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Cartomancy: Fortune Telling Using Playing Cards Playing Card Meanings Emily Daton Contents Introduction We are the same – you and me How I became interested in Cartomancy What You Need? Importance of Spirituality and Meditation Awakening the Cards Things to Keep in Mind while doing a reading Ready, Set, Go! The 3 card spread General Meaning for different suits The Meanings Aces Twos Threes Fours Fives Sixes Sevens Eights Nines Tens Personality cards Jacks Queens Kings Joker Conclusion
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Introduction Cartomancy is divination using a deck of cards. There are a lot of ways that people do this. But, there is a standard way to do it, and this standard way is given in this guide, because it is universally accepted and used.
We are the same – you and me I was just a normal teenager when we first moved into a haunted house. Things would go bump in the night, and apparitions would try to scare the smokes out of anyone who would dare stroll in the hallway after midnight. It was during my stay at that house, that I first developed an interest in the supernatural and the mysterious. Since my parents could not explain what was going on in that house, they turned to all sorts of “experts”. And each time someone would come to our house to “cleanse” the place, things would only get worse. Till one day, the thing in the hallway actually showed up in my bedroom. I screamed my heart out and tried to take cover under my cute little blanket. We left the place in a real hurry soon after that experience. But, what that experience did was leave a lasting impression on me. I started experimenting with Ouija boards, Tarot cards, Meditation, etc. I was seriously interested in everything occult. At an age when normal teenagers usually join online forums related to music and such, I joined forums on the supernatural, on ghost hunting, on being a Christian witch, etc. etc. My point is, if you saw the things that I had seen, you would also become interested in the things that I became interested in. So, whatever knowledge I have poured into this guide, comes from years of studying, practicing, and making mistakes.
How I became interested in Cartomancy I first became interested specifically in Cartomancy when my cousin predicted my exact score on a standardized test. I took the test and scored exactly what she had predicted. This was something that really peaked my interest. She did not use Tarot cards. She just used regular playing cards. How could someone predict something using regular playing cards? What was the logic or spiritual reasoning behind it? Was something negative or ungodly associated with the cards? These were the questions that bothered me. So, I delved deeper into Cartomancy, and slowly all my answers were answered. The most important thing that I discovered was that nothing “ungodly” was associated with the cards. The playing cards, just like Tarot cards, draw their results from the universal consciousness. Different religions call this universal consciousness different things, but mainly most believers call that consciousness “The Supreme Being” or God. 3
The truth is all of us are connected to god. But as we grow up we slowly forget about this connection. That’s why children are considered closest to god. But, even among us (the adult population), there are times when messages from the Supreme Being travel down into our conscious or sub-conscious mind. Most people experience what we call “Deja vu”. This means that most people in the world predict at least 20-60 seconds of their lives, at least once. The more gifted can actually do it more often. But, Cartomancy does not require you to be gifted. The fact is that as a card reader or a fortune teller, one cannot afford to rely on just Déjà vu. Meditation, spirituality and usually a connecting medium is always required in divination. Tarot cards, Playing cards, Dice, Dominos, etc. draw their power from the infinitely intelligent universe. That is how my cousin was able to correctly predict my score. That is how fortune tellers have kept their heads on their shoulders for millennia. (Well… let us ignore what happened in the middle ages). So, that was my story about why and how I became interested in Cartomancy. It is much more convenient to use playing cards than to use Tarot Cards. By the time I got into college, I had become really good at Cartomancy, and my dorm room became a hub for believers who wanted to get answers to complex questions. I am yet to meet a single person who could claim that my predictions have not been correct. People tell me it’s a gift. I tell them what I am about to tell you: “We are the same, you and me. If I can master Cartomancy, so can you.”
What You Need? A standard deck of playing cards, with 52 cards in total! Nothing else is really needed. Although fair warning, once you decide you want to seriously do this, you should use the specified playing cards for fortune telling only. The reason why you need to use the same deck of cards over and over again, is because the cards will establish a connection with you. They will become more accurate as you continue to use them. You also need faith. But, more about that in the next section.
