Constructing questions

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 13 Mar 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Major Tom	13 Mar 2005
Constructing Questions I refer to this thread: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1594&highlight=questions I often find that clients come to me for a reading with absolutely no idea about what they want or what they want to achieve. They’ll say, “Can you tell me about my love life? Can you tell me if I’ll ever be rich? Can you tell me about my life? :eek: Or even, “Can you tell me when I’m going to die?” :eek: I can answer those questions, but how is that going to help my client? I always tell my clients, “The more specific your question, the more specific your answer”. Thus, I try to spend some time before I even start the reading helping my client formulate a question. So from “Can you tell me about my love life?” I ask if they have a relationship, if yes, I ask if there’s a problem, if yes, I recommend they focus on the problem. If there is no existing relationship, I recommend they ask “What can I do to bring a loving relationship into my life? My strong belief is that tarot provides the information you need to produce the outcomes you desire. Focus on what you want. Find out what you need to do to have it. It’s as simple as that. Sometimes people don’t know what they want – from their reading or from their lives - as tarot readers we can help with that too. I’d love to hear any thoughts or reflections on assisting clients with question construction.

tarotbear	13 Mar 2005
Major Tom wrote: Constructing Questions I refer to this thread: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1594&highlight=questions I often find that clients come to me for a reading with absolutely no idea about what they want or what they want to achieve. Sometimes people don’t know what they want – from their reading or from their lives - as tarot readers we can help with that too. Hello, Tom! The problem you state is more along the lines of sometimes people don't know what they want from their readings or their lives - but they expect us readers to hand them the answer on a silver platter. Sometimes the querent thinks we have all the answers and they don't have to ask us a question at all! If only life were so simple! LOL! I am also going to assume (and you know what they say about that!) that you ask the querent to tell you their question before you do the reading? When I get that 'deer in the headlights look' from a querent, I know I'm in for problems. They have this 'vague idea' rolling around in their heads and expect that we are going to flip over a few cards and give them the exact answer that they need to have - instantly. You now have to become 'armchair psychotherapist' and ask appropriate questions that don't lead the querent in the wrong direction, such as 'Are you having difficulties with your present relationship?' instead of 'Do you think your boyfriend is cheating on you?' Sometimes you find out that there are multiple questions all rolled into one and you have to help them sort out exactly what is the question and what is not. 'The more specific your question the more specific your answer' does not work when they don't know what the question is themselves! Incidentally, this also applies to people who do their own readings and say that they have problems in doing so. You have to know what parts of the question are filler and what parts are not. You need to define just what it is you are trying to get an answer for. Let me start with a vague question and try to tweak it. I find it best to ask questions in the shortest time frame possible. What's going on at work? Can you give me some insights into my current work situation? Can you give me some insights into the problem that seems to be brewing in my office? Is there something I should know about how my position will be affected by the current workplace atmosphere? What is the best way to deal with the tensions that I sense are building at my workplace? Will these problems at my workplace reach an acceptable conclusion within the next two weeks? What can I expect might happen? Yes? No? Maybe? :)

dadsnook2000	13 Mar 2005
And also important is the spread that supports the question. How can we choose an effective spread based on a vague or mis-stated question? The more we can help a client find a FOCUS the better we can reflect back to him/her helpful insights. Since everything is so integrated in the Tarot system -- the question, the spread, the tarot reader's knowledge and skills, the querent's needs -- the question is an important first step. Dave

psychic sue	14 Mar 2005
I think the worst sort of querant is the one who says "I don't really have a question" - what the heck are you supposed to do then?

Elven	14 Mar 2005
LOL "deer in the headlights look" - how apt. Its so true. Some clients simply cannot construct the appropriate question to ask as they either have too many questions or they didnt think you would ask them to state a question. I have had clients say that I should already know why they are there to see me. After the first spread of the cards the questions ususally come pouring out, but if they still will not tell me, I have asked those who do this to write it on a piece of paper, and I place it face down on the table and read over it. I only supply a smallish peice of paper, not for any other reason than the client tends to become very precise with the question suddenly. They do know what they would like to ask, but dont verbalize it. Somehow this breaks the ice. The cards will turn up and give them the insight they sought. I do though ask my clients to shuffle the cards in this case and I use the Celtic Cross as a basis. If this cracks the ice I can move onto more specific questions and use other spreads. Some days it just takes it out of you to do it this way, but I dont mind, and this is often than not appreciated by the client who, eventually relaxes with the reading and - like the deer realizes the car wasnt going to hit it in the first place. Elven x

tarotbear	14 Mar 2005
Elven ~ One of my students who used to read cards long before he took my class said he used to have the querent write the question down, first. When I asked him why he did this , he replied 'So that they couldn't change their question mid-stream!' LOL!

