"Laura Resnick - The Fortunes of Temperance" - читать интересную книгу автора (Resnick Laura)

renovated castle where the Magicians Guild meets on the second night of every
full moon. Madame Rabinowitz, my Tarot Reader, rents the cottage from the
Hermit at a very good price, though after nearly twelve years in this
location, she has yet to meet her landlord in the flesh.
The small waiting room was crowded, as usual. Some Tarot Readers have
been losing business to the latest craze, psych-o-therapy, which has caught on
even faster than most fads. _Some_ Readers, I say; but not Madame Rabinowitz,
whose calendar is usually filled weeks in advance.
Sure, I know that some Readers just go through the motions, tell
seekers what they want to hear, and collect their fee. It's true that some




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people without sufficient training or proper credentials call themselves
Readers and try to make up for their deficiencies by charging lower fees. Me,
I figure you get what you pay for, and I have no sympathy with someone who
realizes too late, as did the Fool, that they made a tragic mistake in making
major decisions based on such bogus Readings.
Madame Rabinowitz, on the other hand, graduated with honors from the
Academy of Divination with specialties in Tarot and Palmistry. Upon completing
her studies, she interned with the now-famous Intuitive Arts Institute. Five
years after setting up her own practice, she became the first woman ever to be
elected President of the International Society of Divinative Practitioners.
However, credentials alone don't make a Reader as successful as Madame
Rabinowitz. It's a client-oriented business, after all. In addition to her
academic achievements, Madame Rabinowitz possesses a sympathetic aura and ease
of manner which almost always ensure that a client returns to her, rather than
abandoning her for some newcomer offering brash guarantees or lower rates.
I first went to see Madame Rabinowitz when trying to decide whether or
not to end my relationship with the Page of Cups. He was sweet, faithful, and
usually brought good news, but he simply refused to grow up. I just didn't
know what to do. Several Readings with Madame Rabinowitz, however, revealed
how my own fears of loneliness kept me clinging to a dead-end relationship and
castigating my partner for an immaturity which, to be fair, was an essential
component of his nature. So I dumped my lover and have been consulting with
Madame Rabinowitz ever since.
Oh, sure, loyal as I am, even _I_ have occasionally been seduced away
-- only temporarily! -- by intriguing new fads. In fact, I've even tried
psych-o-therapy. I know what you're thinking: whacky, fringe-element,
superstitious nonsense aimed strictly at the gullible. Now, while I must admit
that I decided after only a few sessions that psych-o-therapy really wasn't
for me, I have to point out that such narrow-minded opinions are unfair --
especially when voiced by those who've never tried it (which is invariably the
case). After all, many sophisticated people believe there is some merit in
psych-o-therapy, and there's no denying that some people seem to find genuine
comfort in it. So who's to say that there's absolutely _nothing_ of value
there?
For my part, I found that the psych-o-therapist (that's what they call