The Querants Question- Do you hear it before or after a reading?

[reine de saba]

oh dear!

(thank you balenciaga, ruling a kingdom, one does take things too much to heart)

did I write all of that? or did the monkeys get loose and find the keyboard again?

It must have been after the good reading and my head swelled and then the crown too tight and...

...excuse me, I must go consult with the grand vizir....

(slinks off, vowing never to rave in like manner again)

hoping I've not poisoned this thread

 

[balenciaga]

Not at all. I just meant do not put so much pressure on yourself. This is something you want to do, not have to do. If you try too hard to please the sitter, that can lead your skills astray and you will make mistakes. Just read what you see. The sitter is "blind" here, and you should be deaf

 

[Sophie]

I learnt to read without asking the querent for the question, because like Hooked, that's how I thought it had to be done. When later I experimented with asking for the question, I often found that the cards answered something else - maybe an unspoken question or worry in the person's mind, and not what they had verbalised. They might ask "can I save my marriage?", when really what they are worried about is - "What will happen to me if it collapses? How will I bear it? I'm scared."

That's why I prefer no question when I am reading for the public, but when I read for another card reader who understands that happens, I'll let them ask a question. I'll also tell my questions to my readers, but I understand if the reading encompasses more than I asked, or answers an unspoken question.

For myself, I always ask very precise questions for every card I draw, in order to help me be more objective.

 

[Ligator]

I read both with information and question in advance, and without any knowledge.

There is a point in doing it with information beforehand, if one believes that the tarot has a therapeutic value! Yes, I will know some things about the querant then, but the cards usually tell me MORE. It does not only repeat what I know!

/Torbjörn

 

[magpie9]

Sometimes you have a sitter sit down and they start in. They don’t ask a question, they give you the whole backstory, what key the theme is in, the lyrics to the song, and all the dance steps. Then they look at me and expect me to read without bias.

I won’t be reading, I’ll be reacting to their song and dance via the cards.

Sometimes they need to talk, to tell the whole "back story', digressions, side issues and all. But hearing it is not going to influence my reading. I can separate my opinion from what the cards have to say, and I'm aware that nobody is paying me for my opinion, so I don't give it. I think anybody can do this, with discipline, practice and focus, and I'm astonished that you say you can't, Umbrae. Are you sure you don't, unconsciously?

When I do get those convoluted stories, I work with them to separate it into areas of concern, and ask which is the most important part to them. They always know that much. So that's where we start, and it all unfolds from there.

My preference is to be told up front what the area of concern is, or even the question, but I'm not insistent about it, and I do understand that many people are uncomfortable giving out information in the beginning of the reading. Most people will become interactive during the reading, and a lot will voice the Question sometime before they leave. some won't, and those are the ones who are very glad to hear that I really don't remember readings. I do like to be able to read the cards directly to the subject of the reading, and I've noticed that my repeat customers relax with me and just tell me what they want to know.
But first we have to earn their trust, and like it or not, not telling us the question is part of that process for many of them.

there are a couple of ways I use to be sure we're all on the same page, and build trust. I start with 3 cards as what's going on now or is the very recent past. I ask them if those 3 cards are accurate. They are usually dead on to the history and subject, and the sitter tells me so. If they're not, I shuffle and try again. The other thing I do is with people who might as well be a block of wood, they're so slammed shut, is take a majors only deck, have them pick a card, and the read that one card as the subject of the reading. it works, and they usually relax enough to make reading for them reasonably comfortable.

 

[reine de saba]

IhavetotellyouIhavetotellyouIhavetotellyou

(out of breath, runs in the room, rests arm on doorway finally able to speak...)

So, I just came in from the park and read for not one not two but THREE people.

A couple came over and were curious, I offered to do them a spread and said to myself, "let's do it" : I didn't even ask them if they had a question. The wife started, was pleased as punch, the skeptical husband wanted a go, then another. Didn't ask him either if he had a question, just jumped in. The phoned a friend for him to come, same thing

all delighted.

and they paid me

my first time.

so there, after all that!
...

(the wife's name by the way was arabic for Reine/Queen)

kisskiss

la malika de
saba

 

[Sophie]

Mabrouk, Malika de Saba!

 

[reine de saba]

saha Fudugazi!

 

[Hooked on TdM]

Good work! I'm very happy for you!

Hooked

 

[willowfox]

I had been thinking about a post on questions but as this one is going i will park mine for a bit and see what happens. my response applies to readings where I am paying someone. I think its a bit odd the way readers are a) expected to proceed with no information or b) prefer to proceed with no information. You would not show up anywhere, your lawyer, lecturer, doctor, etc and sit there mute and make them guess. Can you imagine a doctor being forced to run through all the organs of the body, so is it your liver then? No? How about migraines? When you go and consult any other kind of professional for assistance, you provide relevant information so that they can provide back to you a specific and targetted answer. So, as someone on the other side of the table, I think its up to me have a good and reasonable question worked out before, and I'd be a little suspicious of a reader who didnt want to know why I was there.

I quite agree with all that you have said because in Asia nobody goes to a fortune teller without a specific question in mind. Going to a fortune teller here and trying to get them to guess what the problem is and then push them to give you a sensible answer would get you promptly thrown out.