Semi Weekly Tarot Card Reading

Why I Occasionally Post Tarot Readings On the Blog:

I think there are a lot of ways to learn the tarot. There's a one of great books, blogs, forums and sites around that provide information on the structure of the tarot, the lore, and how to use these things to make deep and meaningful readings for the self and others. I know I couldn't write a comprehensive guide on the tarot that would do the subject any credit. Tarot are first and foremost a tool that builds meaning on intangible and unknowable subjects that generally reside beyond the reach of human meaning. A good tarot experience isn't something a person can put entirely into words. There is this feeling of connection, this click between the reader, the deck, and the querent where energy seems to roll smoothly and cleanly from one force to another. For a moment we become part of a completed system between the world as we perceive it and the world as our gods and guides see it. We meet together through the cards and commune with one another in a way that is usually beyond mundane grasp.

Being a tarot reader for another person is an incredibly personal and intimate experience. I feel like through the cards I get to catch a glimpse of who that person really is and where they are going in their life journey. It's brief and fleeting, but that doesn't negate the depth.

People in turn feel that my readings are particularly personal, informative, and rich. I would like to claim a high mucky mucky power plug in here and tell everyone they have to come get a reading from me, but that's just not the case. I think the truth in a good reading comes from knowing the right spread and understanding the connections in the spread and the cards pulled and knowing the nuances of the deck one is using. So to learn to be a good tarot reader, beyond learning the theory of spreads or the meanings of cards, we have to learn to blend the two together and make them work to have deep soul seeing meaning in a read. Really the only way to “teach” this is through doing a reading and sharing it to show how this synergy creates further depth and meaning. Hopefully people glean through example how to start to integrate cards, spread and deck together in their own readings and the sharing/practice set up helps to improve everyone's tarot.

This week in specific I will be working with the Elder Fire Tarot Spread from Whispers of the Ancestors because it was a link that struck my interest (I don't remember where I hit the link from or I'd give a shout out to there too). I'm using the Tarot of Transformation currently because I need to practice using it further before I can use it to read for others with it and I purchased the deck with the original intention of using it as a healing deck for those who had deeply been hurt by a certain topic. 

Offering: 1 of Wands Grounds for Creativity: Traditionally the ace of wands represents a new creative venture or opportunity.

The transformation deck takes this meaning and expands on it by suggesting that to fully harness the new inspiration given to us we must stay firmly grounded to earth energy and that we must create a fully integrated person to contain the energy rather than letting the zeal of the fire consume us. The card goes into further depth discussing how modern society is often scattered in “head space” and intellectual pursuits without a real connection to the land and actual people around us. This card depicts a deva grounding and growing roots deep within the earth. As she lifter her head to expand out into the world and be open to new thought or opportunity, she also grows down and keeps connected to the present and what is currently around her. In this way she grows in a most healthy and communal manner where she honors the lofty goals of the divine and the present needs of that immediately around her.

I find this a powerful card to open as an offering to our Gods and Ancestors because is suggests that as we come to a close of this year we are dedicating a new creative phase to our Gods, Ancestors, and Guides. Pulling this cards says to me the best way to honor my sacred dead is through staying plugged into the world around me now, listening to the creative energy around me and harnessing it in my projects and endeavors. My Ancestors are acknowledging a deep creative spark I feel the world often under values and over looks and in this way they are seeing me as I truly am and as I would like to be in the world. They are encouraging me to continue to try to find the right kind of space for my thoughts and art.

I have a few specific new projects I'm starting this Samhain both here on this blog and in my physical life. Its nice to see acknowledgment of these new projects an to hear approval from my Ancestors regarding my new commitments. When I feel overwhelmed and drained this may be an aspect of reading I come back to for validation and further fuel to move forward.

Challenge 2 of Swords Creative Difference The two of swords is a card that traditionally deals with balancing life choices through inaction. So long as the seated and blindfolded figure remains still, there is perfect balance between two options and there is peace. There is also stagnation, and it is generally implied that the figure must eventually make a choice between these two paths, her prolonged wait is not a permanent option. The card encourages us to evaluate or own hesitation and make some choice so we may move forward.

In the transformation deck, the two of swords focuses on the false dichotomy presented in either or choices. Here we see two figures one masculine and the other feminine, each with a shield of their own that create the most beauty in the overlap of these shields. Again the card stresses that inaction is not an option, the querent must continue to move forward in his or her life, but that there is a third path. One can blend to best of both choices together to make something new, beautiful, and of more use in his or her life than choosing a single option may have.

