I have started a Facebook page for my work, as Crescent City Intuitive. It's just starting out so the content is minimum. Please like, follow, or whatever it is you do, and stay in touch!

Love, Light, and Blessings.....

​https://www.facebook.com/CrescentCityIntuitive

I signed up as a reader on Oranum in 2012, a year after the website launched. I did readings there for a while and then took some time off. My original screen name was JustinDevereaux but I changed it when I reactivated my account. My new screen name on Oranum is JustinNOLA, in reference to New Orleans, Louisiana and the French Quarter.

I'm heading back to Germany in a couple of days and will return to the States by mid-July. I'll be back on Oranum as soon as I get settled and have some time to deal with the jetlag.

In the coming months I will be posting updates here with additional ways of contacting me. I'm working on a few things in order to offer additional ways to interact with clients. Those added options will be noted on the HOME page and the CONTACT page. You'll also be able to email me in the future.

Take care, and I'm sure I'll see some of you in the chat room! Love, light, and blessings.....

More and more I hear about psychic readers who focus on marketing themselves as readers who do not require the use of tools. If they don't need tools, I'm happy for them. For those who love Tarot, LeNormand, Parlor Sibyls, Oracle cards, pendulums, etc., I'm thrilled for them as well. In most cases it's just a matter of personal preference.

There seems to be confusion with some people about this part of psychic work. A reader who doesn't use tools isn't necessarily better or worse than someone who does use tools. I do not require tools to do readings but I enjoy using them. I've worked with cards since the 1980's and I remain passionate about the history and methods found in Tarot, Lenormand, and other historical and traditional decks of cards used in psychic readings. 

Over the years my Spirit Guides have used the language of the cards to communicate psychically with me during readings with clients. Sometimes what is being channeled just pours through and overrides the cards. At other times the Guides use the cards much more extensivley. Before each reading I pray that Spirit as well as my Gatekeeper and Guides align the cards in the appropriate manner so as to deliver the message correctly for each client.

That being said, I have studied the cards for over 30 years and I can clearly do accurate readings with various decks of cards without assistance of Spirit. I have found, however, that the inclusion of Spirit adds another greatly appreciated dimension to my work.

Is my way the best way? Is it the right way? For me, yes, it is. These methods work for me and have brought insight and comfort to the lives of my clients. That's all I can attest to. I can only speak from my own personal experience, and at the same I also continue to respect the ways of other readers.

The Tarot Cards have been a great source of strength and consolation for me over the past 30+ years. Even so, there's always more to learn, to experience, as well as to realize. I have found the cards to be a gateway to a state of expanded awareness and vision. In the beginning stages of studying the cards, the student reader relies heavily upon the cards in order to receive the messages. Over time the cards are a touchstone for the reader's own clairvoyance and inner sight.

My mentor started me on what I thought was a basic deck intended only for beginners. It was the Hanson-Roberts Tarot Deck, a version of the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) Tarot Deck. It came from Mystic Curio, a shop that used to be on Royal Street in the French Quarter. I still have that deck and use it from time to time. Even such "basic" decks contain many layers that are only revealed with persistent study and use. The more you use them, the less "basic" they actually are.

What does it take to become a professional reader? That's a question I am asked usually at least once a week. Truly there is not a one-answer-fits-all, but I hope to be able to offer some helpful suggestions. I've been through the process myself, and I've also mentored and coached a few others through it as well.

The first bit of advice is to examine why exactly you want to be a professional reader. Are you looking for wealth and fame? If you are, then being a reader probably isn't the best option for your future endeavors. You would have greater opportunities, both financially and for recognition, in other avenues. I have found that such ambitions are usually not enough to sustain someone through the difficulties of being a full-time reader.

I personally feel that the best reason to read professionally for others is born out of a sincere desire to help others in need. Yes, you will need to make enough money to sustain your life, but the desire to help your future clients should be of greater focus than buying a new BMW or a Chanel handbag.

