How far in advance can the Tarot predict things?

How long is a piece of string?

Predictive readings are - like most things Tarot related - tricky things.

Personally, I think up to 2 years in advance is possible (depending on circumstances) but not advised. Too much can change over time, for you to be sure of any accuracy.

6 months to 1 year in advance is much safer territory ... but again predictive readings can be tricksey. Don't bet the farm on anything the cards reveal - you may be picking up completely the wrong interpretation of what the cards are saying.

And as with all things, you can always seek a second opinion:

I have had a house move successfully predicted, with an approximate date given (which was accurate) eight and a half months in advance. But I already knew I was going to move and was planning to put the house on the market when I asked for clarification.

The cards were bringing Death to the fore in ALL of my personal readings for over a year before my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer (which then took another year to kill her) - However the Death card relates to painful change, so I thought it was to do with debt, moving house, changing career; all of which I was dealing with at the time ... I only knew the Death card related to an actual death in the family five months before she was diagnosed, and then it didn't confirm who until about two months before, because I wasn't willing to hear it.
So that Death card in the readings was talking about the other issues ... emphasis only changed to actual death, for certain, within 6 months of the diagnosis, but I suspect it may have been talking about it for that whole year, I just wasn't able to pick out the exact meaning within all the other Death card related noise.

I'll just say this again. The Death card is about painful change. It does not usually mean an actual death.


Any time you consult the cards and desire a timescale to go with the reading - there are so many different ways of getting that information ...
intuition and using images on a timescale card as metaphor, are the ones that I have used.

However, there are many other methods, as many as there are readers!

For example, you can look at the number(s) on the card(s), you can look at the suit(s) of the card(s), astrological associations of the card(s), where the card is placed in the layout ... etc.

Tarot Tips by Ruth Ann Amberstone & Wald Amberstone is worth a look see if you want to know more about the ins and outs of Tarot Reading.
ISBN-13: 978-0738702162
The book is aimed more at intermediate and experienced readers than the total novice. But it an excellent addition to any Tarot collection IMO.