Timing spreads please — not will-happen but should-do

Amanda

MandMaud said:
If anyone was wondering ... events conspired to make me act on Friday, which was exactly the 3 weeks from when I did Amanda's method and got '3 weeks'. We were mistaken to doubt it folks!

Somehow it being a couple of days into both the new moon, and the half-year that starts with the solstice, all seems appropriate.

As an aside, I have given up reversals for the last couple of weeks. It's simpler but at the moment I need more pointers as to whether the Star, for example, is about feeling inspired or needing to seek inspiration. I think I'll go back to them for a bit, until I'm expert(!) enough not to!

Hey, thank you for the update, I'm glad my method worked for you!

When reading without reversals, it becomes more important to check out the surrounding cards. If you need any help just ask, because I first learned tarot with reversals and didn't even try uprights-only until much later... so I will be happy to help any way I can.

MandMaud

Amanda_04 said:
Hey, thank you for the update, I'm glad my method worked for you!
When reading without reversals, it becomes more important to check out the surrounding cards. If you need any help just ask, because I first learned tarot with reversals and didn't even try uprights-only until much later... so I will be happy to help any way I can.

Big thank yous

mm

fleur0

This is a wonderful spread! I tried it for myself with a few questions and I thought the answers were pretty accurate. However, I got stumped with one spread. I asked a question about a love interest, "When will he want a committed relationship with me?" and I pulled out

9 of pentacles | High Priestess | King of Pentacles | Fool | Knight of Cups -- and Justice for a summary of the spread.

9 years would seem unreasonably long, yet with the rest being major arcana and court cards, how should I read from there? It seems that the King of Pentacles, Knight of Cups are positive answers that he will soon want to be in a committed relationship and the Fool card is also excellent for new beginnings.

Currently we are separated by distance but there is a possibility I may relocate to where he is, and the agreement was that we will just wait for that to happen because neither of us are keen on doing long distance.

MandMaud

fleur0 said:
This is a wonderful spread!

Ditto!

fleur0 said:
I got stumped with one spread. I asked a question about a love interest, "When will he want a committed relationship with me?" and I pulled out

9 of pentacles | High Priestess | King of Pentacles | Fool | Knight of Cups -- and Justice for a summary of the spread.

Ditto again! That combination intrigues me, I'd love to hear how the more experienced read this one. I don't know if I'll be able to spend many minutes pondering it, but if I do I'll throw in my INexperienced thoughts for you.

A thought, Fleur: you asked 'When will he want a committed relationship' but I'd have asked, 'WILL he want a committed relationship...?' -- !

mm

Amanda

fleur0 said:
Currently we are separated by distance but there is a possibility I may relocate to where he is, and the agreement was that we will just wait for that to happen because neither of us are keen on doing long distance.

Your cards are reflecting exactly that ^^above^^. The Justice card as summary is telling you that there are some decisions to be made before you can ask about timing for this question.

9 of pentacles | High Priestess | King of Pentacles | Fool | Knight of Cups -- and Justice for a summary of the spread.

As someone told me once, I can see the HP as the "elephant in the reading"..

You are represented by the lady in the 9; with Justice's influence, you are undecided about uprooting from the life you've created for yourself. He is represented by the King and with Justice's influence, decided *not* to commit as things are... what the HP is saying is that basically, you are waiting to see if he will commit before you decide to move. And he is waiting to see if you move before he decides to commit. LOL However, I can also see that with the Knight of Cups being mirrored off of the 9 of Pentacles, you are the more likely one to be a risk-taker and leap off the faithful Fool's ledge before he will (King). He's more rooted and/or his life is not as changeable as yours (King)... so it looks to me like if you want to pursue a commitment with this man, you'll have to more seriously consider a move.

Sometimes, the cards still say what needs to be said before timing can be given. But you picked up on that by noticing that the 9 of Pentacles didn't make sense and the others weren't timing cards.

So, if you are interested in pursuing a romantic commitment with this guy, you could start by asking yourself if you could make this kind of life for yourself (9 of Pentacles) in a new place. If so... then you wouldn't be taking that big of a risk as you would by moving just for relationship purposes.

Hope that helps. :heart:

fleur0

MandMaud said:
Ditto!

Ditto again! That combination intrigues me, I'd love to hear how the more experienced read this one. I don't know if I'll be able to spend many minutes pondering it, but if I do I'll throw in my INexperienced thoughts for you.

A thought, Fleur: you asked 'When will he want a committed relationship' but I'd have asked, 'WILL he want a committed relationship...?' -- !

mm

Lol! He has strongly hinted that he's ready for that next chapter of his life and of course I've asked tarot 999 times and they've all indicated positive possibilities. I'm crossing fingers

Amanda_04 said:
Your cards are reflecting exactly that ^^above^^. The Justice card as summary is telling you that there are some decisions to be made before you can ask about timing for this question.

