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Every tarot reader has their limits, and every client has questions they are burning to ask. Most of the time, those questions can lead to deep, insightful readings. But sometimes, they are the kind of questions that make me instantly realise this session might be heading in the wrong direction. Over the years, I have had moments where I knew the reading was no longer serving the client. One reading in particular ended earlier than planned, and it still shapes how I handle these situations today.
Back when I used to do TikTok lives, I saw first-hand just how often people fall into unhelpful question patterns. The same names, the same love questions, the same desperate need for confirmation repeated over and over. I have been asked everything from whether someone’s partner is cheating on them while that partner sits right there, to whether I can predict the outcome of a court case, to whether someone is pregnant. Those moments have cemented my belief that boundaries aren’t just about protecting me as a reader; they protect the client, too.
In this post, I am going to walk you through why certain questions simply don’t work in tarot, tell you the story of the one reading I had to cut short, and break down seven specific types of questions you should avoid asking. I will also give you better ways to frame those questions so you can still get the guidance you are looking for without falling into the traps that make tarot less helpful.
Why What Not to Ask a Tarot Reader Matters
Avoiding the Wrong Questions in a Tarot Reading
I once had a client who began by asking if someone liked them back. I explained that I do not read into other people’s private lives and offered to look at whether this was a connection worth pursuing instead. The cards came up with The Lovers in reverse, a card I often interpret as a sign that self-love is needed before looking for it elsewhere. They pushed back, insisting they already loved themselves, and immediately moved on to asking about a completely different person.
Why Boundaries Make a Better Tarot Reading
When we pulled cards for the second person, The Hermit appeared. This pointed strongly towards a period of solitude and self-reflection. I gently told them that the cards were suggesting time alone, not jumping straight into another connection. They didn’t like that answer either and immediately tried to move on to yet another person. At this point, I knew the reading was no longer serving them; it was simply fishing for the answer they wanted to hear.
How Your Question Shapes the Tarot Reading
I ended the session, charged for the time we had used, and made it clear I wasn’t there to validate a predetermined outcome. This experience reinforced how much the quality of your question shapes the quality of your reading. If your question is designed to bypass your own responsibility or agency, the reading will reflect that. Good questions keep the focus on you and what you can do.
1. Can You Tell Me What Someone Else Is Thinking or Feeling?
These third-party questions might feel tempting, especially in love readings, but they cross an ethical line. Tarot is a reflective tool for you, not a way to pry into someone else’s private inner life. This includes trying to find out whether someone likes you back, what your ex is doing, or whether a friend is talking about you behind your back.
When you make the reading about someone else’s thoughts or feelings, you take the focus away from your own growth. I remember doing a couple’s reading, one partner kept asking me if their spouse, who was sitting right there, was cheating or lying. That put me in an impossible position, turning the reading into a cross-examination rather than a space for connection.
Better question: How can I improve my relationship with this person?
2. Will I Get Back Together With My Ex?
While it is natural to want closure, this kind of question locks you into a yes or no outcome. It ignores your own agency and places your future in someone else’s hands. In TikTok lives, I would see the same people return week after week, asking about the same ex and hearing the same message, yet refusing to move forward.
Tarot can help you process the past and see the best next step for you. It works best when the focus is on your healing and choices, not predicting whether someone will change.
Better question: What do I need to know to heal from this relationship and move forward?
3. Am I Pregnant or Can You Predict My Baby’s Gender?
Pregnancy questions might seem simple, but they put a tarot reader in a position they shouldn’t be in. Whether you want to know if you’re pregnant, when you’ll conceive, or what the baby’s gender will be, these are questions for medical professionals who can give you accurate, safe answers. If you think you might be pregnant, the first step should always be to take a pregnancy test and, if needed, follow up with your doctor or midwife. Tarot isn’t designed to confirm a pregnancy or predict a medical outcome, and using it this way risks giving you false reassurance or unnecessary worry.
Instead of asking tarot to give a yes or no on something this important, focus on what you can do for yourself right now. A good reading can help you explore your emotional readiness, your support systems, and the steps you can take to feel grounded and cared for in the moment.
Better question: How can I best support myself through this stage of my life?
4. Will I Win My Court Case or Get Custody?
Legal matters are high-stakes situations where tarot is not a replacement for proper legal advice. These cases often carry life-changing consequences, and it is not responsible for a tarot reader to try to predict their outcome.
I once had a reading where someone asked me if they would get custody of their child. It didn’t feel right to answer, not only because it is beyond tarot’s scope but because the stakes are too high for speculation. In situations like this, tarot can still be useful for looking at your own preparation, mindset, and emotional resilience, but not for replacing professional legal guidance.
Better question: What can I do to prepare myself for the best possible outcome in this situation?
5. Will I Win the Lottery?
This is a classic “future prediction” trap. Tarot can explore your relationship with money, your habits, and your mindset, but it is not a number generator. On TikTok, I had people wanting me to tell them the winning numbers rather than actually addressing the financial issues they were facing. These kinds of requests shift the focus away from meaningful guidance and reduce tarot to something it is not.
Instead, a question like this can be an opportunity to explore what is behind the desire for a quick win, looking at spending habits, attitudes toward risk, and any patterns of avoidance around financial planning.
Better question: What steps can I take to improve my financial situation?
6. Can You Diagnose My Health Problem?
Health-related questions are another area where tarot should never replace professional advice. I have been asked if a scan would be “good news” or if certain symptoms mean a specific illness. It is not only outside the scope of tarot to give those answers, it is irresponsible, as it risks delaying proper medical care.
In these situations, tarot can still be valuable for exploring how you are coping emotionally, what support systems you can lean on, and which steps you can take to look after yourself while awaiting results or treatment. This approach keeps the focus on your well-being rather than making guesses that could have serious consequences.
Better question: What can I do to support my wellbeing right now?
7. Can You Tell Me Exactly What Will Happen in My Future?
Questions that demand exact predictions about your future remove your power to influence it. They make the reading about fate rather than choice, which can leave you feeling stuck or helpless.
When tarot focuses instead on exploring possibilities, it keeps you engaged in shaping your own path. It can highlight opportunities you may not have considered and reveal areas where your decisions carry real influence.
Better question: What should I focus on to create the future I want?
Final Thoughts on What Not to Ask in a Tarot Reading
Knowing what not to ask a tarot reader can completely transform your experience. By keeping your questions focused on your own role, choices, and growth, you open the door to more meaningful insights that you can actually act on. The best tarot readings do not hand you a script for your life; they hand you a mirror, helping you see yourself and your path more clearly. If you are ready to ask better questions and get guidance that empowers you, book a reading with me today and start shaping the future you want.
