Code of Ethics


	Setting Boundaries and Developing a Code of Ethics

This article discusses setting your own personal boundaries for your readings, both ethical and practical. One very valuable tool for professional and on-line readers is developing and using a code of ethics. A code of ethics sets out standards of behavior for your readings, both in terms of positive affirmations about what you want to offer your clients with each reading, and in terms of the types of activities or behaviors you do not consider appropriate for readings. It may also include "client's bill of rights" elements – things that the client should be able to expect from you when receiving a reading. A related issue that readers grapple with is that of predictive readings. Many clients will ask us to predict the future in one form or another, and we need to know what our own personal boundaries are in conducting this type of reading. This article will focus on these two issues.

Predictive Readings

Because dealing with free will, deterministic questions, and predictive readings are all part of developing a good code of ethics, we will deal with this issue first. Other articles in this series discuss developing approaches to timing questions, some more specific than others. There are many other kinds of "predictive" questions that deal primarily with questions such as what will happen, whether something will happen, who will be involved, and how something will happen. There are two main issues surrounding these types of questions:

1) The issue of free-will vs. predetermined fate

2) How the future is formed and how accurate a prediction can be

It is very helpful when receiving a question like this to have a firm sense of your own beliefs surrounding the future – that way you can communicate your ideas to your clients, set appropriate boundaries for your readings, and most importantly, stick to what you are comfortable with and not agree to do readings that may get you in over your head or may even be uninterpretable or inaccurate. The article on "Predicting the Future vs. Fortune-Telling" may be helpful to review in forming your ideas, or you may have very different views about the future.

Exercise #1: Think about the following questions and answer them for yourself.

1) When I answer a question about the future, what am I really seeing in the reading?

2) Do we always have control over every aspect of our future? Why or why not? Give some examples.

3) How far in the future can we look and still be accurate?

4) Does the act of looking into the future change it?

5) What is the most important thing to emphasize when doing such a reading for a client?

6) What would be the value of doing a reading about the future? What are some possible pitfalls or traps to be aware of?

Keep in mind that your answers to these questions may change and evolve with time, as you become more experienced and as you have more time to think about them. It is OK to change your mind, and also to change your code of ethics and reading boundaries as you think through this and gain experience.

Developing a Code of Ethics

A code of ethics is required for CPTR certification under ATA, and also gives your clients confidence that you are an ethical person who takes tarot reading seriously. While not necessarily required at this stage of your practice, it is never too early to develop a code of ethics. For one thing, it will make you feel more confident and assertive about the approach you choose to take when reading for others, and will most likely prevent you from getting into reading situations that later make you feel uncomfortable or inappropriate.

Exercise #2: Follow the steps below to develop a draft code of ethics:

1) Think about the positive affirmations you want to make. What positive behaviors or services do you want to offer your clients? If you were to visit a tarot reader, what would you expect from him or her? Try formulating these positive attributes into several clear statements.

2) Look at the article on rephrasing questions and the final exercise provided there, dividing difficult questions into categories, based on those that can be answered, those that require rephrasing, and those that are outside your personal ethics. Complete this exercise and use it to help develop your code of ethics. What ethical boundaries do you want to stay within in your readings? Try formulating these into several clear statements.

3) Read some examples of others' codes of ethics. You can find my code of ethics on the About Me page, and many other professional readers have their codes of ethics posted on their websites. If you are a member of ATA and receive the ATA Newsletter, you can find many examples in the newsletter. If these give you any additional ideas, you can add them to your growing list.

Now organize these all into a draft code of ethics, and if you feel ready, send this to your mentor for review. If you would like to keep it to yourself and work on it for a while, that's OK too. The idea of this article is just to get you started on this important step.


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