Ah that helps to explain why I didn't get an exact answer! It is true, I've merely been fantasizing about it and haven't put in the groundwork to start moving.

Amanda_04 said:
As someone told me once, I can see the HP as the "elephant in the reading".. You are represented by the lady in the 9; with Justice's influence, you are undecided about uprooting from the life you've created for yourself. He is represented by the King and with Justice's influence, decided *not* to commit as things are... what the HP is saying is that basically, you are waiting to see if he will commit before you decide to move. And he is waiting to see if you move before he decides to commit. LOL

Wow you definitely hit it right on the head, because we are exactly that! Yes the 9 of pentacles is me. I have created a comfortable lifestyle currently where I am at (6 hours by car away from him) and I AM wondering if uprooting from the life I've built is the right thing to do. I didn't explain this earlier but another reason for moving is also for my family who is geographically close to him. I reconnected with him during my visit back home. Long story short, there's been quite a bit of health issue scares amongst family members and it has crossed my mind time and time again whether I should move and be with them. It would technically be the right thing to do, but it would also mean moving before my lease is up, moving my whole life in general, and big changes.

Amanda_04 said:
However, I can also see that with the Knight of Cups being mirrored off of the 9 of Pentacles, you are the more likely one to be a risk-taker and leap off the faithful Fool's ledge before he will (King). He's more rooted and/or his life is not as changeable as yours (King)... so it looks to me like if you want to pursue a commitment with this man, you'll have to more seriously consider a move.

Very true once again. How did you attribute the knight of cups and fool to me? I attributed the knight of cups to him earlier, hoping that he would take the romance up a knotch and pursue me

And the fool card for a new beginnings: the move and relationship. How do you know which cards reflect whom? I do believe that everything happens for a reason and my life is more flexible than his in that I can relocate but still continue my work. Again, stunned with how you've read that. Please teach!

Amanda_04 said:
Sometimes, the cards still say what needs to be said before timing can be given. But you picked up on that by noticing that the 9 of Pentacles didn't make sense and the others weren't timing cards.

So, if you are interested in pursuing a romantic commitment with this guy, you could start by asking yourself if you could make this kind of life for yourself (9 of Pentacles) in a new place. If so... then you wouldn't be taking that big of a risk as you would by moving just for relationship purposes.

Hope that helps.

It helps a great deal, thanks! Did you create this spread? It's so awesome that I want to learn every aspect of it. I love the simplicity of it yet the depth it brings. It seems that I will have seriously look into the practicality and finances of the situation. I did another spread of when the earliest and most likely move will take place and I got 8 weeks. I guess we shall see! I'll keep you guys updated!

Amanda

fleur0 said:
Wow you definitely hit it right on the head, because we are exactly that! Yes the 9 of pentacles is me. I have created a comfortable lifestyle currently where I am at (6 hours by car away from him) and I AM wondering if uprooting from the life I've built is the right thing to do. I didn't explain this earlier but another reason for moving is also for my family who is geographically close to him. I reconnected with him during my visit back home. Long story short, there's been quite a bit of health issue scares amongst family members and it has crossed my mind time and time again whether I should move and be with them. It would technically be the right thing to do, but it would also mean moving before my lease is up, moving my whole life in general, and big changes.

Well.. do you *have* to move before your lease is up? I mean, is there really a rush- I know you say your family members' health is an issue, but if it's between "Go, now!" or "No, I think I'll just stay here..." then perhaps you can afford to simply wait a little bit longer than "Go, now!"

The guy isn't going anywhere, being represented by the King of Pentacles afterall.

Very true once again. How did you attribute the knight of cups and fool to me? I attributed the knight of cups to him earlier, hoping that he would take the romance up a knotch and pursue me And the fool card for a new beginnings: the move and relationship. How do you know which cards reflect whom? I do believe that everything happens for a reason and my life is more flexible than his in that I can relocate but still continue my work. Again, stunned with how you've read that. Please teach!

This 5 card spread developed after I started dabbling with Lenormand cards. Also the mirroring technique came from the Lenormand. Where cards 1 + 5 and 2 + 4 give additional info (and the middle card typically highlights an importance). Since I determined that you were the 9, I saw the Knight as reflecting part of your personality. The HP + Fool were showing that you were both waiting for the other to jump.. the King in the center showed that he was staying put and staying firm with his decision and his way of life. I knew more clearly which cards were describing who because of your description of how the two of you were separated and what had already been decided between the two of you- I wish I could give you a more magical answer than that though.

It helps a great deal, thanks! Did you create this spread? It's so awesome that I want to learn every aspect of it. I love the simplicity of it yet the depth it brings. It seems that I will have seriously look into the practicality and finances of the situation. I did another spread of when the earliest and most likely move will take place and I got 8 weeks. I guess we shall see! I'll keep you guys updated!

