How can you best use the cards to answer a Yes/No question?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 18 Jun 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

rennfahrer	18 Jun 2005
I.e. Should I look for a new job? or Should I take this new job? Is this person a sincere friend? Should I take this trip? You get the idea. What works best on something like that?

Fulgour	18 Jun 2005
Try letting the cards ask you the question. Lay out three and answer them, yes or no.

Al Si'ra	18 Jun 2005
Wow..That's sth i never tried before!! I love my cards a lot and it will be very interesting to let them talk this time :)

tarotbear	18 Jun 2005
For a yes/no question, the best answer is to flip a coin!!!!!!!! Tarot does not deal well with a question that needs only a yes/no answer. All that symbology and centuries of divination and past/present/future to help you and all you want is yes/no? You can also shuffle the deck and flip cards until you get either the Fool (No), or the World (Yes). Should I look for a job or stay in this one? - is a two-part question that the Horseshoe spread will help answer both questions at the same time. You shuffle the cards and ask 'should I stay or should I go?' ( or something similar.) You lay out 6 cards in this order: -- 5 ------ 6------ future -- 3 ------ 4 ----- present -----1 -- 2 -------- past However, you read up the arms as 1-3-5 what happens if I stay and 2-4-6 as What happens if I look for a new job.

Flidais	18 Jun 2005
I have been known to turn up a single card and read it as "yes" if upright and "no" if reversed -- with additional insight to be gained from the meanings of the card. Or you can turn up three cards and the majority "rules" (reversed or upright). However, I don't like to do that with the Tarot. I would rather flip a coin or use one of those "crazy 8" balls (or whatever they are called -- the ones that tell you "yes" "no" "not now" and so forth). Seriously.

tarotbear	18 Jun 2005
brh986 wrote: I.e. Should I look for a new job? or Should I take this new job? Is this person a sincere friend? Should I take this trip? You get the idea. What works best on something like that? Dear brh986 ~ IMHO, I think you need to learn to ask 'better' questions. If all questions could be answered Yes/No, then there would be no new tarot decks, just someone making a buck off minting coins to flip! You need to think about the questions more. Don't ask: Should I take this trip? (Y/N) Ask: I really need to take a break. What kinds of experiences will I have if I take a trip at this time? Don't ask: Is this person a sincere friend? (Y/N) Ask: Is there anything I should know that would help me understand these mixed messages I am getting from Jim? Don't ask: Should I look for a new job? (Y/N), or Should I take this new job? (Y/N). Ask: What would my advantages be to keeping this job for another two years? Or~ What opportunities await me if i take this new job? You will get much better and informative answers to the latter questions than to Yes/No. :smoker:

rennfahrer	18 Jun 2005
Fulgour wrote: Try letting the cards ask you the question. Lay out three and answer them, yes or no. I'm not sure i follow that...

rennfahrer	18 Jun 2005
tarotbear wrote: Dear brh986 ~ IMHO, I think you need to learn to ask 'better' questions. If all questions could be answered Yes/No, then there would be no new tarot decks, just someone making a buck off minting coins to flip! You need to think about the questions more. Don't ask: Should I take this trip? (Y/N) Ask: I really need to take a break. What kinds of experiences will I have if I take a trip at this time? Don't ask: Is this person a sincere friend? (Y/N) Ask: Is there anything I should know that would help me understand these mixed messages I am getting from Jim? Don't ask: Should I look for a new job? (Y/N), or Should I take this new job? (Y/N). Ask: What would my advantages be to keeping this job for another two years? Or~ What opportunities await me if i take this new job? You will get much better and informative answers to the latter questions than to Yes/No. :smoker: Well there is one particular question I'm wanting to ask that just seems to lend itself to a yes or a no. There is a certain person I've been working with and I want to know if it will be beneficial to continue. I guess the horseshoe idea should work great for that though. Also want to ask something like whether or not a certain person is, overall, a positive or negative influence on my life... Thanks for your input.

mingbop	18 Jun 2005
I agree with tarotbear that the phrasing of the question is all-important. Instea dof yes/no, say to the cards "ok tell me about this person/job/situation. The see what they tell you.

SunChariot	18 Jun 2005
Tarot is not well suited to that kind of question. There was a method I used once that I found in a Mary Greer book. I used it for a few weeks, but the answers were all over the place. Finally, I ASKED my cards, if that method was giving me accurate answers and it actually told me NO, so I dropped it like a hot potato. A pendulum is a great tool for yes/no questions. Tarot is not great with them. If I really feel the need to do one though I ask, pull one card, then see /feel intuitively what it seems to mean. By what my first feeling is in the first split second I see the card. If I feel apprehensive, the news is likely not good. If I feel joy it is probably what I want. But in all honesty, I feel it is much better to ask the question in a way that does not require a yes/no answer. Bar

