Most unusual questions you've been asked

[Deanne]

To counter the thread I started about the questions you are asked most often (which you can find here if interested), I'd like to ask about unusual things you've been asked to read about.

I've had 2 interesting experiences to share here.

1. I had a client use my services to make travel plans. First she asked about the ideal vacation destination for her. I did a spread that narrowed things down to a few options and she picked one of those. Then she asked about what she'd need to know before, during, and after the trip.

This was a really fun pair of readings - I'd love to do more like those, but not sure how many people would think to ask that stuff

2. One woman came to me asking for help reconciling with her father. They had never gotten along well, but now he had fallen ill and she wanted to improve their relationship before it was too late. She had no idea how to go about this so asked the cards for advice.

This was an extremely difficult reading but also quite rewarding. She seemed to appreciate it a lot. I often wonder how things went, as I haven't heard back from her.


If you read for others, what have been some of your more unusual experiences?
Deanne

 

[nisaba]

The man who wanted to know about where a paedophile up for release would settle (he had children and was worried that in the whole of the continent, the guy would end up next door).

The evil old bat who wanted to know that her husband was going to die before her because she had no children and was damned if he was going to inherit her money. She apparently also hated everyone else too much to make a will leaving her money to them, too. I stopped short of offering myself as an heir.

The guy who rudely slapped money on my table before I was set up in the morning, telling me that "all that" would be mine if I correctly predicted how many fish he was going to catch that day. I gave his money back to him, telling him that I didn't need my cards to tell me what he was going to catch: a hangover, a case of sunstroke, and the sharp edge of his wife's tongue. At the end of the day, his fishing-buddy gleefully came in and told me I was right on all three counts: he drank himself into a stupor, got badly burnt, and was in the car even now, dreading what the missus would say.

 

[nisaba]

And, sadly, woman who had had a stroke. Her mind was perfectly okay, but nothing else was. Her health and function had been steadily deteriorating. She wanted to know how long she had before she had no quality of life left, and what she could do for herself. That was a sad reading, a very sad reading, and I don't expect to meet the same question any time soon.

 

[Philistine]

At the end of the day, his fishing-buddy gleefully came in and told me I was right on all three counts

All to your credit, as we should know by now that tarot should not be abused for matters of mere common sense.

So far, I've only read for friends and acquaintances, and so the most unusual question I've received is "the possibility of us having children"--which I'm sure was almost a test of the cards against what she already knew. Anyway, we got a Page of Swords and a 10 of Swords and that pretty much spelled it all out.

The most unusual question *I* asked of the cards was concerning a repair bill for my car. Oddly, it led me to deduce $850 and lo-and-behold it was $862 when I picked up the car the following week. I've done this type of thing too often to think it's all just coincidence, but of course you can't predict lottery numbers with a deck of ink and paper. . . .

 

[Deanne]

The man who wanted to know about where a paedophile up for release would settle (he had children and was worried that in the whole of the continent, the guy would end up next door).

I can understand wanting to know that (I'm sure anyone with kids has these sorts of concerns, whether they're logical or not), but I don't think Tarot is the way to find out...

The evil old bat who wanted to know that her husband was going to die before her because she had no children and was damned if he was going to inherit her money. She apparently also hated everyone else too much to make a will leaving her money to them, too. I stopped short of offering myself as an heir.

Wow, she sounds like quite the character! I would also have been tempted to suggest myself, but stopping short of that was probably a good choice

The guy who rudely slapped money on my table before I was set up in the morning, telling me that "all that" would be mine if I correctly predicted how many fish he was going to catch that day. I gave his money back to him, telling him that I didn't need my cards to tell me what he was going to catch: a hangover, a case of sunstroke, and the sharp edge of his wife's tongue. At the end of the day, his fishing-buddy gleefully came in and told me I was right on all three counts: he drank himself into a stupor, got badly burnt, and was in the car even now, dreading what the missus would say.

