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One Wicce's Method for Handling Yes/No Questions with Tarot Cards
by Rev. Gina M. Pace
 
There have been many articles written on the subject of yes/no questions with tarot cards, and recently there have been quite a few small spreads designed to deal with these specifically.  I don't have any personal experience with any of them, so I am not writing about them, but about a method which I've been using for many years now which I've developed through years of experience in my tarot practice.
 
This method is simple and essentially uses just one card to handle the question at stake.  What you will need:

One tarot client, who is open to his/her own feelings and impressions
One pack of tarot cards, 78 cards (preferred: deck with scenes on all 78 cards)

First, I hand the tarot pack to the client and asks them to shuffle the deck.  When I do this, I usually casino-shuffle the deck thoroughly first in order that the client does not feel responsible for having to shuffle the deck WELL (I've found that many clients feel stress and/or performance anxiety when they are faced with shuffling the deck)
 
Once the client has shuffled the entire deck, making sure they've handled all the cards at some point, I ask them to cut the deck in half, placing the bottom half on the top half.  They then are asked to hold the deck for a moment and concentrate on their question, focusing on asking it in a yes/no manner.

When they feel "at peace" and as if they have finished asking their question, I have them turn the top card over on the table and look at it.
 
I immediately note their instinctive reaction to the picture on the face of the card.  I ask them whether they felt a positive feeling (like an "aaaaahhhhh!" feeling) upon seeing the card, or if they felt a negative feeling (like an "oohhhhh....." feeling) when they saw the picture looking back at them.

If they felt a positive reaction, regardless of what the card's meaning is, I read that as a YES answer to their question.  If they felt a negative reaction, I read that as a NO answer to their question.  In cases where they felt apathetic or confused, I also read that as a NO, but with conditions, and make sure they realize they may not have all the information they need in order to know the correct answer to the question.

Using this method allows the client's subconscious to communicate to the conscious what they already know and feel about the situation they are enquiring about.  This is not using the meaning of the cards at all, but using the cards themselves as a sort of psychological intuition tool for accessing their subconscious.  During the time that the client is shuffling the deck, they are setting themselves up to record subconsciously a *positive* or *negative* response, which then is answered based on their instinctive reaction to whatever picture comes up.
 
One might argue that certain cards always have a negative reaction (like the Tower, Death or the Devil) and if the client has any preconceived fears about these cards then this might be true in those cases.  However, I've learned that different clients react to these cards initially in different ways, and certain details which leap out at them warrant attention because they show where the client is focusing.  Even the scariest looking card can mean something totally different to someone else!  And it's about the reaction, not the meaning.  Before that card gets turned over, the client has subconsciously answered their own question, and expects to see a certain thing show up in the cards.  Whether what they are looking to see is there or not, will determine their reaction!
 
The only time I've ever seen this method not work is if the client is so totally closed off to their own feelings that they can't open up to whatever may present itself.  I've only seen that happen once in thirteen years of taroting, so odds are fairly good that if you use this method, you will get results!
 
Article Copyright 2000 by Gina M. Pace
First Published in Tarot Tips newsletter - 08/01/2000
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