It makes perfect sense that my Ancestors would demand I find a third path to balance between being a creative arts person and a working drone. I do see living in the physical world with all the demands of bills, the job, and personal obligations as something that often hinders the creative process. Just in this blog alone, I create more entries than I have time or energy to post. I write maybe four or five short posts on the weekend but I am too drained from the job to really post up all that content, to respond to others or to write something new and fresh. I wake up in the morning with ideas and thoughts buzzing and after ten or eleven hours of work I'm just too tired to do anything with those thoughts. It does seem to me like one can only do one or the other. That my Ancestors would call on me to both do the one I love most while not abandoning the other is going to be a deep difficult struggle. I am going to have to further examine how these two became polar opposites in my mind and what I can do to create a third path which honors the best aspects of both activities.

Center: 10 of Wands No Self: The ten of wands traditionally stands for an overabundance of some aspect of our lives but it is not considered positive. The card could point to being overworked/overburdened or it could suggest over indulgence. Excess in all things or taking on too much unbalances a person. It may point toward one hoarding power or resources either out of misplaced concern or in a more deliberate bid to misuse power.

Instead of focusing on the negative acts of hoarding or creating an ego centric self, the tarot of transformation take the then of wands and turns it into a plea to release the perception of self and singular identity and to embrace the concept of inter-connectivity (the card shows a place within each person that connects us out to the larger world, where our ego presumably has no place and where we become part of some larger organism or energy stream). This particular card has a meditation connected with it to encourage the worker to drop out of a cycle of need, self-recrimination, and to sink into a concept of “no-self” or a part of the mind that focuses less on the day to day grind, the constant images and concerns circling our minds and releases us into a pure state of quiet being.

As far as how this card fits into my reading there are two ways to take it. One is that my center or place of power is in that I am willing and able to both take on to much and acknowledge that I am taking on too much. One can always start with too much or start by thinking too big and re-adjust as needed but I personally think it's harder to start with a smaller vision and to build it out into a bigger idea.

The other is to think my strength comes from my ability to slip into this sense of no-self, which is also true. I know what this card is talking about even though I'm not sure it does a good job presenting the idea and I definitely don't like the idea that self identity has no place or purpose. Just two cards ago it was suggesting I stay connected with the world while experiencing the creative inspiration and passion of renewed fire energy and now it wants me to drop part of what I think is key to our experience in this world. We need ego to some degree in this world and I don't think being without a healthy concept of self is healthy in a world which is always trying to tell you who to be and what you need to get there. Too much self can feed these ads and distractions as they can lead to hoarding or being swindled, but there is middle ground here. It seems likely to me that my Ancestors wanted to remind me that I know how to hold middle ground between two ideas that are often describes as being contradictory such as the idea of having self and being able to release to the “no self” are. They have asked me to consider and take on a challenge regarding balance that I'm not thrilled about examining. Through this card they are reminding me of other times I've done what is energetically similar and found enjoyment and fulfillment in it.

Opening: Master of Disks Gracious Abundance: The master of disks translates over to the King of disks/pentacles in a regular deck and signifies a reliable experienced leader who is steadfast, confident, and powerful. This person is resourceful, practical and doesn't hesitate to shed what does not work for what does.

In the tarot of transformation the master of disks represents one fulfilling the lessons of the material world and being at peace with one's own station at life. The person has neither too little or too much which leaves him or her open to move as the universe swings them and to put all their inner resources toward what he or she most wants. The master is a person who has gained a full understanding of one's physical needs and limitations and uses this base to expand out from just the realm of the world into a differing energetic movements.

My ancestors are suggesting that through grounding and balancing the demands of my life, I will gain a position where I am able to work more directly with natural energy flows. I will better understand what is necessary in my practice and life and what is superfluous. This card to me implies that there is fat I need to trim to help me focus in on what is most important.

Wisdom: 5 of Cups Natural Intimacy: Traditionally this card is often considered a card of “Crying over spilled milk”. It usually features a person who is look at a tipped over cup, mourning the loss of the contents of that cup and not being aware that there are other full cups their for them to drink from. I think of the experience to a child who spills their drink at a restaurant. No real harm has been done, it's practically expected a kid will knock over their soda, but the child is so upset regarding the loss of the beverage and making mess. He or she doesn't understand the server will bring a new drink, that the liquid has hurt no one, and that only the slowest of adults didn't see this as a likely out come. We our caught up in the same moment that child is caught in.

