How do you know which are the best questions to ask the tarot? The cards may have all the answers, but we need to pose powerful questions to get the most out of our reading.
To learn how to formulate questions for your reading that invariably turn up insight, actionable advice, and useful information, it is important to remember that the tarot isn’t just a predictive tool. It also sheds light on the whys and the hows–because knowing that is key to truly understanding an issue, and there’s no good choice without proper understanding.
You’ve probably heard the rule: “Do not ask yes/no questions in your tarot reading.” And like everybody else (myself included), you’ve probably wondered why this pesky rule exists. After all, if we have a simple burning question, shouldn’t we reach for a simple, fast answer?
Thing is, your question probably isn’t as simple as you think it is. Let me illustrate that with an example:
Will I find love in the next three months?
If the answer is YES: okay, but who will it be? How will I recognize them? Where will I meet them? And is this going to be a serious thing or just a fling?
If the answer is NO: why not? Is it me? (And this may lead us down the wrong path, imagining we’re unlovable, or not attractive enough, or somehow at fault when the cards might be telling us to wait just one more month because the love of our life is around the corner, so it’s especially dangerous!)
Now, imagine we had dug a bit deeper and found any of the following questions to ask the tarot:
- How can I attract love into my life?
- How can I get ready for a new relationship?
- What do I need to know about my love life?
- What should I be looking for in my next relationship?
- What keeps me from finding a meaningful relationship?
See the difference?
At their core, powerful questions will give your YES/NO answer, but they will add layers and layers of details and insight. They’ll tell you what isn’t working, what you need to work on, what’s best to make you happy even if it takes a bit more time and effort…
The very best questions to ask the tarot will give you answers and then they will help you understand them, so you always know where that answer is coming from and why you’re receiving a particular piece of advice.
After all, you can’t be expected to choose your path forward if you are blindfolded, right?
How to formulate questions for your reading:
As you can see from the example above, the key to making the most of your tarot reading is to identify what you wish to know (which might look like a yes/no question) and then try to think of alternate phrasings that give you the power of choice. Questions where the answers will shed light on the details that might help you understand the reasons behind the yes or no while giving you actionable advice to either pursue or avoid the predicted outcome.
Sounds difficult?
Not to worry. It is a bit hard, especially at first. If you aren’t sure how to phrase your question, rest assured: a good tarot reader will always get in touch if they feel like you could squeeze a bit more insight from your question if you would only tweak it a little.
Still, practice makes perfect, right? As an exercise, why don’t you try to rephrase the following common questions into a more powerful version?
Practice time!
Rephrase the following questions. Feel free to share your answers in the comments and I’ll take a look at how you did!
- Will I get that promotion?
- Will my ex reach out?
- Should I trust this person?
What happens when you aren’t sure what to ask?
It can happen. Sometimes you just need a bit of general guidance: when too many things are going on at once, when you want to be ready for what’s coming, when you don’t know how a choice or situation might affect other areas of your life… The way to go in such cases is a general reading. Each reader uses a different method and calls it a different name, but at its core, it’s a peek into the main areas of your life: career and business, personal relationships, advancement and conflicts, and finances.
My general readings comprise a three-card reading to draw your attention to what’s going on for each of these areas at the time of the reading. Alternatively, I can give a pointer in three of those areas (one-card reading for each) and look more carefully into the one area that the cards consider most important for you (the method I use gives a variable number of cards here–basically, as many as the tarot needs to convey its answer). This second option will give less rounded advice but might be more relevant because it tells you more about the one thing that’s likely to worry you.