How much information do you need in a reading?

In some of my recent readings, a few of my clients have asked, “How much information should I tell you?”

This question doesn’t always come from a desire to stay secretive or to test a reader: I’ve actually found it’s the opposite a lot of the time.

People come to tarot readings because they are trying to work something out within themselves.

Sometimes they are at a difficult or confusing crossroads.  Sometimes they are trying to make sense of an illogical scenario.

I’ve always seen myself as a neutral party for my clients. I’m not here to steer them in any one direction. I’m just here to listen and to understand what will be most helpful for them to take away from our time together.

If that means they want to explain where they’re coming from with a question, or they just want to talk things out for a minute without anyone jumping to conclusions, I can be that person for them.

You never know what a querent is going through. I think it happens to all of us at some point where we try to turn to a friend or family member for advice and feel like we’re not being seen or heard.

Sometimes tarot readings are opportunities for people to share as well as receive. It’s just not about me pulling cards and diving into the reading itself: It’s about recognizing and responding to what a querent needs on a whole.

This opportunity to chat a bit also supports the outcome of the reading. Whether someone shares a little or a lot about their situation, I always want to know what it is they are hoping to take away from the reading by the end of our session.

Do they want advice? Do they want a clarity about a situation? Do they want to know the general direction that something is going in?

Having an idea of a querent is aiming to leave with helps to know what to look for in the cards.

Do I need to be looking for affirmations of love or success? Am I hoping to see cards that confirm a querent’s mindset?

Knowing what to look for gives me something to compare and contrast against once the cards are on the table. If tarot is a mirror then it helps to know kind of reflection I’m seeing.

If the cards are opposite to what the querent wants to hear, that comes through a strong message. We have a lot to talk about if that happens.

If the cards are mixed – maybe giving us a blend of easy and conflicting energies – that also tells me something.

Every reading is an opportunity to find meaning in the patterns and symbols as they relate back to the intention of the reading overall.

Allowing for a reading to become a conversation can allow for these types of reflections to come to life through the cards.

Training your eye to see these patterns to answer everyday questions is something I cover in Tarot Gateways, a self-paced mini course I just released. You can learn more about it here.

Until next time,

Liz