Cartomancy - Blog Posts
How do cards gain meaning in an occult sense? Like, both tarot and french-suited playing cards started as game pieces, but they have gained an understood meaning. Is it just someone whips up an organized table of connected ideas or is each card interpreted from a certain framework?
Oh good question!
Many things that we now consider staples of western magic are ideas that have been added to over generations by several layers of thinkers. Tarot Divination specifically is an excellent example of this!
In 1770, A french printmaker and occultist going by Etteilla published a book about how to do cartomancy with a 32-card Piquet deck. He writes down some simple but strict associations for the cards, and makes what is probably the first mention of reversals in carotmancy. He said that he learned the system "from an Italian." Now, its unclear how much of the system is his own invention, people have been doing cartomancy for as long as there's been cards, but the text presents a larval, bare-bones version of the cartomancy methods we know and love today.
Its 1780-ish. The Rosetta stone hasn't been discovered yet. Occult-inclined Europeans are obsessed with Egypt. That's where our boy Trismegistus is from! There's a concept in Egyptian mythology called The Book of Thoth, a mythical book of spells penned by the God of Knowledge himself. This was the Holy Grail for European Occult Egpytaboos.
In 1781, Antoine Court de Gébelin claimed that Tarot cards were the "original book of Thoth," Saying that Tarot cards had been used by ancient Egyptian priests for their own magical ceremonies, and that their designs contained ancient mystical secrets. This is 100% not true, but he writes a pretty fun pseudohistory for Tarot that involves Romani people bringing the decks to Europe through the Levant where they then taught its esoteric secrets to several Popes.
Then in 1783, Ettellia responded with another book. Manière de se récréer avec le jeu de cartes nommées tarots ("Way to recreate yourself with the deck of cards called tarots") Where Ettellia basically claims "uhm actually I knew about tarot divination way before Court de Gebelin published that big ass book. But anyway here's an interpretation of Tarot symbology that includes multiple references to Egyptian, Zoroastrian, and Greek mythology." But the smartest thing he did was include spread methods that involved Thoth and Numerology. Napoleonic Occultists fucking loved Thoth and numerology.
In 1788, he formed a little magical society for the express purpose of discussing and workshopping ideas for Tarot divination. In 1789, he made a TRULY smart decision, and published a Tarot deck that was Specifically For Magic, and that basically cemented Tarots place in magical history.
Occultists just kept iterating! Someone would speculate "maybe the suits correspond to the elements" and people went "yeah, they correspond to the elements! That makes this tool even more fun and interesting to use!" Then people go "What if the suits and the elements also correspond to parts of the Self?" and people went "Sure they do! That makes this tool even more interesting!"
But its also not just one thread. Eventually you get the Golden Dawn saying "The Major Arcana correspond to the nodes and paths on our version of the Quabbalistic Sefirot, you know, the hermetic version with a Q." and some occultists responded "Idk about that! Love what you've done with the color symbology though!"
The development of magical ideas is an iterative process. It is people whipping up a table of correspondences, but that table needs a mythology to keep it together. Originally, the mythology that gave tarot "power" was its Egyptian pseudohistory, but these days its the fact that occultists have been iterating on and fine-tuning this system for hundreds of years.
Humans don't think in tables of information, they think in stories. The cool thing about stories is that they're flexible. If magic is anything, its learning how to engineer stories to make the tables of information more effective.
I'm gonna plug my patreon where I post all of my occult research if you wanna see more stuff like this
Hello! I saw that a while ago you reposted something saying that it was okay for newer witches to ask you questions…I’m not sure if this has anything to do with divination, but I’m also not totally sure who to ask. I recently opened an unused deck of cards and the Ace of Spades, which I always understood to be the most superstitious and powerful card, was missing. I have my own intuitions about what this may mean, but I also wanted to ask a more experienced witch.
Thank you!
BR
Hey! I’m glad you asked. I’m this case, I would go with your gut. The suit of spades in cartomancy generally refers to a roadblock or a difficulty.
More specifically, the Ace of spades means a new insight or realization. So you could have a lack of insight on a problem somewhere in your life. Maybe you’re working at a problem without all the input and angles needed.
Or, on a less magical note, there is always the possibility that you’re just missing a card in your deck. It depends on your gut, and if your instincts say it’s related to a problem, then reevaluate a problem that sticks out to you. (Because there’s only one card to go off of, it’s hard to know the specifics of the problem, which is why it might just be a missing card. I recommend pulling another from the same deck, just to see what it has to say.)
Hopefully that helped! I’m new at answering asks, so I apologize if that wasn’t coherent..
Oracle Cards!
Who doesn’t love a good Oracle Card reading? Everyone loves tarot, but there’s a lot of stuff to remember! With Oracle Cards.... well there’s still stuff to remember, but it’s much easier if you......
Make them! ✨✨
You will need:
Thick paper or cardstock
Paint (optional: glitter paint!!)
Drawing tools
Scissors
Your fucking imagination!
Cut your cards out of the cardstock in any size you want- they just gotta be uniform- and in any number you like.
Now for the fun part: Draw the image, write a message, a bit of both! Use that big, beautiful imagination! Use it!! They can be part of a theme, random, whatever you want.
Paint it, color it, etc. I used glitter paint because why the fuck not? Once you’re happy, turn the card over, and paint the back. They can be uniform or unique (Unique ones you can have people draw blindly or choose one they’re drawn to).
Let the back dry, and bam! Oracle Cards! That you chose the meanings for!
Here’s a few of mine; they’re based on Tolkien’s Valar:
Create some beautiful cards and do some readings!
♠️♦️How to Divine Using Playing Cards ♥️♣️
♥️HEARTS♥️
♥️Ace: home or close environment. Could represent a visit, travel or a change of address.
