It's All About the Question
There are some tarot readers who not only don’t want a question from the client sitting across from them, they don’t want that client to tell them anything at all until they’ve pulled cards and made their assessment. In my opinion, these are stone-cold psychics. They can pull very specific stories from the ether and need nothing more than the name of a client to do it. It’s impressive.
THE IMPORTANCE OF QUESTIONS
I am not that kind of card reader. Each tarot card has an essence, but that essence can be applied in countless ways. The Magician can be the power within you, your shady ex, a new exciting project, a performer who you really admire. The 3 of Pentacles can be about teamwork and collaboration. I’ve also seen it come up to represent the ghosts a little girl was seeing in her room at night. How on earth is anyone who isn’t classically psychic supposed to know what a card means in a reading? Simple. They look at the card within the context of a question.
Context is everything in tarot. It is what provides a direction for interpretation and a foundation for how to find an answer. It is what allows a reader to be specific. Is the querent asking about their sex life? Well then Wands cards would indicate getting down and dirty. Are they asking about their job? Then Wands cards could speak to their efforts and the amount of work they are facing. Are they asking about their spiritual life? Wands could then signify their faith. You get the idea.
REFRAMING QUESTIONS
Some readers will say that tarot can only answer certain kinds of questions. I haven’t actually found that to be true. And I am a firm believer that people want to know what they want to know. However, there are certain kinds of questions that tend to yield more useful answers than others.
“SHOULD” QUESTIONS
Generally speaking, it’s helpful to stay away from “should I” or “will I” because they don’t really get to the heart of what you want to know. When I have a “should” question, what I’m really asking is “what is likely to happen if I…and will I like that outcome?” So I usually rephrase “should I “ questions to “what would it look like if I [insert option a] and what would it look like if I [insert option b].” This yields so much more information and allows me to decide what I want for myself, which option looks more appealing to me.
RECLAIMING AGENCY
Similarly, “will I” questions tend to rob us of our agency, especially in situations where what we’re asking about is actually up to us and our actions. (That is, “will I get the job” after I’ve already been interviewed is very different from “will I get the job” before I’ve even applied.) It’s fine to look at “will I” questions but I think it’s also helpful to follow up with “how can I…,” “what can I do to…,” “where can I focus my attention in order to…” - that kind of thing.
OPEN-ENDED & CLIENT-CENTERED QUESTIONS
Many readers prefer that clients ask open-ended questions instead of a simple yes/no. I believe tarot can answer yes/no questions (and tell you why) but that’s for another blog post. Many readers also like clients to focus their questions on themselves and not ask about the neighbors, colleagues, ex-partners, etc. otherwise known as third-party readings. (I have some opinions here as well that I’ll save for another post.)
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
I think the most important thing when getting a reading is to have some idea of what it is you’d like to look at during the reading. A specific question is great, but even just knowing what area of life you’d like to focus on can be very helpful to readers like myself. A skilled reader will aid you in identifying your question and provide you with the answers you are seeking.