About Answering Questions
September 22nd, 2008 by Rose Rosetree
Can a question came up about a question?
Hmmm, let’s investigate. A Blog-Buddy has recently emailed me a long essay, including a question. Today she has emailed again, evidently angry that I didn’t answer her question.
Actually, ”Suzy” must have been extremely incensed becaused she concluded with this: “Hope you don’t mind I include in you a little journalistic story, as I am a journalist as well. BEWARE OF FAKE PSYCHICS.”
IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING
My policy is not to answer questions that people send me by email. I need to have any questions posted first as comments on this blog. Even then I reserve the right to decide whether or not to respond.
You can appreciate that I have received hundreds of personal emails requesting me to answer questions or to give people free readings. So I have needed to develop a policy about this.
Yes, I have often been emailed with requests to give an Aura Reading, do an Empath-Merge, supply a Face Reading, or simply give healings… just because a person would like it. And like it, of course, as a free service.
Yes, some folks just send me their photo and write, “Read my face” or “I’m a student and can’t afford to pay anything but I really need this Aura Reading.”
Sometimes these requests come with a great deal of begging and pleading and sometimes it is a straightforward demand, without a single “please.”
Or sometimes people just send me a rather flattering invitation along the lines of “I have so many questions for you. When can I come and visit?” Of course, I have also received many emails from African missionaries requesting my help.
So my policy is that if someone posts a question here, as a comment, I may answer it if I feel it is going to be useful for other blog readers. Otherwise, people will need to schedule personal sessions with me. Please don’t take this personally.
No matter how authentic a practitioner, she only has 24 hours, right?
Incidentally, this is just a technical point, but I do not consider myself a psychic. I work as a teacher and healer. As a healer, I specialize in Energy Spirituality, with techniques for emotional and spiritual healing.
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Yuck. I’m sorry this happened to you.
I am not sure about a couple of these statements. Did this person accuse you of being a fake psychic?
And you think you’re confused, or in a state of yuck? I was taken aback, which is why I put up the post.
When I didn’t make myself available to answer her question(s), “Suzy” threatened. Or perhaps did write an “article.”
Certainly something rather unpleasant is implied in “Hope you don’t mind I include in you a little journalistic story, as I am a journalist as well. BEWARE OF FAKE PSYCHICS.”
And you know that saying, “Hell hath no fury like a free-reading requester scorned.”
I think anyone who surfs the Internet is aware that people are free to write whatever they wish. I appreciate your comments, ANGELA and NAME WITHHELD.
Actually, people are not free to write whatever they wish. If “Suzy” were to malign you in print, potentially harming your professional reputation, she would have committed libel, and she and the entity that published her statements could be held legally accountable. The only defense against libel charges is that what was said is true (and it needs to be provably true, otherwise it’s a he said/she said situation). I’m sure you have a record of the e-mails exchanged that clearly could show that you did nothing to deserve being included in a “Beware” story.
This is a subject that matters to me a great deal, because the Internet, as wonderful a tool as it may be, has made so many people believe they can get away with libel and copyright violation. So Suzy, if you’re reading this, I would advise you to let it go.
I also have to doubt the “journalist” status of this individual. At least, no *trained* journalist I’ve ever met would make a petty threat like this.
It’s unfortunate. People who think you need to prove yourself as a “psychic” or someone “gifted” believe themselves entitled to be convinced that you are the “real thing.” Hence, the attempted freeloading.
Also, your profession attracts many mentally fragile or unstable people.
I think this would help: putting up a disclaimer that explains why you would only answer certain questions and what is the fine line between a blog-worthy discussion and an attempt at freeloading. And even perhaps an explanation on why your services are like any other service which require compensation.
Great idea, ANABELA. Let’s consider what you wrote in Comment #5 to be the official pronouncement, because I couldn’t have said it better.
The “disclaimer” part, of course, is pretty unwritable. Every question is different and so is the work flow here at my office. Basically, I respond to every question that time permits. And I choose which question ought to be responded to case by case.
Haha, Rose, if you use that as the official disclaimer, you will lose a lot of business!
“I know many of you are mentally unstable and are going through bad luck. That’s why you are seeking spiritual channels to alleviate your pain….”
Important correction, ANABELA. Actually fewer than 1% of those who contact me for sessions could be considered mentally unstable. I count myself fortunate indeed.
So let’s boil down my official disclaimer to this:
My services are like any other professional service. It requires compensation, as summarized at my website, http://www.rose-rosetreecom.