Asking the same question more than once?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 04 Sep 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kiama	04 Sep 2003
Many Tarot readers keep on saying that we shouldn't ask the cards the same question more than once. For instance, if I were to ask, 'What will happen with my love life in the coming month?' I shouldn't then ask the same question about 10 minutes later. I was thinking about this, and I can't see why not. My mind has been perusing it, and the cynic within me immediately said... "Ah, that's because Tarot doesn't really work, and Tarot readers don't want you to know this...! Then my other side argued saying: "Ah, but you're just a boring old cynic: the first reading always tells the truth, but a second reading confuses things." "That's what they want you to believe..." And what scared me most was that the non-cynic side of me had no answer to this. I couldn't defend the position of 'you shouldn't ask the same question twice' at all, not logically anyway, and not without assuming: a) The cards won't do it all again once you've already go your answer, which in turn assumes that the cards have some consciousness guiding them. b) That the cards do not fall randomly and it is merely our minds drawing meaningful links between the cards and life. Fairyhedgehog posted recently, and I hope she doesn't mind me quoting her: [/b] I think I believe this, either that or that there is some conscious deity out there controlling the fall of the cards. But, try explaining that one to a skeptic. Me, I want an answer I can give to a skeptic to show them that Tarot is logical when you get rid of all the superstition. But I can't work out how to explain this 'you musn't ask the same question more than once' thing. I guess my question for all you wise folks out there, is why can't we ask the same question more than once? And, obviously the cards do not come up the same the second time round, so does this mean that the fall of the cards is random? Or is it the Universe/some consciouness playing with us and saying 'ah ah ah, you've asked once already and that's enough for today!' What's your opinion on it all? Kiama

Dark_angel	04 Sep 2003
The way I see it, the cards don't stand alone; they show different perspectives on an issue. This means that both readings could be accurate and provide valuable advice, only from a different perspective, reflecting the changing state of mind of the querent. However, it can be hard enough to process the lessons from one reading, so doing another straight away can confuse matters. Also, if a person does two readings about the same issue in a very short space of time, it may suggest that they're looking for the answer they want rather than the answer they need, so they'll put a spin on the interpretations to try to achieve this, further muddling things! If any sceptics query me about this, I tell them that it's us, not the cards that aren't 'right' - if you've received some advice, go away and think about it before asking for more. Hope that helps. xxx

MeeWah	04 Sep 2003
Kiama: Dark_lady has expressed it superbly! I tell clients that pulling cards for a reading in effect "isolates" those energies. Best to permit them to run their course as reading over them could lead to confusion or block the original guidance.

Ruby7	04 Sep 2003
I would do a second reading if the question somehow was not fully answered by a first reading. If the question has been answered indepthly why would you want to do a second reading? Maybe to explore further or a different aspect I suppose. If doing a second reading feels like the right thing to do at the time I don't see why you shouldn't. On the other hand what Meewah said above makes a lot of sense. And so the dilemma continues! Ruby7

isthmus nekoi	04 Sep 2003
I think the question thing is one of those 'rules' that are set up for a reason, but if you understand the reason you can break the rule.... Perhaps ppl say this to advise others not to 'hammer' the deck so to speak. There are a number of poor reasons to ask repeated questions such as the querent already has an answer in mind and is looking for confirmation, or the querent is very very worried about the issue and is not taking the time to rest and think things through w/time (ie in a panic, letting tarot take control of their minds and not the other way round). Having such a rule ensures this doesn't happen. I think a good question to be asked is: why would you ask the same question repeatedly?....

HudsonGray	04 Sep 2003
I wouldn't ask the same question again, but if I wanted further info on it I'd rephrase the question to focus on a different aspect. That's not the same thing as it being asked twice.

