Focusing the Querent:Should you or shouldn't you?

The candles and incense have been lit.
Very quietly in the background you may even have some harmonic music playing, and your table looks great, covered in lace and velvet and with several decks shuffled and layed out.

There is tea on the sideboard and a client in your chair.
You've been chatting with her as you move around your room, setting everything to rights.

You sit down and ask her;
What did come here today to ask?

And she answers:
"I dunno."

What next?
Do you spend time clarifying a question, or do you do a general reading?

Do you start the clock when the first card hit the table, or do you charge for the lesson on how to think of a question?

Your answers are appreciated!

It is a quandary, isn't it? For me, it depends on why I think the client "doesn't know".
If they don't know because they are shy and pretty much wordless, and I figure that when they are into the reading they will get a bit more relaxed, I suggest we start with a general. One card each for the major areas of their life--together we agree on the major areas like work, love, money, health, kids, etc. Usually one or more of these cards will clearly be an area of special interest. So we go to that area, and lay few cards down...and the client has to pick the cards to hand to me for that mini-layout.
.............It's like I sneak up on the client, getting them more and more involved, to where they are asking actual questions, leaning into the layout, and it becomes a 2 way street; something we are doing together.

If I think they "don't know" because they think I should be able to magically pull a perfect reading out of my hat, or as a "test" of me, my response is entirely different. First I tell they that if they want a good detailed specific reading, they need to ask a good specific question. If they want a general reading, that's fine too, but which are they looking for? We go from there.

If I have to give a lesson in how to ask a question, because the client can't be bothered to actually think, I'm on the clock. If I want to get flashy about it,(this is really rare ) I might throw down a couple of cards, one expressing who the client is, or what the client is most concerned with, or why the client is here, the 2nd being the reading subject that would most benefit the client at this time.

Involvement, yes

I also agree that getting the querent involved is important. After all, the tarot reading is an event for them, something magical -- except they are also hindering it for some reason.

So, I lay out four cards such as used in the Celtic Cross center except for the crossing card. I equate these to the four angles in an astrological chart which gives me four focus points: Personal experiences and health, family and basic security, relationships and, finally, career and goals. Then I read these cards -- commenting on their applicability to that area of life, probing for some comments, identifying the problem area(s). Then I do a three card spread for any area in question. This process brings them into the reading and can be done within 10 minutes.

What happens next depends upon their response, time allowances, involvement and interest, etc. Dave

You painted such a serene setting, elf, that I was ready to run over and sit with you and have a cuppa tea!!

I set up my table, light a candle, put three decks on the table and ask the sitter to browse through them and pick one that they think will work for them.

They seem to like doing this.

I ask what it is they "know" about Tarot. That gets a dialogue going.

This takes about 5-10 minutes. At home, I'm a little loose with time.

Then I ask them if there is an area of life they would like to focus on...

If they don't come up with something, sometimes I use the MATCHES acronym in my mind and throw out some ideas...money, ambitions, travel, career, expectations, sex (I say relationships)...Sometimes I skip this if they seem quite unsure or nervous. I have no set plan.

If they seem nervous, I let them shuffle and say:

Well, then, let's see what the cards ask us to consider....

When I lay out the spread, I turn over the hourglass...

(I also have my husband call down to my phone from his phone upstairs, about 10 minutes after I am supposed to finish the reading. I say, "Sure, I'm just finishing up. Come right over.")


As dadsnook and magpie said, getting the client involved is crucial.

terri

Well, I've written about this other places, where I ask my clients,
"What do you really want to know?"

And I might ask this three or four times before we have a really solid question.

I also have the "Show Me" spread for the times when someone is really just not able to enter into a dialogue.

I say, "Show me.....the querent."
"Show me.....spouse"
"Show me.....an issue facing Querent now"
And so forth. I might ask six or seven show me questions and that can sometimes be the entire reading.

I like 'Show Me' because it leads into a question.

Some information will start to flow and the sitter will say, "Oh, can I ask about......" And then I have a better focus for our time together.

If I'm at an expo and my book is filling up, I might just do three card PPF's. Or two cards, a kind of before and after look at something troubling someone.

I do actually spend a lot of time talking to the seeker about the question. I know that for many people this is an investment and they may not be back to a reader for a while, so I see a big part of my job as helping them get the most out of the investment.

Because then the reading is so much more personal and useful.

I know that there are folks out there who don't like to know the question, who would rather have no dialogue, and who like to read purely whatever they see and sense. And that is of course a fine way to do things.

It really surprises many people I read for when I ask them their question.
They look at me like, "Don't you know?"
And I explain that while they may think their question is clear, talking about it with me can help us to really set it in time and space for Tarot to work on.

I was just wondering how many pro readers here on AT care about the question and find having a specific question helpful in the accuracy and quality of the reading.

I can't explain why, elf, but the question really doesn't matter to me...

Just me...

I find that once I begin turning the cards....the area and then the question comes out.

I did a reading with someone who had no question, no area...

The reading was loaded with pentacles...and "work/career" emerged.

The sitter....said, "Ohmygoodness. That is what is preoccupying my thoughts. I have been asked to buy out my business and I don't know if I can. I don't know if I can come up with the money. I dont' know if I want the responsibility. I am afraid of what kind of time commitment it will mean."

So....as the process unfolded, the questions evolved from the cards and the spread.

I am actually more comfortable with this than if they have a question...

If they do...we work with that.

So if they say, "Will I be married next year?"

I might do Umbrae's relationship spread...since the person who most recently asked me this, was in a relationship....she loved the spread.

So, for me ....no question necessary.

terri

tmgrl2, you may be asking the cards what to look for rather than the Querent. It seems to come out the same way. I think asking for a question is very helpful. If I am doing a long reading (15-30 minutes) I can take the time to ask the cards to tell me where to start. If I am doing a party and 5 minute readings, a general question, the querents are warned, will get general answers.

I did a party once for a group of wives at a business meeting. I knew they would have lots of questions. I told my concern about getting through all of them ahead of time to the party host. She made them think of one question to ask me when they came in. They did and the job ran very smooth and timely. We all still had fun, too.

Ace

I like the idea of having people think of a question before they come in for short readings...good way to handle a party setting or cafe short readings.

I guess I feel the cards will tell me what needs to be addressed...and often the kinds of questions asked by the sitter need to be put into a format appropriate for a reading.

I am comfortable working with or without.

For short readings, I often do a PPF or body...mind/spirt...soul...

terri

I know what you mean Terri, that it seems to work either way.

Because when I don't use the question, or just use my own "spreadless spread" I get good results.

I do notice tho, that, the question and the spread can be really good "tools" for clarity and not having it to work it as hard.

Which is why I am learning the Horse shoe spread!

When someone has no question or just wants a reading, I just
explain what I'm going to do. They don't care. I begin to read and
do a bit of numerology with the reading.

Usually they will start interrupting the reading to tell me something and
then as we go along whatever is bothering them starts to come out. They
also ask if a certain card would mean this or that in there situation.

I find when you use compassion in your reading, you show a trust and
then they just start talking.