Importance of Spirituality and Meditation Another important aspect, which very few people talk about, is the importance of spirituality and meditation. The more spiritually inspired you are, the higher will be the accuracy of your predictions. 4
I have to admit – before moving into that haunted house, I was neither religious nor spiritual. But, when you run into things that go bump in the night, you immediately turn to God. In my case, I turned spiritual for protection and for a general sense of security. Truth be told, I did not know who else to turn to, since my parents themselves could not protect themselves. And what is more important is that praying did help, a lot! Apparitions would disappear on praying or on displaying religious symbols. So, my faith became stronger the more we lived in that house. So, that is how I actually understood the importance of God and religion. That is how I got hooked on the drug called faith. But, more importantly, I also began to understand how important it was to have good spiritual health. Religion and spirituality may be linked, but they are certainly not the same thing. Most people know this fact, but then they don’t really know the difference. While most religions are based upon creating and maintaining an ideal social structure, with faith at the centre of things. Spirituality is more individual in nature. It is more personal. It is about working on the spirit, without worrying much about the external world and society at large. Both provide peace to the soul. And both give strength to a person during perilous times. Praying helps. Going to the Church or the Synagogue helps. Connecting with God using your own faith, helps. But, beyond that, having a clear mind helps. Your ethical compass is what really drives life. Your connection with God really gives you an edge over those who don’t have that relationship with the Almighty. It is easier to explain how thoughts work. None of the thoughts that come into your mind are your own. They all sort of get “downloaded” into your mind. If you’re closer to God, the quality of the “downloaded” thoughts will be that much better. God helps those who help themselves by improving their spiritual strength. The reverse is also true. Wrong thoughts get “downloaded” into your mind every time you get closer to the wrong energies. This is an extremely important fact for any interpreter or fortune teller who wants to be accurate. If you interpret with the intention of helping someone or yourself, your predictions will be that much accurate. Because, ultimately, what you say during any fortune telling sessions, does not come out of your own mind, it gets downloaded from some external energy. If on the other hand, you interpret with malice or bias in your heart, you know what the result is going to be. So, understand how important faith is for an interpreter. Spirituality is important. The more spiritual you are, the stronger you will become. Even the most saintly of people will get the wrong thought-files downloaded sometimes, but it is using spirituality that one can ensure that the right stuff stays in the mind, while the wrong thoughts get purged. Constant monitoring is not always required, but it may be required initially. 5
There is western meditation and eastern meditation. Whatever kind of meditation you believe in, try it. Meditation will not only help clear out the mind, it will increase your ability to listen to the right thoughts that are floating in the infinite universe as we speak. Remember, the most impressive people can actually tap into their spiritual world and tell you exactly what is going to happen in the next few minutes, days or weeks! Such people exist across the world, and although some may be gifted, others develop their psychic abilities by sheer practice and by meditation. And that is why meditation is important. Whether you use eastern or western meditation, the goal is to calm the mind down. A calm mind is closer to god anyways. So I would advise working on your spiritual health while you are learning to do this. We live in one of the best times in human history. You can find people, videos, books, etc. on God, meditation and spirituality. So basically, there is absolutely no dearth of resources if you really want to become an expert Cartomancer. But, for most of us, just having a little faith, and being able to calm our mind before a session should be enough.
Awakening the Cards The cards have their own personality. They don’t like being pushed around or disrespected. They develop a deep relationship with the psychic or the interpreter, and that is why you will never find two psychics use the same deck of cards to do their predictions. It just doesn’t work that way. A few years ago, I was doing a session for a classmate in college. She was a big time sceptic and what she really wanted to prove was that fortune telling doesn’t work. So, she told me she would keep my notebook open in front of her. This notebook had meanings and interpretations associated with various cards, that I had noted down over many months of sessions with different people. This way, she would be able to keep a tab on how accurate my predictions were and she could test the cards out. Long story short, she asked the same question in a few of different ways. The great thing was that the first two times she got the same card. But, to her surprise, when a card was pulled out the third time, the MEANING of the card was the same as the first two times. It left her baffled, but more importantly it left me baffled as well. BTW, this is actually against the unwritten rules of fortune telling, but I was a college student, so what did I know. The fact is that my cards passed the test with flying colours. And it shut my friend up for a long time. The way to establish a connection with the cards isn’t too difficult. Establishing a relationship with the cards is called awakening the cards. The better your relationship with the cards, the easier it will be to interpret things. Also, as your relationship grows, a stage will come when you won’t even have to speak your questions or doubts out loud for the cards to work. 6
There are a lot of ways to awaken the cards. Generally, just like tarot cards, you should keep these cards close to you. So that they align with your energy. And keep them in a clean, spiritual place. Probably, wherever you meditate at home. Touch them yourselves. A lot of psychics allow other people to touch their cards, I used to allow that too. But, since last year, I stopped doing that, because different people have different energies and I don’t want to expose my cards to negative energies of any sort, even if it is for a short period of time. So awaken the cards, and pull out the cards yourselves during sessions. Also, during any session, you need to talk to the cards (preferably not out loud) and ask them, “My friend needs help. Please provide an accurate prediction for her/him.” The cards have their own way of connecting. You don’t need to worry about the cards being accurate. All you really need to focus on is working on your faith.