Aerin	05 Sep 2003
The reason I wouldn't do a reading twice close together on the same question is the thing about searching for the answer you want to hear. That doesn't seem useful. I'd sooner sleep on it if the cards seem unclear and go back to the spread the next day. But if I could think of a good reason, I would. The one thing I can think of is reading on a specific aspect of the question e.g. if I'd asked a general question about the year ahead I might then want to focus down on e.g. career or love or whatever (edited to say: like HudsonGray said). Or if I had one of those 'oh, but what I really wanted to know was' moments, then I might reformulate the question. For me it isn't a superstitious thing, just a 'is this healthy?' thing. I need to fill in the answer to 'Doing a second reading on this question is a good and healthy thing to do because.........' Aerin

Diana	05 Sep 2003
"Honey, do you love me?", asks the newly wedded wife. "Of course, I do, sweetheart. That's why I married you.", replies the husband, smiling. Ten minutes later: "Honey, do you love me?" "Sure babe! You're the one I chose!", says the hubby putting down his newspaper with a happy sigh. Ten minutes later. "Honey, do you love me?" "Yup! Love you loads", he replies, not putting down the newspaper this time. Ten minutes later. "Honey, do you love me?" "Uh-huh", says husband kind of not listening anymore. Ten minutes later. "Honey, do you love me?" "I told you already a thousand times!", says hubby rather exasperated. Ten minutes later. "Honey, do you love me?" "Oh for God's sake, how many times must I tell you. YES, I LOVE YOU", yells hubby. Ten minutes later. "Honey, do you love me?" "Can't you just shut up and let me read my newspaper in peace?" And newly-wedded wife locks herself in her room crying her eyes out. Sniff.... he doesn't love me.

Major Tom	05 Sep 2003
:laugh: Diana - That's perfect. :) I learned this early on in my tarot career when I was just learning to read and asking repeated questions about everything I could think of. I found that if you ask the same question of the tarot repeatedly, tarot eventually tells you just what you want to hear. ;) And, let's face it, telling you what you want to hear is just another way of saying, "Give it a rest!" For Kiama - I do believe there is a conscious deity controlling the fall of the cards. God is everything. :) With God being everything many people can go through their entire lives without being aware of the spiritual aspect of anything.

Kiama	05 Sep 2003
Thanks for all your replies, it was very interesting. I especially liked Diana's take on it all, and thinking back I do remember people who would do exactly that with Tarot: ask the same question til they got the answer they were looking for. Usually though this occurred only with a certain type of person: a pessimist who expected the worst, or a very depressed person. What puzzled me was that they were always looking for the worst: the Death card, the Devil, the Tower. As soon as they got the 10 of Swords they'd be happy. And there I sat thinking, 'But, surely if you're asking the same question over and over again, you're looking for a good answer?!' I think I'll experiment with this, and do two readings on the same question, record them, and see if: a) Both readings are correct b) The readings focus on separate aspects of the questions c) They are totally different d) One is totally wrong. I'll try and post the readings in the Your Readings forum when they're done. Thanks for all the replies and input! Kiama

isthmus nekoi	05 Sep 2003
Oh wow, Kiama, looking fwd to this!! Now wouldn't it be strange if the *second* reading was more correct....

full deck	05 Sep 2003
The other day I did a short reading which basically told me I was smart enough to know the answer already. I asked the same question again -- for clarification -- and it came up the King of Wands, only I'm currently using this nice Neoclassico Italiano Gumppenberg, whose King has this BIG club, like the kind I would choose to beat the hell out of someone. I had the distinct impression that I was being warned for my temerity . . . I almost laughed but the question was serious so I didn't. P.S. I just did a one-card reading right after having typed the first part. The questions was "how secure is this apartment from intruders?". The answer was the King of Wands, same deck. I'm beginning to worry now . . .

HudsonGray	05 Sep 2003
Full Deck--turn the question around to say 'what can I do to make the place as secure as possible, what will help, what will hinder me?" and draw 2 cards.'

