Obtaining a sense of the time scales involved in a reading is quite difficult with most spreads. Calendar spreads, however, are designed around specific time scales, though timing is usually made explicit at the expense of the depth and interdependence found in the larger, non-calendar spreads.

The particular calendar spread shown above is an excellent way of obtaining a six month forecast. Thirteen cards are used, and during the preparatory phase of the reading, the cards are selected and arranged as above, with the upright card of each pair laid down first and the second card immediately placed across it. Interpretation is in the order shown, with card pair one dealing with the current month, two dealing with the following month, and so on. For each pair, the upright card is the Covering for that month, indicating the important events, issues, attitudes or influences active during that month. The card placed across it is the Crossing, which highlights the obstacles, problems, conflicts and opposition that must be dealt with during that month. The final card, labeled seven, sums up the overall influences and outcome of the whole six month period. A simpler version of the spread can also be used, in which only one card, a Covering, is drawn for each month:

For an annual reading, 25 cards are used: one pair per month plus a final outcome card. In this case, the cards are laid out as shown below left and read in the same manner as the six month reading. The simpler version (below right) employs only one card per month.

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