How do you deal with weird questions?

[silverwinter]

Hi there!!
I have started to do free readings for people I don't know, so that I can improve my tarot reading skills.
I have started to receive questions that I personally find inappropriate. There is a wide set that goes from "will I get that job?" or "when wil I find the man/woman of my dreams? tell me about his/her look" to "what can I do to speak with the angels?".
A part of me would say these people that they have completely missed the point, that I'm not a fortune teller and bla bla bla... On the other hand I think that everyone deserves a kind word. So every time I try to rephrase the question at my best. But I feel the overall situation quite oppressive.
I'd love to hear your opinions in regard.

 

[Marirowana]

I'd start with defining the type of questions you do and don't like to answer, beforehand Try to draw a line for yourself first, and then try to phrase that into some guidelines. For example, 'Avoid yes/no questions', and 'Try questions that start with 'What can I do to improve...' or 'How can I get stronger on the subject of...'.

Not every kind of question suits every reader ofcourse I hope this helps. It is free, so it is important that you enoy it and/or learn from it as well, I think.

 

[Apollonia]

Hi there!!
I have started to do free readings for people I don't know, so that I can improve my tarot reading skills.
I have started to receive questions that I personally find inappropriate. There is a wide set that goes from "will I get that job?" or "when wil I find the man/woman of my dreams? tell me about his/her look" to "what can I do to speak with the angels?".
A part of me would say these people that they have completely missed the point, that I'm not a fortune teller and bla bla bla... On the other hand I think that everyone deserves a kind word. So every time I try to rephrase the question at my best. But I feel the overall situation quite oppressive.
I'd love to hear your opinions in regard.

These aren't really weird questions if you look at how Tarot was used down through the ages, as a fortune telling tool.

I think one thing you might want to look at is why you find this situation so problematic. It sounds to me like there is a part of you that is not totally on board with you doing this work. If that is the case, that inner conflict needs to be addressed for your own comfort and peace of mind.

The words "weird," "inappropriate," and "oppressive" are pretty strong negative/judgmental terms when describing something you are doing for free just to improve your skills. To begin with, you may want to set an intention to see these types of questions as being "fun," "interesting," "challenging," etc.

If you really want to improve your skills, IMO the best way to do so is to read on the question as asked and see what happens. You may find you are okay with these questions after all, or you may find you really do not ever want to read on this type of question. but how do you know that without giving it a good open-minded attempt? Then when you are happy with your skill level, you can go on to decide how you want to define and limit what querents are allowed to ask.

 

[gregory]

Just get whatever you can from reading for the question asked. That's all you can do with ANY question.

I do refuse some kinds of questions myself, but that's a personal ethics thing - health, money - in the kind of detail some people ask ("Should I invest my lump sum in x company ?" I am NOT taking the rap for that going pearshaped ), and "what does he think of me", as I think - if you want to know that, you should ask him; it's not for me to seek information about someone who didn't volunteer. (I know that it sometimes comes up in relation to another question - but that's a bit different from it being the whole focus of the reading, to me.) Others differ and that's fine for them. But I make it clear that these are things I won't read on - and that works fine. If they ask for a specific prediction, I will point out that things can change, so all I can offer is what I see as probability in the now....

 

[UrbanBramble]

I always explain a little about my reading style and what tarot is and is not before the reading starts, including what I won't do. (My big ones are I won't tell you about your health, or when you're going to die). If they want purely predictive information I will sometimes use lenormand. Usually if I can successfully change someone's expectations the reading goes really well, they are pleasantly surprised, and more able to be honest with me. If they insist on a wanting me to be a fortune teller, I sometimes give them what I call the "dog and pony show" as long as their question is relatively benign and they are only getting a short reading. I figure if that's what they are paying for the who am I to argue? Also its forced me in some ways to get better to read in a predictive fashion, sometimes I surprise myself with the information I pull out about a situation that people later come back and tell me I was right about.

 

[GotH]

Hi there!!
I have started to do free readings for people I don't know, so that I can improve my tarot reading skills.
I have started to receive questions that I personally find inappropriate. There is a wide set that goes from "will I get that job?" or "when wil I find the man/woman of my dreams? tell me about his/her look" to "what can I do to speak with the angels?".
A part of me would say these people that they have completely missed the point, that I'm not a fortune teller and bla bla bla... On the other hand I think that everyone deserves a kind word. So every time I try to rephrase the question at my best. But I feel the overall situation quite oppressive.
I'd love to hear your opinions in regard.

So if you think these are weird or inappropriate questions, what would be a normal or an acceptable question? Curious.

 

[Owl Song]

Silverwinter, how wonderful that you're taking the plunge and reading for others. ��

No one can tell you how the tool of Tarot should be used. If you are more comfortable using it to offer guidance and insight into other people's lives, then that's your choice and you are no less a reader than someone who uses Tarot for divination.

Maybe at some point you'll feel like expanding your repertoire, if and when it feels right for you. I can't speak for you but I gather from your post that you find certain questions troubling because they are outside the realm of what you feel comfortable exploring with Tarot. (Yes No questions, specific who will I fall in love with and when, spirit guide questions)

I would try explaining beforehand your general philosophy of Tarot and the kinds of questions you don't work with. That way your querents know what to expect. Even when offering that footnote, you'll still get people asking questions that won't fit in with your ideology. It's pretty much unavoidable. In that case, you can either work with the querent to modify the question or kindly explain that you won't be able to help with that particular inquiry. If you know another reader you respect that you think could help them, you could always refer them to that person.

There's nothing wrong with you for not feeling comfortable with every question that comes your way. It sounds like you genuinely want a strategy for helping to the best of your ability.

 

[EyeAmEye]

You're the reader, you set the parameters. If you are uncomfortable reading for certain questions, don't. It's your choice.

Since you are looking to improve your skills, maybe as a suggestion you might want to try to answer those questions and see what the result is. Maybe what seems weird now won't seem so weird with practice and experience. Again, it's up to you to choose your reading style and preferences. You don't HAVE to do anything, you make the rules.

 

[Sar]

What constitutes weird questions? Everything but love and money?

 

[Nineveh]

Hi there!!
I have started to do free readings for people I don't know, so that I can improve my tarot reading skills.
I have started to receive questions that I personally find inappropriate. There is a wide set that goes from "will I get that job?" or "when wil I find the man/woman of my dreams? tell me about his/her look" to "what can I do to speak with the angels?".
A part of me would say these people that they have completely missed the point, that I'm not a fortune teller and bla bla bla... On the other hand I think that everyone deserves a kind word. So every time I try to rephrase the question at my best. But I feel the overall situation quite oppressive.
I'd love to hear your opinions in regard.

Personally, I just repeat their questions to the cards, lay down a spread, and read.

The only questions I feel uncomfortable with at times are: What does the universe...? or What do my guides...?I don't believe in the universe as an intelligent entity capable of performing any types of actions. Instead, I know that there is a God in heaven. Stil, I spread the cards and read whatever I see. Same for guides although I've experimented with spirit guide questions for myself, just to see.

What I will not do is rephrase the querents question. And I hate when readers do that to my questions. I've had readers ask me to rephrase my question or tell me that they would rephrase the question. At that point I would leave the thread unless I decide to ask something else.