Tarot Begs The Question

Welcome! You’ve either stumbled across this page or been sent here by me. Use this article to help you formulate your questions in our upcoming session. Don’t have an upcoming session? No worries. Click “work with Arwen” in the menu to set your appointment up.

——————————–
You’ve decided that it is time to seek some insight. Maybe you are just ready to explore your own inner landscape but need a guide. One thing that many of us run up against is “What question do I ask?” Let’s pretend you are utilizing one of the free one card reading sites like Free Tarot which is run by the American Tarot Association. DISCLOSURE: I am the past president of the ATA (2007-2014) and also mentor readers on the FTN.You can ask one question but what you say is, “I want to know if Roger is going to ask me to marry him and if I will get a promotion.”

Sneaky sneaky! That’s two questions! I would write back to you and tell you that I could only answer one question. I would also inform you that I don’t do third party readings so I had chosen the question about your promotion.

WHAT? But Arwen! I wanted to know about love more! It was IMPORTAAAAAAAAAAAANT.

Shhh. You’re whining. It’s not pretty.

Ok, so let’s review how to phrase your questions to get the most out of them. One of my favorite questions for one card readings is “What does the Universe want me to know right now?” By using this statement, I’ve done two things. I’ve accessed my Higher Power and I’ve opened myself up to what is most important. Rather than direct the reading, I’m letting the Universe lead.

So that’s all well and good. What if I have a question that is more specific? Can’t I ask that?

Sure you can! And nice job on the not whining! You can still ask about Roger’s intentions but you want to rephrase it. Try it from your angle by asking, “What do I need to know about Roger’s place in my life?” This way you are focusing on how Roger fits into your world and you are not trying to unwrap your presents early or pry into someone else’s thoughts. I mean if you wouldn’t want someone else to do that to you, why would you do it to someone else, right?

Let’s look at some other common questions and ways to put them so you can get the most out of your reading.

“Am I going to get a promotion?” is a yes/no question. Yes/No questions are actually good for one card readings if you only want a one word answer. If you ask me that and I get the Tower, my answer is going to be NO. However, if you asked, “How can I best position myself at work so I can advance” and I pull the Tower, you are going to get a much fuller answer that involves your being very honest with yourself about what you want from this job.

“Should I move?” is yet another yes/no question. I think as human beings we are inclined to want our answers in black and white. Tarot is not a very black and white divination system as I see it. Possibilities and introspection are my approaches. I would work with you to rephrase that question to something closer to “What are my opportunities if I make a major physical move?” I try to be specific about physical because spiritual journeys can be immense.

You want to get as much information as you can, don’t you? Work with your reader to frame the best questions for yourself. When you choose to work with me, I always advise you to ask open-ended questions. My clients will tell you that I am adamant about open-ended questions. To get the most from your consultation, I don’t want you to limit the Universe with simple yes/no answers.

Some good examples of questions are:

1.   What are the most meaningful priorities for me in a relationship at this point in my life?
2.   How do I build trust again?
3.   How do I embrace being alone?
4.   How do I deal with fear, frustration, grief, and anger in relation to past and future relationships?
5.   What should I be looking for in a romantic partner?
6.   What steps should I take towards joy?
7.   What does “home” mean for me now?
8.   How do I need to grow in order to be the best “me” in a relationship?
9.   How do I balance being active in looking for a relationship with letting go, and letting the universe work?

These were questions posed to me recently by one of my clients. This Universe spread gave this client some very frank and very surprising answers. It had a lot to do with how the questions were targeted.

Committed to doing the work? Let’s get started.

Writer? These Universe spreads can be adapted for your characters in your current WIP as well if you want to see where their story is heading. I love working with my fellow authors.

NOTE REGARDING THE TITLE: When one begs the question, the initial assumption of a statement is treated as already proven without any logic to show why the statement is true in the first place.