Things to Keep in Mind while doing a reading Ever heard of WYSIWYG? (It’s short for what you see is what you get). The same acronym applies for any kind of fortune telling/ divination: What you SAY is what you get. This means that you need to be clear with the questions. Be as specific about something as you can be. Of course, every now and then, people will not even want to tell their questions, but then they need to ask specific questions in their minds. Ask SPECIFIC questions to get specific correct answers. The other thing is just like a human, cards get irritated with people who ask the same questions too. Rather, you should not ask the same question, using different words. Although, asking the same question every few days will provide the same answers. So that is ok. Try NOT to ask the same question again and again in the same session. Finally, there are always going to be non-believers. Let them be. I once had a person sit down and ask me a totally fake question, and the cards revealed that information pretty quickly. You’ll get the hang of it too, once you start doing readings for people. NEVER do a reading just to show off. Your faith and your ways of doing things are personal and sacred. So, neither try to prove yourself to people nor try to change their beliefs. Stay clean. Spiritual people are not allowed to get angry or be show offs! The mind should be clear! 7
Ready, Set, Go! Ok. So, take a deck of cards and shuffle it. Usually, I say a short prayer while shuffling, and when the prayer ends I stop shuffling and spread the cards in front of me.
The 3 card spread The easiest and simplest spread, and the one you should master first, is the 3 card spread. Once the cards are laid out on the table or whatever surface you are using, ask the question clearly and then pick out three cards using your left hand. Put the three cards in a straight horizontal line in front of you. The first card you pick up, represents the past. The second card, represents the present. And, the third card represents the future. Now, you are ready to do your very first reading. But, before that, we need to know some basic things about the 4 suits: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades.
General Meaning for different suits
Cards belonging to the suit of hearts represent things related to the heart, such as love, marriage, etc. They are the positive cards in the deck, and generally don’t carry any bad meanings. Cards belonging to the suit of diamonds represent things related to money and worldly possessions. They are a mixed bag in terms of meanings. Cards belonging to the suit of clubs represent things related to ambition and career. These generally represent some sort of fulfilment or success. Cards belonging to the suit of spades represent things related to problems, challenges, etc. They are the gloomy cards, but not always.
The Meanings Aces All aces signify beginnings of some sort. So, this is important to remember. Hearts: The love, companionship, euphoria, start of a relationship. News about a loved one. Diamonds: Beginning of a financial journey. News related to money. Clubs: Beginning of a good time for career and/or health. News about career/health. Spades: Beginning of a bad period. Bad news will come. 8
Twos All twos signify duality and partnerships of some sort. Hearts: Success in love. A romantic partnership. Diamonds: A professional/business partnership. A love affair with problems related to money. Clubs: Enemies conspire against you. They come together. Tread carefully. Spades: Separations of various kinds such as in business or love.
Threes Threes signify the point of no return. This means that one would face a situation from which there is no backing down. Also, three signifies unity, of thought, people, or problems. Hearts: Caution is advised. Don’t say something in anger, you will regret it later. Diamonds: Legal problems will come your way. A domestic quarrel due to money. Clubs: Success will come from an old partnership or from a relationship. Spades: Be careful in all partnerships, relationships, friendships. Someone may try to backstab you. Fours Fours represent the middle of a journey. They also represent stability: in business, love or any other aspect of life. Basically, what started with the aces, achieves stability with a four. Basically, fours are like a pit stop in a race. Hearts: Some significant stabilizing change or journey is on the cards. Marriage or similar stability in love. Diamonds: Financial stability is on the cards. Windfall possible. Clubs: Bad changes coming your way. Prepare your heart for the worst. Spades: Changes that will cause unnecessary tension. Worrisome times ahead.
Fives Fives are about strength and yet they are also about instability. Basically, you are out of the pit stop again. And things are not looking good. But, you will find the strength to solve the problems that come your way. 9
Hearts: Jealousy in a relationship. Neither take a harsh decision nor let anyone involved take one. Diamonds: Strength gained in business. Strengthening of family ties and partnerships. Clubs: Strength gained from new friends. Happy marriage and success as desired. Spades: Problems of all sorts but ultimate victory.
