When a querent comes to you for a reading, do you let them ask whatever they want? Or do you work with them to develop a really good, well-thought-out, clear question?

For most of my reading practice, I was the Queen of the Questions. I felt that questions were Very Very Important. They had to be worded just so or the tarot wouldn’t be able to answer them properly. You couldn’t leave any loopholes for the tarot to wiggle out of answering. It sure put a lot pressure on the querent and myself because if we messed this up, boy, were we in trouble

But then, I’ve always been a bit uptight and liked things very ordered. The older I become, the more I loosen up. This fact has significantly affected my tarot practice.

Do not mistake the tenor of this post as implying that working with a querent on crafting a question is wrong or silly. Everything I am saying here is poking fun at myself. Many of my colleagues are artists of the perfect question. There is a reason why we say: you cannot get the right answer if you don’t ask the right question. And it is true that so many times the answer is embedded within the question.

And maybe it’s not so much that I’m getting all loose and groovy. Maybe I’m just lazy and all of what follows is simply justification. I’m sure you will tell me what you think!

These days I do not mold a querent’s question unless I am not clear on what they are asking or they specifically ask me to help them. And even then, I do not stress too much about it.

Ever since I’ve eased into the idea that my role as reader is that of an oracle, I’ve learned to trust the cards more and rely on myself less.

I think of the cards as the divine’s way of speaking with me. And because I think of the divine as a loving entity and a really smart/wise one, too, I trust that it will help me deliver the right message, even if my querent and I screw up the wording of the question. It occurred to me that I was thinking of the universe as a crafty lawyer looking at my question and trying to find loopholes and ways to get out of answering. I was, in the reasoning behind my approach, denigrating the divine.

I was also denigrating the querent. Say the querent asks, “will I get a job next month?” In my old ways, I would have talked the querent into asking something like “what actions can I take to increase my chances of getting a job?” But that is assuming the querent hasn’t already done everything they could. Maybe they have. Maybe they just want to know if their labors will bear fruit. So just answer the question…yes or no. If it is “no,” then I’d suggest adding to the reading to get ideas to change the outcome.

I’m really enjoying this loose and jiggy approach. My readings feel more natural, and definitely more inspired. And I have to say, my querents seem much more satisfied.

But this is just my journey along the path of the art the question. What’s yours?

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Written by Barbara Moore
The tarot has been a part of Barbara Moore’s personal and professional lives for over a decade. In college, the tarot intrigued her with its marvelous blending of mythology, psychology, art, and history. Later, she served as the tarot specialist for Llewellyn Publications. Over the years, she has ...