Red Emma	05 Sep 2003
I've always had the weirdest feeling that the decks would get mad at me if I pitted one against the other. But then I'm a firm believer in the quantum physics theory of how the occult works. And Shakespeare: There's more to this world than you and I can understand. (That's a paraphrase. I can't remember how the Bard himself phrased the comment.) So what I do on occassion is to just ask two or three decks. The ones I'm likely to query in these situations are The Goddess, Tarot of the Southwest Sacred Tribes, Moon Garden, and the Herbal Tarot. As a rule I try to frame the question differently for each deck. Part of my curiosity is that I wonder HOW each deck will approach the problem posed. As a rule, they each give the same answer, but with different cards, and from a different perspective. So far none has rained toads down on me.

Minderwiz	05 Sep 2003
Red Emma, 'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy' Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 4 My own feeling is that a reading 'works' because there is an 'alignment' of querent, quesited and reader that occur at one 'pertinent moment' to use the phrase of Marc Edmund Jones. The reading works because the moment is special. If the question is asked again the reading may not work unless something 'pertinent' has changed to make a second moment special. Thus if you ask 'where is my stray cat' (a question I asked twice last week) the question may well work because, in this case the circumstances may have changed - the cat is on the move or someone is behaving is such a way as to trap the cat or to release the cat. Different answers may be valid because the situation has changed. In Diana's example the situation hasn't changed - repeating the question in such circumstances will not work because the pertinent moment has passed. How much time elapses before a new pertinent moment arises will of course vary from issue to issue - it could be ten minute, or seven days, or three months, etc BTW - the cat made it home safely after a week!

MeeWah	05 Sep 2003
Minderwiz: That is very thoughtful. A reading is like a photograph. It captures a unique moment as no two moments are alike. Hence, when consecutive readings manifest with the same or similar cards, that indicates that no significant changes or progress has occurred & the message remains the same. It can also be indicative of time being involved. I also pay attention to any changes in position of the same cards as the changes in position can indicate changes related to the querent &/or the circumstance. 'Tis up to the querent to harness free will & understanding appropriately to keep the energy flow moving. It seems that the very act of obtaining a reading whether a reading is done by self or by another has the potential to precipitate changes. Depending on the nature of the reading, there are a number of possibilities, subject to the trends & an infinite combination of variables, such as external influences & the myriad of choices one makes from moment to moment. It includes the choices made on an unconscious level. I believe those tend to affect possible outcomes as by those are the most 'honest' & indicative of a pattern created by the querent. Thus, based on the accumulated choices made, a situation either evolves or stagnates. Btw: I am glad for both your sake & your cat that it made it home safely!

full deck	06 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by HudsonGray Full Deck--turn the question around to say 'what can I do to make the place as secure as possible, what will help, what will hinder me?" and draw 2 cards.' Bless you! That is such a better way to think about it. Thanks for the thought. :-)

fun2bwif	07 Sep 2003
Often times I have done the same things and my readings have turned awfull so i do believe that asking once is enough and not going back around it. another things too is getting a reading quickly right after the other when i had a reading and waited a month before having another the results were great but when i had one back to back nothing really came to realization for me.plus what do you think on readings ever week ? Love and blessings Iris

krysia322	23 Sep 2003
I generally run into confusion when I read for myself and obsess over a question; I become like Austin Powers: But what does it all meeeeeean, Basil?, lol! The problem I'll run into is that I can no longer see the forest for the trees. But there have been times when the deck has left a vibe of "Don't ask me, check with Charlie. Maybe he can explain it better." In which case I choose a different deck to ask the same question, and the previous deck sighs in relief. :D ;)

fun2bwif	23 Sep 2003
I know excatly what your saying but they say once you have many years of practice it will all come to you easily ... Iris

bunnyhop	29 Sep 2003
when i have doubts, and i ask the cards the same question over i get the same cards... i've stopped asking the same questions more than once.

