Accessing the heavenly books
In Christian folk magic A course in biblical cartomancy By Doc. Jaesin St. Croix
In Christian folk magic, divination plays a large part in its practices. While there are many types of divination practices available to the Christian folk magic practitioner (Hol y water scrying, rosary pendulum, and Bibliomancy being one of the earliest), It allows the minister (as all are 1
ministers of Christ ) to peer into the books of the heavenly realms for guidance of all issues.
Divination is utilized as a way to see if a work is justified, if a person is cursed, to give direction in a time of need, to check the progress of a work, and to tell if the work is finished or not (to name a few reasons).
For this lesson, we will be focusing on the playing cards (Cartomancy). While Cartomancy is a modern addition to Christian folk magic, it is b y far one of the most useful additions to its practices. The deck of cards can be left out in the open, or carried on the person without any question of one’s motives or beliefs. It is magic hidden in plain sight.
Cartomancy with ordinary playing cards in Chr istian folk magic systems are seen as the “book s” 2
kept in heaven , giving the minister the ability to acquire the knowledge of these books for guidance. For this reason, the cards are referred to as “the heavenly books”
Just what are these heavenly “books” we are taking about? Do we see any evidence of them in the Bible itself?
There are numerous books of heaven. The Bible gives us a clue as to what some of these are, 3
such as the “Book of Life” . The Book of Life will be opened up in the last days for examination of the resurrection of the just. All those written in this book will be delivered from eternal death
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2 Corinthians 3:6 “He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit produc es life.” (Holman Christian Standard Bible) 2
Daniel 7:10 “A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” (KJV) 3
Daniel 12:1 “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” (KJV)
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to eternal life . 5
Another is known as the “Book of Remembrance ”. The Book of Remembrance is a book 6
recording the good deeds done during the course of one’s life span . 7
There is also the “Book of Record ”. The Book of Record records the bad deeds one has done in their life.
As we can see from these few examples, there are many books in heaven and these books contain detailed historical records of all of our lives on this earth (past, p resent, and future). Every being on earth have a part in these records whether Christian or not. Obscure events, words heard by only a handful of people will be, and are known now. Our acts of faithfulness and kindness, or hateful and meanness that no one else knows are well-known by God and kept in these books. Nothing is hidden.
It is in the use of the cards that we are able to peer into these books right at your own kitchen table, and gain the information sought after!
I will now begin by discussing the combined method taught to me by my teachers through 3 stages (Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced) in keeping in line with the Trinitarian thought process.
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Pslam 69:28 “ Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. ” (KJV) See also Isa. 4:3; Phil. 4:3; Heb. 12:23; Rev. 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:17; 22:19. 5
Malachi 3:16 “Then they that feared the L ORD spake often one to another: and the L ORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the L ORD, and that thought upon his name.” 6
Nehemiah 13:14 “Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.” (KJV) 7
Isaiah 65:6-7 “Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom, Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the L ORD, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.” (KJV)
I will be teaching you the Beginner method first. You will be surprised at how much you can accomplish with just this one stage.
The Four Aces Yes/No Method (Beginner)
This is a basic method for finding yes or no answers. Make sure that the question you are asking is a clear cut yes or no question. Spend a few minutes in prayer asking God to give you the answer to the question at hand.
In order for this method to work, you must use PLAYING CARDS, not tarot cards. You ne ed exactly 52 cards. No Jokers, no double back cards, no extra cards. Simply stick to 52 cards. Because 13 is a lucky number symbolic of the 13 Apostles (The 12 original, and the substitute for Judas which was Matthias) which has significance in Christian / Catholic folk ma gic practices, we divined the 52 cards by 13 which equals 4 (52 ÷ 13 = 4) giving us ¼ of the deck.
Now, having exactly 52 cards, shuffle them 3 times (in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit), and lay down 13 cards on the table. This is exactly ¼ of the deck. We will use 3 of these piles, symbolic of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
You are looking to see if an Ace comes up in the first 13 cards, or if more than one Ace comes up in the first 13 cards. The first 13 are always the strongest as they represent the first Apostles of the Christian Faith. You will notice that as you move on to the next few piles, the answer gets more and more negative. The piles are names accordingly to this feature as seen in the explanation below.
In the first pile of 13 cards: (Known as the Apostles)
0 Aces = No. 1 Ace = Weak yes.
2 Aces = Strong Yes. 3 Aces = Powerful Yes. 4 Aces = Yes and it will be better than you could imagine.
If there are no Aces in the first pile and you decide to go to a second pile: (Known as a Peter for his denial of Christ 3 times, yet he returned to the Faith)
0 Aces = Really no. 1 Ace = Overcome obstacles and delays and you have a maybe. 2 Aces = Overcome obstacles and delays and things will turn out all right. 3 Aces = Overcome obstacles and delays and you have a weak yes. 4 Aces = Overcome obstacles and delays and in the end you have a solid yes.
