Predicting death is taboo. Most tarot readers will tell you to never try. Nevertheless, when a dear friend of mine came to me with a deep sadness in her heart… I had to. See, her father was suffering in the hospital, unable to talk anymore, or even eat. She didn’t want him to go, she also desperately wanted him to be at peace.
During her tarot reading, I feel markedly uncomfortable, a pit in my stomach and an awkward desire to tell her what she wants to hear – without knowing exactly what that is. I ask the question, shuffle the deck and out flies…. The Queen of Pentacles.
I feel dumbfounded! No numbers to help. I vaguely remember a method I memorized for predictive readings that said pentacles is slow and means months. A few months, I say? Zero certainty in my voice, I pull another card, and out flies the ace of swords. Gemini season, I guess as it’s only a couple of months away, probably spring? She accepts that answer, and we move on to other parts of the reading. Her Dad dies the next day.
For a time we thought nothing of it, believing death is an event that shouldn’t be predicted, maybe she wasn’t supposed to know. Until I sit down to write the article on the Queen of Pentacles meaning. In the midst of working on it, I come across information that absolutely floors me. Queen of Pentacles means 1–3 days.
The card was exactly right! An eerie sensation washes over me, I tell my friend, to which she replies, “I wouldn’t of believed you anyway.” We both agree it would have been too freaky to know.
This is the moment I decided memorizing timing techniques wasn’t good enough. I could be giving terrifyingly accurate predictive readings this whole time! Below you will find the insights and methods I’ve learned to accurately predict when an event will happen. If you’re new to tarot reading, start with the easy methods, they will give you something to go off of. When you’re ready to deeply understand timing in tarot, use this extensive list of major arcana and minor arcana cards to go deeper.
How to predict timing with tarot
As a tarot reader, I highly recommend not memorizing each method. Understanding and deeply learning the different methods is what will make you a phenomenal tarot reader. However, we all start somewhere, and basic knowledge will help you start to know exactly when something will happen. My original method worked for me for a while, and was often close enough that the people I read for were happy.
So here you go, a few timing methods to get you started. Enjoy playing with them…
We will start with the easiest ways to predict timing with your tarot deck. Simply use the four suits (including court cards) as shown in the example below.
Hours up to Days swords, Days up to 1 week wands, Weeks Cups up to 1 month, Months pentacles up to 1 year.
Major Arcana Cards within 30 days.
Seasons and Suits
Each of the tarot suits have their own correspondences to the four seasons. Using this technique, you can get a general idea of what season the desired event will occur in.
Spring Swords, Wands Summer, Pentacles Winter, Autumn cups.
Each deck has different imagery, so some decks you make look at the cards and think, no way is autumn cups, autumn is totally swords! The above example is based on the rider waite tarot deck. You’re always free to use your own intuition. The answer in your tarot reading will often work with your understanding and imagery of the major cards in your unique deck.
Days of the Week
There is a major arcana card for each day of the week. These are the tarot cards that are not tied to specific astrological signs, instead they’re connected to specific planets.
Monday Ruled By the Moon, Indicated by the High Priestess
Tuesday Ruled By Mars, Connected to the Tower
Wednesday Ruled by Mercury, The Magician
Thursday Ruled by Jupiter, Wheel Of Fortune
Ruled by Venus, planet of fortune, Friday, The Empress
Saturday ruled by Saturn, The Devil
Sunday, ruled by the Sun, The Sun Tarot Card
Using Divinatory Meanings of the Tarot Cards
Each of the tarot cards has a unique divinatory meaning. Instead of using a protocol, you can connect to your intuition and do a predictive reading based of the meaning of the cards in your tarot spread.
For example, try a simple tarot spread by pulling three cards and decoding the answer to your timing question by reading the card meanings together.
Ultimate List of Tarot Card Timing
Below is your ultimate list of tarot card timing, starting with the first major arcana card. Bookmark this page to refer to whenever you’re want a clear answer for predicting timing in a tarot reading.
The Fool
your desired event will happen at the most unexpected time
Magician
connected to creation, the event will happen when you make it happen! (or Within 30 days) Ruled by mercury, could happen on a Wednesday
The High Priestess
within the next lunar cycle (28 days), if pulled reversed the timing is hidden from you, draw another card to clarify. Ruled by the moon, the event may happen on a Monday.
The Empress
30 days, to 3 months. The empress can take time as it represents a harvest, ruled by Venus the desired event may happen on a Friday.
The Emperor
Within 30 days, up to a month and a half.
The Hierophant
The hierophant suggests the timing will take you by surprise! Time frame unknown, possibly within 15 days.
The Lovers
Within 30 days. If the question is love related and the lover’s tarot card is drawn upright, it will happen very quickly.
The Chariot
Within 30 days. Could be the season of cancer.
Strength
Within the next 30 days, or the event the client asks about could be at a stand still until they develop the courage needed to go forward.
The Hermit
The event could begin manifesting within 30 days, however will take 6 months up to a year to come to full manifestation.
