My Virtual Book of Shadows

So there are several great ways to answer yes/no questions using a tarot deck.  Here I will outline my three favorite methods.

Also, these methods work with single card or any odd number of cards.  Not only will these methods give you a yes/no answer, they will also give you a reason why if it applies to the question or if you or the client is even interested in an explanation.  Obviously using more cards will give you a more detailed explanation, as is the case with any tarot reading, so if you want a simple yes or no you can use one card.

Method One:  Reversals

Upright cards are yes, reversed is no.  Pretty straight forward.

Method Two:  Odd/Even

If you don’t like to shuffle reversals, you can use the number of the cards as an alternative.  Even is yes, odd is no, or whichever way you want to assign them.  Court cards also follow this pattern with the Page and Queen being odd and the Knight and King being even.

Method Three: Suits

For this method I personally like to remove the major arcana from the deck.  Each suit of the minor arcana is assigned either as yes or no.  I personally use Wands and Swords as yes and Pentacles and Chalices as no, but feel free to use whichever associations you want.  I use this association because of the elements associated with the cards, and the symbols associated with the elements.

If you choose to use more than one card for your reading the majority rules.  For example, if you use the reversal method and two cards are upright and one is reversed your overall answer is yes.  The reversed card might be an obstacle in reaching the end result, however.  (Again, this is just an example of how to read this.)

As I said these are simply my preferred methods to read for yes/no questions, and I am sure that there are several others.  Feel free to add your favorites!

Poppets can be made in many different ways. They can be sewn, made out of clay, or flour and water, or paper mache; or just plain paper dolls. What really matters is that they are properly linked to their target, and properly awoken by the magical practitioner. However you make the poppet it is vital that you see the poppet as really being that person; when you see the poppet you immediately think of the person it represents, because the poppet is that person, just in a different form. And whatever happens to one will happen to the other.

If you want a really good poppet you need to get something from the person you are targeting; some hair, bodily fluid, or nail clippings. Something that they own personally and much loved will work too. If you absolutely must, you can use some of their personal information written down on a card, but this is a last resort. If you have the ability, you can also make an astral link to your target.

Once the linked objects are included in the poppet, by sewing them in, mixing with the clay or dough, or gluing them on, the poppet must be awoken. Imagine yourself to be a creator god, and breathe deeply. Exhale on to the poppet to give it the ‘breath of life’. Imagine now that the poppet is breathing, and that it can see you and is watching you. If it is creepy, all the better - that is a fair sign the poppet is working. Now you can do to the poppet whatever you wish. Stick it full of pins, or give it orders and commands. Give it little talismans or cast spells upon it.