If you’ve ever had a tarot reading done, you know it doesn’t go exactly like it does in the movies. That’s because the cards tend not to work in the definitive, plot-friendly way they do in fiction. It’s not typical to get precise answers to questions or exact predictions. That’s partly because getting a good reading is a very interactive experience. To get a good reading, you need to actually give not only the cards but your tarot reader, something to work with.
Many people who seek out a tarot reading want to know something, have a specific question. While that’s certainly useful, it’s important that you focus not only on your question but your intention, on the outcome you hope for from the reading. That’s not to say you can’t have a tarot reading on a whim—you absolutely can. Or that you have to have a very specific question or intention going into a reading because you don’t. But you do need to try to give your reader a way to help you find what you’re looking for, or the answer you receive may be muddled or vague.
No doubt your reader will tell you that questions with yes-or-no answers are often difficult to find in the cards. The reasons for this are numerous, including the fact that just by doing a reading you may be pushing or pulling the forces of fate. There’s also the fact that an issue you may think has a binary answer of yes-or-no actually has other possible answers you don’t yet understand. The cards are there to help guide you along the right path, not necessarily to shine a spotlight on a precise answer. Which is not to say that such a thing has never been known to happen, only that it’s rare and difficult to get such a reading.
The best way to approach a reading is to decide how you’d like the cards to help you. So instead of asking “Should I get a new roommate?” consider asking “What do I need to know about my roommate situation?” Not only is that question more likely to help you find the answers you need, but the path to the answer may also carry other advice about your living situation you wouldn’t have been able to learn if you were hyper-focused on a specific yes-or-no question.
Finally, the most important thing to remember in a reading is that the reading is what you make it. Try to be open, try to listen, try to hear the ways the cards are speaking to you. While you may look at your question in black-or-white terms, your reading may show you several shades of gray you haven’t yet considered. The cards may also present you with new angles or approaches to your question that you haven’t yet seen. A good reader will help guide you through a reading, let them, and help them. In the end, the reading you receive is what you make it.
