If you have a few minutes, I’d take a look at this thread: Are Tarot Cards ALWAYS Accurate?
I think this is something that anyone who takes the Tarot seriously needs to understand. Otherwise, you’re just guessing and mucking around anyway.
I find tarot reflects the energy patterns of the moment. Kind of like tracking weather patterns, you can see conditions building, but exactly when that storm hits is harder to predict. The cards show us what’s happening now, which gives insight into probable futures. Don’t let Hollywood fill your head with nonsense. How we use the Tarot overall is as important as what we take from each individual card or reading. It has the potential to change your life, but you need to understand what it is and isn’t doing.
Like weather systems, things can shift unexpectedly based on our choices. Timing questions are tough because time doesn’t work the same way in spiritual readings as it does in regular life. For self-readings, I struggle more, too. We’re too close to our own situations to read the symbols objectively. When I read for others, I can see the patterns without my own hopes and fears getting in the way. It’s like trying to predict the weather for your own area versus somewhere else, same data, but personal bias creeps in.
The ‘what’ and ‘why’ are clearer because they deal with energies and motivations that already exist. ‘When’ requires those energies to manifest through multiple variables and free will choices. I usually tell people that timing in tarot is more about readiness and energy alignment than calendar dates. There’s a great guide on predicting timing with the Tarot, but you should keep it within this lens of understanding.