SunChariot	18 Jun 2005
brh986 wrote: Well there is one particular question I'm wanting to ask that just seems to lend itself to a yes or a no. There is a certain person I've been working with and I want to know if it will be beneficial to continue. I guess the horseshoe idea should work great for that though. Also want to ask something like whether or not a certain person is, overall, a positive or negative influence on my life... Thanks for your input. You could try separating it into two questions: 1) How will it benefit me to continue working with this person? then 2) How will it benefit me if I stop working with this person? Comparing the two should give you an idea which has more benefits for you. You can pull more than one card per question for more info, sometimes I pull up to 3. Try the same for the next question and compare both answers. You may see that the positives are far better than the negatives, or that the negatives far outweigh the positives. 1) In what ways is (this person) a positive influence in my life? and 2) In what ways is (this person) a negative influence in my life? As nothing is black and white in life, and no one is all good or bad, each answer should yield something.:-) Tarot is not so much a tool for telling us what to do as a tool for giving us the extra info we need so we can see the situation as clearly as possible and make the best decision. But the ultimate answer must always come from your own soul. Hope this helps. Bar

full deck	18 Jun 2005
tarotbear wrote: IMHO, I think you need to learn to ask 'better' questions. If all questions could be answered Yes/No, then there would be no new tarot decks, just someone making a buck off minting coins to flip! This is a really good answer (IMHO). If one thinks in absolutes (yes/no), it is self limiting. Tarot is is not so much a system with defined limits, rather is more a subtle sign that reality is more open-ended than one would be led to believe, a reality that can be pre-determined but then, is not. A great part of Tarot is awareness; of how one thinks and why simply because how we think can and does color everything we do. I would suggest as a starting point something that I sometimes use, a 3, 5, 7 card draw. The idea is one has a question, not "yes or no" but "tell me about X". I draw out of the face-down deck 3, 5 or 7 cards and lay them in a row, without any real thinking going on. The center card is the "subject" of my question and the cards surrounding it define the subject: x-X-x, x-x-X-x-x, x-x-x-X-x-x-x The idea being that one is painting a picture. Upon looking at the result, one should use their intuition, if not common-sense as to what they are looking at. For me, many times the questions are more important than the answers because they are indicative of how I am thinking or working.

rennfahrer	19 Jun 2005
What do you mean by a pendulum is better suited? What kind of pendulum?

Lady Maria	19 Jun 2005
Hi brh986, I learned an old gypsy method of yes/no answers, and I'm sorry to have forgotten where it was. Somewhere here in cyber space... Anyway, what you do, is flip over the cards untill you reach and ace, then start another pile, untill you reach an ace and then another. When you've reached your third ace, if upright it's yes, if reversed it's no. The preceeding aces will give you more insight into the question. I've only used this method once, and very successfully. It saved me A LOT of hassle and money. I reserve this technique for very specific occasions. Otherwise, I like to use broader questions. As for a pendulem, you use a ring or crystal or something on some string, and what I've done is hold it above the palm of my hand and ask it, "what is yes?" and it will start moving in a clockwise/ counter clockwise/ back and forth motion. Then you ask, "What is no?" and it will change direction. Then you ask your question and see what it does. That's your answer. I used this to determine the sex of my babies during my pregnancies, as well as my sisters and they were all accurate. My Dad used to use this method to find out if the chicken eggs were fertilized... Hope this helps, Maria

augursWell	19 Jun 2005
I posted a similar question some time ago. http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18298 What I finally settled on for questions that seem to be yes/no is a simple 3 card spread: 1-2-3 1 = What if I DON'T do this. 2 = Outcome or conflict to overcome. 3 = What if I DO do this. With this spread you have an option if you don't do something, the NO option, an option if you do do somehting, the YES option, and something to help you look at why the decision or choice is there.

SunChariot	19 Jun 2005
brh986 wrote: What do you mean by a pendulum is better suited? What kind of pendulum? A pendulum is another divination tool. They call them dowsing pendulums. It is best suited to answering only yes and no questions. Although, it can be used with charts that give it other uses. Here is some info: http://www.crystalinks.com/dowsing.html http://www.scns.com/earthen/other/seanachaidh/pendulum.html http://www.mythnlynx.com/dowsing.html This is the site I have found that makes the prettiest ones (although you can make your own): http://www.pendulumsandmore.com/product_info.php?cPath=14&products_id=201 For what it's worth, I have these two: http://www.pendulumsandmore.com/product_info.php?cPath=4&products_id=283 and http://www.pendulumsandmore.com/product_info.php?cPath=54&products_id=259 Bar

Astra	19 Jun 2005
brh986 wrote: Also want to ask something like whether or not a certain person is, overall, a positive or negative influence on my life... The trap with this type of question is that it will only give you an answer for the short term. What do I mean? Well, looking back over the last 30 years or so, I can pick out individuals who were/seemed major positive influences at the time, that ten years later I was kicking myself about because they led me into areas that turned out to be/seem negative for me, and twenty years later I could appreciate again because of things I never would have learned had it not been for those "negative" areas. Life is like that - go for all positive experiences, and not only will the universe find a way to mess you over eventually, but you'll also miss some major learning experiences. Yes, there are simple answers, sometimes, but generally you'll be able to see them for yourself without having to ask the Tarot.

