There are two basic Tarot styles; predictive “fortune telling” or counseling. I lean more towards a counseling point of view because I feel has more value for my clients.

Prediction or Fortune Telling

Fortune telling-type questions tend to be more yes/no or date-related, which negates the value of the Tarot as a tool for personal growth. Date-related questions also assume that the question will come true. For example “When will I get married” or “When will she call me”. The questioner controls only their own actions. Assuming the automatic compliance of another person is rather arrogant and short-sighted. It also relegates the Tarot professional to the status of a sideshow performer.

With that in mind, open-ended questions do sometimes have a predictive result. During a reading about a broken marriage I clearly saw that the other party did not want to get back together. In fact, the client even said as much in our discussions, though he obviously hadn’t internalized it. While I outlined all of the choices he had before him to fix the marriage, if the other party isn’t on board, it just isn’t going to happen.

Another unexpected predictive reading came from a client who wanted to know when he would get married. We rephrased to “What can I work on personally to increase my chances of finding a life partner”. Surprisingly, the final “advice” card was very positive and I felt that he would find his partner if he followed the path outlined in the cards.

The way I read Tarot is to look for the current path the client is on, the choices they may have, blockages that are present, and what could result by forging ahead without changes. This does involve a kind of prediction, but it is more odds-based and not a clear-cut yes/no. It involves the client in self-examination and growth.

Counseling

The counseling tarot style is one is far more useful to the client and satisfying for me. Questions used for this style usually start with “How”, “Where”, or “Why” and focus on the questioner, not somebody else. The answers are far more action-based. I can point out where the client is blocked, possible ways to remove the blockage, and help them figure out the decisions they need to make for themselves.

With this style of Tarot reading there is more back and forth. Since I read mostly by email there are usually one or two messages before the reading and then two or three after the reading. I like to make sure the client really understands what the cards are revealing and how it applies to their question.

One exciting reading I did recently involved someone asking what they should work on next in their journey to spiritual growth.  That was an interesting and fun reading and the client immediately understood where she needed to concentrate for self-improvement.

Another involved someone asking how to go about finding their soul mate. The cards were very clear in telling them to get out of their comfort zone, open up and, basically, talk to people!

Tarot Reader as Counsellor, Rather Than Fortune Teller

In the end, a Tarot reading is a partnership between the client and the reader. To get the best result it means crafting a question that allows the client to grow as a person. The responsibility for refining that question is on both the reader and the client.