no question reading

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 22 Oct 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

loveinspirit	22 Oct 2004
is it possible to do a reading where the querant doesnt ask a question at all. but knows in their mind and heart the answer they want to find.. and if so is it possible to know that the reading is going ok by the reaction of the querant???????

SoulFlower	22 Oct 2004
I think it's possible to do a general reading, but you can't really fill in the meanings in the context since you don't know the question behind it. You will never know if the reading was really okay. Many people have different reactions; Some people might seem content if you say what they want to hear. A positive outlook will make your client happier. But a negative one can make them feel angry at you. Some people might try you out, see how you accurate you are and will always find something that isn't right because they are looking at meanings to narrow. Other people might show no reaction at all and just listen. Some will tell you thereselfs how accurate you are. There is not standard lie to see if that person agres with you or not.

April	22 Oct 2004
I am a firm believer in asking for feedback, especially when the querant starts furrowing there brow. Facial expressions tell a lot about whether or not the querant beleives what you are saying. It's possible to do a reading without stating the question out loud just as it's possible to do one without a question at all. But I like to suggest to people that, although it's entirely up to them, they will get more out of the reading the more they put in (vocally I mean). You're question implied that the querant has an answer they want. I might have misunderstood, but no, I don't think you can get an accurate reading when the querant is hoping for a particular answer. If only because they tend to twist the card meanings to benefit there ideas, not necessarily because you weren't accurate. Peace, April

Mesara	22 Oct 2004
I often read for people who have no specific questions, and typically have no problem. In fact, I enjoy reading this way because it forces me to use my intuition to the extreme, and testing myself that way makes me feel like Im really tuned in with my sense and my ability. One spread I might recommend for this occasion is the Dark Goddess spread, which can be found in Llewellen's 2005 Tarot Reader. It is short and specific, but with interesting and thought provoking *positions* such as "what need's patience?" or "what need's protection?". I really like to use it, and I find that it presents questions that querent's wouldn't otherwise think of themselves, and yet provides answers that really get them thinking about their lives on a deeper, more spiritual level.

Flavio	22 Oct 2004
I read a thread here about dealing with a skeptic querent who refused to tell the question but the reading girl hit the mark very well, in that thread someone (sorry I can remenber who was it:( ) suggested the small cross of the CC contains a clue to the question even if it wasn't told by the querent, I haven't used that tip on a skeptic querent but I'm sure it will work. For other spreads, I always ask the deck while shuffling to show me in the bottom card the reason the question was asked in the 1st place, that gives me a starting point to start interpreting the spread. Hope those ideas can help you find the best way to meet querent's needs.

The no question reading thread was originally posted on 22 Oct 2004 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.