Bosorka	02 Oct 2003
Well, what I really believe, and people I read for seem to underestand is not to ask more than three question one one TOPIC. It happened too many times to me, that having a question that really bothered me, I saw just what I wanted to see even in first spread. That made me believe, that cards are not telling just about energies AROUND us, but as well about what´s going on IN us. After reading when no circumstances AROUND was changed, the feeling about situation IN us changed. Even if you say that you don´t underestand cards, or that they was talking about something absolutelly different. You saw card that started to worry you or that pleased you, and next reading will show it. Somewhere I did hear that people are just like radio - they catch transmissions, but also they do transmiss. When asking one question again, I do believe that our transmission to cards is so strong, that they would give up to "check" what else is going on. Well, I seldom have to explain it like that. Mostly is enough to tell - you´ve hear one possible clue to situation, and now cards would just tell if you liked it or no. Is this underestandable? (My English use everything just not rules of English language ;) )

Red Emma	03 Oct 2003
Bosorka, wise words indeed. But what's bugging me right now is that my Tarot of the Moon Garden won't answer the question I asked. Instead of giving me an answer about a detail of a situation I'm involved in, it insists on giving me the big picture. Which is all well and good, but I all ready understand the big picture. If I could get a clue about the one particular detail of my question, I'd be able to have the big picture under control much sooner. It's times like this that I'm apt to ask my original question of a second deck. By the way, your English is pretty good. Much better than my use of your language would be if I were to try it. Goddess Bless.

firemaiden	03 Oct 2003
LOL, Kiama, I just found this thread. I am sure there is Noooooooobody out there who asks the same question over and over... Noooobody. Mais I see a show of hands? nooooobody, right... Nooooobody. Especially not me! Who me? Ask the cards the same question over and over? No way... I wouldn't do it. Would you? Well... how bout just one more time? How about with a different deck? You know... a different deck can give a different perspective... Okay, just one more deck. I tel you what, I'll just line the answers from different decks all on top of eachother... whoah! you see that! the same cards two out of three. Now I know the tarot really means it. Now about poor wife whose husband who wouldn't put down his stupid newspaper -- maybe she should have told him what she really wanted...

Bosorka	04 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Red Emma: what's bugging me right now is that my Tarot of the Moon Garden won't answer the question I asked. Instead of giving me an answer about a detail of a situation I'm involved in, it insists on giving me the big picture. What I do in such situation is choosing different spread, as I´m still not good in rephrazing questions. (And I do have only one deck ;)) Well, I keep collecting spreads, though I have only few of them that I use frequently. As every spread is talking about different side of situation, you can find out what you were just skipping. Just go through all positions when deciding on what spread to choose, and maybe you´ll find that missing aspect. After that another sight to the situation, it is quite simple to formulate one last question like what to do, or what to do at first just for one card. (Or three, if you´re more comfortable with that.)

Layla	04 Oct 2003
Another point to consider is the question of intent. If you ask the same question again, but your real question is whether tarot works or not, then the answer will probably be hopelessly muddled, because the two questions - explicit and implicit - will mesh and create confusion. I'm not saying one should not question and reasearch the usefulness and functioning of tarot, I myself question just about everything before I have confidence in something. But in order to determine whether tarot is accurate or arbitrary, that precise question (or something along those lines) would have to be asked, instead of masking the real question with another question. Unfortunately, that kind of test is not applicable and a different one would have to be devised. I'm saying unfortunately, because the sceptic in *me* would like nothing better than to test tarot and see if it really works. But the only real test I've used so far is simply working with it over an extensive period of time and determining its usefulness through that process. There are times when I can't read the cards at all and there are times when I only see what I want to see, but I'm a very introspective person and I'm usually aware of that during or soon after the reading.

Red Emma	04 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Bosorka What I do in such situation is choosing different spread...As every spread is talking about different side of situation, you can find out what you were just skipping. Thanks. A very good idea. I'll try it this afternoon.