Sixes Sixes represent balance. After the instability caused by fives, this again is a place where one finds balance in life. But, it is still balance, not complete stability. Hearts: Good luck in relationships and family matters. Help is given without asking. Diamonds: Problems revealed in marriage or partnerships. Clubs: Help will come related to profession, business or career. Success is on its way. Spades: Finally, improvements in the seeker’s life.
Sevens Although seven is considered a lucky number throughout the world, it is not always so in divination and fortune telling. Seven represents a sudden onset of information or problem. The balance of six is gone, and life moves on. Seven is a card of advice that tells you to hold your ground and keep at it. Hearts: Unfaithful lover or family member. Again, stand your ground, and confront the person. Diamonds: Sudden problems at work. A surprise gift or a surprise opportunity in business. Clubs: Prosperity is on the cards. Someone from the opposite sex may try to stir up trouble. Spades: A warning that sorrows and losses are on the cards. Brace yourself. Weather the storm.
Eights Eights are a wakeup call. They tell you to be practical and stop being dreamy. They tell you to understand the rules of the game, and where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Act according to the limitations, rules, and boundaries. Do not overstep, be practical. 10ones. Expect visitors. Hearts: Advise to visit friends or loved
Diamonds: Financial prudence required. Marriage on the cards, with travel later following marriage. Clubs: Trouble in various aspects of life. Be practical, and tread carefully. Spades: Disappointment. People, plans and situations let you down. Time to introspect as well as reassess the situation. Back to the drawing board with the new lessons.
Nines Nines are the best cards on deck. Victory over problems. Success in relationships. Basically, nines mean that your wishes are about to come true. Hearts: Dreams come true. Desired relationship or lover will come your way. Diamonds: Business will flourish. Windfall or other money related good news. Clubs: Success in career. Career aspirations fulfilled. New lover on the charts. Be open and keep the ego away. Spades: Bad luck is on its way. Enemy’s wishes come true.
Tens The circle that started with aces ends with tens. You are wiser from experiences, both good and bad. Good times ahead. Hearts: Happiness in relationships. Romance in the air. Luck is in your favour. Diamonds: Fortunes favour you! Business growth. Travel on the cards. Clubs: Windfall. Success and travel to some foreign place. Spades: Misfortune.
Personality cards The following three kinds of cards are personality cards. They represent people instead of prophecies. Jack relates to a young man. Queen may relate to a young or a mature woman. And King relates to a man. Depending upon the question, the interpreter has to provide a proper interpretation. 11
The general characteristics of the people influencing the seeker’s life are given below.
Jacks Jacks usually represent someone who is young. Some youth you may know. Hearts: A young friend. Or a good-natured youth. Has fair complexion and fair hair. Diamonds: A somewhat greedy and selfish youth. Fair haired. Clubs: A dark youth. Extremely reliable and friendly. Dark haired. Spades: An immature youth who may cause trouble- unintentionally. Dark haired.
Queens Queens represent women of either influence or love. Hearts: A kind woman who would care for you and help you along the way. Fair complexion, fair hair. Diamonds: A flirty woman, not to be trusted easily. Fair. Clubs: A beautiful, dark haired woman. She is independent and confident in her own ability. Spades: A divorcee or a widow. She may not help as desired.
Kings Kings represent men who would be able to help or hurt you. Hearts: A mature man who would provide fatherly advice or mentor you. Diamonds: A wealthy/ influential man who may be of help. But, be careful, he will have a big ego and if hurt, he will hurt you back. Clubs: A great friend. May be dark haired. Spades: An ambitious man, who tried to help, but will not succeed.
Joker The joker represents a dreamy state. Basically, it tells you to keep your feet on the ground and not get carried away. It also means that the person who seeks an answer is either not clear about his question, is facing confusion or that the question itself is not what he really wants to ask. It would be wise for the interpreter to ask the seeker to be clear with his words. On a rare occasion, the seeker may not be looking for any answers. He may just be 12
testing you as an interpreter. In any case, if a genuine case, ask the person to remove all confusion from his mind. A new beginning is on the charts.
Conclusion Now that you have a ready reference to interpret the meanings of different playing cards. You can start practicing. Remember that meditation and spirituality play a big role in working with the cards. And establishing a relationship or a connection with your cards is crucial. Good Luck!
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