The question you ask at the start of a tarot reading will determine how much meaning and value you get out of your reading.
Generally speaking, you can ask the cards anything you want, but a thoughtful, targeted question can be the difference between a powerful, actionable reading and one that falls a little flat.
Tarot is typically associated with fortune telling. And while predictions and intuitive insights do come up in readings, I don’t believe tarot is meant to dictate our fate. As a result, I’ve found that the most powerful tarot readings are more coaching and actionable.
I believe we all have free will. As a result, I believe tarot to be much more helpful and empowering when I ask questions about how I can make something happen, and not if something will happen to me.
Overall, I believe readings that focus on inspiring and empowering you to to take action so you can live your best life possible are the most helpful.
And while there are some predictive elements in actionable readings, the intent is never to dictate your future or speak of an inescapable fate. It’s simply looking at the current energy of the situation. If you make a different choice or take targeted action, you change the energy of your situation.
In order to get a powerful and actionable tarot reading, you have to start by asking the right questions.
Here are some tips to help you out.
Questions to avoid
How your question starts is going to be a big tip-off to if your question is actionable or not.
Questions that start with:
- When
- Will
- Can I
- Should I
These starters result in questions that often set aside your power and free will.
For instance: When will I get a new job?
This question is more focused on when this event will happen for you, as if you have no say or control in the outcome. A more empowered question would focus on the action you can take to bring your desired outcome about.
Here’s an even simpler example, Will I get the job I interviewed for?
You can ask this question, and the cards may be right. But if you’ve all ready done all you can, is that really the most valuable question you can ask?
Questions that require a professional service
It’s also unwise to ask questions that involve medical issues or diagnosis, legal issues, mental health, or anything in a similar vein. These are areas that require experts in their field and most tarot readers won’t answer questions on these topics (myself included).
These are also typically more predictive questions as it is, so while they’ll give you information, they wouldn’t be the most powerful or actionable. It’s also more likely that you’ll leave disappointed if you don’t get the answer you were hoping for.
Yes or No Questions
Again, these type of questions are more predictive and tend to revolve around the idea of will or won’t something happen. Or should you or should you not do something.
Additionally, they also tend to be pretty closed-ended, which typically isn’t all that helpful and can often be disempowering.
However, in the next section, we’ll cover questions you can ask that are related to these topics.
Questions to ask
If a question is actionable, it often starts with:
- How
- What
- Why
These starters set you on course for a reading that will tell you how you can take action to create your dream life.
For instance, we might ask: What do I need to do to get my dream job?
This question sets you up for a reading that will give you insights, guidance, and possibly even steps you can directly take to put yourself in a position to be working your dream job.
Personally, I find this much more helpful and powerful than asking if you’re get the job or when you’ll get the job.
“Why” questions may not always be directly actionable, but they can empower you to take action in a different way. For instance, you might ask, Why have I been given this artistic talent?
This type of question can lead to a level of understanding about yourself that you can then use to take action in some form.
To tie into the previous point, if you do find yourself facing some medical, legal, mental health, or similar struggle, there are some more actionable questions you can ask.
In this case, you’ll want to stay closer to the aspects of these situations you can control. You might consider asking:
- What can I do to support myself during this time?
- What can I do to make this situation easier on myself?
- What can I take of my plate as I navigate this situation?
On the whole, this type of question puts you in a position to move closer to your happiest, most empowered life. Even if you don’t get the answers you were hoping for, you’ll likely still leave with the information you need to move closer to your most authentic life.
A Note on Predictive Readings
Predictive tarot can still be very helpful at times. It can tell you want you’re attracting and where your energy is at, so you can make adjustments as you need to.
I’d also note that even in my most empowering readings, I often find that predictions come up. That’s just the nature of tarot. But how you shape your question determines if you get a reading that’s more focused on a prediction or more focused on action and empowerment.
It’s also important to note that no prediction is set in stone. No matter what kind of reading you’re doing, your getting a reading based on the current energy of yourself, the situation, and the collective. We all have free will so you can change the outcome of any situation based on the choices you’re making.
You are NEVER bound by anything that comes up in a tarot reading. If you don’t like what you hear, you can always make different choices. If something doesn’t resonate, you are free to discard it.
However, it’s important that you be honest with yourself. Sometimes readings can confront us with uncomfortable truths. It’s okay to disregard something that doesn’t align with you, but you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you’re setting aside information just because it’s uncomfortable.
When to be open and when to be specific
Your reading can be as open or specific as you’d like it to be based on your question.
For instance, you might ask what self care do I need right now? Or what self care will help me best recover from my toxic work environment?
Both of these questions may yield similar results, but the first is more open to what the universe thinks you need overall right now.
The second is very specific to the area of your life you’re looking to recover from.
If you have a specific concern, you should ask a more specific question to get the most value out of your reading.
If you have a more open concern, or you’d like to see what the universe things you need most, you can ask a more open question.
Both will be effective, and sometimes it’s fun just to leave it up to the universe and see what messages you really need to hear.
But if you have a specific concern, and will be disappointed if that concern isn’t addressed, you should make sure your question is specific as it can be.
A note
If you’re going to a tarot reader, most of us genuinely want you to get the most out of the experience. I read tarot because I love connecting with the cards, but I also love that I can help people in a meaningful way.
As a result, readers like me aren’t going to throw you into a reading with a question that might not give you the guidance or clarity you’re looking for. In my case, I’ve designed reading options with empowering questions in mind.
I also have questionnaire that clients get before each reading so I can best understand what your goals are for the reading, in addition to asking you to provide your question.
This way, if it looks like your question isn’t fully aligned with your goals or your question could be phrased more powerfully, we can talk about it ahead of time.
This post is designed to give you some background so you can ask the most empowering question possible, but if you’re struggling or unsure, don’t let that hold you back. This is something most tarot readers will work with you on (myself included.)
Want to put this this knowledge to the test?
If you’re ready to try your hand at asking a powerful tarot question, you’re in luck!
Foreshadow Intuitive Tarot offers a handful of tarot readings for you to try out. Some of these readings are built around a preconceived question, but everything can be customized.
I specialize in helping soul seekers, creators, and highly sensitive people transform their lives and write their own story. To see what category fits you best, visit the home page.
For more on my Tarot philosophy, you can can check out the About page.
If you’d like to know even more about me, you can read my story here.
Have you asked a question that lead to a powerful tarot reading? Is there an aspect of this process that you’ve struggled with? Tell me about it in the comments!
