126 questions · 6 topics
Tarot questions: what to ask the cards
Pick a topic, shuffle the questions and draw with the one that hits home. Each question opens the spread that fits it.
Question 1 of 21
What am I really looking for in love right now?
Matching spread: Readiness for Love
Turn yes or no into an open question
Tap a yes-or-no question to see how it sounds as an open one.
Video · 35 seconds
Better Tarot Questions
A good tarot question is open and stays with you. Instead of asking for a yes or no, it invites you to discover a new perspective. Calculate it for free: theastroacademy.com
Read along
Do you ask the cards "Will he text me?". There is a much better question. Think of a tarot card like a good friend on the phone. You want to hear their whole story. Not just a quick yes or no. A closed question like "Will he..." forces them into a short answer. An open question like "What do I need right now?" invites them to really talk. This is an invitation to check for yourself what the card means to you. Find 126 open questions for love, work and more at theastroacademy.com.
Contents
Why "what" asks better than "will"
Tarot questions work best when they are open and stay with you. "Will he text me?" only knows yes or no, and the card you draw then has to carry a verdict it cannot carry. "What do I need while I wait?" leaves the image room to speak: the card shows you an angle, and you check for yourself what fits your situation.
| Feature | Closed | Open |
|---|---|---|
| Example | "Will he text me?" | "What do I need while I wait?" |
| Answer | only yes or no | an angle you check for yourself |
| Layers of the card | only one direction | theme, mood and action all speak |
| What it is about | what someone else thinks | your own part |
Behind this sits a simple observation. Every card has several layers: a theme, a mood and often an action. A closed question uses only one direction of it, an open one lets every layer speak. That is why the questions here start with "What", "How" or "Which", and nearly all of them are about your own part. No card reliably shows you what someone else thinks or feels. What you can do, drop or wish for, it can.
If you do need a quick answer, use the one-card yes-or-no spread. For everything else, pick a question from the list above.
How to phrase a good question
Five points that improve almost any tarot question:
- Ask about your part: "What can I do?" instead of "What is he thinking?". Your own steps are the ones you can take.
- One question per spread. Two questions in one spread blur the answers, and in the end you cannot tell which card belongs to which.
- Keep it concrete: one situation, one person, one time frame such as "the next four weeks".
- Leave the outcome open. Do not ask for a date or a guarantee, ask about what you can influence.
- Write the question down. You notice faster whether it is really open, and you can find it later in your tarot diary.
Which spread fits which question
Every question in the collection points to a spread whose positions suit it. Love questions mostly go to the love spreads, decisions to "Three options" or to situation, action, outcome. The table shows, per topic, how many questions there are and which spreads come up most often.
| Topic | Questions | Most common spreads (count) |
|---|---|---|
| Love | 21 | Broken Heart (3), Readiness for Love (3), Relationship Spread (3) |
| Career & money | 21 | Turbulent Finances (4), Brick by Brick (4), Work Problems (4) |
| Decisions | 21 | Three Options (4), Situation, Action, Outcome (4), 3 Card Reading (3) |
| Self | 21 | Mind, Body, Spirit (4), Self Assessment and Advice (4), Self Love (4) |
| Family & friends | 21 | Situation, Action, Outcome (6), 3 Card Reading (5), 5 Card Reading (3) |
| New beginnings | 21 | Shooting Forward (3), New Moon (3), Past, Present, Future (2) |
If no spread fits, take three cards or build your own spread. You will find every ready-made spread in the overview of tarot spreads, and the love spreads collected under tarot spreads for love.
All 126 tarot questions by topic
Read through the list slowly and stop at the question that makes you pause for a moment. That is often the right one.
Tarot questions about love
- What am I really looking for in love right now?
- What helps me feel safe in this relationship?
- What does this crush show me about myself?
- How can I talk about my feelings more openly?
- What stands between me and the closeness I want?
- What keeps me holding on to this relationship?
- What am I taking with me from my last breakup?
- How do I take care of myself while I wait for an answer?
- What do I want from a partner that I have never said out loud?
- How can I tell whether this connection is good for me?
- What could we both do to make things lighter between us?
- What would help me make peace with how this ended?
- How do I show affection, and how do I like to receive it?
- What am I hoping for when I picture us meeting again?
- What would need to change in me for a second try to work?
- What am I holding back in this relationship?
- What steadies me when love hurts?
- What part do I play when we argue?
- What do I want to give my relationship today?
- What do I need to be able to trust again?
- What does missing him tell me about my own needs?
Tarot questions about career & money
- What would help me enjoy my work again?
- Which of my skills am I underusing at work?
- How can I handle the pressure at work more wisely?
- What stands between me and my next career step?
- How can I feel calmer about money?
- What stops me from asking to be paid what my work is worth?
- What kind of work gives me energy instead of draining it?
- What can I do to ease the tension with a coworker?
- How can I balance what I spend with what I want?
- What do I need to send off this application feeling good about it?
- What is my frustration at work pointing to?
- Which steps bring me closer to my career goal this year?
- What is this tight stretch with money showing me?
- How do I want to walk into the conversation with my boss?
- What gives me footing when a lot is changing at work?
- What would I do for a living if I were not afraid to fail?
- How can I set up this project so I actually enjoy it?
- What is slowing my side business down the most?
- Where am I losing time I need for my own goals?
- What helps me really switch off after work?
- How do I deal with envy when others succeed?
Tarot questions about decisions
- What speaks for the option I keep shying away from?