And in the tarot of transformation this card's meaning is completely changed to be about how a person relates to sex and sexuality. I suppose they've kept elements of the view being vain and primping or putting on airs that are not authentic or related to their true self. I suppose the feeling of hurt, emptiness or loss can be similar when one is not owning their sexuality but instead conforming to what society shows them.

I believe my ancestors are calling on me to shift perspective or to not get lost in any particular narrative. There are many different ways to celebrate creativity, find a balance between work and creative processes, to integrate worship and the sacred with the mundane, and to be in a relationship. I need to be sure I fully explore what there is instead of being held up by perceptions of mine or others. I need to walk well worn paths with fresh eyes to see if there really is what I expected or first saw or if the paths have changed on me. I shouldn't be too quick to dismiss an idea or thought and I should watch out for my own personal biases.

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Pagan Product Review: Air Wick Color Changing Candle

My sister and mother introduced me to a nifty new product the Air Wick Color Changing Candle about a month ago and I immediately fell in love with it. These are candles that are either in a frosted glass cylinder or in a black cylinder with an abstract stain glass design on them. When lit, the wax will slowly transition from blue to green to red to purple to blue again. It reminds me of in my childhood when I would stare amazed at water color changing fountains for hours except now I'm an adult and this amazing thing is happening with fire!

I have been using the product for the past month or so, and burnt through several candles ( I use like a million both for religious reasons and for ambiance). I've been so pleased/intrigued with these candles, I thought I would share and review.

How the Candle Works:

At the bottom of each candle are battery powered led which gives off the differing colors. Up top by the wick you can see a little hole or space meant for an infrared light given off when lite to activate the led. So the container while reusable will not change colors on its own and the wax, while there is no indication of what IS in there, doesn't have some weird chemicals changing the actual wax coloring.

The Experience of the Candle:

Click here for a small youtube video that zeetonred has posted to view a frosted candle lite. Otherwise know that the transitions from one color to the next is smooth and fluid. While the wax is obviously a solid material, the flickering light on top combined with the rippling color below give an almost water like quality to the product. It would be easy to use this candle for meditation or raising power as it's very relaxing and easy to focus in on. I would not personally use the candle for scying as the color changing qualities could be distracting when gazing at the candle and if one is going to pour the wax in cold water to get shapes, it seems like a waste of the product.

When the candle starts to burn down the drama and brightness of the color changing effect is lessened. I don't think the thing “wears out” as my sister believes, but that the medium used to display the color transitions is the wax of the candle and as it burns we lose the medium and hence the brilliance of color.

As I said previously, the candly comes in a frosted glass or a “black edition” which has a stain glass effect (each stain glass motif is a bit different for each of the scents). The frosted one calls to the New Ager in me and the black light seems to channel that last reserve of inner Catholic I have left. Both look lovely. I use the frosted one often as a general altar candle or as a personal power candle. I used the stain glass candle in my Samhain ritual as a tribute to my Grandmother but also because I found the black candle with the light cut outs as a great echo of a jack-o-lantern.

Scent wise, Air Wicks has somewhat hindered the sale of these candles as they come in only lavender chamomile, vanilla, and apple cinnamon. I don't love any of the scents. The most obnoxious to me is the lavender, but please keep in mind I don't like the smell of lavender very much so they may have nailed the market there. I try to avoid vanilla because it makes me hungry, this particular rendition is very sugary. The apple cinnamon is nice for the fall and winter, but I'm not sure how much use I'll have for such seasonal scents come spring. Fortunately for me, none of the scents are very strong and really after the first burn, it's rare to catch much of the smell. For witches who are considering the aromatherapy of these candles, the scents made add or detract depending on the rite and the witch.

Cost: I found these candles at Walmart, Target, and my grocery stores. They were being sold at each place for $5.44

Possible Magical Uses for this Candle:

1. If you're into candle magic, you probably also use some form of color correspondences when picking out candles. These color changing candles could be a great replacement for the all purpose white. They may also serve for low budget spells a three in one candle where it the air wick may represent the blue, red, and green aspects of a working, if you have a spell requiring all three of those colors.

2. Rainbow meditation. There are a ton of guided meditations meant to take one through the 7 chakras, and the visual changing colors of this candle could be a great aide or it's own personal meditation. I do have one major caveat in this recommendation though, the candle doesn't do a full rainbow rotations of colors. There is never an intense deep orange in the rotation, the yellow, if you want to count the transition from green to red as yellow, is muddy and brief. If you're the kind of person who will need a visual for every single color, this candle is probably not going to work. Also if you're going to spend a long time working with a certain color in the meditation, the shifting colors may distract some.
   
