How do you question your cards?

Angelove

I use oracle cards. I'm excited to see that I do the same as some others, because honestly I have no "training", sometimes I feel as if I have no idea what I'm doing. I go solely on intuition. I do not ask a specific question but only ask that my guides bring me the message they feel I need, I do the same when reading for others. There are times that someone has a specific question but I never ask what the question is and have confidence that the person Im reading for will receive what they need the most.
I have so much to learn! I appreciate the experiences shared here :)
 

jenessa

@Lorraine1100:
Interesting experience. But does this narrow your possibilities to open readings, without any question?
Can't speak for Lorraine, but as I pointed-out in my previous post I BEGIN by doing an "open reading", but then if I want (or feel I need to) I will do a follow-up reading by asking a specific question "about something" that came up in the open reading. So for me, the two methods are not mutually exclusive, but rather can be used in conjunction with one another.

What do you do if you want a certain situation illuminated?
When i want specific information "about something", I do what Tiggy-cat suggested
I frame the question very clearly

And isn't this again a more deterministic approach?
Don't really know what you mean by this? Though IMO it's a given that the whole point of casting the cards is so as to "determine something".

Or rather should I say, all readings have a purpose, whether that be to look for advice, or to look at trends (past, present, future), or otherwise to gain insight.

Recently I met someone who abandoned the Tarot after some years. She said, knowing about the future was not enough for her, she wanted to take control of her future.
Knowledge IS Power. Not to mention, that to be forewarned, is to be forearmed. So the whole point of reading is to gain insight, which can USED to achieve the desired result &/or to mitigate an unfavourable situation.

Also keep in mind, that for the most part the future is not carved in stone, though of course some things are predestined. In any event, the stuff that doesn't depend on chance or fate, can often be controlled or influenced by our personal choices, which is why people read tarot to try & get a feel for the energies that can influence our lives.
 

Placebo Scotsman

My questioning style changes on whim

Often I'll try to turn the cards towards a subject in a non specific way, and then make the questions more concise depending on how the cards turn up

I haven't enough faith to indulge in determinism

The cards just show possible futures, not actual ones

Futures only become actual when they actually happen, then they're not futures anymore
 

Placebo Scotsman

I have found to my own personal cost that it's not what you want to ask or know it is more what the cards want to tell you.
........
So, in short you can ask the question, but you might get a different answer and in all probability get a heads up on something that you are blind to for the present.

I have heard some decks are more conspicuous for this than others

Zerner-Farber , for instance

'Momming' is a term used to describe that behavior
 

Grizabella

:bugeyed:

Now I'm completely lost.

Momming? Me too, completely confused. :) Maybe we'll get this cleared up before long. I'm interested to know what this is. I "mom'd" a lot of people, but I don't think that's what the term means. :p
 

Farzon

:bugeyed:

Now I'm completely lost.

The deck is overprotective, I think!
:D
I want to be mommed by mu decks, too! Wait, actually I am...

Back to topic: I agree to the statements made on future and knowledge, otherwise I would not read Tarot.... Though I think the aim of reading should be rather to know about yourself better and so be more free in your decisions, than gaining power (unless you equal freedom with power).

My intention was rather about your personal approaches to a reading, because I myself have experienced that it is possible to ask in a more fatalistic way and in a more active
(oh God, I hope this makes sense for at least someone....)

And these approaches again have influence on how I see Tarot and life in general.... (confused, everyone? Good :D)
 

jenessa

My intention was rather about your personal approaches to a reading .... And these approaches have influence on how I see Tarot and life in general.... (confused, everyone? Good :D)
I'm a lil confused in the sense that I have no idea what you mean by a "deterministic approach"?

Tho i've noted that others appear to be understand this concept:
I haven't enough faith to indulge in determinism
If anyone whose following or participating in this thread can enlighten me further re: this concept &/or how it can be applied to reading tarot it would be helpful.

Also as far as my personal reading style, what I was getting at is that I find it effective to let the cards direct the reading, in the sense that they deliver the message they want to reveal. & I've found that this approach opens the door so to speak, in the sense that this message can be used to formulate questions.

Not to mention, that this is a good way to begin reading for clients who don't have any questions, but rather are looking for a "general reading".

Though keep in mind, that as I previously posted, open readings & asking questions are not mutually exclusive, but rather can be used in conjunction with one another, in the sense that an opening reading can give you the information you need to forumulate specific questions.

So in a nutshell, my preference is for the tarot to determine the subject matter & otherwise send me a message, which I can explore further by following-up with specific questions. So perhaps this approach would tie-in with a "deterministic approach"? Though IF so, i've found the message in the cards, to be more of a heads-up than anything fatalistic, given that the info. gleaned from the message can be used to one's advantage.