- What am I missing in this decision?
- How does each option feel when I am honest with myself?
- What do I need in order to commit?
- Which fear sits behind my hesitation?
- What does it cost me to keep putting this decision off?
- Which values do I want this choice to follow?
- What would I tell a friend in my position?
- How can I break this decision into smaller steps?
- What keeps me tied to the old way?
- What do I gain if I stay, and what if I go?
- Which option have I not even considered yet?
- What does my gut say when I quiet my head for a moment?
- What would help me stand by my choice, however it turns out?
- How did I get to the point where I have to choose?
- Whose expectations are mixed into this decision?
- What is the smallest step I can take today?
- What does a compromise I can live with look like?
- What do I already know but do not want to admit?
- What information do I still need before I decide?
- What does this choice show me about my priorities?
Tarot questions about self
- What do I need today to look after myself?
- Which old pattern keeps repeating in my life right now?
- What am I grateful to myself for?
- What gives me strength when everything feels like too much?
- Which side of me do I show too rarely?
- How can I talk to myself more kindly?
- What is draining most of my energy at the moment?
- What in me wants to grow right now?
- Which of my needs keeps getting left out?
- How do I deal with this restlessness?
- What is my recurring dream pointing to?
- What would change if I trusted myself more?
- Where do I need to draw a clearer line?
- What makes me content when I am not achieving anything?
- What am I running from right now?
- What can I let go of to feel lighter?
- What does a good day look like for me?
- Which of my strengths have I underestimated lately?
- How can I give my body more rest?
- What keeps me from showing up as I am?
- What role am I playing in my own life right now?
Tarot questions about family & friends
- What would help me feel more relaxed around my family?
- How can I show a friend that she matters to me?
- What stands between me and my sister or brother?
- Which role do I take on in my family without wanting to?
- How do I handle an argument that has been simmering for years?
- What can I bring to a reconciliation myself?
- Which friendship needs more attention from me right now?
- How can I set a boundary with my parents without getting harsh?
- What from my childhood do I still feel today?
- How can I feel more at home in my circle of friends?
- What is my disappointment in this friendship telling me?
- How can I support my kids well right now?
- What do I wish my family knew about me?
- How do I deal with a friendship that is changing?
- What helps me come back to myself after a family gathering?
- Which relationships fill me up, and which wear me out?
- How can I make new friends in my city?
- Which old family stories am I still carrying around?
- How can I bring more honesty into this friendship?
- What would make visits with my parents easier?
- How do I support someone without forgetting myself?
Tarot questions about new beginnings
- What do I want to do differently in this new chapter?
- What am I choosing to leave behind as I start over?
- Which first step feels doable right now?
- What helps me feel at home in a new place?
- How do I handle the uncertainty of starting out?
- What intention do I want to set for the next four weeks?
- What gives me courage when I try something for the first time?
- What did I take away from the last chapter?
- Which habit do I want to build from scratch?
- How can I meet a new job with an open mind?
- What is keeping me from finally starting?
- What could my next week look like if I lean into the new?
- What is ready to grow if I give it time?
- What support do I need for this fresh start?
- How do I say a good goodbye to what is over?
- What do I wish for in my new year of life?
- Where do I stand, and where do I want to go next?
- Which old belief no longer fits my new life?
- What do I need to start over after a breakup?
- How do I keep going once the first excitement fades?
- What do I want to be different a year from now?
How often does a good tarot question start with "what"?
In this collection, 77 of 126 questions start with "What", that is 61%. "How" follows with 29 questions, "Which" with 16. Not a single one starts with "Will", "Is" or "Should", because those words force a yes or no.
On average a question has 9.7 words, the shortest 6, the longest 14. 123 of 126 contain "I", "me", "my" or "myself", so they are about your own part.
The spread most questions point to is "Situation, Action, Outcome" with 14 questions. It turns up in 4 of the six topics, because its positions suit many situations.
| Value | Number |
|---|---|
| Questions in total | 126 |
| Topics | 6 |
| Start with What …? | 77 (61%) |
| Start with How …? | 29 (23%) |
| Start with Which …? | 16 (13%) |
| Start with Where …? | 3 (2%) |
| Start with Other | 1 (0.79%) |
| Words per question, average | 9.7 |
| With "I", "me", "my" or "myself" | 123 (98%) |
| Different spreads | 33 |
Method: counted over all 126 English questions on this page. A word is anything between two spaces, the question word is the first word of the question. No usage data.
Tarot questions: common questions
- What should I ask the tarot cards?
- Ask about what is on your mind and about your own part in it. Good tarot questions start with "What" or "How", for example "What would help me enjoy my work again?". This page collects 126 of them across six topics, each paired with a spread.
- Can I ask tarot yes or no questions?
- Yes, there is a one-card yes-or-no spread for that. For anything that stays on your mind longer, an open question gives you more, because the card then shows an angle instead of a verdict.
- Can I ask tarot questions about other people?
- You can, but the cards then mostly show your picture of that person. You get more from asking about the connection or your part in it: "What stands between us?" instead of "What does she think of me?".
- How often can I ask the same question?
- Draw for a question once and let the answer sit for a few days. Asking the same thing several times in one day usually means you are waiting for a particular card. If your situation has changed, it is a new question.
- How many cards do I need for one question?
- For a short question, one card or three are enough. The more sides a question has, the more extra positions help, for a choice between several paths the "Three options" spread, for example.