3. This could be an excellent candle to use to call quarters, especially in fire heavy rituals or sabbats cause this candle draws attention and focus like no other.
   
4. I can see a meditation being created surrounding this candle where each color transition and flicker of the flame are used to show how fire as an element is a constantly burning diverse passion that runs through all the world.
   
5. These candles make great offerings to ancestors or the divine. At $5.44 a pop they aren't a back breaker but they aren't cheap either. With a burn time at 30hrs, that's an hour a day for a month, which is great for prolonged rites and spells or for a month long commitment that one wants a visual cue for.

My Over All Rating:

I'd probably rate this items as a seven out of ten. It's fun, pretty, and useful. There are some major draw backs in the scent category and I was disappointed that the candle wasn't as ideal as I first thought it would be for a rainbow meditation. While not an essential tool in my spell work, it has a useful niche and it's highly enjoyable in mundane life.

Paganism, Personal Practice and Ethics with Negative Emotions or Workings

 While I wouldn't normally post twice a day, my first post was very short.  Also, I had a ton of time Sunday so  I have an excess of writing which I'm trying to sort through in a sane and reasonable manner.  To that end we have an unusual and non-habit-forming second post.

Baring The Agis, placed up an article relating to Vengeance from a Hellenismos perspective. It made me both jealous of the reference texts Recons have to follow and  relieved that my faith doesn't have ancient laws I have to try to modernize.

I am always impressed when someone makes applicable use of ancient customs. It was particularly brave to discuss vengeance in a Hellenismos perspective because as Temperance points out:

“My gut instinct says that this practice [of taking blood vengeance on those who committed wrong against a family or the self] was prevalent in ancient Hellas, and was most likely executed more often than we would like to accept in our current law-regulated society.”

The idea of seeking vengeance and justice has separated in modern society, and perhaps it should. I don't think thieves should be murdered just because they pissed off the owner of said goods, though I find rape and murder victims' (and their families) a more slippery slope. Our legal system is set up to help protect the wrongly accused (at least in the USA), but we do sacrifice some in the case of how we condemn the guilty. For the record, I am against the death penalty, but I do question how one should handle a criminal with multiple life prison sentences. They will never be rehabilitated and often cause danger and disruption to prison guards and minor offenders who still may be returned to society (and whose “rehabilitation”--if what is offered in prison can be called that, is negatively impacted).

Towards the end of the article, Temperance turns to the mythical applications of vengeance and honoring darker emotions in modern day. The last line of her post reads: “Sometimes, we wish for dark things, and that's also alright.”

This particular aspect of her post  reminded me of a large part why I'm Pagan. We don't shun our negative emotions or desires. We have different ideas on how to act on those emotions. Some of us choose to acknowledge and release. Some of us petition our Gods or the universe to act out proper treatment to those who have wronged us. Some of us work magic against those who have hurt us. 

There are other schools that believe bad things happening to us are meant to be a teaching tool or opportunity for personal growth and others who believe it is a sign we are practicing incorrectly. Others feel this is a chance for compassion and understanding of those who have antagonized us, and some people believe it is evidence that there is a real and present danger to “their kind” of people. Most of us will use a mixture of techniques/views depending on the level of hurt and the seriousness of the wrong done to us or those we love. We may not agree with the actions/view of another in regard to their feelings, but very few of us deny that we have these desires or pains.

Most of us try to hold space for an open conversation about what happened, how a person responded, and why they responded this way. Whether or not we agree with the person at the end of the conversation is another matter, but I think it's healthiest to hear a person out and to leave each to follow hir own path so long as it doesn't impede own our own personal rights or safety.

I believe in doing good in the world and I believe magic is part of a means to that end. I don't think that we can take our obligation towards others, our world, or ourselves lightly. I'm privileged that my day to day life holds very little violence. There is hostility and frustration, particularly in my work space (the service industry seems to bring out ugliness in other people like few other fields can), but it is not of the nature that threatens my life, the lives of those I care for, or my livelihood. My daily test is to hold energy and try to keep compassion for people who are consciously and unconsciously being difficult/hurtful to me.

