There were a huge amount of things I was thrilled about that had evolved in the Tarot world. But this one about clarifiers I didn't like from the beginning. Because most of the time, this clarifying business is done in a hugely sloppy way. People pull their cards - don't usually take enough time to think about them - everyone wants things quickly these days - that's why there are 5 McDonalds and 4 Starbucks in my town. We don't take time to think. I was listening to Kris Hadar the other day in a talk he gave (he's still around) on a non-Tarot topic, and he mentioned in passing why he'd given up teaching the Tarot in his school and writing about it. He said people are not interested in learning the Tarot anymore. They just want a quick fix.
Now, it's normal that sometimes we are puzzled about a reading. We're not omniscient. But for heaven's sake, one should treat the clarifiers as if they are almost separate readings. They should have a very clear question - as clear as the one we asked in the beginning. With positions and all. Of course, this second "reading" must pertain to the cards we've pulled. We can't go asking another question. But we should, if we find the need to do a clarifier or two, ask questions such as "what is the connection between card 1) and card 2", or "what deeper layer can be read in card 3". One can't just pull "clarifiers" like they're rabbits out of a hat. We're not that kind of magician. We're Tarot readers. They're nuances we're asking for and nuances have to be treated with care. Because they are nuances so delicate.
I've seen people who have about already 8 or 9 cards with all sorts of reversals on top of it, and they have three clarifiers that serve no purpose whatsoever except to continue to muddle the whole picture and create some sort of anarchy that is not the Good kind of anarchy. The other kind.
The Tarot needs a structure. Not chaos.
I don't use clarifiers. They're actually not allowed in my house. I reckon if I've done my question and my positions properly, I should have all the info I need. And in our day and age, we must beware of fake news.
There. I've had my rant. I'm going back to youtube to listen to a Yale professor explaining what historical criticism is. It's very interesting.