Note to self to remember

Tips for Reading Cards Look at Predominant Suit

• • Predominant Hearts – concern is emotional
  • Predominant Diamonds – concern is material
  • Predominant Clubs – concern is for achievement and recognition
  • Predominant Spades – concern is antagonistic or for power without responsibility

If the reading does not require a Significator card, make a mental note of the Significator card which would represent the Questioner. If that card shows up in the reading, it takes on special significance.

If the Joker was not intended to be included in the deck, but shows up in a reading, do not replace it, but read the card as a special message to the Questioner. The Joker usually means that there is a surprise in store for the Questioner. A situation which was thought to be stable, may suddenly become unstable.

If timing is involved, read the cards as follows:

• Diamonds – Spring
• Clubs – Summer
• Hearts – Autumn
• Spades – Winter

Ranks:

• Aces – Week at the beginning of the season.
• Kings – The matter was completed last year at this time.
• Queens – The matter was completed last season.

e.g. – Ace of diamonds would be the first week of the Spring Equinox

Stages Method:
Aces – The beginning of a situation.
Twos – Direction the matter will take. May be a 1st meeting point.
Threes – The point at which details grow and the matter solidifies.
Fours – Foundation has begun. Roots are put down in order to build.
Fives – The first challenge or glitch in the situation.
Sixes – Issue changes & grows;If it stagnates, it will not continue
Sevens – Variety added, Scope of the idea/project may be expanded.
Eights – Evaluation period. People & ideas may be put to the test.
Nines – Moving forward. The issue is nearly completed.
Tens – Completion of the cycle, project, or issue.
Pages – Signify risks and messages.
Knights – Indicate movement and direction.

The Meaning of the Cards

Significators: (The card that represents the person the reading is about)

1. fair or grey-haired man over 40……. King of Diamonds
2. fair or grey haired woman over 40….. Queen of Diamonds
3. fair-haired young man ……………. King of Hearts
4. fair-haired young woman ………….. Queen of Hearts
5. dark-haired man over 40…………… King of Spades
6. dark-haired woman over 40…………. Queen of Spades
7. dark-haired young man…………….. King of Clubs
8. dark-haired young woman…………… Queen of Clubs

When choosing a card to represent the Questioner, you can use these guidelines to assist you. Above all, use your own intuition to make the decision.

Gender

Male – King
Female – Queen
Youth of either gender – Jack

Hair and Eye Color

Fair to Red or Gold Hair and Blue or Grey Eyes – Diamond
Auburn or Grey Hair with Hazel or Green Eyes – Heart
Brown Hair and Light Brown Eyes – Club
Dark Hair and Eyes, Dark Complexion – Spade

Zodiac Sign

Fire Signs – Aries, Leo, Sagittarius – Club or Heart
Earth Signs – Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn – Diamond or Spade
Air Signs – Gemini, Libra, Aquarius – Spade or Diamond
Water Signs – Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces – Heart or Club

Personality Factors

Shy and helpful – Heart
Cool and Logical, inner self is important – Spade
Ambitious and businesslike, impatient, outgoing – Diamond
Instinctive or Intuitive, cheerful and friendly – Club

Hearts:

Aces- Happiness, the home, love, friendship, joy the start of a romance. A love letter.
King- A good-natured, a fair-haired man, affectionate and generous but impetuous. Good advice.
Queen- A kindly fair-haired woman. Trustworthy.
Jack- A close friend or a good-natured, fair-haired youth.
10- good fortune, happiness.
9- the “wish” card; desires come true
8- Visits and visitors. Invitations out or attending a party, but also partings.
7- An unfaithful or unreliable person. Broken promises.
6- unexpected good fortune; generosity. Someone helping you out.
5- Jealous people around you. Take your time to make any decisions.
4- A change, a journey or a move of house/business. A late marriage or postponements.
3- You need to be cautious. Don’t say something you’ll regret.
2- success, and prosperity, friendship. An engagement or partnership. Friendship.

Spades:

Ace- A difficult love affair. Emotional conflict, obsession, death. Things coming to a head.
King- A very dark-haired man, Ambitious, usually successful and an authoritative man.
Queen- A very dark-haired woman, can be seductive or unscrupulous. A widow.
Jack- A very dark-haired young person, a well-meaning person but immature, an unreliable youth.
10- Worry, misfortune. Imprisonment. Unwelcome news.
9- Bad luck in all things. Depression and low energy. Destruction, deaths. Extreme anxiety. Can mean delays or quarrels.
8- Trouble and disappointment. Plans go awry. Friends let you down. Cancellations.
7- A warning against possible loss of friendship. An unexpected burden. A warning against losses and sorrow.
6- A small improvement in the person’s life.
5- Anxiety, setbacks, interferences. Happy home but interference from other people. Reversals and opposition but eventual success.
4- Business troubles, worries. Jealousy, illness, broken promises.
3- Partings, possible due to faithlessness. Be wary in partnerships.
2- Scandal, gossip, danger of deceit, separation. Difficult changes.

Diamonds:

Ace- A ring or present of jewelry. News about money. A letter.
King- A fair-haired man, stubborn and influential.
Queen- A flirt. A very fair-haired woman. flirtatious, sophisticated, witty, loves to party and to gossip.
Jack- A very fair-haired youth. Watch out for dishonesty or unreliability.
10- Journey, fortunate changes, usually bringing wealth.
9- Surprise with money. New business opportunities. Restlessness.
8- A marriage and travel late in life. Financial ups and downs. New relationship; unexpected money,
7- Surprise news or a gift. Problems and losses at work.
6- a reconciliation; a warning against a possible second marriage or problems in a second marriage.
5- Successful meetings, particularly in business. Happy family.
4- An inheritance. Improvements in finances. A change for the better.
3- Legal problems, domestic arguments. A legal letter.
2- A love affair attracting disapproval from others. A business partnership.