If there are no Aces in the second pile either, and you decide to go to a third pile: (Known as a Judas because of his betrayal of Christ, and his suicidal death)
0 Aces = No, and it will end in disaster. 1 Ace = Obstacles, delays, and oppositions, and if you get it, it will be worthless. 2 Aces = Obstacles, delays, and oppositions, and if you get it, you will not want it after all. 3 Aces = Obstacles, delays, and oppositions, and if you get it, it will be worth less than you hoped for. 4 Aces = Obstacles, delays, and oppositions, and if you get it, you will at least break even on it.
Once you have your answer, you may want to look further into the obstacles, delays, and oppositions to see what they are. This can be done by looking further into the books of heaven. This leads us into the next step of the beginner stage.
Getting to know the cards
The color of the cards holds significance in the reading. We begin this stage with learning to read what the color patterns mean when reading the cards. It is best to begin reading cards in
combinations right from the get go. A single card is but one word in the innumerous sentences of the various heavenly books. Combinations will reveal so much more. Red cards are usually seen as something positive. Black is seen as something negative. In Christian folk magic, the red cards are known as heaven cards, and black are known as hell cards. Decoding the colors
The first step in reading the heavenly books is to note the color patterns of the cards. This leads the general direction of the cards interpretation. There are 8 combinations of colors. R , R , R : All is well. You are blessed. Highly favored, quickly / rapid, (The Lord’s blessing) B, B, B: Overwhelmed by problems, hardships, and/or obstacles. Satan is afoot, very slow R , R , B: Problem to arise in the future. The devil is working hard to stop you B, B, R : Although things look bad, they will end well. You will be delivered. Slowly gets better B, R , R : What appears to be bad will progressively get better. A problem will be solved. Your prayer will be answered. Rapidly gets better, moving in the right direction R , B, B: What appears to be well will progressively get worse. Satan’s influence is strong. Rapidly gets worse, moving in the wrong direction R , B, R : An obstacle / problem / delay will be overcome. You will be set free, Surrounded by the positive, Guardian angels, the Lord is in the midst of it all B, R , B: Although things appear to be at ease, it is temporary. Keep your guard up. The enemy never sleeps. Surrounded by negativity. Demonic activity
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Take notice that the combination pattern is in threes after Trinitarian view. This is a consistent pattern you will see in Christian Folk magic. Gain a comfortable hold on knowing these color patterns. Only when you have grasped this thoroughly do you move on to the next step.
The Suits
The next step in this method is to get to know the suits. It is like turning the page from the introduction (yes/no, and general direction of the reading) to the actual first chapter of the book. You begin to see details of the characters of the book, getting to know who or what they are. It is in the suits that you will find the fruit that each card is birthing.
♥ Hearts: Symbolize love, family, and friends, emotions, Faith (The Lord) If this card is pulled in representation of the querent, the concern is emotional and/or spiritual. ♦ Diamonds: Symbolize material gain, wealth, prosperity, and means to an end If this card is pulled in representation of the querent, the concern is material. ♠ Spades: Symbolizes trouble, strife, problems, obstacles, delays, and enemy (the devil) If this card is pulled in recognition of the qu erent, the concern is about power, lack of responsibility. ♣ Clubs: Symbolizes work, plans, energy, goals, a calling, etc. If this card is pulled in recognition of the qu erent, the concern is recognition How to know timing
♥ Hearts: Autumn ♦ Diamonds: Spring ♠ Spades: Winter 8
God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), God the Holy Spirit
♣ Clubs: Summer Some traditional combinations that you should remember are: ♠
♥
♠: Heartache, relationship troubles, family troubles, Satan (an enem y) is attacking
♠
♦
♠: Financial trouble
♠
♣
♠: lack of willpower, stagnation, inability to act, feeling trapped, oppression
♠
♠
♠: Double trouble, the devil on your heels
♥
♠
♥: God is in control. The Lord prevails. Trouble overcome
This is by no means an exhaustive list. Continue to look into even more combinations and derive the meaning of the suit combinations. Remember the Color combinations as well. It will also reveal the speed at which things are progressing. The Pips / Numbers
