Someone asked me about how to phrase a good question for their Tarot Triplets reading, and I thought back to one of the sessions at the 2008 Tarot School Readers' Studio. This session was conducted by Tarot great James Wells. Here are my notes from that session, in case anyone is interested. The graphic is my reproduction of what Wells showed us in his handout for the session. Among other things, you can readily see why "yes or no" questions aren't likely to produce the most powerful readings! - - mep
JAMES WELLS' HIERARCHY OF QUESTIONS
THE RIGHT QUESTION IS THE ESSENTIAL FIRST STEP TO A GOOD READING.
MY NOTES:
Avoid yes-no questions, negatively worded questions, and questions about OTHER people.
Ask empowering, open-ended questions, beginning with phrases such as “What do I need to know about….?” or “How can I….? These kinds of questions allow the reading to show potential – callings, core possibilities – and then it’s in the querant’s own hands as to how it all plays out. The emphasis in a good question is on enabling and releasing the querant’s personal power.
If possible, avoid questions beginning with phrases such as “Should I….? (implies a judgment – but a judgment according to whom?), or “Will I….? (implies fate – that, something must or must not happen, that it’s pre-ordained.) Tarot does not assume that the querant is merely an actor in his own life, playing a role that someone else wrote, but that the querant is actually the author of his own life.
The less powerful types of questions can be somewhat effective, but only after the more powerful issues of “what” and “how” have been explained.
It is possible to re-phrase “why” and “who” questions into “what” and “how” questions. For instance, the question, "Why do I keep getting into relationships with unstable people?" could become "What within myself prompts me to enter into relationships with unstable people?" or "How can I avoid forming relationships with unstable people?" Or, "Who is my best bet for a business partner?" could become "What qualities will be most important in a prospective business partner for me?" or "How can I best undertake my search for a strong business partner who will complement my methods and ideas?"
