how can I tell the timeframe?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 04 May 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

bibi	04 May 2005
Hi guys, any thoughts on this? To get an accurate timescale, do I first "agree" with the tarot beforehand by saying the numbers on the cards represent days, for example, or months depending what I'm after? Does this work for anyone? Or how do you normally go about it? Bibi x

mike gorth	04 May 2005
Well I found something somewhere but I don't remember. each suit had something. majors were like right away. and then the suit and numbers. It was really messed up but you intuitively think what means what for you, it should come out that way. I never really use time because it's so iffy. it changes every minute.

Reed	04 May 2005
Hi Bibi Julien provides a link regarding time on another thread. http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=41138 Maybe this will help.

MercyMe	04 May 2005
Yeah, different people have different means of time-telling. I've found even when I've made an agreement with my cards (others call this programming the cards) about what means what in terms of timing, the results are still not consistent. I've heard that Aces can represent seasons and so give a clue as to when something is to happen: Swords = Winter Cups = Spring Wands = Summer Pentacles = Autumn Anyway, here's one method I learned and it might be the one Mike is referring to: The card is drawn after the spread is thrown as an additional card. Major Arcana = the events are already in motion Cups = days Wands = weeks Pentacles = months Swords = unknown, determined by querent Pages = 11 Knights =12 Queens and Kings = unknown, determined by querent Another method from the book Tarot Companion by Tracy Porter: If card numbers 2, 3, 7 or 9 appear immediately before or after a Major Arcana it creates a conjunction that is read separately from the initial reading. If two or more conjunctions appear they are read separately and refer to separate events. If the number 2,3,7, or 9 from the Minor Arcana appears immediately before a Major Arcana card it represents the beginning of a new cycle with energies determined by the card itself. For example, 2 of Wands = 2 days, 2 of Cups = 2 weeks, 2 of Swords = Four weeks, 2 of Pents = 2 months. There's a lot more to it, so if you want to read it I recommend looking at the book. I haven't used it much in readings so I don't know if it has proved accurate or not. In any case, I would think you'd have to make that agreement with your cards to give your readings consistency with respect to timing. If you do, you're more likely to be more accurate, but as with things having to do with individual choice and free will and unexpected events happening, timing of any sort is iffy at best. ~Mercy

Thirteen	04 May 2005
Go here: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=15119 Head on down to: INTERPETING THE CARDS/Correspondences. Under that you should find: Time/Timeframe. There are dozens of threads that have hashed out this subject and listed several methods from books, other experts, etc. Pick whichever method works for you.

Umbrae	04 May 2005
Time… A modern day consists of 24 hours, punctuated by day and night. It has not always been this way. That’s a cultural prejudice. The Teutonic-Norse concept contained therein was two ‘days’. One period occurring between sunup until sundown, and a second day occurring from sundown until sunup. The Norse thought of distance and time in terms of moving people between two points. The principal unit of measure was how far you could ride, which of course varied depending on the land, and time of year. Therefore, space-time is relative, and cultural. Should you disagree, a nice trip to Africa, Central or South America, or the Middle East – where Eurocentric time views are not prevalent – should change your mind. Time is a concept. It is a human construct to which we assign a prime importance in our lives. Someone once said that time was invented so that everything would not happen at once. Tarot time. You cannot ask (or tell) the cards, “When.” Even worse - try to tell them (the tarot) by imposing your criteria upon them. Static timing systems (this is this and that is that) may not work for you. They make no sense to me… Here is the deal with timing… I have never met two people with the same personal time, and there is only one way to find your ‘personal time’. And that is 'Journaling'. One of the benefits of keeping a journal is that you are learning your own system and concept of time. Timings set by cards will always be arbitrary, and over-ridden by your personal time. Keeping a journal helps give you awareness, so that when you have major life-changes your timing system changes, and you can track it. Should you use a static timing system you will discover that it is too rigid. I have found that timing is more subjective than many other aspects of Tarot.

mike gorth	04 May 2005
Thank you mercy, I got the stuff from the book. Usually I don't go by season or anything. just day and month. and then if it is court, minor or major so there you go but thank you.

january	09 May 2005
Hi there - I look at timing last, after everything else. When we are looking for a solution to a problem we are naturally curious to know when troubles are going to end. We want that assurance that our frustration with this person/job/situation wil be over by a certain date. But major changes can't occur when something needs fixing. Before I began studying Tarot and astrology, I had a few readings that "promised" me bliss by the fall, on vacation, etc. To me, it was a done deal. Everything will be rosy in early autumn! I was so focused on the final promise and that certain date that I didn't pay any mind to what I needed to do internally to get there. And I didn't get there (at least not then). Let's say I do a reading for a friend about her love life and the final outcome is very positive and exciting however other cards point to some serious inner work she needs to do, such as garnering more self-esteem. I apply a timing method and hey, everything will be cool in two weeks! To me, that certainly isn't ample time for her to make permanent inner changes and if she sought out the love of her life within two weeks she's apt to make the same mistakes all over again as she's not totally healed within. However, it could work another way - she could meet someone in two-week's time and that person just happened to give her the little boost that's needed to aid her in building self esteem. So, I think its okay to give a general timeframe but that its more important to stress the energies and actions needed to make things work to that end. When doing a CC spread I sometimes look to the Immediate Future card to give a hint at timing. I see this card as energy already in motion and once that news arrives then it sets the pace for the rest of the spread. ~ January

LoukezXV	10 May 2005
MercyMe wrote: I've heard that Aces can represent seasons and so give a clue as to when something is to happen: Swords = Winter Cups = Spring Wands = Summer Pentacles = Autumn ~Mercy there's 1 tiny problem here. hope any1 can advice me. the country i live DONT HAVE 4 seasons!! i have ask myself this question about the time frame many times for many years.. but i cant really get answer from book. whenever they mentioned season, i just close the book. my side here dont have winter or summer. me here WHOLE year is hot. only rainy days & sunny days. NO SNOW here -.-" Singapore is a small island near the equator. how? thx in advance.

Reed	11 May 2005
LoukezXV wrote: there's 1 tiny problem here. hope any1 can advice me. the country i live DONT HAVE 4 seasons!! i have ask myself this question about the time frame many times for many years.. but i cant really get answer from book. whenever they mentioned season, i just close the book. my side here dont have winter or summer. me here WHOLE year is hot. only rainy days & sunny days. NO SNOW here -.-" Singapore is a small island near the equator. how? thx in advance. Maybe this will help: Spring begins around March 20 or 21 Summer begins around June 22 Fall begins around September 22 or 23 Winter begins around December 22 Although you don't have the change in seasons, you can at least get an idea of how the seasons fall. All the best Reed

HOLMES	11 May 2005
I came up with a specific timing that relate a bit yes i see cups as spring summer as wands pentacles as fall swords as air, I also see cups as morning wands as noon pentacles evening swords night. possibly you can also do cups days, wands as weeks pentacles as months swords as years then dependent on how long term the question is, you can use this . example when should i go tomorrow ,, ohh the cups when should i take my vacation,, oh the pentacles the fall and for the very long term question about how long it may take lay out three cards, say how long,, and if it is days, then the second postion becomes moot, weeks then you will know how long months or years,, well it is given that you know 1 to 10 days , but suppose it is a court card :) one can assume that before hand that either this question can not be determined for days, weeks, months, or years depending on what suit.. or you could look at the court cards for 11 to 14. then again you can look at the astrological attributes of the minor arcana and use that to look at the ten day cycle of the decantes. I do believe that you wont' be able to use the pentacles fall, swords air , and so forth for it is too divided. and if you use that style you can still shuffle the card to see what time of the day in general :) with morning cups, noon to evening wands, evening to night pentacles. whatever system you decide to use pick one and study and use it. and after you may decide to become flexible with it :)

bibi	17 May 2005
thx for all your responses! great to hear the different viewpoints, i hope to take it all onboard! Bibi x

Bev	17 May 2005
I have always used the associations that the suits would have to the Pagan elemental correspondences. Suit:...........Element:..........Direction:.............Season:...........Time of day: Swords........Air..................East....................Spring..............Morning Wands.........Fire................South...................Summer...........Noon Cups...........Water..............West...................Autumn............Evening Pentacles.....Earth...............North..................Winter..............Night (And I hope that little chart works, I'm not sure the best way to do that here) What I have done, is if someone asks for an idea of the time frame for a specific event that came up in a reading, I would use the cards I still held to the side and place them, one card at a time, on top of the card representing that event, until one of the minor arcana cards came up and use that as my reference. More often than not, the first card will be a minor arcana card, but occassionally it seems if you have a lot of major arcana cards held to the side, they seem to all come up first! ;) I also make it a point to explain that time frames are very changeable and that anything that I may suggest is no more than that - a suggestion. This is only something I do, I don't know if anyone else has tried it, I've never read anything about it being used. It would be nice to get feedback from anyone who does a little experimenting with it. I'm sure it would not resonate with everyone, but I'd love to know if anyone finds it clicks for them. Bev

LoukezXV	17 May 2005
oh... it does help. thx Reed =D but 1 more question. does all country have the 4 season starts (for example "spring") at the same time? or does country A hv spring now but country B now winter? just curious. never experience before -.-" thx again

Tetrflare	17 May 2005
LoukezXV wrote: there's 1 tiny problem here. hope any1 can advice me. the country i live DONT HAVE 4 seasons!! i have ask myself this question about the time frame many times for many years.. but i cant really get answer from book. whenever they mentioned season, i just close the book. my side here dont have winter or summer. me here WHOLE year is hot. only rainy days & sunny days. NO SNOW here -.-" Singapore is a small island near the equator. how? thx in advance. Hey, hiya!!! I'm from singapore too. Glad to see someone from singapore too that is interested in Tarot, maybe can chat sometime. Anyway, I feel time will never be accurate with the tarot, so don't bother trying. If you wish, go with the Cups=day, wands=weeks, pentacles=months... earlier posted.

Tetrflare	17 May 2005
LoukezXV wrote: oh... it does help. thx Reed =D but 1 more question. does all country have the 4 season starts (for example "spring") at the same time? or does country A hv spring now but country B now winter? just curious. never experience before -.-" thx again Winter in the northern hemisphere is summer in the southern hemisphere. If thats what you are trying to find out.

Maria Spencer	21 May 2005
I have always used the associations that the suits would have to the Pagan elemental correspondences. Suit:...........Element:..........Direction:...... .......Season:...........Time of day: Swords........Air..................East........... .........Spring..............Morning Wands.........Fire................South........... ........Summer...........Noon Cups...........Water..............West............ .......Autumn............Evening Pentacles.....Earth...............North........... .......Winter..............Night To me this makes perfect sense. Thanks for the tip, Bev, I'll be sure to use it! Blessings, Maria

The how can I tell the timeframe? thread was originally posted on 04 May 2005 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.