How to Get the Most Out of Your Reading, Part 2

 

Step 2: The Question

Now we come to one of the most important parts of the reading: Your question. Really, without the question there is no way to control what information you are getting, and it can make it very difficult on the reader. Furthermore, it greatly reduces the opportunity for you to get anything useful out of the reading. It has been said that with the right question, the reading and the answer is obvious. I have found this to be true. So, let’s look at some of the aspects of a good question.

First, lets look at the nature of your question. The more specific your question the better. General questions result in general answers, so the more specific your question the better the answers will be. Specific questions can include focusing on one topic, or even focusing on one aspect of that topic. It is generally better to do a couple of focused readings on different aspects than one general reading on a broad topic. The cards, like all magical practices, operate directly from your intention. So, if you are vague about what you ask the answer may not be exactly what you wanted or needed to get.

For example, a question that is too general would be “Show me my life in general.” This opens up everything and, even if you are doing a detailed spread such as the 15 Card Reading (one of my favorites), you probably will just get information that is so general that it is unusable or difficult to understand. A better question would be “Tell me about major events effecting my work in my future.” This narrows down the topic considerably. It puts a focus on what area of your life that you are looking for insight into: your work. It also brings into the equation the second point that we will be looking at: timing.

You want to be specific about the time frame you are looking at. In the above question, we have narrowed the focus to the future. That is good as it keeps the cards looking in the right direction. Yes, the cards can be used to examine past events as well. There can be many reasons for looking into the past such as understanding the forces that were in play at the time of an event, dealing with the emotional or mental trauma of an event, or just learning what you did wrong and how to prevent it from happening again. Back to our current question, we have specified that we are looking to the future. But that can be pretty vague. How far into the future? Well, the timing may be generally indicated in the cards, but it is better if you give the question a more specific time frame.

Let’s say that we go with the question as is, and it indicated that you will have a sudden career change, not entirely by your choice. Well, you would obviously want to know when. But the timing in the cards is not clear. Well, having a more specific timeline will help. You could ask “Tell me about major events effecting my work in the next year.” Now you would have an indicator of the time frame. It may indicate that nothing will happen in the next year. Then, you could do another reading for the next two years, and so on. This will help you narrow down the timeline for the event.

Another example of not being specific enough is asking questions like “Should I take this new job?” Well, how can the cards answer that? Should you from whose perspective? Maybe it is the better thing for your current employer if you take the new job. Maybe he can get someone who will work for less. Maybe it is good for the new employer. Maybe you are being offered less than the person you are replacing. The question is just too broad. You don’t even define whose best interest you are looking toward.

Personally, I don’t like questions like that anyway. Something like “What would be the outcome for me if I took this new job?” Now, we know we are looking at what is the best for you and we are looking at what will happen with a specific choice. This gives the cards the framework that will provide an excellent answer and useful insight into the situation. You could improve it further by asking “What would be the outcome for me in the next six months if I take this new job?” Now you have specified the time frame as well as the situation. And, if you want to get really specific, “What would be the outcome for me financially in the next six months if I take this new job?” With that, the cards can provide a specific answer because you have given them a very specific question.

Next, make sure that you are focusing on the question that you want answered. This is often seen in questions about romantic interests. You may see something like “Does So-and-so love me?” Now, you might think that is specific, and it could be. But, what the querent may actually be asking is “Will So-and-so be living with me in the next six months?” Now we are getting to the root of the question. This can save time, and save you money if you are paying for the reading, not to mention it will get you the answer you need. Sometimes a reading will propose more questions than answers. If this happens, reformulate the question, get as specific as possible, and then try again.

Next, make yourself or your situation the focus of your question. For example, don’t ask “Does my husband still love me?”. That is putting all of the focus on question on him. You are here with the reader, and it is your energies that the cards will respond to. Now, you could ask “What do I need to know about my and my husband’s relationship?” Going hand in hand with this is accepting responsibility for the situation you are asking about. For example, “What can I do to improve my relationship with my husband in the next three months?” Now you are focusing on yourself, taking responsibility for the situation, asking a specific question and providing a specific time frame. That is great!

One more thing to avoid. This is a situation that most readers encounter at least once, and probably much more than that. We will get questions like “What is Tom doing in Cancun?” I call this Tarot Spying. I personally will not do it, and neither will most readers I know. It is certainly an invasion of privacy at the least. If you wouldn’t want to be spied on, don’t spy on others.

Now that you have formulated a good question, we will look at step three: getting the reading.