Next is an explanation of the pips / numbers. I have placed a method to help remember these next to each number in parenthesis. The pips/numbers reveal a much more detailed explanation of the question at hand. Remember to look at the cards in sequence to what you have learned previously. It will reveal much more in greater detail. Ace: Beginnings , the start of something (The first of the cards) 2: Pairs, exchanges, partners (there needs to be 2 to be a pair) 3: Growth, expanding, in spirituality it could mean The Lord (Adam and Eve, 2, grew the earth’s population) 4: Stability, foundations, unchanging (Like the 4 legs of a chair or table, or 4 sides of a square) 5: The Body, freedom, health (2 arms, 2 Legs, and 1 Head / 5 is the number of freedom in the Bible)
6: A road opened, path, or journey (the picture on the card are arranged to look like a road) 7: A road closed, obstacle, delays, and trouble (the picture on the card looks like the road is blocked) 8: The mind, thoughts, ideas (8 is the symbol for infinity or the mind) 9: Change / changes (the number before the change to 2 digit numbers) 10: The culmination of all things, the start of something new, endings, new beginnings, goals achieved (The beginning of a new number cycle) Kings: A male, power, analytical (King being a man of power) Queens: A woman, truth, nature, emotional (Queen being a woman of truth, emotionally persuasive) Knaves: A youth of either Gender, someone younger than the querent. A messenger (A knight is a young warrior, traveling upon his stead) Jokers: Not taking the situation serious, unstable (the joker being a clown). A card with two backs on it or a random picture card (inserted into most modern p laying card decks) represent confusion. Here are a few examples of how the suits and pips are read together in combination with one another. Ace (beginnings) and ♥ (love, family, friends, The Lord): a new love affair; a new friendship; an addition to the family, the beginning of a relationship with the Lord (Being saved) . 2 (pairs, exchanges, partners) and ♠ (troubles, strife, problems, etc.): an argument; separation; divorce; strife in the relationship. 3 (growth, expanding, the Lord) and ♦ (Material gain, wealth, prosperity): a pay raise; financial security; profits, Spiritual prosperity 4 (foundations, unchaging; stability) and ♣ (work, plans, energy, goals): goals are stable; job security; boredom; slow going. 5 (the body, freedom, health) and ♥ (love, family, friends, The Lord): sexual relations, the hand of friendship, good health, Strong faith (because the heart is a good card),. 6 (a road, journey) and ♠ (trouble, the devil): headed in the wrong direction; making the wrong choice; running with the wrong crowd; difficulties while traveling; ill-advised journey; a journey
from which no profit comes; walking away, aban donment, the devil affecting your path to where you need to go to achieve your goal. 7 (a road closed, obstacles, delays, trouble) and ♦ (money, wealth, prosperity): financial difficulties, profits down, the means will not reach the end sought, an obstacle needs to be removed 8 (the mind, thoughts, ideas) and ♣ (work, plans, energy expended): thoughts about work; thinking of changing jobs; practical plans, a stressed mind. 9 (change, changing) and ♥ (love, family, friends, Faith): change for the better (because the heart is a red card), a positive change in Faith. 10 (endings, culmination of all things, goal achieved, a new cycle) and ♠ (trouble): Massive amounts of trouble; evil; violence; grief. King (men, power, analytical) and ♦ (Material gain, prosperity, wealth,); a man of financial means; wealthy man; financial power. Queen (women, truth, nature, emotional) and ♣ (work, plans, goals, a calling): a practical woman; a career woman; a true calling; a job that fits you perfectly; well-laid plans. Knave (message, child) and ♥ (love, family, friends Faith): a boy or girl child in your family; a love letter (child like feelings); a message from a friend; a compliment, thank you, a faithful friend.
There are also some brief traditional meanings for a few of the cards that you should memorize. They are as follows:
A♥: the home or family A♦: a letter A♣: a goal or opportunity A♠: a decision, a death 3♠: something lost, a loss, loss of faith 7♠: tears, sadness, double trouble
9♥: prayer fulfilled 9♠: prayer denied 10♠: grief Q♠ (F) or K ♠ (M): a divorced person 8♠: Worry, a troubled mind, a mental curse 5♠: Sickness, a troubled body, a physical curse
A Beginners Trinitarian Spread
First, have the querent pick a card from the deck to represent the querent. Place that card in the number 5 position face up. Next shuffle the cards 3 times (in the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit). Then lay the cards out as followed. (The #5 card will be laid on top of the querent card in a + cross fashion). 1 4 7
2 5 8
3 (God the Father) 6 (God the Son) 9 (God the Holy Spirit)
Cards 1, 2, 3, tell the past of the situation Cards 4, 5, 6, tell the present of the situation Cards 7, 8, 9, tell the future of the situation Next the crossroads of the spread are read. 1, 5, 9, tell the obstacle the querent needs to overcome in the situation 3, 5, 7, tell how to the worker how to help the querent overcome the obstacle to achieve the desired outcome. This ends the Beginners lesson of accessing the Heavenly Books in Christian Folk Magic. Once this lesson has been mastered by the student, the intermediate course may be taken.
