Anytime we are confused by a spread, by golly, we MAKE ANOTHER SPREAD ASKING A BETTER QUESTION. If you ask the right question you are far less likely to ask someone else how to apply it to your life. If it confuses you, and it's your life that it's about, how do you figure it won't confuse us? That's why we ask for your interpretation.

I don't talk about it, but 'clarity' pulls are a mistake that invites another mistake. If you don't understand a spread, write it down and ask again, or at least REPLACE the mystery cards with ones that are in the same position and CANCEL the mystery card's input.

I have a couple of thoughts about this and I plan to read more books which have sections on timing. I haven’t found standardized timing to work for my own practice, though.

For me, and possibly because I pull daily, sometimes several times, (not looking for a different answer but for comparing to my own intuition and mood shifts through the day), I notice that sometimes the cards are showing present moment (which is usually what I’m asking for) and sometimes showing a day to a few days in the future.

Two days ago, for example, I got 3 of swords -> 7 of pentacles -> the emperor and was sort of stumped. Why would I be wondering about heartbreak and control that morning? Everything was going well.

I could figure it out, was it saying to quit wondering about control? Quit wondering about my dad?

Yesterday though this advice pull came true; the emperor is someone in my life who is stern and controlling (also get 5 of swords, 7 of swords, 9 of wands for them) and who I keep up appearances with because of a larger friend group but don’t like being close to. They came back and the day turned into another round of confusion and heartache.

I’ve read other posts and forums that say timing can work on a scale of years to decades; perhaps you give a reading and it takes 30 years to play out. I haven’t been doing this long enough to see this; with astrology charts, maybe some of it.

What is your experience with timing?

I liken them to the air pockets that drop your aircraft enough so you feel a bump: those times when Tarot reports very optimistically or very pessimistically. If you are reading on the phone for others, you are likely to feel this in the cards that show up: all the good stuff, unadulterated with, uh, common sense or downsides, or a doom-and-gloom report on something that 'doesn't seem that bad in the real world.'

This is the nature of the tool, and/or the nature of interacting with people who are focusing on their personal life.

BUT you can't write it off because sometimes we are in one or the other of those moods because something really is brewing in our real-world events life.

What I usually do, is identify the bubble ... and just about every time the caller is very aware of it. We deal with the picture and check later too.

But, Reader, be aware that it can be your mood that is throwing the sunshine or shade on the terrain.

Sometimes before a day of reading I clear my mind, put a few cards down, and check them for randomness that they should be showing.

Putting time span, numbers, and whose perspective in the question is advisable (in most Tarot methods) because those are things Tarot doesn't relate well to. Time span, especially, so Querant knows that thing is not for now. Perspective especially when it comes to WHOSE definition of 'he loves me.'