Tarot Timing Vs. Lenormand Timing
Nearly twenty years ago, I was a young girl picking out my very first Tarot deck. (stop thinking about how old I am now !! hehe) It was an exciting process for me. There are SO many decks available and my choices were endless.
Once I picked out my cards, I was well on my way to learning them. I was fortunate enough to be a third generation psychic, and the card meanings came to me intuitively. Even though I bought every Tarot book available to me to learn the cards, in the end, I went with what my belly told me, as far as the meanings of my readings.
One thing that truly puzzles a young girl with a new Tarot deck is how to tell time with the cards. I have done MANY readings through the years, and a client ALWAYS wants to know timing. They don’t come to you without wanting to predict what is ahead of them. Therefore timing is something that each card reader wants to learn straight away. But it is not as easy as one might think.
I am a reader of many decks, but my two main decks are Tarot & Lenormand. Each has it’s own way of telling you times. These are the differences, and this is how I have developed the use of timing in a spread. I hope that it proves helpful to you. It may not be how someone else does it, but this is how I do it, for those anxious and anticipating the useful technique.
Each Tarot suit represents an element. There are wands, swords, cups and coins.
Wands are made of wood mostly, and when one thinks about being in a forest full of wood, one of the first things taught to you as a child is to “Prevent Forest Fires!!” Remember “Smokey the bear?” If one doesn’t put out their camp fire good enough, and walk away, the whole forest can catch on fire! Therefore when I think of Wands, I think of fire, and fire spreads quickly. Wands to me represent days, or summer – the season for camping fun and smores. 
When I think of Swords, I think of swinging them in little battles with my friends as a child. If one got too close to me with their play swords, I could feel the wind on my face! I always knew to back away quickly. Wind happens fast too, but wind is the element that makes fire take off even faster. So wind is not as fast as fire. I use Swords to represent weeks, or Spring. Spring is when pollen flies through the air and brings new flowers where they land.
Cups in Tarot are often seen with images of water. Water is used to represent emotions. Without wind, water is rather still in most places. So water comes “after” wind. (cups after swords.) I use cups to represent months or the season of Fall. (spilled water from your cup = a fall).
Coins in Tarot are always a nice thing to see. Everyone wants to receive money right? Unfortunately we all know money doesn’t grow on trees. Money takes a lot of hard work to earn. In order to save up to buy that house or that car, it can take a year or more. That is how I see coins. They represent a year or more, or Winter because it is the LONGEST season of the year here in NY). YUCK!
I hope some of my stories can help one remember the seasons and timing in Tarot. It is how I teach my daughter Tarot. Some use astrology for timing, but that isn’t what works best for me.
An example of Timing in Tarot is :
If I draw the “Five of wands” it would = 5 days – Summer
If I draw the “Five of swords” it would = 5 weeks – Spring
If I draw the “Five of cups” it would = 5 months – Fall
If I draw the “Five of coins” it would = 5 years – Winter
Now for those interested in Timing for Lenormand :
Cards 1 – 6 are years.
Cards 7-12 are months.
Cards 13 – 26 are weeks.
Cards 27 – 36 are days.
Timing is usually done with an additional deck of cards, than what you used in the Grand Tableau. I fan cards out and let the client draw from another deck when they want to know questions in timing. I let the card they draw represent how long it will take to manifest what they are asking about.
So if one is asking, “How long before he proposes?” She draws a “1 – Rider,” I tell her “at least a year.”
I don’t claim to know everything, and I too learn new things everyday. I just wanted to share my ideas with you, especially those new to the cards. I wish you many great readings in your future.
Love & Light,
x Bridgett
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