There is little place in my practice where I have to consider physical, emotional, mental, or magical violence. Banishing, meditating, and releasing is usually the kind of magic I most require to get through negative encounters in my day to day. Sometimes I ask Gods for more insight into the mind frames of those who have hurt me, or I pray for the Gods and my guides to keep me away from person x until I calm down more. On very rare occasion I feel the need to work a protection spell or call for further protection, because while I don't have the legal means to report a person, I still feel deeply threatened by what is going on. My day to day workings have never escalated beyond this.

I don't think taking magical action against someone who has hurt you is inherently wrong, but it's not something to be done lightly and it's not something I've ever felt compelled to do. I try to hold space open for those who have been more deeply wronged to speak on their experience and their process for vengeance/ justice/ catharsis. Part of what I like about the pagan paths is that there is space for people to explore their pain, being wronged, and taking action against those who have hurt them instead of always demanding mindless forgiveness.

We hear a lot about the rede (which to my mind says nothing about what will happen if we harm others only that anything which doesn't harm others is ok) and the three fold law. Rookies often assume it applies across all traditions. We often see our own pagan representatives assure the media that we all agree with the rede. I am always glad when more experienced and honest pagans come out to remind us that there are those who acknowledge all human aspects in their practice, including wants and desires society as a whole would choose to silence. If the circle isn't a safe space to air those pains and grievances we hold close to our heart, where can we find catharsis and release? If we can not be honest and true to our gods, our guides, and ourselves, then where can we show the entirety of our being and learn love and compassion for both ourselves and others?

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Delphic Maxim #8: Know Thyself

This is part of my commitment to posting once a week on the Delphic Maxims.  

This particular maxim is just straight out excellent advise, which is probably why it's one of the most repeated maxims from the original list.

Particularly in Paganism, we are a group of faiths that attempts to be self aware and in the present moment at all times. While the last maxim, perceive what you have heard, discussed how to be aware in the world around you, this maxim lets us know we also have to be present in our internal emotional conflicts.

Knowing one's limits, tolerances, and preferences can only help us further enjoy our lives and being frank with others about ourselves and personalities should lead to better personal relationships.

While the maxim is probably core to most Pagans' journeys, I find the language so direct and specific that I have little to add.

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Offerings and Whether or Not I'm Doing it Right

What, if anything do you offer to the Gods or to your Guides or to your Ancestors? What do you do with the offering after the ceremony/ritual/presentation? How do you is your offering enjoyed/received and is this always the same reaction? When do you make offerings? Does your deity/guide/ancestor ever make demands of offerings when you had no plans to give them?

I ask because the concept of offerings fascinates me. It seems like every book or ritual I read right now no matter the source, integrates offerings on the most basic level. Usually the offering is some kind of food/beverage. I understand how this idea came about. Most pagans have some value on hospitality, and when inviting a deity into our home or lives or practice, it seems best to offer them something to eat or drink as we would any other guest. Beyond that, if we are asking something from a more powerful knowing being, it only makes sense we offer up something of ourselves in return. How else do we demonstrate respect if we offer nothing when meeting a deity?

My problem with offering food/items to another being is what do I do with this stuff after the ritual is over. Especially food where it can not sit an indefinite time inside and will attract unwanted critters if it's left alone outside. What do people do with this stuff afterward? It seems disrespectful to throw away a portion of something I've assigned to deity and it seems a waste of the food. In the case of my land gods, I suppose I could ritually release my offering to the sewer system, via the garbage disposal, is that like a cosmic doggy bag?

In the case of items I offer to Gods, am I supposed to hold onto all that forever? I mean if I make an offering for ever ritual have that's a ridiculous amount of stuff to build up. With coin and money offerings, should I be able to donate the money after a certain time and which charities would my Gods accept? Am I just going to have a small dragon's hoard of quarters and dollar coins around my symbols of deity, and do my deities even value a concept of human wealth?

Personally, I think I'd like to offer more to my Gods, guides, and ancestors, but I'm unsure on how to implement it. There's a lot of talk about how to offer in ritual, and very little about what to do with the stuff when the ritual is done that is responsible (I don't think leaving food outside or leaving non-organic material outside is responsible and further I don't think most pagans have access to an outside space to worship so this plan isn't really a feasible premise).

What I do offer is often candles and incense. I like the ritual of dressing the candles, blessing them, charging them, and lighting them. A lite candle can give me a focus point in a meditation and it can feel like opening a door into deity. I like the symbolism of offering my Gods light, power, heat, passion, and hope. I can use the size of the candle to dictate the length or a ritual or period I plan to make offerings. The best part about a candle, is that I can just keep lighting it and enjoying it until it burns out, in which case, I may dispose of the candle.