Was he just trying to test you, do you think, or did he actually want to know the answer? I can't imagine why knowing how many you'd catch would be helpful to anyone?
The buddy sounds great though

And, sadly, woman who had had a stroke. Her mind was perfectly okay, but nothing else was. Her health and function had been steadily deteriorating. She wanted to know how long she had before she had no quality of life left, and what she could do for herself. That was a sad reading, a very sad reading, and I don't expect to meet the same question any time soon.

That sounds like a very tough reading to do. As I said above, I had one not too different from that. I certainly wouldn't want to get these topics often but it's an honour to be able to help others at times like these.

So far, I've only read for friends and acquaintances, and so the most unusual question I've received is "the possibility of us having children"--which I'm sure was almost a test of the cards against what she already knew. Anyway, we got a Page of Swords and a 10 of Swords and that pretty much spelled it all out.

Yeah, that seems to be a pretty common question, as children are a goal for many couples. Do you plan on reading for others (beyond friends/family) at some point? If so, please update as I'm sure you'll get some really odd questions down the road!

The most unusual question *I* asked of the cards was concerning a repair bill for my car. Oddly, it led me to deduce $850 and lo-and-behold it was $862 when I picked up the car the following week. I've done this type of thing too often to think it's all just coincidence, but of course you can't predict lottery numbers with a deck of ink and paper. . . .

Wow, that's eerily close! I've never had any luck with numbers or amounts in Tarot. Sounds like something you're quite good at though, so keep it up

 

[Lareia]

The strangest one I got was when I was reading on tumblr and someone anonymously asked me whether they were going to die soon.

I declined and advised them to see a doctor if they were concerned about their health.

(Man, I read through my old blog to find the strangest ones and I improved so much as a reader since then. )

 

[nisaba]

Was he just trying to test you, do you think, or did he actually want to know the answer?

He was just being confrontational and hostile, trying to demonstrate that I was rubbish. I'm not.

 

[Deanne]

The strangest one I got was when I was reading on tumblr and someone anonymously asked me whether they were going to die soon.

I declined and advised them to see a doctor if they were concerned about their health.

(Man, I read through my old blog to find the strangest ones and I improved so much as a reader since then. )

Yeah, I have a disclaimer about not using Tarot for medical or legal issues...not sure if anyone actually reads those, but at least I have something to direct people to if they ask that sort of question (hasn't happened yet, but I'm sure it will some day!)

He was just being confrontational and hostile, trying to demonstrate that I was rubbish. I'm not.

Ah, okay. That's pretty much how it came across to me, but sometimes it's hard to tell in writing. Good on you for not accepting the cash, you don't need to deal with anyone like that

 

[Michael Sternbach]

So far, I've only read for friends and acquaintances, and so the most unusual question I've received is "the possibility of us having children"--which I'm sure was almost a test of the cards against what she already knew. Anyway, we got a Page of Swords and a 10 of Swords and that pretty much spelled it all out.

Hi Philistine,

So how exactly did you read the Page of Swords? Recently, a sitter of mine drew the Princess of Swords (the equivalent of the Page in the Thoth deck) on a similar question. The answer puzzled me. It in fact allows a number of different interpretations, and some of the most experienced Thoth readers on this forum cared to comment.

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=241469

 

[Michael Sternbach]

While I was living in Japan, a traveller from India whose name was Gautama wanted to know from me which of two women he should marry. Partner choice questions are not that unusual per say, but what set this one apart was that he had no way of even seeing the candidates in person before the wedding ceremony (not unusual in more traditionally minded families there). I felt a little uncomfortable burdened with such a great responsibility, so I first asked the cards if I should agree to do the reading. I got The Hierophant and took this as a 'yes'. So I did one relationship spread for each option. I recall The Lovers showing up in one of the spreads, which naturally pleased him. Sadly, I lost contact with Gautama soon after, so I never heard how the story continued.