EarthAngel2911	12 Jan 2004
I just saw this thread from a few months back, and I had an opinion that was only briefly touching on, I think. And I've asked myself this question before. Why shouldn't we ask the same question more than once in a short period of time? I think this has more to do with psychological reasons than psychic reasons. Do I think the cards fall randomly or divinely? Well, personally, I shuffle exactly the same way every time I do a reading. Why? Because I think that our inner Divine orders the cards to answer our question, and if I shuffle the same way every time, then my inner Divine will know how much time it has to get the right cards in the right order. ;) Whether the cards fall randomly or divinely, I think the way the reader interprets the cards is more important than what cards are actually on the table. I believe that the images on the cards unlock our subconscious, and that it's our subconscious that finds the answers we need. (Kind of contradicting what I said above, I know. But I believe the two can go hand in hand.) Why shouldn't we ask the same question more than once? If you're reading for yourself and you believe that reading the cards is an exercise in psychology, when you ask the same question in a short amount of time, you're saying to your subconscious that you don't trust yourself. If you're reading for someone else and you agree to do the same spread with the same question in a short amount of time, you're telling the _querent_ that YOU, the tarot reader, don't believe in the tarot. Just my $.02 on an old thread. :) Blessings, Karen

draconiius	13 Jan 2004
in my case, i generally set up a primary layout for a specific question that I really wanted guidance/answer for, then the next day and so forth on, I tend to shuffle until a card jump out and that would be a continuation of the primary reading, just this time one card a day at a time, like getting a 'general' theme of the day if applicable to the question asked the first time. does that make sense to you, my words here? i.e., if i'm wondering about this person i really like, and i do either the six-card spread or the celtic spread the first time, then every day afterward, i'd just close my eyes and visualize this person i like while i swirl the cards around on the table until a card "shoots" out, then I'd turn it over and that'd give me the general feeling he'd feel toward me that day. i've found this to be very effective as his behavior would be confirmed by the card drawn for the day (i tend to vary, before I'd see him or after I see him, but most of the times, before I'd see him as I don't want his behavior to be "colored" by what I'd infer from the card for that day. I can see this for any other kind of questions, be it short term or long term....

Star Spirit	13 Jan 2004
Quote: The way I see it, the cards don't stand alone; they show different perspectives on an issue. This means that both readings could be accurate and provide valuable advice, only from a different perspective. Exactly how I see it. Although I try not to do more than one reading on a particular question, unless it is to clarify, or a question of events yet to come and the reading is done further down the road (since time changes things). Quote: Originally posted by Diana "Honey, do you love me?", asks the newly wedded wife. "Of course, I do, sweetheart. That's why I married you.", replies the husband, smiling. Ten minutes later: "Honey, do you love me?" "Sure babe! You're the one I chose!", says the hubby putting down his newspaper with a happy sigh. Ten minutes later. "Honey, do you love me?" "Yup! Love you loads", he replies, not putting down the newspaper this time. Ten minutes later. "Honey, do you love me?" "Uh-huh", says husband kind of not listening anymore. Ten minutes later. "Honey, do you love me?" "I told you already a thousand times!", says hubby rather exasperated. Ten minutes later. "Honey, do you love me?" "Oh for God's sake, how many times must I tell you. YES, I LOVE YOU", yells hubby. Ten minutes later. "Honey, do you love me?" "Can't you just shut up and let me read my newspaper in peace?" And newly-wedded wife locks herself in her room crying her eyes out. Sniff.... he doesn't love me. Diana, that was perfect indeed. I saw where that was going haha. I find that my pendulum gets quite frustrated when I repeat myself. Although we're still building a relationship :)

fun2bwif	13 Jan 2004
that was pretty kool

Agathe	13 Jan 2004
Dead Star, or rather Diana...that was excellent :D As far as asking the same question twice. I don't do that as I know I won't get any reasonable answer the second time. I sure ask additional questions suplementing the one I asked before, but never the exactly same one. I never ask about the same thing in a different way. Tarot isn't that naive :P Blessings, Agathe

The Asking the same question more than once? thread was originally posted on 04 Sep 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.