SunChariot	19 Jun 2005
Astra wrote: The trap with this type of question is that it will only give you an answer for the short term. What do I mean? Well, looking back over the last 30 years or so, I can pick out individuals who were/seemed major positive influences at the time, that ten years later I was kicking myself about because they led me into areas that turned out to be/seem negative for me, and twenty years later I could appreciate again because of things I never would have learned had it not been for those "negative" areas. Life is like that - go for all positive experiences, and not only will the universe find a way to mess you over eventually, but you'll also miss some major learning experiences. Yes, there are simple answers, sometimes, but generally you'll be able to see them for yourself without having to ask the Tarot. How true! Something that is a negative experience at the time, may be an experience that was sent to you because it changes you in a way you are meant to change. It may be negative at the time, but years later you will be a better person because of it. Bar

wizzle	19 Jun 2005
brh986 wrote: What do you mean by a pendulum is better suited? What kind of pendulum? Check the divination section for information about pendulums and their use. Pretty much everything has been covered, from how to make one, where to get one, and, of course, how to use them. If you don't spot a thread, do a search on pendulum. I agree that a pendulum is much better for yes/no answers. It's a snap to learn and you can make one from just about anything.

mingbop	19 Jun 2005
this is slightly OT but still to do with pendulums !... When my daughter lived in a haunted house, once I was in the bathroom. The light was a pull cord one hanging from the ceiling. I was sitting there having a quiet pee one night and the thing started to move by itself , and then twirl round and round like a pendulum.....It's a wonder I didn't have an accident the way I shot out of there ! lol !

rennfahrer	19 Jun 2005
augursWell wrote: I posted a similar question some time ago. http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18298 What I finally settled on for questions that seem to be yes/no is a simple 3 card spread: 1-2-3 1 = What if I DON'T do this. 2 = Outcome or conflict to overcome. 3 = What if I DO do this. With this spread you have an option if you don't do something, the NO option, an option if you do do somehting, the YES option, and something to help you look at why the decision or choice is there. Maybe this is a stupid question but is the conflict to overcome card relevant to the no choice or the yes choice? How do you know?

SunChariot	19 Jun 2005
mingbop wrote: this is slightly OT but still to do with pendulums !... When my daughter lived in a haunted house, once I was in the bathroom. The light was a pull cord one hanging from the ceiling. I was sitting there having a quiet pee one night and the thing started to move by itself , and then twirl round and round like a pendulum.....It's a wonder I didn't have an accident the way I shot out of there ! lol ! Poor you! It sounds funny now, but I'll bet you weren't laughing at the time. :-) Well at least you can laugh at it now. Bar

autumn star	19 Jun 2005
I've only ever asked my cards a yes/no question once, I'm not sure if it worked - I think that I did. I asked - will I ever see this person again - I got the Star - so I thought that perhaps I would see them again, but I wasn't sure because I wished that I wold never, ever see this person again, so I couldn't tell if the card meant that my wish would come true and I wouldn't see them again. When I first got the card, I just got the feeling that the answer was yes. I don't recommend using yes/no questions - the answers become to complicated, and probably inaccurate. When I was younger, I read in a book, that if you wanted a yes/no answer then a good way to get one was to make some yes/no stones - just get some stones and write yes on one and no on the other. But still, it seems a bit immature to me now, and I probably wouldn't recommend that make an important descision based upon some stones. I'm sorry that I couldn't have bee of more help autumn :)

closrapexa	20 Jun 2005
tarotbear wrote: For a yes/no question, the best answer is to flip a coin!!!!!!!! Tarot does not deal well with a question that needs only a yes/no answer. All that symbology and centuries of divination and past/present/future to help you and all you want is yes/no? I heartily agree. Asking a yes or no question in my mind forces the cards into providing an easy answer. Especially if you are talking about leaving your job or staying, a yes/no question just doesn't cut it and it is acting a bit irresponsible, just like flipping a coin. And that goes for most questions.

SunChariot	20 Jun 2005
brh986 wrote: Maybe this is a stupid question but is the conflict to overcome card relevant to the no choice or the yes choice? How do you know? Maybe it is the conflict in you that is preventing you from seeing the answer that is right for you. If you need to ask Tarot the question it is because you are confused of conflicted inside about what to do. This card could help clarify for you why you feel confused and how to fix it. Bar

augursWell	22 Jun 2005
brh986 wrote: Maybe this is a stupid question but is the conflict to overcome card relevant to the no choice or the yes choice? How do you know? The middle card is basically whatever issue is prompting a Yes/No situation. Will it be benificial to continue working with this person? Card 1: what if I Don't (continue working with this person), Card 3: what if I Do (continue working with this person), Card 2: What is the real issue about (continuing working with this person). A Yes/No question usually has a dilemma of some sort at the heart of it, you could call card 2 the "Heart of the Dilemma" card. It's meant to help you decide which choice it the better one, the No choice or the Yes choice.

The How can you best use the cards to answer a Yes/No question? thread was originally posted on 18 Jun 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.