Clarifiers. Don't.

There seems to be a lot of discussion lately about the use of clarifiers in readings. Here's my two-penn'orth.

Let's start with a definition. Collins says "To clarify something means to make it easier to understand, usually by explaining it in more detail."

So when you pull a clarifier card for a card you don't quite understand, the idea is that this card will make the first card clearer by providing more detail. 

Fair enough. If you have some sense of what the first card might be trying to say, having it put another way by the clarifier could help firm up your interpretation, or at least make you aware you were barking up the wrong tree and need to rethink that interpretation.

But too often I see people say things like "The card didn't make sense in this position/context so I pulled XYZ as a clarifier" (or worse, clarifierS). 

They're starting from a position of no understanding of the first card. The clarifier, in theory, will give them more details about that card, but how will more details about something that doesn't make sense be helpful? Now you have twice as much nonsense to deal with.

My advice - that's what you're here for, right? 😉 - is Do the Work. 

Throw everything you know - book meanings, past insights, elements of the image, the other cards in the spread, spatial relationships within the spread, good old intuition - at the 'problem' card. Think outside the box. What could this card possibly indicate in this context? Spend some time on it. Don't just throw up your hands at the first hurdle and say "It makes no sense!"

And when you do finally form an idea of why this particular card appeared in your reading, if you still feel the need for a bit of reassurance, then ask for a clarifier in the form of a direct question - "Is this card saying {insert best guess insight here}?". 

A clarifier needs something to clarify.