& I also favour this type of two-fold approach, in the sense that I can formulate specific questions about the info. the cards are sending me, as opposed to using a spread with preconceived positional meanings. Indeed, its one of my pet peeves that alot of wasted energy can be spent trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, type of thing re: trying to work with positional meanings that aren't the best fit re: the subject matter being inquired into.

So having said that, my preference is to do a series of readings by asking a series of questions, which are based on the info. the cards are sending.
 

Farzon

I'll try to put it more clearly (which van get father difficult for a philosophic :cool: mind like me - following this thread gets me doubting about the difference myself :p)

I think there is a difference in peoples general approach to life and to the tarot as well. What do we look for in life, what are we trying to reach? Freedom or security?
Me, I had tines when I was looking for security, asking questions in the style of "what will be the future in case x like?".
Recently I try to ask more like: "what can I do to achieve goal x in situation y?". This would be the indeterministic way.

I know that it is common to say, the future is not fixed. That Tarot just shows trends and that we can influence these trends ourselves.
In my experience however, Tarot can show you things beyond your possible knowledge and control. You might guess what it is, maybe it's even clear from the cards, but sometimes you will only know afterwards.

If you are asking more for things beyond your control, that's the deterministic way.
One thing that made me start to think about this are the differences in card pairing in the Golden Dawns system - GD had a different approach then Crowley had. And Crowleys approach was based on the idea that the querent would still be able to change the future.
(P.S.: the last paragraph need not bother anyone, it took myself weeks of research to figure out the GDs Opening of the Key)
 

jenessa

I'll try to put it more clearly .... I think there is a difference in peoples general approach to life and to the tarot as well.

I know that it is common to say, the future is not fixed. That Tarot just shows trends and that we can influence these trends ourselves.

In my experience however, Tarot can show you things beyond your possible knowledge and control. You might guess what it is, maybe it's even clear from the cards, but sometimes you will only know afterwards.

If you are asking more for things beyond your control, that's the deterministic way.
Many thanks for clarifying this, now i better understand where your coming from.

Like you, i'm of the opinion that some things are beyond our control. For instance: luck or chance. Not to mention, destiny & fate.

I've been studying tarot for upwards of 16 yrs., and altho i've looked into the opening of the key spread, i've never tryed my hand at it. But then again, i've never had the time to truly devote to tarot.

Also just so you know, i read using both Rider-Waite & Thoth. Not to mention, I also read with non-scenic pips. + I use other decks where the imagery resonates with me.

In any event, I encourage you to try throwing 3 cards and look for their message. & Altho this kind of open reading sounds like a simple exercise, it can actually prove to be a bit of a learning curve, in the sense that there are many ways you can relate the cards to one another, given that you are not relying on positional meanings. So this method really gets you thinking about how the cards could be connected to one another.

& IF you read thru my first post, you'll see where I made various suggestions about possible ways of viewing them. & After you've studied them by viewing them in different contexts, you'll generally hit on the message they have for you. Then its up to you, whether you want to explore the message further, by asking specific question(s) based on the info. the Tarot has revealed to you.

& The fascinating thing about this method, are the messages that come thru! Or rather should I say, sometimes the cards thrown in the open reading will reveal a message that tells you everything you need to know. Or other times, they provide a starting point from which to continue reading. So this is something that one needs to play around with, to see whether it works for you.

One other thing re: this method of open reading, if you can't discern the message after studying the three cards, then check the shadow card to see if it's the missing link re: arriving at the message the cards have for you. IF not, then calculate the quint for the three cards drawn to see if this sheds any more light.

IF the message still isn't coming thru, lay two more cards.
& Just so you know, i lay this out by placing the first 3 cards drawn in a horizontal line. Then if i need to i'll add one card on top of the centre card, and another card below the centre card, to form a vertical line. The result being, that now you've created a 5 card cross.

Though don't be in a hurry to lay more cards, instead really think about the three cards that were thrown, and you'll be amazed at the amount of info. that can be gleaned from just 3 cards.

In any event, this is a good exercise for learning to connect with the cards. & It also allows your INTUITION to come into play.

Not to mention, but some readers favour this approach, in the sense that they don't use positional meanings. Indeed there is a school of thot that the cards can simply be read according to their meaning, though of course they still need to be read in relation to one another. & As such, the "card combinations" that appear create their own unique context, and otherwise set the stage for the reading.

Also when reading this way, keep in mind that the 4 Suits of the minor arcana relate to "different areas" of our lives, and so can be read to establish context. & The Court's can be considered in terms of people (ourselves or others) & Any Majors that appear can also help identify any major influences that are present.

As far as positional meanings go, why not make them up as you go along, by asking questions that are specific to the subject matter you are reading about? Leastways, that's how I do it 90% of the time. Or rather should I say, first I let the Tarot tell me what I need to know, then if I want I can take it one step further by asking questions.

PS: I apologize for the length, but as open readings work so well for me, I wanted to convey as much!