Tarot Tips by Brigid Bishop: Timing and the Tarot
When? When? When?
The most difficult skill in interpreting tarot is pinning down time. Many querents fail to realize that the timing of events is static to begin with, many factors can change or “adjust” the timing of predictive readings.
The first and foremost factor that affects timing is any action that is taken by the querent that was not premeditated at the time the reading was given. For instance, the most common question asked is “When will he/she contact me next?”
We do a spread and it looks like a one week to ten day period. First of all, in the divulging of timing, if I say “one week to ten days”, it may actually be day ELEVEN that the contact occurs in, I am NOT a pinpointed timing reader. Anyway, we get a read with this timeframe and the querent gets “antsy” and picks up the phone, calls and leaves a voicemail or sends a text……the Free Will of the querent has changed the situation and the reading is no longer valid. Yes, at times, taking the bull by the horns like this may push things to happen more quickly, but, more often than not, it pushes things back. (See my blog on Masculine and Feminine Energies for more info): The Dating Game, Exploring Masculine and Feminine Energies
Anyway, to calculate timing in a reading, I use a combination of several different methods. First of all, I generally use a spread that divulges timing based on the position of the cards. The positions give me a “guesstimate” of the timing. We have positions that include, but are not limited to, one to two weeks, three to six weeks, three to six months, and six months to a year. The cards themselves relate to timing as well, certain cards indicate immediate action, certain cards are passive and hint at delay, etc. Where they land in the spread aids in the interpretation of “when”.
I also take into consideration the parochial version of tarot, which assigns Wands to Spring, Cups to Summer, Swords to Autumn and Pentacles to Winter, and then, secondarily, the Aces are the first week, the Twos are the second week and so on, this is taken into consideration as well.
The general intuitive or “psychic” interpretation I get when looking at the spread as a whole is also a key factor in calculating timing.
There is also a method that I can use, but rarely do over the phone unless the querent requests it (it is not “quick” and you are paying by the minute, so I only perform upon request). This is where they want to count off the days or weeks or months until an event. The question is asked, such as “How many days until he calls?”, I shuffle and cut and begin flipping over and counting out the cards until I hit an Ace, that is your answer. Obviously, there are 78 cards in the deck, and the first Ace could possibly be card number 74, this is not a quick method when reading by phone, but if requested, I will perform it for you.
So, calculating timing is a complex process and it is very difficult to pinpoint to an “exact” day. Usually, in my readings, if I see an event in days, I am only off by a day or two, if I see it in weeks, it may vary by a week or two, if I see the answer in months, it may vary by a month or two, but the event will ultimately happen, it’s just difficult to pin down, it’s like sticking your hand into a bucket of water and wanting the hole to remain after you pull your hand out……water seeks its’ own level, and events happen in their own time, I can give you my best estimate through Tarot, but I do not claim to be exact.
Generally, the closer in the event is, the more clearly it comes up in the cards, and the more "exact" the timing is.
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