Yes, I made this spread in a way that it just sort of happened. LOL A lot of people were looking to spreads for timing, and that just didn't sit with me... the emphasis has always been on how to get the cards to do what you want them to do around here and I thought... let's just let the cards speak for themselves... I mean, why put a framework (tarot) into another framework (spread) to figure out something super-complicated like timing? Wouldn't it make more sense to eliminate one of those frameworks (spread) to make it less complicated? Yet, time and time again, people choose to eliminate tarot as the framework and use the spreads- in fact, often I see people limiting tarot by their own short-comings. Tarot is already a well-designed framework... so my opinion is that a spread was unnecessary (and maybe even more of a hindrance) to timing questions.

Anyway, my point is- all you really need to know is tarot!

And develop your own ability with the tarot "system" of how each card reads next to another. You can see the patterns that will point you right through the story and straight into the direction of timing after you get used to it. Each spread will be totally unique to the question and the person, which makes it a teensy-tiny little bit more difficult- but that's how it should be, shouldn't it? You might lose something if you try to cram every question and every person into the same kind of timing spread.

Please do keep us updated. If you have anymore questions about the spread, just ask!

MandMaud

Amanda_04 said:
A lot of people were looking to spreads for timing, and that just didn't sit with me... the emphasis has always been on how to get the cards to do what you want them to do around here and I thought... let's just let the cards speak for themselves... I mean, why put a framework (tarot) into another framework (spread) to figure out something super-complicated like timing? Wouldn't it make more sense to eliminate one of those frameworks (spread) to make it less complicated? Yet, time and time again, people choose to eliminate tarot as the framework and use the spreads-

I like the way you think.
mm

fleur0

Well.. do you *have* to move before your lease is up? I mean, is there really a rush- I know you say your family members' health is an issue, but if it's between "Go, now!" or "No, I think I'll just stay here..." then perhaps you can afford to simply wait a little bit longer than "Go, now!" The guy isn't going anywhere, being represented by the King of Pentacles afterall.

My lease is up at the end of January, but honestly thinking, the timing really is inconvenient and I am leaning on staying. My whole life is here, I have work, I have classes, I have friends! I know suddenly moving would be very rash. Before making any decisions I usually like to ask tarot what paths (minor and extreme) can potentially lead me to. I like to think that all events happen for a reason and they're worth exploring to see what will become if...a, b, or c. I never would have dreamed of moving or even wanting to a few months ago, but I have been going back at home A LOT because of family and most recently because of a super intense reconnection with that guy. The right decision will be the one from divine guidance, prayer, meditation, and consultation with family. Lately I've been feeling that I should stay though. Love is a combination of timing, distance, and effort. If it's meant to be then it will be, or if it's just meant to be a short thing, then that's okay too, because there were a bit of red flags with him anyway. I haven't decided what it will be with him, so I will just let time figure it out for now.

This 5 card spread developed after I started dabbling with Lenormand cards. Also the mirroring technique came from the Lenormand. Where cards 1 + 5 and 2 + 4 give additional info (and the middle card typically highlights an importance). Since I determined that you were the 9, I saw the Knight as reflecting part of your personality. The HP + Fool were showing that you were both waiting for the other to jump.. the King in the center showed that he was staying put and staying firm with his decision and his way of life. I knew more clearly which cards were describing who because of your description of how the two of you were separated and what had already been decided between the two of you- I wish I could give you a more magical answer than that though.

Thanks for explaining that because it makes so much sense now!

I noticed that with relationship questions, either 1+5 or 2+4 typically denotes one person, while the other pair denotes the consequences or situation, and 3 as the person or matter that dictates the action or situation. For example, I've been asking a lot of theoretical questions with the spread such as "If I don't move and we have to go our separate ways, then who will be the one to end things?" And I got:

King of pentacles | Knight of cups | Page of Pentacles | Death | 9 of cups -- summarized by the World

This made me jump! Page of pentacles is definitely me, and the King of pentacles would seem to think that this decision would be the right thing to do as well being that he got the 9 of cups. At least that's how I look at it since we both feel the influence of knight of cups + death + the world (distance and long time periods in between visits will kill our romance).

Anyway, my point is- all you really need to know is tarot! And develop your own ability with the tarot "system" of how each card reads next to another. You can see the patterns that will point you right through the story and straight into the direction of timing after you get used to it. Each spread will be totally unique to the question and the person, which makes it a teensy-tiny little bit more difficult- but that's how it should be, shouldn't it? You might lose something if you try to cram every question and every person into the same kind of timing spread.

I definitely appreciate your approach to the myriad of questions and people by separating them into simpler spreads. I'll be using this spread forever!

MandMaud

Fleur, I'm wondering if the move would have to be permanent. How about a one-year 'secondment'... sort of the opposite of a trial separation(!)?

Though your red flag sentence makes me think you know what you're doing already...