With incense there is a similar blessing, charging and lighting process. The stick lasts for shorter periods than the candle does, and the scent can correspond to deity, mood, or type of offering. Again the best part about this sort of offering is that when it's used, I can dispose if it. I suppose I could store he ashes for some kind of religious use, but if you can't tell from this post, I don't like to collect things either for myself or my deity.

I prefer to make offerings of my time and energy, in the form of meditation, hiking, or wandering sacredly lands mindfully. Occasionally I've been moved to make an offering of writings or sacred words. Those experiences are entirely different than the experiences I have with objects because they are rarer, more spontaneous, and are clearly required by my deity, they're almost puled from me.

With candle offerings, it's a ritual respect thing, the same way I offer someone a drink when they enter my home. Deity, especially the one which values hospitality wants it but Ze doesn't compel it. I often wonder if I'm offering the right things. When I offer someone something to drink at my home, sometimes I can tell they've picked the least offensive of the choices instead of choosing what they wanted to have. I wonder if deity is ever doing that too.

At the same time, I always strive to be the best host I can be, and sometimes it isn't about what is on offer but that someone made the offer regardless of the cost to them.

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Energy Working and Various Approaches to Healings

Over at Daughter's of Eve Nadirah Adeye is discussing Vibration, Entrainment, Teaching and Healing.  I highly reccomend you go read to whole article but to summarize Adeye states that living beings occupying the same space will energetically align.  She takes this premise and muses on whether it is best for an energy healer to work at a high frequency or at the frequency of everyone in the room.  She points out good and bad points to both. 

As someone who started in energy work and branched out into the larger world of paganism, I was deeply drawn the Adeye's article, but lost on exactly where I wanted to start responding to her post.

I think part of what throws me with her article is that there appears to be flaws in the questions.  First of all, energy is not static and energy levels are not static.  People have good days and bad days and will act differently in varying situations.  The whole concept that an energy worker will always present with a certain energy level or amount isn't true.  I am personally of a school of belief that it shouldn't be true because energy is a constantly flowing changing substance, it isn't healthy to be static in a person or place.

Even when I assume the question is about how an energy worker goes into a session and therefor has taken a moment to gather his or her energy appropriately, I don't think a healer should choose to always have one specific energy signature, but rather I think the healer needs to alter their energy to the client's needs.  Maybe the client does better with someone who starts at the same frequency and the two raise the energy together.  Maybe the client need subtle energy working and is spooked by really "feeling" the energy too directly.  Maybe the client's energy levels in a certain area are so low or so disconnected the best thing to do is to blast it with high amounts of energy until one finally works out the issue. 

I am very blessed in that I "see" a lot about what a client does or doesn't need within the first five or so minutes or speaking with them, but it's always been best practice to have a frank and honest discussion about what will happen in an energy session and what the client can realistically expect. I find with people who are inexperienced in energy healing, it's often best to ask are you comfortable with x or y or z, I have alternatives if you prefer to hear those options.

Certain energy workers have different preferences on how they would like to heal.  It's good to ask a healer what their general procedure is and why if they don't offer that information.  I prefer to keep my energy potential a bit shadowed until I know a person or know a situation better.  I think there is a smoother healing to start slowly in energy work and to gradually build a healing together.  I personally think it helps empower the client and it lets him or her know that he or she can do this for themselves if he or she chooses.  The process has to be done with empathy and awareness to how the other person is doing.  I can see where some people may feel that starting on one frequency level when one's natural/ practiced frequency is different may not be authentic. 
It's also possible that someone is just coming from a place that a healer can't relate to or know.  Attempting to begin at the client's frequency may be a wasted effort.  I've never had a problem getting down in the dirt of the lower emotions but I've met people whose energy level always seemed to be just a half pitch away from mine.  I think if I were going to attempt energy work on them, it would have to be done through the sheer force of whatever energy I can raise than through a more mutual raising and effort.

A possible risk is that an energy worker may get "stuck" in their client's energy level while attempting to mimic it.  We've probably all felt pulled into another person's emotions before and I think energy workers trying to align their energies are particularly vulnerable to getting trapped in the very energies they were working to clear.  I know that I've been with clients before where their upset has made me begin to fall apart.  Only a few deep breathes and quick meditative work to rebuild some space between them and me helped to keep disaster away.

While I prefer one method over the other, I see value in both approaches.  I think a person needs to choose an energy approach that they feel safe and secure in which they feel will yield the best results.