My Gift to All Trusted Readers: What You SHOULD NOT Tolerate #ItsGivingRedFlag #OWC

#PWSpotlight

Hello P&W community, and most importantly to all Trusted Readers and Divination Darlings! :crystal_ball:

Honestly, as SOON as I saw this OWC I… well, I immediately had to jump on the wagon because I have a LOT to say.

Now, keep in mind, while I will be talking about certain behaviours and using examples, any names and identification of those involved will not be mentioned. While it’s important to address wrong behaviour, it’s crucial that we don’t shame those who enact it. I believe with any heartfelt, thorough conversation, we can all learn from others and learn from ourselves to make amends where we had a faux pas.

Additionally, this post also serves as a ‘gift’ to all Trusted Readers or prospective diviners. It’s natural to want to thank the community you grew in and set others up for success and happiness, so this is my foundation-laying for all those to come.

Let’s get down to it, shall we?

~ :crystal_ball: ~

The Purpose of This Post

If you have been doing readings in this community, or any community, I’m sure you’ve definitely encountered some bad apples in the bunch. That’s normal, but sometimes things are taken a bit too far. Your comfort, safety and wellbeing matter just as much as your client’s; I’d like to reinforce that statement, provide situational examples and tips on what you can do in certain circumstances.

Above all that I’m about to write, I would like to preface by saying:

If you feel something is not right, goes against guidelines or you feel your safety or another’s safety is at risk, the team are always there to help you. I’ve had some lovely experiences with them, making it super easy to strike up conversation when you feel something is awry. As they say on UK trains: ‘see it, say it, sorted’… I think! I don’t know, I haven’t been on the trains in a few months-

AnYwAy! :clap: Let’s take our first example!

~ :crystal_ball: ~

WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT TOLERATE #1: CONSTANT MESSAGING

I feel this one happens semi-often. Sometimes is a better word. Now, I’d like to make an important distinction between nervous texters and constant, persistent texting for your services.

A nervous texter usually sends between 3-7 or so messages. Maybe they made a mistake in their text and are feeling anxious because they want to correct themselves, but don’t want to come off as pushy. I’m sure we’ve all been there, and we should show some kindness and assurance to those folks. They’re usually quite apologetic as well. To those of you who are, you don’t need to be! It’s understandable and I promise we readers won’t bite. :green_heart:

On the other hand, there’s the constant, persistent messenger(M), who goes WAY beyond the aforementioned number of texts. Here’s a personal example:

Once, I was doing a trade with someone, but I got really sick, so I thought I couldn’t do the trade reading for about a week or two. My cousin and I were both knocked out from a flu variant. Not to mention I’d just finished exams so I was OUT, had to be rushed to the doctor, etc. I kept on receiving messages like:

‘I hope you don’t forget this…’

‘If you click the chat box at the bottom, you can do my reading’

‘Make sure you do my reading’

I had already informed the other party that I was very sick, so these messages made me uncomfortable with how eerily they were sent. I was still feeling awful and was not up to it. Simply, I decided to state firmly I wasn’t in a good place to continue and left the conversation. I just didn’t have a good gut feeling either.

A day or so later, I received a message from another . Then another text. And another… I received around 50 messages in total from the same person, on a newer . I was shocked!!! What to do now?!

My Advice:

If you feel something is off with the way texts are worded or the general vibe of the conversation, please do not hesitate to leave. Block the if that helps you feel more secure. My case definitely involved lines being crossed and I’d hate for others to be in that position.

Ensure your boundaries are always respected and cared for. Honour them and don’t feel bad about that. If you are ill or not in a good mental place, don’t feel bad about cancellations either.

You should also never feel pressured to do a reading. Divination wise, If you’re feeling pressured to do so, you’re not focused, you’ll probably end up overthinking and the reading will not come out satisfactory for you or the recipient.

~ :crystal_ball: ~

WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT TOLERATE #2: RUDE S

This may be harder to catch than you may think, though these s tend to show themselves after the reading has taken place.

These s can take 2 main forms:

1) Improper greetings, blunt language

2) Lashing out at the reading results

For number 1, this usually involves people who send messages such as:

‘Can I get a reading?’

‘Reading pls’

‘When will your readings finally be open :sob: ?’

These texts suggest a HEAVY amount of impatience and the disregard for the human offering the service. I’m sorry, but if that’s the case, rather ask A.I to do the reading… genuinely.

A simple, ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’ can go a long way. It shows a client is well-mannered and respects you, even if it’s just the minimum for the time being. Some readers also request that you read their wiki to ensure all important information is given in the first text request and don’t respond to messages that don’t meet this criteria. In my opinion, that’s perfectly fine and a respectable thing to do for the reading process. It helps it go much more smoothly and quicker.

