest answer is: « That isn’t clear enough for me to state it as a certainty. » That, too, is part of the profession.
That level of concentration uses energy. A lot of it. After several consultations, you do not necessarily emerge out of breath as though you have just run a marathon, but you can certainly feel as though your brain has spent two hours inside a washing machine. And that is precisely what these spontaneous requests do not always take into account. When somebody says to you at 11:45 p.m., « Go on, just have a quick look before I leave », you do not necessarily hear « two minutes ». What you sometimes hear is: « Could you summon professional-level concentration right now, even though you have just finished dinner and your main plan for the next thirty minutes was to think about absolutely nothing? »
The problem isn’t doing a favour, it’s when the favour becomes a subscription
Of course we do favours for our friends. Thankfully. Sometimes I spontaneously look at something for someone I care about, answer a question, pick up a sheet of paper, write down what comes to me or use cards because the moment feels right and I’m happy to do it. This is not about walking around with a cash register strapped around your neck and producing a card machine the second a friend says the word « love ».
The difference comes down to something very simple: intention and repetition. A spontaneous gesture is a gift. A regular request gradually becomes a service. And sometimes, without even realising it, certain people turn friendship into an unlimited premium plan. The moment someone new appears in their life, a message arrives: « Can you look? » Three days later: « He replied strangely, can you look again? » A week later: « Right, now he isn’t replying at all, can you see what’s going on? » At that point, we are no longer following someone’s love life; we are running technical support.
That is where humour becomes almost essential. Because sometimes you have to gently explain that a psychic is not an air-traffic control centre devoted to the permanent surveillance of Kevin, 38, who liked a story with a heart but has not yet suggested dinner. There comes a point when even the blank sheet of paper deserves paid leave.
Invisible work is often the work people find easiest to ask for free
This goes far beyond psychic work. Professions where the final result looks quick are often the ones whose value people most easily forget. A graphic designer hears: « Could you just make me a little logo? » A photographer: « Just take a couple of pictures, it’ll take you five minutes. » A developer: « Could you just fix this little thing on the website? » And the psychic: « Could you just have a look? » That famous word « just » is probably one of the most dangerous words in the professional vocabulary.
Because behind the apparently simple gesture there are usually years of practice, methods, experience, concentration and sometimes an entire way of working. In my case, a consultation is not limited to the amount of time during which we speak. There is also the way I make myself available, the attention I pay to what I say, the responsibility I take when approaching certain subjects and the energy all of that requires. It may not look spectacular, but it is real.
The fact that a form of work is intangible does not make it free by nature. And the fact that it relies partly on intuition does not mean that it simply falls from the sky without effort. Otherwise, we might as well take the argument to its logical conclusion: a singer should sing for free because they have a voice, a chef should cook for free because they know how to make risotto, and a psychic should give consultations for free because they have intuitive perception. At that rate, we would all end up extremely spiritual, but fairly quickly overdrawn.
Free psychic readings and the great fantasy that a gift should justify everything
The question of free readings is particularly common in the psychic world because it touches on an old idea: if somebody possesses a gift, perhaps they should make it freely available to everyone else. It is a wonderfully romantic vision. It works beautifully as long as you forget that the psychic also has rent, bills, groceries, a telephone, a website, perhaps an office and this rather earthly habit of needing to eat on a regular basis.
I completely understand why some people search for free psychic readings or free card readings. The Internet is full of them, and there is plenty of free content that can be interesting or entertaining. But a personalised consultation is not the same thing as an automated reading or a general video watched on social media. It involves a real person dedicating a specific amount of time to another real person.
And no, being paid for that time does not kill spirituality. A baker can deeply love their profession and still charge you for the baguette. A therapist can be empathetic and charge for a session. A musician can have a genuine artistic calling and still sell concert tickets. Vocation and remuneration have never been natural enemies. Bills, on the other hand, tend to be remarkably insensitive to the beauty of the gesture.
« But surely you can make an exception for me »
Ah, the exception. It almost deserves a chapter of its own. Because when you work in a profession like mine, a person close to you will occasionally assume, quite naturally, that they fall outside the usual framework. Taken individually, they are probably right. The problem is that they are never the only « exception ». If ten people each receive their own little personal exception, we have suddenly recreated a full consultation schedule, only with considerably less organisation.
Most of the time, nobody is trying to take advantage of anyone. That is precisely what makes the situation amusing. The person knows you, likes you, feels comfortable with you and therefore naturally thinks they can ask their question. But that familiarity can end up hiding the fact that your professional expertise still exists, even when you are wearing jeans, holding a drink and nobody has booked an appointment.
There is also this very human idea that if something looks easy for somebody, it must cost them nothing. Yet the more experienced a professional becomes, the more effortless their work can appear. The fact that something looks easy does not mean it has no value. Very often, it looks simple precisely because there are years of experience behind it.
And when it comes to people close to you, it can actually be even more complicated
You might imagine that giving a consultation to somebody you know well would be easier. In reality, it can be exactly the opposite. When you already know a great deal about someone, you have to be even more careful not to mix what you already know with what you genuinely perceive. You know their past relationships, their fears, their habits, perhaps even the detailed version of the argument they had on Thursday 12 March at 6:47 p.m. That knowledge is not necessarily an advantage.
Good work then requires even more distance. You have to ask yourself: is this information genuinely coming through in the reading, or am I being influenced by what I already know? That discernment demands particular attention and also explains why I do not necessarily want to work on every situation involving people close to me.
Sometimes, the most professional answer is simply no. Or not now. Or: « I’d rather not look at that. » It is neither contempt nor distance. Sometimes it is exactly the opposite: respecting the person enough not to give them an approximate answer simply because they happen to be sitting in front of you.
« Quickly » doesn’t really exist when you want to do things properly
That is probably what sums the whole subject up best. Of course, you can quickly pick up a sheet of paper, jot down a few things or take out a few cards. Technically, that takes only a few moments. But that is not where the real work lies. What matters is the attention given to what appears, the way it is explained, the nuances, the context and the responsibility carried by the words you use.
Because a sentence said casually can stay in somebody’s mind for a long time. Every psychic should remember that. When you have been doing this work for years, you quickly understand that words are never insignificant. Saying something to a person who is worried, in love, emotionally vulnerable or going through a period of uncertainty is not a harmless party game.
That is also why I sometimes prefer to frustrate someone slightly by refusing the famous express reading rather than work in poor conditions. If I am going to do something, I like to do it properly. I would rather take the necessary time than turn a consultation into some kind of spiritual drive-through: one question, three words, thank you, please move along to the next window.
So, can you ask a psychic friend to look at something for you?
Of course. Thankfully there is not yet a police force dedicated to requests for psychic readings. You can ask. And your psychic friend may be perfectly happy to say yes. It is all a matter of context, moderation and, above all, being able to hear « not tonight » without immediately deciding that Mercury retrograde has personally declared war on you.
Perhaps the real elegance is simply not to assume that a friend’s professional skill is automatically available to you. To give them the freedom to offer what they wish to offer, when they feel like offering it. And when they spontaneously agree, to understand that this is precisely what it is: a spontaneous gesture, not the official launch of a family subscription plan.
After all, a psychic is also entitled to have friends who ask them for absolutely nothing. Evenings where nobody talks about their ex. Meals where no cards are taken out, no blank sheet of paper is sacrificed to the cause and the pen is used solely to write down the address of the restaurant next door.
And I promise you, they will survive perfectly well.
