JMI_Tarot
I was just reading in Hannah Arendt's "The Life of the Mind" in the part where she examines the Will.
She writes about how everyone thinks they understand "time" and take for granted we know what it is, until we are asked the simple question, "What is Time" and suddenly we are faced with an intricate riddle where previously was a fairly mundane concept.
All learning and understanding, starts with the questions we ask. A math teacher can show us a formula and we know it works, but until we ask, why or how it works, we won't really understand the formula, will we?
This led me to think about how we go about asking questions in Tarot. Whether we are asking for ourselves or helping someone else, the forming of the question is fundamental. To dig down to the real question is an important skill for any tarot reader.
For example, someone asks, "Does _____ love me?" A common question. I bet I am not alone in trying not to just roll my eyes at someone who asks this kind of question. But of course, that won't help anyone. So what if we ask, "Why do you want/need to know that?" Now, the person is really thinking. And we can keep digging until we get to the the REAL question and at that point the learning, the understanding can begin.
I think this is a very fundamental part of Tarot reading, as important a skill as knowing what the cards mean. It's a real test of your skill and intuition before you ever lay down a card.
I wonder if any of you have any opinions on this or any techniques you employ to get to the right question with yourself or with others.
She writes about how everyone thinks they understand "time" and take for granted we know what it is, until we are asked the simple question, "What is Time" and suddenly we are faced with an intricate riddle where previously was a fairly mundane concept.
All learning and understanding, starts with the questions we ask. A math teacher can show us a formula and we know it works, but until we ask, why or how it works, we won't really understand the formula, will we?
This led me to think about how we go about asking questions in Tarot. Whether we are asking for ourselves or helping someone else, the forming of the question is fundamental. To dig down to the real question is an important skill for any tarot reader.
For example, someone asks, "Does _____ love me?" A common question. I bet I am not alone in trying not to just roll my eyes at someone who asks this kind of question. But of course, that won't help anyone. So what if we ask, "Why do you want/need to know that?" Now, the person is really thinking. And we can keep digging until we get to the the REAL question and at that point the learning, the understanding can begin.
I think this is a very fundamental part of Tarot reading, as important a skill as knowing what the cards mean. It's a real test of your skill and intuition before you ever lay down a card.
I wonder if any of you have any opinions on this or any techniques you employ to get to the right question with yourself or with others.