Clubs:

Ace- Wealth, health, love and happiness. A letter concerning money.
King- A dark-haired man, honest, open, generous and affectionate
Queen- A dark-haired woman, helpful, honest, attractive self-confident.
Jack- A reliable friend. A dark-haired youth.
10- Money from an unexpected source, good luck or gift. Travel abroad.
9- A new romance or admirer. Achievements. Don’t be stubborn.
8- Opposition, danger or recklessness. Trouble in relationships, business and personal. Jealousy and greed.
7- Prosperity and success. Be careful of trouble coming from a person of the opposite sex.
6- Business success. Getting financial help.
5- Help from a friend or spouse. New friends and a successful marriage.
4- Changes for the worse. Lies and betrayal.
3- Marriage to a wealthy partner. Money coming from the partner.
2- Disappointment and opposition. Gossip.

Joker: (optional) New developments, fresh starts, taking a risk.

The Spreads

Use just One Card for a quick answer to your question. All you need to do is concentrate on your question while shuffling the deck and pick out a single card. This will give you the overall impression about your question. You may draw one more card if necessary to clarify the first card. (I personally usually draw the second card).

This method is also suitable for finding out about how your day is going to go. An example of this would be, if you draw a Spade card this indicates problems and difficulties will be important to you.

Hearts would be that issues to do with emotions and the home are going to be important for the day. Diamonds would be, issues to do with hard work and affairs outside the home will be important. Drawing a club would be, issues to do with business and money will be important.

If you want an quick answer/overview to a single question or issue, use the Three Card Spread. Start by shuffling the deck, always concentrating on you question. Lay the cards out in a row from left to right.

1   2   3

The fist card represent the past. The second, the present and the third card, the future.

The Nine Card Spread is a more in-depth reading of the Three Card Spread. Start by laying the cards out in three rows across and 3 down.

1     2     3
4     5     6
7     8     9

Cards 1, 2, 3, are for the past
Cards 4, 5, 6, are for the present
Cards 7, 8, 9, are for the future

Magic Square

A Significator Card is chosen to represent the Questioner, and is placed to one side while Questioner shuffles the remainder of the deck. When shuffled, the Reader takes four cards from the top of the deck and places them in the order shown. The fifth card is the Significator Card chosen for the Questioner. The remaining cards are taken from the top of the deck. This spread is good for a psychic or psychological reading.

1     2     3
4     5     6
7     8     9

Card 1 – Individuality (Questioner’s true nature)
Card 2 – Duality (Relationships with Others)
Card 3 – Stability (What is stable in Questioner’s Life)
Card 4 – Tenacity (Where the Questioner will not compromise)
Card 5 – Potentiality (Court Card for Questioner)
Card 6 – Opportunity
Card 7 – Spirituality
Card 8 – Negativity
Card 9 – Positivity

Horseshoe of Fate(7 cards)

A good spread for answering questions of great concern, or questions involving life changes, such as career changes, moving house, getting married.
No Significator card is selected. Deck is shuffled and spread out face down in a fan shape. Questioner selects seven cards from the spread and hands them to the Reader. The cards are spread face up in the order that they were selected.

1           7
2       6
3   5
4

Card 1 – Past influences contributing to present situation
Card 2 – Choices and alternatives
Card 3 – Stability or instability of situation
Card 4 – Challenges
Card 5 – Help or hindrances
Card 6 – Who are friends or foes
Card 7 – Final outcome

The Horseshoe Spread (21 cards)

This spread gives a more general overview of your life and uses 21 cards. Lay down seven groups of three cards in the shape of a horseshoe or arch.(Like above spread.) Count 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, then start the 8th card on top of the one card and go around again. The 15 card should be placed in sequence on the first and 8th cards and so forth. Each group covers a category.

The seven categories are:

1 The past situation.
2 The present situation.
3 Developments in the near future.
4 What you don’t expect.
5 People around you.
6 Obstacles and opposition.
7 The outcome.

The Gypsy Spread (21 cards)

From left to right, lay three rows of seven cards. The top row of seven cards represents the past. The middle row the present and the bottom row of seven cards the future. This 21 card spread demands great skill and is not to be attempted until you are very confident with the meanings of the cards and combining them into a meaningful narrative.

Pyramid Spread

A good general reading. No Significator card is selected. Deck is shuffled and spread out face down in a fan shape. Selects ten cards from the spread. Place the cards face up in the order that they were selected I a pyramid shape.

1
2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9 10

Top Card (Card 1) – Overall Influence at Work
Second Row (Cards 2 & 3) – Choice of Action
Third Row (Cards 4, 5 & 6) – Underlying Forces
Base Row (Cards 7, 8. 9 & 10) – Advice of the Cards (how to resolve question)

Celestial Circle

This spread is done only one time a year.

No Significator card is selected. Deck is shuffled and spread out face down in a fan shape. Select thirteen cards from the spread. Place them face up in the order that they were selected like that of a clock. Example, first card would be 1 o-clock, second card 2 o-clock, and so on. Place card 13 in the center.

The cards are read as months of the year. The first card is the current month, even if it is last day of the month. Each card is a subsequent month.

Card number 13 is the overall forecast for the year. The card is read by suit alone.

• * Heart – Happy forecast for the year
• * Diamond – Successful practical year ahead
• * Club – Enterprise, money, accomplishment in the next year
• * Spade – Quarrels, discord ahead

Source: Learning Cartomancy