Wheel of Fortune
It will take you by surprise, the wheel of fortune does not give a specific time frame, though it does assure you that luck is on your side. For longer term questions, the event will occur within 12 years.
Justice
Justice can indicate within 30 days, up to 3 months. It has a powerful impact that will last up to a year and a half.
Hanged Man
Season of fall, 12 weeks, 12 months or even 12 days. Various systems state 30 days is possible as well.
Death
Within the next 30 days, Or end of October, early November
Temperance
Temperance is one of the tarot cards that asks for patience. Divine timing is at play, and it will occur at the exact right time.
Devil
The event will occur with in the upcoming weeks, up to one month.
Tower
The event will occur immediately, or before you’re ready for it. According to the hermetic order of the golden dawn, the tower can signify a time period of up to 2 years. Ruled by Mars, the event may happen on a Tuesday.
Star
Within the next 30 days!
Moon
the moon tarot card is moderately slow and predicts the event will happen within a few months (usually 2-3). If you pull cards to clarify, look at the corresponding astrological sign to give you the day of the moon it will most likely occur on. For example, the 8 of cups is connected to Pisces, so this could indicate when the moon is in Pisces.
When the moon is involved, paying attention to the lunar cycle always helps you get a good idea of timing. The lunar cycle is 28 days long.
Sun
30 days up to 1 year. Summer could be important!
Judgment
Judgment is often tied to the past, in certain situations it can indicate the event has already happened. If not with in the next 30 days, or during the summer months.
World
This tarot card is often slower, it could be within 30 days, or it could take years. At most, 30 years (according to the hermetic order of the golden dawn). Often the world indicates it will happen when you’re fully ready, to judge length consider the details involved in the question you are asking.
Next is the Minor Arcana Court Cards
In one method, it’s stated that pages can not be used for time in predictive readings. With each of the different timing techniques it’s important to use what makes the most sense to you. Pick what you intuitively agree with and play with it. You can always change your mind later on.
Pages, Pentacles, Cups, Wands & Swords
Predicts dedication, thought, intuition, or inspiration turned to action, 1–11 days.
Knights Cups, Wands, Swords, Pentacles
only slightly longer than pages, up to 12 days, or 2 weeks.
Knight of swords is a card of speed, in a tarot reading, this card suggests a need to move swiftly. If there is anything that must be done first, do it fast.
Knight of Pentacles is a court card that suggests delay, move with caution, and carefully consider any actions before taking them. Often this is one of the tarot cards that suggests the event will occur slower than you’d like it too.
Queens, Pentacles, Cups, Wands & Swords
Represents thoughts, feelings, or actions manifesting, quick, 1–3 days
King of Wands, King of Swords, King of Pentacles, King of Cups
King of swords predicts the event will occur in hours up to days.
King of wands predicts it occurring in the coming days up to a week.
King of cups suggests a week up to months.
King of pentacles is again slower, predicting months up to years.
Minor Arcana Numbered Cards
For the minor arcana cards, there is a technique predicting 10 days for any life event to occur. If you’d like to go deeper, some minor arcana cards can be looked at differently below.
Ace of Cups, Ace of Swords, Ace of Wands, Ace of Pentacles
Starting with the first card, the Aces. Aces are a haughtily debated topic, some methods state they can’t be used to predict timing. Other readers say they appear when something is happening very fast, immediately. The final method for understanding aces, is during the moon cycle of the waxing moon (after the new moon, up to the first quarter).
As with each above example, it’s important for you to decide what works best with your understanding. Practice the different methods, and the one that consistently makes sense to you, will work the best for when you want to predict the future.
Twos – Tens
Swords hours, up to days. Wands days, up to a week. Cups, Weeks up to months. Pentacles, Months up to years.
Exceptions
Eight of Wands, event is likely to occur very quickly, 8 hours, up to 8 days.
Nine of Pentacles, suggests you have all the time in the world, will not reveal exact time, at least 14 days.
Tarot Readings Don’t Always Need Timing
Alot of questions don’t have a connect to timing or astrological signs at all. You can take your time learning and practicing with the above techniques. Many popular tarot readers never do predictive readings at all. It’s completely up to you what kind of reader you want to be!
Check out this article for more info on asking insightful tarot questions.
In Any Tarot Reading, The Future is Not Set in Stone
Remember in tarot readings you always have free will, the future is not set in stone.
Responsible tarot readers understand that tarot spreads are used to guide people towards their best outcomes and find meaning difficult parts of life. If a client asks a question and you’re unsure of the answer, draw a clarifying card or be honest about your uncertainity. They will trust you more because of you transparency.
Tarot Cards Aren’t a Doom Sentence
Each person can use their free will to make positive change in their life and avoid negative future circumstances predicted in their tarot readings. If a reading scares you, get a second opinion, or ask you guides, angels and god to remove the influence of the reading on you. You can always decide not to accept an answer you’re given.
The Empress Tarot 