Should the Reader know the Querent's question?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 27 Dec 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Jypsie	27 Dec 2003
I have heard differing views. The very first book on Tarot I read said that the reader should NOT know the Querent's question before doing the spread, in order to prevent a swayed interpretation. But another book I have read says that the Reader might discuss the question with the Querent ahead of time to get a feel for the Querent's emotional state, etc. What do you guys think? I have tried it both ways- the first feels pretty awkward, though I tended to "hit the bullseye" anyway. I seem to get a clearer vision of an answer if I discuss the question ahead of time, but then i start to wonder if maybe I read too much into the cards then. What do you guys do? I have been reading Tarot for a couple of years now, but I am just now starting to get really serious about it- making it a lifestyle, IOW.

Majecot	27 Dec 2003
I very rarely ask a question when I read. I don't think it is necessary to ask one, and if it works for you to not have them ask...well I say go with it. Sometimes people will have a specific question ar situation that they want to know about. I think the best readings come from not having asked. The question is there if they speak it or not. I also enjoy the challenge of discovering the root of the situation when one does not ask. The bottom line is what ever works for you is the right way for your to read.

VGimlet	27 Dec 2003
Firstly, I agree, whatever works for you is the best way. Usually I like to know the general direction my querent wants to focus on - work, relationships, general, etc. I have done cold readings before, and had them work out okay, but I prefer to have a place to start. Sometimes even when I have a focus (work, for example) the cards might wander off another direction (i.e., relationships) - which I generally feel means that either there isn't any significant work stuff going on right then, or that there may be some connection between the two at a later date. Depending on the cards, etc. Does that kind of make sense?

Alex	27 Dec 2003
Mostly when you read on the web, I think it's important to have a question. It helps direct the answer. Alex.

Minderwiz	28 Dec 2003
I think that it depends on what the 'customer' is looking for. A client who wishes to have a general reading may have no clear question in mind nor even any sort of question - they are akin to the Astrological client who either wants a natal chart reading or who wants to know what the year (week, month) ahead promises. However, if the client has a clear issue in mind then it is important that the session addresses this. There's no point in going to a Tarot reader to find out about an issue in your career and being told a lot about possible romance. Such questions are important to the client because they have an emotional and/or mental investment in getting an answer. In such a case there should be something of a negotiation between client and reader to ensure that the reading centres on a question that can be answered - that is the client can verify the reading from their (forthcoming) experience. In Astrology there is a different branch - Horary AStrology - to answer such questions. The reader selects an appropriate Astrological method - natal chart, composite chart, horary chart, event chart, etc to suit the circumstances. The method has clear cut and appropriate objectives. Tarot is not so clear cut - there are no branches that correspond to the difference between a general reading and a horary reading though the Tarot reader may well achieve the distinction through the selection of spread used. The issue though is the same - am I dealing with a specific question that the client needs answering or am I simply telling them about the main issues that are current in their lives?

isthmus nekoi	28 Dec 2003
I ask the querent to focus, but leave it up to them to voice the concern. Esp if there are other ppl around (like a party), you have to bear in mind that you are looking at information that the querent may want to keep private. In this case, I keep silent about touchy issues and ph/e-mail w/more info. Another thing I've noticed is that sometimes a querent will think they are focusing on one issue and that's what they'll voice to you, but the reading will be about a different, deeper issue.

Emily	28 Dec 2003
I'm not really into guessing games with querents so if they have a specific question to ask or something they want a reading on I usually like to know it otherwise the reading will be a general one and might not even touch on what they really want to know. If there is one I think that unsettles me its when I do a reading and I think I've got the gist of it then the querent turns the reading around to fit what they actually had on their minds and I start to think that I could have given them a better reading if I'd have really known what they wanted. But with general readings I like to work with no question and see what the cards throw down.

Umbrae	28 Dec 2003
Very often, people come to a reading with an answer in mind. They have a question, and a bias towards an expected outcome. Knowing the question often buys you into their expected outcome. The less I know the better the reading (or so I have found for me over the years). Often the reading looks below the surface, at root causes and issues. When you are concentrating on their ‘question’, you may very well miss the message…

MeeWah	28 Dec 2003
That depends on the reader, the querent & the particular nature of the query. I do not need to know the question, but it can be helpful to know the general area of inquiry to target. The cards speak on more than one level & can reflect what the querent may not be aware of. A general reading can touch on all bases as well as reflect any main concern. The disadvantage in a general reading is that it may provide too much information that distracts from or is superfluous to the main object. Suggest experimenting with both techniques to see which works better or best. Ye will find that each has its merits.

