Timing of Tarot Cards 

Trying to get a date sometimes can be tricky in tarot .The note below is what I have come up with and find useful in explaining ,expanding ,looking more deeper into a readings ,answering questions quickly at times .

An example is in your reading you turn up a seven of Swords, the events in your reading would take place in seven months. What happened when you come across the exception to this or there are no number pip cards turned up? Then look for the season card or a day of the week card. Then you can expand on that as the reading goes on.

The Major Arcana is generally for major life events turning points and changes. This is an ongoing and spiritual process. The Major Arcana is indicators of something that is outside of our control at times and something that we need to go through and deal with.

The Minors Arcana are for more practical and everyday events. There are always other cards around to help decide this as well. The minors help the majors in the direction the events will take; they like to shape the event will the Majors make the event happen.

Suits

Cups      = Days upright or reversed

Wands     = Weeks upright or reversed

Pentacles = Upright months, in reversed years.  

Swords    = Upright is months, in reverse time undetermined. This is general due to the fact something has to be done or happen first.

Numbers

Ace-10        = one to through ten

Princess/Page = eleven

Page alone    = now

Prince/Knight = twelve

Any Sword     = undetermined

Queen/King    = undetermined

Seasons

Cups/Sun          = summer

Wands/the Empress = spring

Swords            = winter

Pentacles         = autumn

The Star          = Christmas/Yule/Temperance

The Moon          = 1 lunar cycle of 28 days (This can works as 1 full a year.)

Days of the week

Sunday    = The Sun card

Monday    = High priestess card

Tuesday   = The Tower card

Wednesday = Magus or Magician card

Thursday  = The Wheel of Fortune card

Friday    = The Empress card

Saturday  = The World card

Elements

Earth  

Keywords           financial affairs & material belongings

The suit           Pentacles

Major Arcana card: Universe (XXI)

Minor Arcana card: Pages/princess

Air 

Keywords           attitudes & beliefs 

The suit:          Swords

Major Arcana card: Fool (0)

Minor Arcana card: Knights 

Water

Keywords           romances & relationships

The suit           Cups 

Major Arcana Card: Hanged Man (XII)

Minor Arcana Card: Queens

Fire

Keywords           career & knowledge

The suit:          wands

Major Arcana Card: Judgment (XX)

Minor Arcana Card: Kings

Elements

When dealing with relationships weather it is romantic or …Compare their elemental signs,

Friendly Fire & air

         Earth & water

Neutral Fire & earth

        Water & air

Not Friendly Fire & water

             Earth & Air

Zodiac signs/Major Arcana cards

 4 Emperor          = Aries       March 21 – April 20th

 5 Hierophant       = Taurus      April 21- May 21

 6 Lover            = Gemini      May 22 – June 21

 7 Chariot          = Cancer      June 22 – July 23

 8 Strength         = Leo         July 24 – August 23

 9 Hermit           = Virgo       Aug 24 –September 23

10 Justice          = Libra       September 24 - October 23

11 Wheel of fortune = mid point

13 Death            = Scorpio     October 24 – November 22

14 Temperance       = Sagittarius November 23 –December 21

15 Devil            = Capricorn   December 22 – January 20

17 Star             = Aquarius    January 21 – February 19

18 Moon             = Pisces      February 20 – March 20th

Picking a signification can be tricky sometimes. This is generally up to the reader but here are some. I also find that it is helpful when determining who could be entering the client’s life or leaving etc.

By age

Magician = 50yrs or older male or female

King     = Man of mature nature generally in 40’s can be late 30’s (father figure)

Queen    = Woman of mature nature generally in 40’s can be late 30’s (mother figure)

Knight   = Younger person not a child but not yet full matured generally in 20’s,traditionally described as a male from 25 to 40.

Page    = Younger person male or female generally a child, but can be a person without life’s experiences. A Page is often considered a youth up to age 25 using a person colorings

By persons looks

Wands     =   person with fair or reddish hair, is a fire sign.

Swords    = person with medium skin tones, medium hair colorings, is an air sign.

Pentacles = a person with dark or olive skin tones, dark hair is an earth sign.

Cups      = a person with fair skin and light hair colour and is a water sign.

By, Dolly CPTR Dec 3 /04

Update June 19, 2007 and posted on Dollystarot.com