Six Tips for Asking the Right Question

The tarot community is always discussing something, or many things. A current favorite topic is the question of questions. What makes a good question? Does the question even matter? Should we help client’s rephrase their questions?

In Simple Fortunetelling with Tarot Cards, Corrine Kenner shares some ideas.

Sit down at the tarot reader’s table. Shuffle, and let the cards fall where they may. One by one, they’ll reveal your future.

Provided, that is, that you ask the right question.

In fact, defining your question might be the single most important part of getting a good tarot reading. Solomon Ibn Gabirol ben Judah, a ninth-century philosopher, put it best, “A wise man’s question,” he said, “contains half the answer.”

Here are some tips for phrasing your questions:

1. Focus on a single issue.
2. Try to avoid yes or no questions, which can be difficult to answer with tarot cards and go for more open-ended inquiries, like “what can I expect from my relationship?” or “where is my career headed?”
3. Be as detailed as possible in your queries. Zero in on specifics, like who, what, when, where, why, and how. If you have trouble narrowing the focus of your question, try to put it in writing.
4. Don’t assume that the cards will intuit your intention. Clarify the background of the questions, as well as the type of response you would like in return.
5. Define your terms. The cards can be literal in their response. If you ask whether you’ll have a date for your cousin’s wedding, for example, the cards give you an unequivocal yes. As the wedding draws closer, however, you may find yourself heading off to the ceremony by yourself. Were the cards wrong? Not if you think back to the question you asked. In all probability, you did have a date for the wedding. It was printed right on the invitation, next to the time and place. But that wasn’t the kind of date you meant. You wanted a charming companion on your arm, not a circle on the calendar.
6. Include a time frame fro the response, such as a week, a month, six months, or a year.