sagitarian	28 Dec 2003
most of the time, I don't want to know what their question is. But I don't voice that to my clients. I usually tell them that if they'd like to ask a question to the cards, then think of the question while they shuffle the cards, and that it's up to them if they want to tell me what their question is. I have found that what usually works best for me, is for them not to tell me the question at first, and then I'll make some inquiries like "is your mother really sick right now, because I see an elderly woman in what looks like a hosptial bed" and they might come back and say "no, that's my aunt (or grandmother)", and then I might ask are they related to your mother? Usually the answer is yes, and then once I can pin point how the person is related to the client, then I can give them a lot more information. Later I give the client a chance to voice their question, or to ask any other questions. As others have said, whatever works best for you is what is right.

TemperanceAngel	28 Dec 2003
Most of the time I get people to ask a question, at my work people generally come for a half hour reading and for a specific reason. Best to get to the guts of the situation and focus in on it. I have found if people really, really have an important question they will say it as soon as they sit down. The trick is not letting them tell you too much ;) XTAX

Jypsie	29 Dec 2003
That's all really helpful, differing opinions and all! =) Thank You. The last few times I have read for someone, I knew the situation ahead of time because they were my friends and had already told me their stories and then afterwards asked me to do a reading. But in the past, I have done them "blind" and also had good results. What gets me turned aroud when I read for other people is that I run into cards that I'm not as familiar with, since I don't see them as often as the ones that pop up in my personal readings. So now that I am more comfortable with interpreting cards, i look for more and more situations outside of my own personal life, even outside of my own group of friends or family, that I can do a Tarot reading about.

anjocoxo	29 Dec 2003
For me it's easier to read cards without a question. I prefer people to tell me which area of their lives - love, carrer, money - they want to know about... and then let the cards do their job. :D Sometimes people ask me especific questions, and I also find that ok. I usually don't like "general readings" very much, because sometimes I have the feeling that the person is just trying to do me a test ("well, let's see if she can really tell the truth"), and then I may say things that are true and they don't want to admit. But in those cases it's not worth it to argue... they had made up their minds before coming to me, whatever I may say won't change a thing. Anjo

full deck	30 Dec 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Minderwiz I think that it depends on what the 'customer' is looking for. Many times the questions are far more important than the answers. It is through questions that one makes discoveries because the question is also a reflection of the querant's state of mind/world view. Since *I* am the lens, I always ask questions. First something general about the nature of what the querant is looking for, nothing too exact for me to hear though I ask them to focus on one question and to clarify it in their mind first. After determining the spread and going through the picking, I look and probably ask more questions of the querant. Then it is more like a mutual striptease, back and forth. Usually I really try not to care at all about what is going on, I just do it and say it. The object is for me to understand finally what I've seen in the cards by questioning the querant and for the querant to understand what their question *means* by thinking about my questions. Sometimes this method will vary but I don't know until I get there. Sometimes I stop before I start even. I don't do any of this for $$$ since some would get pissed since some people want "results" -- "Magic-in-a-can" -- and it doesn't really come that way at all.

candidkarma	31 Dec 2003
Well as a professional reader I must say that if you know what the question is ,it definately helps to know which spread to use and what answers to give.But definetly not necessary,I get alot of callers that dont like to ask any question(they say you are the psychic ,u tell me)LOL So i proceed with reading and always by the end of our reading all their questions hav been answered and Yes i can tell you what theyre question was! O and by the way Im new here,this is first time replying to a post here!So any thing I should know here? If so fill me in please! Im from Bakersfield ,California and look forward to tarot talk here!

Diana	31 Dec 2003
Greetings candidkarma! And welcome to Aeclectic! How about going over to the New Members section and introducing yourself over there? And then just hop around and read and post wherever you want to. :) That phrase "you're the psychic, you should know" is always very funny! :D

TemperanceAngel	01 Jan 2004
We have a bit of a saying at my work, which I find quite amusing: if someone asks if one of our readers is psychic, what they really mean is are they going to tell me what to do with my life :laugh: Not intended to offend! :) XTAX

Nevada	01 Jan 2004
I like to have a very simple question, but too much information can cloud the reading. Nevada

Jypsie	01 Jan 2004
How very nice to meet you candidkarma!!! That is a very interesting take. I think I would much like to do phone readings- how can I go about that I wonder? Though the anonymity of it might be sorta depressing- I like one-on-one contact.

The Should the Reader know the Querent's question? thread was originally posted on 27 Dec 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.