Keeping It Real: The Difference Between Intuitive Readings for Entertainment and Private Readings

There is a quiet little truth tucked between the tarot cards and tea leaves that few talk about: the energy and intent of a reading changes depending on the stage you’re standing on.

Doing intuitive readings at a party, fair, or public event versus offering private one-on-one sessions is not just a matter of setting — it’s a matter of depth, responsibility, and nuance.

Let me light a candle on both sides of this conversation for you.

The Public Stage: Entertainment Readings

When you’re reading intuitively for a group — a bridal shower, a corporate holiday party, a psychic fair — you step into the role of both guide and entertainer.

You become a lighthouse in the storm of conversation and clinking glasses — visible, steady, and bright.

The Upside:

• You bring magic and sparkle into a room otherwise full of awkward small talk and bad hors d’oeuvres.

• You connect briefly with many souls, offering them a taste of mystery and hope.

• You can still touch people in a way they carry home with them — even in just a few minutes, even amid laughter.

The Downside:

• Depth is limited. People rarely want to confront their shadows in front of Aunt Linda or the VP of Marketing.

• Sometimes you’re treated like a novelty act — part magician, part party favor.

• You must adjust your words carefully, keeping them appropriate for the context.

In public, you’re working with the tip of the iceberg — all charm, wit, and quick insight.
But that doesn’t mean the message can’t be real or meaningful. In fact, an uplifting truth delivered gracefully in a crowd can sometimes be more powerful because it catches people off guard — like finding a wildflower in a sidewalk crack.

The Private Sanctuary: One-on-One Readings

In a private session, you are not just the lighthouse — you are also the surgeon: gloves on, heart steady, prepared to work with precision in delicate places.

Here, the stakes are higher and the intimacy greater.

The Upside:

• You can go deep, to the roots of the matter. People come willing to hear what they need, not just what they want.

• The atmosphere becomes sacred, confidential, and honest.

• You witness moments of true transformation — when someone dares to look at themselves fully and begins to shift.

The Downside:

• It can be emotionally demanding. You may carry their pain or questions long after they leave.

• It requires impeccable ethics and discernment — and great care in how you deliver hard truths.

• If you’re wrong, there is nowhere to hide — just you and them, and the quiet that follows.

Here you’re not just shining a light — you’re cutting through illusions, stitching together insights, and handing someone the mirror they’ve avoided for years.

How to “Keep It Real” in Both Settings

• In public: Aim to inspire and uplift. Even if you’re keeping it light, that doesn’t mean it’s superficial. Offer truth wrapped in encouragement — a glimpse that plants a seed.

• In private: Be honest, kind, and grounded. Don’t sensationalize. When hard truths need saying, deliver them like a surgeon — clean, quick, and with compassion.

A good rule of thumb?
In public: don’t say anything you wouldn’t want broadcast on a loudspeaker.
In private: don’t say anything you wouldn’t stand by in your own soul.

Step-by-Step Suggestions

1. Clarify your role before you begin. Is this “fun and flirty” or “deep and real”? Say so at the start.

2. Set boundaries. In public: “This is a light reading, just for insight and fun — for more depth, see me privately.”

3. Read the room. Some parties can handle sincerity; others just want sparkle. Even private clients sometimes prefer gentle over profound.

4. Protect yourself energetically. After events especially, clear your energy — you’ll pick up all kinds of residue in public spaces.

5. Know when to refer. If someone needs therapy, medical care, or legal counsel, say so firmly and gracefully.

Final Thoughts

There is nothing wrong with being an entertainer.
There is nothing wrong with being a counselor.
But don’t confuse one for the other — and don’t let your audience confuse them either.

Even in a room full of laughter and noise, you can plant something lasting — a phrase, a truth, a spark — that blooms days, weeks, or even years later.
Even in the quietest private space, you can keep it light enough that hope still breathes in the room.

You are not just the lighthouse and not just the surgeon —
You are also the gardener scattering seeds in the wind, trusting that something beautiful will grow in its own time.

Both settings deserve your sincerity and your care.
Both can change someone’s story.

Always — keep it real, and keep it kind.