Asking questions you don’t want to know the answer to

Interpreting Tarot is a complex art form, but another arduous and seldom discussed art form, is the art of asking questions.

When I consult Tarot I try to have the motto: Don’t ask — if the negative answer will be more disappointing than the positive answer will be satisfying.

Do you have an ”ask motto” of your own? How do you guys resonate when it comes to asking questions to a Tarot reader/deck. Is there something you’d never consult Tarot about? Or any question you'd refuse to answer?

I don't think it makes any difference whether you ask or not, it will all be in the cards anyway regardless of asking.

I don't ask questions that I do not want the answers to. I developed that philosophy long since and have stuck with it.

SaskMick said:

I don't think it makes any difference whether you ask or not, it will all be in the cards anyway regardless of asking.

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That's an interesting theory, would you care to elaborate? If you don't ask about the situation or that specific question, I'm assuming there will be no answer at all? Or did I perhaps miss the mark?

Maybe you meant that the situation will unfold the way it does no matter if you ask or not?

Alta said:

I don't ask questions that I do not want the answers to. I developed that philosophy long since and have stuck with it.

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I think that's a very wise philosophy. I try not to ask about things that mean the world to me, either. If I have a very good relationship to the reader I might be willing to make an exception, but that requires a whole lot of faith in the other person's ability and humility. I'm also somewhat reluctant to answer questions that I can sense will only cause further hurt for the one inquiring. I think it's a very tricky balance that necessitates some careful afterthought, both as a reader and an asker.

Alta said:

I don't ask questions that I do not want the answers to. I developed that philosophy long since and have stuck with it.

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Word. I think sometimes we ask questions that aren't quite the question we should be asking and get steered toward what we need to know, but I won't straight up ask anything that I know I don't really want to know, or things that aren't my business if I haven't been invited to ask them. Sometimes you just...don't need to know. But then, I also tend to steer away from 'What does [person] think' and more toward 'What do I need to know/do about this relationship?', because that's more illuminating for me.

I have asked things I do not want to know the answer to, and yep, getting the answer I didn't want is painful and makes me regret asking. But I suppose ultimately it helps to see the whole truth and a clear picture, if you can accept it of course.

CosmicTarot said:

That's an interesting theory, would you care to elaborate? If you don't ask about the situation or that specific question, I'm assuming there will be no answer at all? Or did I perhaps miss the mark?

Maybe you meant that the situation will unfold the way it does no matter if you ask or not?

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From my limited experience, I could ask any question for which I would get an answer , but often the answer to my question would not be the important part of the information in the cards.

I would shuffle the cards three different times and give them to the reader who would lay them out 3 different times.... Apart from answer to the questions it was usual for the same information to be on the table each time.. The cards just said the same thing in a different way.

think said:

I have asked things I do not want to know the answer to, and yep, getting the answer I didn't want is painful and makes me regret asking. But I suppose ultimately it helps to see the whole truth and a clear picture, if you can accept it of course.

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I hope I didn't just deliver an answer like that to you (with Chariot rx) just now, I really hope it's just a somewhat slower recovery. Chariot upright is great speed, so reversed could just take a little more time. But Chariot makes it, he's strong. I just got the sense that you might have referred to that.

About the topic though, I don't think you should look at it as if tarot holds the ultimate truth always either. That's really important. Since it's largely interpretative process and the cards can be read in a myriad of ways. So to say that Tarot gives you the whole truth and clear picture, well, what can be clearer than the reality of the situation? Tarot can never beat that, and it would require a massively experienced Tarot reader to always give a correct and unbiased view of a situation.

I also feel that when asking we should guard our emotions, no one else can do that for us, so I believe it's really important to ask yourself: Am I ready to get any card in the deck for this question I'm inquiring about; am I strong enough for that? Will it give me something or will it only be upsetting? Hence, I think when asking a question we have a responsibility to have made that reflexion beforehand.

One of the reasons I started this thread is because I've seen that sometimes people ask questions that holds such importance and such huge emotions, and it can be a little disconcerting and troublesome, I think. Yeah ... it's a puzzling question in itself.

if you don't want answers don't ask questions, and stay away from tarot cards.