Timing and the Tarot

The Tarot can give you a time frame for when the events are to take place. You can go with your gut instinct or consider the following information.

First as we've covered, all the cards have numbers attached to them, suits are attached to seasons and some the Major cards and the Court cards are attached to astrology. These have built in time indicators. Here are some other ways to judge time. One thing to note though, when shuffling be sure to specify how you will measure time - weeks, days, months, years, etc.

By aces: Shuffle cards and lay them down one at a time until you hit an ace. Count the cards thrown. This will be however many days, weeks, etc.

By seasons: Pull all the Majors from the deck. Using just the Minors, shuffle and pick one card. The suit will give you the season and the number will give you how many weeks into the season. The Queen is the 13 week of the season and the King represents the transition time into the next season. (Different people correlate suits to seasons differently. You must decide for yourself which season each suit represents.)

A When Will... spread

To find a more vague time element based on actions rather than dates, try this. Shuffle the cards and draw four. The timing in question will happen when...

1. You realize... (card 1)
2. You accept...(card 2)
3. You acknowledge .. (card 3)
4. You do... (card 4)

A minor conjunction

Conjunctions are a little confusing as they rely on surrounding cards. I personally can't be bothered by this method, but there are others who swear by it, so I am giving it to you to do with what you will.

If a 2, 3, 7 or 9 number card appears directly before a card form the Major Arcana, this is a minor conjunction and indicates that the querent is beginning to embark on a new cycle.

Generally, wands = days; cups = weeks; swords = # of card x 2 in weeks; pentacles = months

2s= a challenge in your partnership
wands = 2 days
cups = 2 weeks
swords = 4 weeks
pentacles = 2 months

3s are expansion and growth

7s are a choice that needs to be made.

Nines are the exception. The represent completion. And the timing is different. It usually represents 28 days. The first 9 days is when existing forces will be broken down. The second 19 days is when the new cycle begins.

A Major conjunction

A major conjunction occurs when a card from the Major Arcana appears before a timing card. This indicates that the Major event has already appeared and the influences is occurring. It signifies the end of a cycle.

Source: "The Tarot Companion," by Tracy Porter

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