Joermit	15 Mar 2005
I enjoy doing a "questionless" reading... many times it seems those I read for start with something like, "I just want to see what the cards have to say" or they just want a general reading... So I read for them with a large 14 card past/present/future spread which often sort of focuses in on some issues they came to me for and didn't want to say or brought out some things they hadn't considered but want to focus on... usually a person will form their questions after I've started my reading and I can then lay another spread directed at that specific question... or lay three cards at a time on a number of questions.. depending upon how much detail they want.... it's a very odd dynamic, but one that really works for me and my style of reading...

jmd	15 Mar 2005
When I talk with a friend or colleague about just describing what I see is playing in the general environment, or if I discuss some of the general changes occuring in society, one can say that I am answering an unstated question... on the other hand, I am also simply telling a story. With readings, and though there may indeed be times in which questions are either useful or desirable, I do usually prefer for the first spread (at least) to be question-less, and simply observe what arises: what story is being presented to the reader and, through him or her, to the readee. I suppose that is also one reason why I often avoid the term 'querent'. Though it is accurate, it also generally implies that there may be specific questions that s/he desires answered. Each method, working with and without questions, has its usefulness and benefits. And each also tends to either better or less suit our own reading styles.

Major Tom	16 Mar 2005
jmd wrote: Each method, working with and without questions, has its usefulness and benefits. And each also tends to either better or less suit our own reading styles. Thanks very much for this Jmd. :) I suppose I should have made this clear in my opening post. My own style tends towards working with questions - not that I turn away anyone without a question, as Joermit said questions will arise during a more 'general reading'. Tarotbear - As always enjoy your turns of phrase, i.e., 'deer in the headlights look'. :laugh: I also like your idea of looking at the shortest time span possible. I personally prefer to also focus on what the client can do for any given situation.

Dave's Angel	16 Mar 2005
I can relate absolutely to posters earlier on in this thread who're exasperated by querents with vague questions. Whenever I advertise myself as a Tarot reader (which I do via other internet forums and so forth) and someone contacts me, I ask them to help me to help them by giving me a precise question. Most people are happy to refine their questions a bit, but it has on occasions separated need-to-know querents from the idly curious. I do believe that some people approach the Tarot and the occult in general with rather too much of a sense of awe. Many people, be they strongly religious or strongly sceptical, act from the best of motives and warn people against things like the Tarot, telling people that they don't realise the "power" of what they're getting involved with. I think the reverse is true, people perhaps ascribe too much "power" to things like Tarot, and not enough to themselves when it comes to deciding their future. A vague question ("Will I ever be rich?") doesn't have any interaction from the querent, it treats the future as something that happens to them. A more precise question ("What practical measures should I take to provide for my future?") is where the querent treats the future as something they make happen. As someone else said, some people expect answers to be served up on a platter, so they ask vague questions because they don't expect to have to interact with the divination. (By the way, this is my first post. Hello! :) )

MercyMe	16 Mar 2005
I have found that the times I've desperately asked vague questions to the tarot it has been because I know there's nothing I can do to effect the situation, the ball's in another's court. So, on pins and needles, I ask, "What is So-And-So likely to do in this situation?" I rarely get accurate readings that way, to be honest. I much prefer the, "What do I need to be aware of/think about in this situation" types of readings because they usually come out right on target. The only other readings I find to be eerily accurate with rather open/vague questions are the ones I have done that ask, "What am I dealing with now/Show me a way through." Usually right on the nose with tremendous insight. When I've done readings for others, especially those who have never had a tarot reading before (for some reason, my first few tarot readings for others were with tarot virgins) I explain that the reading is likely to be very general, maybe quite vague in parts, and that is because there's no specific focus to the reading and it is, in fact, "speaking" in generalities. I also tell them that wide, general readings often make much more sense a week later, for some reason. When I've done repeat readings for these folks, they are more eager to put a specific question to the cards since they saw the more general connections with the first reading and really want to get more detailed and specific with the next. And hello there, Dave's Angel. Welcome to Aeclectic Tarot Forum. I've a relative newcomer here as well, but you couldn't find a more diverse and helpful collection of tarot enthusiasts anywhere. I've learned so much just being here. ~Mercy

Keslynn	16 Mar 2005
When I read, I don't really focus much on question. If the querent has one, great. I move forward with that one as is. If it's a question like "Will I do *insert option here*?" I explain to them that I won't make decisions for them, and I'll lay out cards to show all sides of the situation. I guess sometimes I make up for a vague question with the spread? I personally feel that being nitpicky about the question is counterproductive. You'll get the answer you need, often regardless of how precise your question was. :) Kes

Fullmoonsinger	17 Mar 2005
I once bought a book called, "I could do anything, if only I knew what I wanted." (Barbara Sher- I may not have the title quite right.) I'm one of those people who can hardly think of a question. Some of it in my case is perfectionism--what if I ask the wrong question? Yeah, I know. The Tarot will probably answer the right question even if I ask the wrong one. ;) Sometimes I try to use deterministic systems like John Gilbert's "Assign ONE meaning to each card" and try to ask very specific questions. Other times, I just spread cards without even position meanings and read what comes up. I just did my "pick a number" spread. For today, I picked today's number: 3/17/2005 = 3 + 17 + 2005 = 2 + 0 + 2 + 5 = 9. Using the Lerner-Guilfoil Inner Child Cards, I spread the Child of Hearts (cups)(Goldilocks) which is a 1 or an 11, and the 8 of crystals (pents) which shows an ice skater making a figure 8. 1+8 = 9, so that's enough cards. Interpretation: Goldilocks - curiosity, sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong. 8 of crystals - practice. "Since I'm doing Tarot, I better practice." MoonSinger

The Constructing questions thread was originally posted on 13 Mar 2005 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.