Ask Very Specific Questions
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
By using your intuition, you can ask anything and receive answers. When people wonder what questions they can ask, tell them to ask whatever they want, no limits, for they will be able to have audience with an all seeing universe and the vast knowledge that intuition can tap into and that will provide the answers. Through intuition you can find out about anything you want to know, including information about any person, place, or event in the past, present or future.
It is important to learn how to ask the right questions. Much information can be lost or distorted if the questions are not asked correctly. If a question is not phrased correctly, this may distort the answer. Laura Day gives an interesting analogy in her book Practical Intuition: How To Harness The Power Of Your Instincts And Make It Work For You (1996), “One of the frustrating things about working with computers is that they do only what you tell them to do. If a computer malfunctions, it's because your instructions were not correct. In a sense your intuition is like that. It answers precisely the question before it. If you want to get the right answer, you'd better be sure you ask the right question.”
Laura Day goes on to describe a famous example of a question put to an intuitive in ancient Greece. “A powerful ruler, about to invade the lands of an enemy kingdom, asks the Oracle to see whether a great battle would be won. The Oracle responded in the affirmative. The Oracle was correct; a great battle was won. Unfortunately for the king, it was won by his rival. Had he known as much as you now do about asking questions, he would've asked a question along the lines of this: “Will I successfully invade my rival’s kingdom tomorrow?” Another example Day gives is: “Will it rain tomorrow?” The answer must be, “Yes: of course it will rain tomorrow¾somewhere!” It is easy to ask nonspecific questions, so it is good to think them out ahead of time. Always ask people who are coming for a reading to take a couple of days and write their questions out ahead of time, think them out very carefully, and be very specific.
There are three requirements of a good question.
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Each question must be specific so that a precise answer is possible.
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Each question should be simple rather than compound.
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Each question should be directly relevant to the issue you want to know about.
Laura Day gives us some guidelines on how to construct the right question in order to get the right answers. Let us look at the pitfalls with common questions that are asked in readings.
1. Will I have enough money?
Enough is not specific. Enough means something different for every person. For some people enough money means just enough to pay the bills. For others, enough money means being able to buy specific stocks that have been coveted. For others, enough money means great wealth. A more specific way to ask this question is, “When (or how) will I be financially secure enough to retire?” or “When will I be able to afford the kind of lifestyle I want?”
2. Will I be happy?
This is a loaded question. For instance, one could get a head injury that limits the ability to worry, thereby making room for happiness. Also, there are no time limits specified as to when this happiness will come. For instance, happiness is often achieved upon death when entering the realms of angels and spirits, letting go of the worries on earth. It is important to be very specific. Better questions to ask are as follows: "How do I create happiness in my life?” or "What prevents me from being happy”
3. Should I take the new job?
The word should in this question poses problems. Whether you should or not depends on what you want. One must ask oneself what one is trying to experience by changing jobs. The following questions might be more specific: “Should I take the new job if job security is my primary goal?” “Should I take the new job if experience rather than compensation is my primary goal?” “Should I take the new job if I want to spend more time with my family?”
4. Should I become an artist?
Questions that involved choices can also pose difficulties. For instance, one must ask oneself what the goals are for becoming an artist. A person can be an artist without being a financially successful artist and completely enjoy the process. However, one who wants to be a successful artist must incorporate this into the question. “Will I be a financially successful artist?” One must also define what success means, and how is it measured.
5. Will I get married and have children?
This is a double question that might have two different answers. This is a common mistake. It is up to the reader to separate the two questions and answer them separately. This question should be asked, and answered, as two single questions.