Six months into reading, and I can tell you the what, why, and how of any situation.
But when will it happen? Total mystery.
Client asks, “When will I get the job?” and I’m sitting there like… soon? Eventually? When Mercury stops being a jerk?
Been trying different methods - pulling cards for seasons, looking at suit elements (supposedly wands = fast, pentacles = slow), counting pips.
Sometimes it works, mostly it doesn’t. Starting to think tarot shows energy patterns, not calendar dates. Like it knows THAT you’ll get the job, but not that it’s specifically March 15th. Anyone else struggle with “when will it happen” tarot questions, or found a timing method that actually works?
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If you don’t want to do when directly then you can come at it more like this:
Not giving exact dates has worked better for me lately. Clients get less anxious when we talk about the general sequence of things instead of trying to predict specific timing. Makes the whole process feel less rigid.
This timing method is interesting, picked it up from a tarot reader years ago who was also into runes.
So if you’re trying to figure out when something might happen (like getting a new job), here’s the process:
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Choose your significator card. I usually go with Eight of Pentacles for work stuff but Justice is good too.
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Shuffle the deck thinking about your question
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Divide it into four piles.
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First pile = next 3 months, second = 3-6 months, third = 6-9 months, last one = 9-12 months.
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Find which pile your card ended up in and that’s your timeframe.
What’s cool is how this connects to old Norse time concepts, four seasons, four quarters. Just make sure you ask specific questions. ‘When will I get a job offer?’ works better than vague stuff like ‘when will life improve?’ I’ve had decent luck with it for practical things.
Not perfect but better than nothing when you need some kind of timeline.
I pulled a card about timing once and kept second-guessing myself because it seemed way too soon. But then it actually happened when the card said it would. Maybe we just gotta trust what comes up even when it doesn’t make sense.
When my readings hint at something happening a year from now, it’s usually due to other people’s decisions and outside factors affecting the timeline.
The universe is playing a precarious game, and we’re just trying not to be the piece that topples everything. (*Note: The universe might not always be the best at this game.*)
When the Moon card, number 18, appears in timing questions, things usually happen within a lunar cycle, around 28 days. This timing aligns with its astrological connections and focuses more on being in the right energy or vibe rather than sticking to exact dates.
I’ve been teaching tarot, and we came across this cool timing trick.
We choose a card to symbolize what we’re asking about, like The Sun for her dream vacation. Then, we split the shuffled deck into four piles for 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and a year. The pile where the chosen card appears gives us the timeframe.
It’s been pretty accurate for specific questions, like ‘when will I hear back about that promotion?’ My niece tried it for ‘when will I get my driver’s license,’ and The Chariot showed up in the 3-month pile. She passed her test 10 weeks later.
I’ve been doing readings for a while and something keeps coming up, people get really hung up on timing predictions. The cards can show you potential timelines, sure, but you’re not just sitting around waiting for things to happen.
Your choices matter. More than anything the cards say. What you do next matters. The cards are helpful for guidance but at the end of the day, you know what feels right for your situation.
I spent way too long looking for the perfect timing system. Tried all kinds of weird stuff, numerology, moon phases, you name it.
I started using the elemental speed method. You know, Wands for days, Swords for weeks, Cups for months, Pentacles for years. What helped was figuring out when the cards are actually talking about timing versus just showing energy.
Sometimes I’ll get a strong feeling that the Three of Wands means three days. Other times that same card is just about expansion and growth, no timeline at all. These days, I trust my gut more.
Tarot deals in possibilities and patterns, not exact dates.
Had an interesting chat with someone last week about timing in readings. She asks ‘what needs to happen first?’ instead of ‘when?’ and pulls cards for the conditions that need to line up.
So like with your job question, instead of trying to figure out March 15th or whatever, you’d look at what needs to happen before the job comes through.
Maybe Three of Pentacles shows they’re still interviewing people, or Eight of Cups means someone has to quit first. Been way more accurate than my old method, where I’d assign timeframes to different suits. Clients seem to like knowing the steps involved rather than just getting a random date.
Reversed cards in timing questions usually mean delays or ‘not yet’ vibes.
Like, if you get a reversed three of cups, the party’s probably just pushed back, not canceled entirely. when I see a bunch of reversals, I read it as blocks that need clearing first. Instead of asking ‘when will this happen,’ I end up asking ‘what’s in the way?’
It seems to work better for most people asking. Some still seem to think the cards have some exact date printed on them somewhere.
Court cards can be really useful for timing.
Pages might point to something new happening within 11 days, Knights to movement over 11 weeks, Queens to nurturing over 11 months, and Kings to wrapping things up over 11 years.
I got the number 11 from an old book on card reading, but sometimes the cards just seem to suggest a specific date to me and I go with that.
I pulled the Wheel of Fortune while thinking about timing in readings, which was interesting. In past-present) future spreads, the cards usually highlight the recent past and what’s coming up soon.
You can still ask about specific periods, like in three months or even next year. I did a reading about next summer yesterday, and it felt like the cards aligned with that timeline.
Seeing 888 everywhere lately reminds me that the future isn’t fixed. The cards give us a glimpse of the path we’re on, but we have a role in shaping it. Getting ‘soon’ as a response, it means things are already in motion. The cards show probabilities based on current energies, and our decisions can always change the course.
Hey, when you’re learning correspondences, pick one framework to start.
Maybe elemental associations or astrological connections. Starting with just one system helps when you’re trying to memorize everything. Elemental correspondences are pretty easy for beginners (Fire with Wands for passion, Water with Cups for emotions, etc.
Once you’re comfortable with one system, you can add others.
When timing cards come up reversed, I’ve noticed they often mean the timing depends on what you do.
For instance, when The Wheel appears reversed in a timing position, it changes how I read these questions. Sometimes, reversed cards show that timing might not be the main issue. With reversed Pentacles, I’ve found that holding too tightly to ‘when’ something will happen might be getting in the way.
Now when I get timing questions and see reversals, I wonder if the person asking is so focused on when that they’re missing something else. Like maybe they’re watching the clock instead of doing what needs doing.
I remember being obsessed with timing when I started reading tarot. It’s hard not to focus on the ‘when’ part, especially if you’re waiting for something specific.
The Tarot cards tend to be more about showing you the energy around a situation than pinpointing dates. That can be frustrating, I know. Maybe try looking at what else the cards are saying? There’s usually other helpful stuff in there even if the timing isn’t clear.
I’ve been thinking about the ethics of timing predictions lately. If we tell someone when something might happen and they make big life decisions based on that, are we kind of forcing that outcome to happen?
It’s a bit concerning when you think about it. Client autonomy gets murky when predictions influence their choices that much.
Lately, I’ve been trying out my usual deck alongside a Lenormand deck to help with timing.
Tarot gives me a look at what’s happening, and Lenormand seems to pinpoint when it will occur. The combination has been pretty useful so far. For anyone who uses tarot, it could be worth experimenting with adding a Lenormand deck to your routine. It’s given me some helpful insights.
