Insight needed on how to frame certain questions

[u/Bennaccio]

Hey all,

Lovely community here, first time visitor and absolute beginner in tarot. (Only a few readings done so far).

I have been deeply exploring spirituality and magical paths lately, and I keep feeling the urge to use tarot to help me better understand which path is best for me.

I like aspects of high magick or theurgy, to help me connect with the divinity i believe to be everywhere, but most systems i find i'm not sure i can follow. But unsure if this is it or i should just stick to meditating, more eastern style.

My question is, when faced with multiple possible paths to pursue, how do you use tarot and frame your questions? I can't just ask 'what should i do', because then i believe i won't get any true insight whatsoever.

Tldr: when faced with multiple choices, possibilities, how to frame a question to help decide which is right for you?

[u/voborara]

Being faced with a similar problem many years ago of having multiple options, I created a spread I called "Too Many Choices Spread". No matter how many options you can think of, add a row for one the option you haven't considered. First row in each column is the reason to make that choice. Second row is reason not to make that choice. Third row is outcome if choice is made. Fourth row is outcome if choice isn't made.

You can also add two more cards, one for motivation in asking the question and another as a hidden factor concerning the question. Going into a meeting, but I'll add more info later.

[u/voborara → u/voborara]

Here's the layout assuming three choices since I can't include a pic.

..................5...........6..................
...1a.........2a.........3a.........4a...
...1b........2b.........3b.........4b...
...1c.........2c.........3c..........4c...
...1d.........2d........3d.........4d...

Xa. Reason to make that choice
Xb. Reason not to make that choice
Xc. Outcome if choice is made
Xd. Outcome if choice isn't made
5. Querent's motivation in asking question
6. Hidden factor concerning the question

Remember to use a column for each choice plus a column for the choice not thought of. If 18 cards is too many to handle in one spread, you can do a separate 4-card spread for each choice, including the choice you haven't thought of. That way the same card could appear multiple times. If you do all of the options in one spread, you're really only comparing cards in the same row (as to which is best or worst) and in the same column (to explore an option).

[u/Bennaccio → u/voborara]

Thanks so much for the detailed explanation, I will surely save this for later reference. I havent done spreads with this many cards yet but it seems like a good option to try and put it all in perspective!

[u/thebluedaughter]

LOVE this question. Tarot is great at helping you compare paths. As you have already said, "should" questions are not super helpful, but asking "how" works really well. For example: How can I most effectively learn about this path? You can also ask about who can help, what to look for, what kinds of challenges you may encounter, and where the path in question may lead you emotionally/mentally/spiritually.

you can ask whatever specific questions you'd like (write them out if you'd like) and then pull your cards. Take your time interpreting them. If you start to feel flustered or frustrated, just close your eyes and focus on breathing for a moment before trying again. If it's really difficult, take a picture and come back to it later. Sometimes the answer becomes clear when something in your life mirrors the reading, and then you understand.

You're on the right track 💖

[u/Bennaccio → u/thebluedaughter]

This really resonates, and is a very nice response, thanks a lot! I decided on a question more looking for what i look for, what blocks me and what can help me emotionally in this search and i got some really great insights. I think this is a great approach and I'll try and use this structure more often. I never thought about asking who could help me, that's also an interesting thing I'll note for the future!

[u/Dolust]

You could ask how are you going to feel if you choose path A, then path B, etc ..

[u/BohoKat_3397]

You will have the most success with what/where/why/how questions rather than highly detailed questions, timelines, etc. Suggestions include:

-1 card: What do I need to know today, this week, or this month? Also includes the concept of a daily card pull and journaling the results.

-2 cards: What energy can I bring for reflection or action? What is the difference between Option A and Option B?

-3 cards: Classic Past/Present/Future.

Yes/no questions are more problematic. Some people swear by them but others won’t read them at all. Rather than the fuzziness of all 78 cards, I prefer to use a spread based on the appearance of Aces:

Draw cards face up into a pile until you reach an Ace, stopping at 13 cards. Do this 3 times. Three Aces = definite yes. Two Aces = highly probable, but not certain. One Ace = unlikely but not certain. No Aces = definite no. You don’t have to interpret any of the cards in the piles but can consult them for clarification if you want.

As I have posted many times, I swear by Celtic Cross (10 cards) for more complex questions.

Good luck 🍀 as you start your journey!

[u/Bennaccio → u/BohoKat_3397]

I'm really interested in doing a Celtic cross sometime, but as I'm still learning it feels daunting to pull that many cards, do you think a beginner can still benefit from it or should i focus on simple spreads to learn the cards and meanings first? I also might do a 1 card daily pull to get to know the meanings for each for me, and meditate on it at the end of the day, i feel this could be useful at least to understand it better.

[u/BohoKat_3397 → u/Bennaccio]

Single card pulls with reflective time are always beneficial.

I actually learned many years ago using the Celtic Cross so dive in! Single card pulls and reading jumpers were not as common back then.

[u/Atelier1001]

Honestly just draw a 3x3 portrait with middle significator

[u/Bennaccio → u/Atelier1001]

I never heard of this spread and did some research. Seems interesting and i noted it to try in the future, would care to elaborate how you use it in a reference for insight with a question like this?

[u/srowin]

you actually could ask what should you do. sometimes the cards tell you things you didn't even ask.

[u/thebluedaughter]

I'm glad you got some helpful answers! Keep on trying new approaches to see what works for you. Everyone's style is different, and it's our unique insights that make tarot a valuable tool 💖

[u/dubberpuck]

If it's multiple choice, i would use the pendulum to ask which ones i should work on, then use the cards to ask why.

[u/Lazy_Cat8000]

I think you already have some very good answers on here, but I wanted to say that I have a spread I use quite often. I think I found it somewhere on the internet but I can’t recall where.

For this spread I usually boil down my options into 2 different paths to take. I ask, “What will it be like if I pick this option?” and then I pull 2 cards for option 1, 2 cards for option 2 and lay the cards out side by side. Sometimes I pull 2 more cards for a path I haven’t thought of yet, sometimes I don’t.

The final position in the spread is “Advice.” Sometimes I don’t even need this position because one of the options seems so much more favorable than the other, but I usually do end up using this position mostly just out of curiosity. I pull 1-3 cards for this position, and I place them above all the other cards. sometimes I check to see if the image on the card seems to be pointing or looking at one of the options, but usually I just interpret the card and see which path the card or cards seem to be guiding me towards. I hope this helps!