10 Tarot Questions to Ask Your Reader This Autumn

There is something about autumn that naturally makes us pause.

The days get shorter, the evenings draw in, and suddenly we find ourselves thinking about the things we have been putting off all summer.

Perhaps a relationship has left you wondering where you stand, your career is taking an unexpected turn, or you simply have that nagging feeling that something in your life needs to change.

Autumn is a season of transition — and that makes it a wonderful time for a tarot reading.

A tarot reading doesn't have to be about asking, “What is going to happen to me?”

In fact, some of the most useful questions are the ones that help you understand where you are now, what may be influencing your situation, and what choices are available to you.

So, if you're thinking about booking a reading this autumn, here are ten questions worth taking with you.

1. What do I need to know about the next few months?

Sometimes you don't have one huge question. You just want to know what is coming up.

This is a great open-ended question if you feel like you're entering a new chapter but aren't quite sure what it will look like.

Your reader can look at the themes surrounding the coming months — opportunities, challenges, relationships, decisions and areas that may require your attention.

You don't necessarily need to know exactly what you're looking for before you sit down for a reading.

Sometimes the cards can help highlight the areas of your life that deserve a closer look.

2. What am I ready to leave behind?

Autumn is all about letting go.

Trees don't cling to their leaves because they're worried they might need them later — they simply release what has reached the end of its season.

There is something rather useful in that idea.

Ask your reader what you may be ready to move on from.

This could be a relationship, an old belief about yourself, an unhelpful habit, or simply a situation that has run its course.

The cards can help you explore what you're holding onto, why you're holding onto it, and what might become possible when you finally loosen your grip.

3. What should I know about my love life this autumn?

Whether you're single, dating, happily partnered or dealing with a complicated situation involving someone who sends very mixed signals, love questions are some of the most common reasons people seek a tarot reading.

Rather than simply asking, “Will I meet someone?”, consider asking what you actually want to understand.

For example:

• What opportunities are there for love over the coming months?

• What should I know about my current relationship?

• What is influencing my connection with this person?

• What do I need to understand about my romantic situation?

• What can I do to create healthier relationships?

These types of questions give a reading more room to explore the situation rather than reducing everything to a simple yes or no.

4. What is really going on in this relationship?

Sometimes you know something isn't quite right, but you can't put your finger on what it is.

Perhaps communication has changed.

Maybe someone has become distant.

Or perhaps everything appears fine on the surface but you have a persistent feeling that there is something you haven't understood.

A tarot reading can be useful for exploring the dynamics within a relationship and looking at the situation from a different perspective.

It can also help you separate what you know from what you fear.

And that's important.

Tarot isn't a replacement for having an honest conversation with someone, but it can give you somewhere to start.

5. What should I know about my career or finances?

Autumn can also bring a change in professional energy.

New jobs, new projects, financial decisions and plans for the year ahead often start coming into focus as the end of the year approaches.

If you're considering a career change, don't feel limited to asking, “Should I quit my job?”

Try questions such as:

• What should I know about my current career path?

• What opportunities should I be paying attention to?

• What is holding me back professionally?

• What would I gain from taking this opportunity?

• What should I consider before making this career decision?

Tarot can be particularly useful when you have several options but aren't sure which factors you should be considering.

6. What am I not seeing clearly?

This is one of my favorite questions for a tarot reading.

We all have blind spots.

When we're emotionally involved in a situation, it can be incredibly difficult to see it objectively.

We might focus on what we hope will happen, what we're afraid will happen, or what we desperately want someone else to do.

Asking “What am I not seeing?” gives the cards an opportunity to bring another perspective into the conversation.

It doesn't mean the tarot has some magical access to information you don't.

Rather, the imagery and symbolism of the cards can encourage you to look at a familiar situation from a different angle.

Sometimes that's all you need to spot something that was sitting right in front of you.

7. What is holding me back?

If you keep finding yourself in the same situation, this is a question worth asking.

Perhaps you keep choosing the same type of relationship.

Maybe you know you need to make a change but can't seem to take the first step.

Or perhaps fear, confidence or an old pattern is getting in the way.

A reading can explore the difference between an external obstacle and something happening internally.

The important part is that identifying an obstacle gives you something you can actually work with.

Knowing what is holding you back is much more useful than simply being told that you're “stuck”.

8. What opportunity should I be paying attention to?

Not every important opportunity arrives with fireworks and a marching band.

Sometimes it looks like a conversation, an introduction, an invitation, a small change at work or an idea that won't leave you alone.

If you're entering a period of change, ask your reader where opportunities may be developing and what you should be paying attention to.

This is also a useful question if you feel as though nothing is happening.

Sometimes a reading doesn't reveal one enormous life-changing event.

It highlights smaller possibilities that could become significant if you choose to act on them.

9. What do I need to focus on before the end of the year?

This is a brilliant question for an autumn reading because there are only a few months left in the year.

Instead of looking too far into the future, you can use the reading to concentrate on what is immediately in front of you.

You might ask:

• What deserves my attention?

• Where should I put my energy?

• What could I accomplish before the year ends?

• What should I stop wasting energy on?

It can turn a general reading into something much more practical.

Rather than worrying about everything that might happen next year, you can concentrate on what you can actually do now.

10. What do I need to know about the next chapter of my life?

Sometimes you reach a point where the old version of your life no longer fits, but the new version hasn't quite appeared yet.

This can happen after a breakup, career change, move, personal transformation or simply a period where you've outgrown your old routines.

If you're standing on the edge of a new chapter, this is a wonderful question to take to a tarot reader.

You can explore what you're moving towards, what you may need to release, what strengths you can take with you and what challenges might need your attention.

And you don't have to have everything figured out before you arrive.

You don't need the perfect question

One of the biggest misconceptions about tarot readings is that you need to arrive with a perfectly worded question.

You don't.

You can come to a reading and say:

“I don't really know what's going on. Everything feels a bit strange at the moment.”

That's a perfectly good place to start.

A skilled tarot reader can work with you to explore what is happening and help you formulate questions as the reading develops.

You can also change direction during a reading.

Perhaps you arrive wanting to talk about your career and realize that the real issue is a relationship.

Or you come with a question about someone else and discover that the more important question is actually about you.

That's part of the value of a reading.

Autumn is a season of change — use it well

Tarot doesn't have to be about sitting back and waiting for your future to happen to you.

It can be a way of examining your current circumstances, considering different possibilities and thinking more carefully about the choices in front of you.

So as the leaves begin to fall and the year starts moving towards its final few months, take a moment to ask yourself:

What do I actually want to understand?

That might be the best question to take into your next tarot reading.