Tarot 201: Timing with the Tarot Majors

FYI- Read down to the end because I’ve got a special tarot reading sale going on!

Using tarot to predict the future is an oft debated subject. Tarot cards themselves were not created to predict the future, they were created to play games, but over the centuries it has become apparent that tarot cards can be great at forecasting future events. While some readers prefer to stay focused on how you got to the current moment and give advice in order to create the future that you want for yourself, other readers excel at forecasting the future and telling you what is going to happen for you when. I don’t think either is the “correct” way to read tarot, they are just two possibilities that a reader might like to explore. I’m going to venture that many readers like to do a bit of both.

Personally, I tend to be intuitive and stick to the present moment and how we can work with what we’ve got. BUT, that doesn’t mean that I don’t occasionally wish I could predict the future. I mean, don’t we all?! And I do believe the tarot is capable of doing that predictive work. It just takes a psychic reader, or a reader who is very skilled at interpreting the signs and symbols within the cards. I am not very psychic myself, but I’ve had many instances when the tarot did predict what was coming in the future and I’m working to strengthen that skill. I think that work can be fruitful and over time one can develop a better intuition for predicting the future with tarot.

One way I’m doing that work is by taking a course from The Tarot Lady, Theresa Reed, on timing with the tarot. Last week was our first class and during it, she taught us a system for telling time with the majors. This system, attributed to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn at the turn of the 20th century, relates the major arcana cards to the zodiac. Twelve of the major arcana cards are associated with the twelve zodiac signs. When you pull one of these cards, you can predict that whatever question the querent has about the future, it will happen during those upcoming zodiac sign dates. It’s a super easy and straightforward system!

Here are the associations:

Emperor
Aries
March 21 – April 20

Heirophant
Taurus
April 21 – May 21

The major arcana cards in the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck.

Lovers
Gemini
May 22 – June 21

Chariot
Cancer
June 22 – July 23

Strength
Leo
July 24 – August 23

Hermit
Virgo
August 24 – September 23

Justice
Libra
September 24 – October 23

Death
Scorpio
October 24 – November 22

Temperance
Sagittarius
November 23 – December 21

Devil
Capricorn
December 22 – January 20

Star
Aquarius
January 21 – February 19

Moon
Pisces
February 20 – March 20

You will notice that the tarot cards are in ascending order (cards 4 through 18) and the zodiac signs go around the wheel of the zodiac, starting with Aries and ending at Pisces. This makes the system super easy to learn because you know that the lower the major arcana card you have, the earlier in the zodiac the corresponding time period will be and vice versa, the higher the card, the later in the zodiac. This system is something to memorize, but if you’ve been studying the tarot and/or astrology for a while, you will quickly be able to do so. Many decks, particularly those in the Rider Waite Smith tradition, will also have clues to the zodiac sign associated with the card in the image itself. For example, the throne that The Emperor is sitting upon has rams heads on it and the ram represent Aries.

When I learned this system, I thought it was extremely useful, clear, and a bit flexible as well. For example, if you drew the Hermit to indicate when a person was going to find a new job, you could say, “You’ll find a new job at the end of summer or in the early fall.” Since The Hermit is Virgo and Virgo dates are from August 24th to September 23, some people think of that as still being summer, while other people feel that September is the start of fall. Giving the answer a sense of leeway feels right to me, but that’s probably just because I’m not a naturally predictive reader. You could easily be more aggressively predictive about it and say it will definitely happen while the Sun is in Virgo. during the last month of summer. Up to the reader!

For me, it’s important to keep in mind that tarot is always showing possibilities. It isn’t predestined or set in stone. People have free will. We can make decisions and change the course of events. In fact, that’s exactly why a lot of people come to get a tarot reading in the first place- because things aren’t going the way they would hope and they want to make a change. If someone asks when they will find a new partner and the answer is almost a year away, if that answer feels unsatisfactory they may make some changes to speed that process up. Similarly, if we don’t take actions, we can also change the future. Say the tarot predicts you’ll find a new partner next month and you’re not into that idea, you can refuse to go out on any dates and effectively stop that relationship before it starts. Our actions and reactions create change for us on a daily basis.

This system only works for a year out, you will notice. It predicts a time within the next turn of the zodiac wheel. This feels like a good system to me. I’ve noticed that the changes we make during about a six month period drastically affect the accuracy of a tarot reading after that timeframe. There are some situations, like a birthday reading or a new year’s reading that can give an overall vibe reading for a year ahead, but with specific circumstances like trying to find a job, a partner, a project completion, etc. I think a six month reading is about as far out as I’d like to take the cards.

What do you think? Will you give this type of predictive reading with the major arcana cards a try? How would you do it? I have some ideas that I’d like to try out myself. SO….

I’m offering a limited-time, special edition, predictive reading option on my tarot offering page right now! Since this is new to me and I’m very curious how it will work, I’m going to do short, but definitive readings using the past, present, future spread to answer your time specific questions. And these readings will only be $12! That’s pretty cool. So go check out that tarot reading opportunity and don’t forget to read the fine print to know exactly what you can get for your $12. I think it will be more than worth it, and hopefully you’ll even get back to me and let me know how the timing of the tarot works out for you!

I can’t wait to hear from you!