When using Tarot cards, how do you determine "when" when answering a Q that askes for a time frame?

I'm learning tarot. I was curious how you are able to read a time frame when it comes to questions that ask for when is something going to happen. I'd like to hear some examples of how you get a feeling for the time frame. Thanks!





An example would be like "When will I get married?"

When using Tarot cards, how do you determine "when" when answering a Q that askes for a time frame?
Questions of time are some of the hardest to answer and I usually refuse to give one because most of the people I read for tend to over look the whole "my future isn't written" aspect.





Usually if I get pestered for a timeframe I'll toss another card or two (my spreads get littered with cards, unlike what you may read in how-to books) and give them a frame based between the two events in the cards.





As to your example, the answer I would give to your question would be "when you're ready". Not concrete but then I'm not a weathergirl :)
Reply:It is best to ask the Tarot specific questions, so if you want a date, then you should ask a date. For example:


-What will my day be like - Morning, Afternoon, Evening; or


-What will happen in the next three days - Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; or


-What will happen in the next three weeks - this week, next week, and the week after that; or


-What will happen in the next three months - August, September, October; etc.
Reply:Use a tarot deck, but remove the Majors Arcana %26amp; the Pages.





Shuffle and draw a card. They are ranked thus:





A, K, Q, Kn, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2





After Fr. Johann Ingold, each card in the deck represents a week in the year, and each suit a season. For example, cups could be fall; wands, summer; pentacles, spring; swords, winter.





The Aces are the equinoxes %26amp; the solstices. Subsequent cards stand for the weeks following them. For example, a 7 of Wands would be a time frame within the 8th week after the summer solstice.
Reply:They are right , the more specific the better. How I try to figure out a time line is looking at all the cards given in the answer, evaluate the meaning of the cards to the question asked.





In general try not to ask for yes or no answers and vauge questions. wont get a good answer back.
Reply:You can define the time line in the spread itself. For instance, you can determine before beginning with the reading that the last position (usually the "outcome" or "result" position in a spread) indicates so many weeks/months from now on. That gives you a good time-frame to work "in". If you used the Celtic Cross, for example, the 10th position could indicate the outcome of the situation within the next 3 months (or 6 months, or whatever time-line you'd like to set).





Now, if you wish to answer questions similar to the one you posed "Qhen will I get married?", there are several things I can think of. Keep in mind though that providing a "hard %26amp; 100% accurate" time-line can be very tricky - but, just give it a try and see what works for you:





a) read the card





Draw one card (or pick the outcome card, and look at it if you choose to use a larger spread). Look at that card. it's best to use a deck that has scenes and images on the Minor Arcana as well, and not just the suit symbols (like the Rider Waite Smith, or similar, is good for this method). If, for instance, you picked the Sun, you could associate it with Summer. So, the answer would be during Summer. If you picked the 4 of Wands, it might occur during a holiday season - or whatever you associate with the picture. Be spontaneous and use your intuition with this. It might sound very vague and "unscientific", but I heard other Tarot readers have good results with it.





b) seasonal associations





This works mostly with the the Minor Arcana, but you could use the Astrological associations of the Major Arcana as well as a rough time-line. Depending on how the suits are associated in your system, you could say, for instance:





Cups - Spring


Wands - Summer


Swords - Autumn


Pentacles - Winter





Just an example. Feel free to switch the cards / seasons around until they feel right to you. That gives you a seasonal choice.








c) time association





Another method is to work with the Minor Arcana again, this time associating actual "time lines" with them. The system I know of is as follows:





Cups - days


Wands - weeks


Swords - months


Pentacles - years





The number on the card indicates how many days/weeks/months/years. Example: 2 of Cups - 2 days; 10 of Wands - 10 weeks. Pages are 11, Knights 12, Queens 13, Kings 14.








Hope this gives you something to work with. Experiment which method works best for you. :)