Now, number 2… ohhh yes, I’m sure we’ve all been on that receiving end!

From the perspective of a diviner, we simply analyse and give clients an answer to their questions from the cards, runes, etc presented. Sometimes an answer is good, sometimes it’s a misfortune. As much as we’re the ones handling the tools, it’s not our job to sugarcoat. Of course, wording is important. If something odd may be occurring, you cannot say ‘oh yeah lol this is bad for you’. We all know that! However, it is your client’s job to think on and control their reaction.

It’s perfectly fine to be upset by something. Perhaps we don’t like getting talked to in a more gentle way, as it may make us feel patronised. Perhaps we’re shocked and aren’t sure how to our current emotion when we receive a reading with unfortunate outcomes. We might feel scared. We’re humans, so we shouldn’t be ashamed of our emotions. That said, we have a responsibility to analyse them and react appropriately.

If a client comes to you for a reading, receives it, then lashes out at you, YOU are NOT the problem. The problem is their ego. If they refuse to control how they react to the divination, leading them to lash out at you or become annoyed with you, that is something they will have to heal on their own.

My Advice:

If you feel like you are being disrespected through their words or lack of manners, it is perfectly alright to end the conversation there. You also have no obligation to stay if you were paid Amino Coins. In these scenarios, a client decides to pay for your service, you delivered your service, and they lashed out at you - NOT because of the service quality, but because of what the tools revealed. It’s truly up to you if you’d prefer to refund them or not.

~ :crystal_ball: ~

WHAT YOU SHOULD NOT TOLERATE #3: BEING PRESSURED INTO DOING SOMETHING YOU SAID NO TO

Here’s another personal story.

Once, I was doing a deity message reading for someone. All was well at first, but they began to ask if I could do questions such as ‘Who should I work with next?’ and divinity questions which can’t really be answered by readers.

As I kept declining, they began to ask more questions within this same realm and became increasingly abrasive and irritated. By the time I was about to suggest another diviner, they left the conversation.

Not only was this incredibly rude, but it actually explained a LOT of things about the first question I divined for them. I’m not here to call out, but it was funny. I got a good laugh at least. :joy: :pray:

This is quite similar to #1 with the theme of boundaries. In that situation, I kept trying to remain as polite and professional as possible. Afterwards, I was pretty exhausted. That incident was around the time I’d gotten a string of rotten apples, so I began to think the problem was with me. Was it? Of course not. I SLAPPED myself out of that and here I am today! (Please don’t actually slap yourself.)

My Advice:

Just as with the other two bits of advice, you can always leave the chat. However, if you’d like a more smooth, more segued route, you can do what I almost did before the left. For example:

‘It seems that I will be unable to help you with the answers you’re seeking. As that’s the case, I’d like to recommend X chatroom/Y reader/Z forum. They are amazing and should be able to help you out with your specific queries. All the best!’

It’s up to you if you’d like to wait for a response to see if they’ve understood your reply or leave right after. For the more anxious ones, this option presents a way to easily drop out of a conversation with less worry of overthinking about how you handled a specific incident. That said, be kind to yourself and take a rest if needed. These encounters can be something! :gift_heart:

~ :crystal_ball: ~

Final Thoughts

You will encounter individuals who display the discussed behaviours at some point, so think of your customer base like so-

We’ve all heard ‘The Customer is King’, have we not? You will encounter customers with beautiful, majestically crafted crowns, displaying their poise, politeness and patience, and others, well, with a Burger King paper crown from a meal deal, covered in grease. When it comes to the latter customers, you’ve sometimes gotta snatch that paper crown off their head, dunk it in the trash and call it a day.

These encounters can weigh you down, but you do not deserve to carry that baggage with you. From the perspective of priesthood training too and community outreach… try to think about where those customers are coming from. While my little crown analogy may be silly and making good fun of the situations, it’s simply there to lighten the mood. We don’t know who is behind the screen most of the time, and some s may really be struggling with their mental health, which causes them to lash out, send several texts or not have a lot of self awareness. While setting your boundaries and making sure you are respected is important, I urge your forgiveness of these individuals. I’m sure all will be well for them eventually.

I hope all will be well for you too! Thank you dearly for reading. I appreciate it. For current Trusted Readers, I hope this blog can give you something to relate to or keep in mind in the future. Perhaps serve as a discussion starter too! For prospective readers, I hope this didn’t scare you, rather inspiring you on your journey to be confident and hold up strong! Finally, for those who just wanted a good read with a cup of tea, I hope this was entertaining.

Thank you all once again for reading, and Happy Beltane!

Blessed Be

~ V :green_heart: