Time Spans in Celtic Cross Readings

Barleywine

As most of us know, the more traditonal versions of the Celtic Cross spread show a time-line for development of the situation being explored. These are typically the Distant Past, the Recent Past, the Present (at least in a few systems) and the Near Future. These positions imply a certain span of time, and I've been wondering what most people say when asked "when" the situation advances from one "window" to the next.

My own thinking is that the Distant Past is most likely "months-to-years," the Recent Past suggests "weeks-to-months," the Present would be within the current week, and the Near Future is also probably in the low end of the "weeks-to-months" range. The Outcome position is independent of the time-line and follows the nature of the card and the typical duration of a CC forecast (maybe "a month to three months" beyond the Near Future outlook).

Any thoughts?

nisaba

To me, "months" through to two or three years sounds short-term and very close-in-time.

Medium-term kicks in around five or six years, and you'd be surprised how fast five years can race past.

Farzon

I think it depends on the question. The distant past is in my understanding also the root cause. The sum of past experiences that led to the specific situation. It's a difficult card because it's laid out quite early but can be understood only in context. So here, yes, it can be years.

I never thought that much about the other two... the near future is for me the development of the situation in a very short span of time. I see it as something that is already developing or building up.

The outcome often shows how the situation concludes when the advised action is taken. There is more influence possible in the outcome then in the near future. It can be a warning not to do some things as well. Depends on the question again.

Philistine

Farzon said:
I think it depends on the question.

My use of the CC in terms of timing is about like yours, I suppose. For me, elasticity of time frame in the reading is relative to the question.

Farzon said:
the near future is for me the development of the situation in a very short span of time. I see it as something that is already developing or building up.

The outcome often shows how the situation concludes when the advised action is taken. There is more influence possible in the outcome then in the near future.

Agree 110% about the mutability of near future versus outcome cards.

*****

I'll put my interpretation of the card positions in brass tacks:

Root/distant past=a few weeks up to many years ago

Recent past=1-7 days ago

Near future=1-7 days away

Outcome=many weeks up to 6 months away (though could be much longer if it's a "grand" question, such as life purpose e.g.)

But like anything tarotic, as long as the reader has developed a method and adheres to it, one will get accurate readings no matter how one personally interprets the timing for these cards.

Barleywine

Farzon said:
I think it depends on the question. The distant past is in my understanding also the root cause. The sum of past experiences that led to the specific situation. It's a difficult card because it's laid out quite early but can be understood only in context. So here, yes, it can be years.

I never thought that much about the other two... the near future is for me the development of the situation in a very short span of time. I see it as something that is already developing or building up.

The outcome often shows how the situation concludes when the advised action is taken. There is more influence possible in the outcome then in the near future. It can be a warning not to do some things as well. Depends on the question again.

Actually, I often read "behind," "above" and "before" as a continuum, one sometimes overlapping the other so there is no clear transition point. The card in each position makes a difference, too, as well as the context. The outcome, obviously, is the most fluid as to timing. In the interest of "empowerment," I try to make it clear that the outcome shown frequently doesn't just "happen," it can take active engagement of the querent to realize (or mitigate) it's potential.

I was just curious whether anyone had ever been asked "when" during a reading, and how they handled it. I haven't been, but I do try to give a general idea of the time frames involved when I discuss the flow of the situation, since it can offer validation for the developing scope and thrust of the reading. The details are filled in through dialogue with the querent. I have a rule-of-thumb that a CC covers a span of around one-to-three months, six months tops, so projecting outcomes in terms of "years" wouldn't produce much repeat business!

Farzon

Barleywine said:
Actually, I often read "behind," "above" and "before" as a continuum, one sometimes overlapping the other so there is no clear transition point. The card in each position makes a difference, too, as well as the context. The outcome, obviously, is the most fluid as to timing. In the interest of "empowerment," I try to make it clear that the outcome shown frequently doesn't just "happen," it can take active engagement of the querent to realize (or mitigate) it's potential.

I was just curious whether anyone had ever been asked "when" during a reading, and how they handled it. I haven't been, but I do try to give a general idea of the time frames involved when I discuss the flow of the situation, since it can offer validation for the developing scope and thrust of the reading. The details are filled in through dialogue with the querent. I have a rule-of-thumb that a CC covers a span of around one-to-three months, six months tops, so projecting outcomes in terms of "years" wouldn't produce much repeat business!

So my answer was not very helpful I guess... in my readings I usually include a time span for the overall reading, but that has no effect on near future or outcome. I think I should actively try to determine the difference in timing, if the outcome is seen as distant future. I'll do a reading these days, record my experiences and will write back in about two months.

Barleywine

Farzon said:
So my answer was not very helpful I guess... in my readings I usually include a time span for the overall reading, but that has no effect on near future or outcome. I think I should actively try to determine the difference in timing, if the outcome is seen as distant future. I'll do a reading these days, record my experiences and will write back in about two months.

Your take on it aligns well with my own. I only recently began thinking about the time-frames for development of a situation in more literal terms, which is why I posted the question. I always allowed myself quite a bit of "slop" because of the fluidity of circumstances, but I got thinking that, if a querent says "That 'recent past' happened a year ago" or "It hasn't happened yet but I can see how it might soon," it places a kind of "stake in the ground" from which to gage the emergence of coming events.

Time Spans in Celtic Cross Readings

Barleywine

nisaba

Farzon

Philistine

Barleywine

Farzon

Barleywine