Once you have an idea as to why you want to do it, then I would suggest that you put in adequate time to study and become very familiar with the tools you either already use or would like to use. Don't expect to be an expert on Tarot or Lenormand after a few weeks of casually reading a how-to book. It doesn't exactly work that way for most people. Allow the cards to grow within your mental continuum, so that you really understand them and the way that the symbols communicate their deeper messages.

Most people are not 100% comfortable with their knowledge base when they start reading publicly. To be honest, most readers with years and years of experience still have moments of trepidation from time to time. I started reading Tarot publicly in Jackson Square in New Orleans, back in the 1990s. It was truly trial by fire and an incredible rite of passage. I would set up my table and sign, put out chairs, and then sit there in the heat and humidity and pray that someone nice would sit down, preferable someone with a sense of humor. Much to my surprise, they did! I have many great memories of incredible readings that transpired right there in front of St. Louis Cathedral. Even as wonderful as they were, I will admit I was absolutely scared almost the entire time! There I was, still a teenager, sitting out in public with a Tarot deck!

Eventually the nerves will subside so that they don't bother you as much. When they flare up, I found it helpful to simply focus on the cards and the client, work through the methods you have learned to read the cards, and listen for Spirit to guide you in the messages to deliver. It's one of the big reasons I strongly advocate that aspiring readers really put in plenty of study and practicing the cards with friends and family members.

Ok, so you've become well-versed in your chosen tool(s), you've practiced with family and friends, and you feel confident enough to strike out and do it for others. Now you must decide where you will actually work as a reader. I recommend going to psychic fairs where people are trying out new readers. Perhaps there's a shop in your city that you can approach about offering readings. Some go ahead and put up their own website and offering Skype and telephone readings to others.

You will have bad readings, that's just the truth. Even readers with decades of practice still have bad readings from time to time. Let's face it -- we're human. It sucks, but it's the truth. If you decide to work through one of the online networks, at some point you will have a negative review. Again, it sucks. You can be accurate in your reading, but if it's not what the client wants to hear, sometimes they will retaliate by leaving you a scathing, not-so-nice review. That's just the reality of the work. If you are serious about doing the work full-time, however, it's something that you'll have to get over at some point.

I have found it useful over the years to maintain a network of fellow readers, to offer support as well as to be supported. There are online forums these days that didn't exist when I started out. Some forums are all about "Look at me! Aren't I wonderful!" And there are also plenty that are populated by individuals who are serious about reading and are there to mentor, support, offer advice, and simply be a friend.

So you've struck out as a reader. It's a huge step! Just make sure you don't quit your day job just yet. You should probably build your business before cutting off all other financial means of support. If your life-partner or family can support you for a while, that's wonderful, but give yourself at least several months before you realistically expect to support yourself 100% through readings alone.

The psychic networks get a lot of flack from loads of people -- they always have. At the same time, I know many excellent readers that subsidize their regular private practice by working on the networks at least part-time. Don't have any clients scheduled this week? Then log on to whichever network you've applied and been accepted at, and take the calls or webcam sessions that come your way. It's also another great way to build your confidence level as you'll be reading for people that call from all over the world, from different countries and backgrounds, all wanting answers to life's questions in usually 10 minutes or less.

Sure, there are people working the networks that are not quite legit. There are individuals in every field that probably shouldn't be in it. I must admit that as a reader coming from "proper tea rooms," I had a negative opinion about the networks in the beginning. That was before I actually met readers who worked on them. So, before you judge them and rule them out, you might want to at least consider them. There are excellent ones out there if you are willing to search for them.

The next big secret: keep practicing. You will have rough days in which you wonder why in the world you started down this path at all. You will also have days where you are amazed by the work itself, and the feedback from clients will make all of it worth it.

This isn't a big secret, but please drink plenty of water and eat regularly. I have found that some days I get so busy that I forget to fill my water bottle and I don't take 20 minutes to eat something. By the end of those days I usually have a headache. That's especially important to remember if you work at a psychic fair. Pace yourself, take care of yourself, otherwise you'll end up crashing.

Before going in with a client, take a moment to examine yourself. Take some deep breaths, smile, and have confidence in the time you've spent getting to know your cards.