Asking the Right Questions in Tarot

Asking Yes/No Questions: Why Australian Reader does not recommend this practice

You might be thinking it’s crazy to be even writing a blog on this issue when asking yes/no questions in tarot is a very common practice – there are even websites and many other online resources that assign “YES or NO” to a card.

I am going to give some examples of how asking closed ended questions can become very complicated or just plain inaccurate. Regardless of whether or not a card is “negative or positive” the accuracy of reading this way for yes/no questions can become well, questionable. The reason this happens is because it comes down to your personal protocol when reading and understanding of the cards and also your intention when shuffling and thinking of the question. 

For example, you have learned the meanings of all the cards and you realise that many cards are not simple in their meanings. For example if you drew the Death card, some people would say that some endings are negative whereas others would view this a positive opportunity for rebirth and transformation. It is honestly very subjective down to individual experiences and personal biases on whether or not a card like Death is a good or bad thing or a yes/no answer to a question.

The problem with assigning a negative as no and a positive as yes, is because negative and positive are subjective and this is where emotions and unclear questions can really become a problem when trying to read accurately. The depth of tarot, with reversals or even upright and the surrounding cards influencing the meanings of an answer cannot really give a clear yes or no when questioning this way. 

I will give you some more examples. 

Drawing a positive card reversed: Lets say you normally read reversals in tarot. You would think a positive card means “yes” but in this case you drew it reversed. There are positive cards like 4 of Wands or The Star which can now mean no, but to a lesser degree of no or negative. For example the 4 of wands is still positive but reversed can mean something is dampening the situation and this itself starts to place some doubt in your mind about the accuracy of that “yes” answer. The Star reversed can still be positive but mean that the person has lost hope or lost sight of their path. So is it a yes or no? There is reversal energy here which can indicate an energy block. See where this is getting confusing? You want to know if this question is a definite yes or no but in reality there are many shades of grey. 

Drawing a negative card reversed: A card like the tower is very negative but reversed can mean someone is starting to rebuild from a very tough situation, but overall it is still negative because it is a more permanent energy of long term suffering. Some optimistic individuals look at this reversal as an opportunity to rebuild, this is where negativity is subjective. 

Drawing a court card: Court cards are never a “yes or no” – they simply describe a person involved in the reading or a type of situation that the person is in. For example, Queen of Wands is an ambitious and charming woman but it’s not really a yes or no. Reversed Queen of wands can be a “no” as she is terrible when in a reversed position, she becomes someone of very unpleasant character. But what if you don’t read reversals as your protocol or the court card is influenced by cards drawn around it?

Drawing a ‘maybe’ card: There are many cards that hold a neutral energy like for example, The Hanged Man or 7 of Cups. The hanged man is someone who is stuck and normally has limited options at this time or has to make some sacrifices or s starting to view the world from a different perspective – it is not necessarily a negative or positive card. The 7 of cups can be positive because the person is stuck in a positive illusion or comfortable false reality but the commitment issues that come with 7 of cups can be negative; it is also a card which means a person is undecided. 

I have come across many readers who thought they were going to get a job because they drew the sun card but they actually didn’t. Were they still happy overall in their life situation? Yes.. Was it a blessing in disguise that they did not get that job? Yes. But the true outcome was no when asking if they were going to get the job.

I have seen thousands of people in online forums asking these confusing YES/NO questions, without this confusion – these online tarot forums simply wouldn’t exist as most people would be accurately reading for themselves.

Minimising inaccurate readings when asking YES/NO questions

If you are adamant that you want to continue asking these closed-ended questions, there are some things you can do to minimise getting an inaccurate result from your reading. I will list them here – but I still do not recommend using this style of questioning at all. 

Draw 3 cards and look at the majority of negative/positive cards:
Draw 3 cards. If two of them are negative, is a no. If two of them are positive, it is a yes. 

Don’t Read Reversals: To avoid confusion, make sure all your cards are upright in the deck because reversals bring many shades of grey, as explained above in this blog. 

Pull out the “Maybe” cards or any cards that you do not understand very well from the deck before asking the question.

Many major arcana are “maybe” cards. For example:

– Judgement 
– The High Priestess 
– The Hierophant 
– The Hanged Man

As you can see, you can go through the above rigmarole of trying to improve the quality of the answer to a YES/NO question. 

OR

You can follow the below steps with asking precise, open-ended questions. 

1. A good, well-rounded question will be clear and open-ended. 

For example: 

Instead of: Will I pass the test? ASK: What will be the final result that I receive from the test? OR how will I feel about the result from the test?

Instead of: Will I get the job that I interviewed for? ASK: What will the outcome be of the interview that I attended?

Instead of: Will I enjoy staying in Hawaii?  ASK: How will my trip go in Hawaii? 

2. Sometimes you need to include a timeframe

Sometimes your predictions will be inaccurate because you did not include a timeframe.

For example: 

When will I sell my house? Is often far better than “Will I sell my house?” because you are likely to sell your house eventually, and deep down you are actually truly concerned about WHEN or HOW.

3. You must always be specific

Sometimes your predictions will be inaccurate because you did not ask WHO, WHY or HOW. 

For example: 

Does my ex-partner want to reconcile? This is a horrible question. You could get an answer about any ex-partner you have. It is better to ask: How does my ex-partner John feel about reconciling our relationship? 

Or another example 

You have three sisters, but you have asked: 

Why did my sister cancel the party? When you should have asked: Why did my sister Helen, cancel Sally’s party? 

The reason I say this is because a specific focus, visualisation of the person involved and a clear question will produce a clear answer, whereas if you are not specific, the answer could be pertaining to any sister or ex partner in the above scenario, or any person who you have at the front of your subconscious. 

The true art of divination is the question you ask. Your answer will only be as good as your question, this is my best advice to anyone seeking answers through divination tools. So before you ask a question, ask yourself first, what is it that I truly want to know and how many ways can I ask this question to find out the who, what, when, where or why? 

Happy reading.