So yesterday I was shuffling my tarot deck for this client’s love reading, right? We’re talking about her messy situationship when—bam—the Page of Pentacles pops out upside down. Textbook meaning? Money troubles or laziness in relationships. Client looks like she’s gonna cry. My gut says nope, too easy.

Grabbed my worn-out journal where I scribble real readings versus outcomes. Flipped past three entries where reversed Page of Pentacles showed up:

• Sarah’s 2020 breakup (guy ghosted her after borrowing $2k)
• My cousin’s Tinder disaster (dude lied about having a job)
• That weird vibes couple from last June (turned out they were scamming people together)

Here’s where I messed up. I always boiled it down to “financial red flag.” But staring at those notes? Every. Single. Time. It was about fake potential. Like someone acting committed while hiding their tracks. Not just lazy—performative.

Yesterday’s client? She remembered her situationship dude “accidentally” sent a screenshot of his dating app convo. Page of Pentacles reversed wasn’t yelling “deadbeat.” It screamed “con artist wearing responsibility cosplay.”

Now I keep sharpie notes in my deck box: ⚠️ UPRIGHT = GROWTH UPSIDE DOWN = GROWTH HORMONE SCAM ⚠️ No more sugarcoating for “aww but he seemed sweet” clients. Tossed three guidebooks claiming this card’s mild. Real life ain’t mild.