♥️King: an influencial man, someone who has the power or ability to do something good for the querent. Money, wealth, success in love.
♥️Queen: A trusted woman. Someone knowledgeable and faithful. One who always plays fair. Trust, honesty, friendship.
♥️Jack: A good friend to the querent, someone close, a cousin or confidant, someone they have known for a long time. Friendship, relationships (usually family-related), and gathering or celebration.
♥️10: A good card: means good luck, can counteract bad cards around it.
♥️9: Harmony, prosperity. Also known as ‘the Wish Card’. If surrounded by bad cards, these can represent obstacles that need to be dealt with in order to get the fulfillment of the wish.
♥️8: An event, a celebration, a party/wedding ..etc. Some sort of ceremony that is already in the works, or is being planned.
♥️7: A card of disappointent. Usually indicates a partner or other person failing to keep their promises. If this card comes up when dealing with some sort of plan, expect that the other person will back out.
♥️6: Warning card. Someone may try to take advantage of the querent. Also, the querent is being used by a close friend or partner.
♥️5: Indecisiveness: The querent’s inability to make up his/her mind on a subject. A tendency to make and break plans with others.
♥️4: The bachelor/old maid card. This card represent someone who is too fussy in their selection of a partner. Someone who, by their picky nature, is destined to remain alone.
♥️3: An unwise decision, made in haste and without proper background information.
♥️2: Success, often beyond the querent’s expectations. If bad cards surround, there may be delays in reaching the goal.
♣️CLUBS♣️
♣️Ace: Indicates wealth, fame, and having many friends or acquaintances. Also feeling well known and being able to receive certain perks due to good looks or social status.
♣️King: Represents a very good friend. A lifelong companion, someone who can be trusted and counted on during times of need and sorrow.
♣️Queen: Represents a wife or girlfriend in long term relationship for a man. For a woman, represents a sister or good friend, someone who shares a lot of knowledge about the querent.
♣️Jack: Represents a good friend, one who uses a lot of flattery, but only to make the other person feel better. Someone who is good at cheering the querent up.
♣️10 :A card of happiness and good fortune. Can also represent a long and fun-filled journey.
♣️9: Trouble: Represents arguments with good friends. A loss of a relationship, a dispute that will remain unresolved.
♣️8: A sense of desperation. An urgent need for money.
♣️7: A card of good luck, if other favorable cards are around. Success if there is not interference from the opposite sex.
♣️6: A partnership card. Success based on mutual goals and friendship.
♣️5: A marriage card, or the beginning of a long standing alliance.
♣️4: A danger card, showing misfortune or failure. Supposed friends getting in the way, or turning against the querent.
♣️3: A sign of a second marriage or even a third. Or an engagement with someone, then a marriage with another, after a friendly separation.
♣️2: Bad luck. Being let down by those around. Opposition from friends and family. Do not count on others.
♦️DIAMONDS♦️
♦️Ace: an important message. A letter or package/gift arriving, the contents of which are very important.
♦️King: A bitter rival, a dangerous competitor, for women it can mean an abusive man or a deceitful lover.
♦️Queen: A flirtatious woman, one who will interfere in plans. Gossipy, very attractive to males..able to get away with things and interfere in situations.
♦️Jack: A bringer of bad news. A selfish person. Not dangerous to male querents, but problems for a female one.
♦️10: Money. Money being the driving force of a journey or partnership. Greed.
♦️9: Adventure: A move in the hopes of advancement.
♦️8: Country life, travel and marriage late in life. The querent’s life is too hectic at the moment..a need to settle down and get away..but being unable to do so at the present time.
♦️7: Bad luck on an enterprise or idea. A man who is unreliable, a gambler or drinker.
♦️6: An early marriage, but an unhappy one..and one not destined to last. A second marriage would also be unhappy.
♦️5: Prosperity, long enduring friendship. Pride in family. Success with children.
♦️4: Quarrels: Forgotten or neglected friends and family. Situations that have been brewing and now come to a head.
♦️3: A card of disputes and quarrels. Lawsuits, legal actions. A sign of separation or divorce.
♦️2: A serious love affair, resulting in a marriage or interfering with one depending on surrounding cards.
♠️SPADES♠️
♠️Ace: Bad news, loss of someone close, possible death to someone near, or an illness, miscarriage, etc.
♠️King: A man who will cause problems in marriage or relationships. One who will get in the middle, divide and conquer..and then destroy.
♠️Queen: A cruel woman, one who interferes. For women, a betrayal by a good friend. For men, a woman who will use them for their own gain.
♠️Jack: A person who hangs around and gets in the way. Not a bad person, but a lazy person. One who will get in the way of progress. Takes and takes, but does not give back anything.
♠️10: A very unlucky card. If near a good card, it can cancel it out. If found with bad cards, makes them twice as bad.
♠️9: The worst card of all: Illness, loss of money, or misery. Even among the best of cards. Defeat, lack of success:
♠️8: False friends, traitors, someone who will betray. Most of the trouble can be avoided if caught early on. Examine all relationships closely.
♠️7: Sorrow and quarrels. Avoid arguments with friends. Let them “win” for now.
♠️6: Much planning but little result. Hard work, without much profit. Discouragements.
♠️5: Success in business or love, after much time and hard work.
♠️4: Minor misfortune: A short illness, a temporary setback.
♠️3: Unhappiness: Misfortune in love or marriage. A loss of pride and hope. Do not dwell, move on in life.
♠️2: A complete and forced change. Sudden change of location, relationship or a death. Bound to make a big difference in the coming months.
GENERALLY: ♥️HEARTS: Emotional, symbols of pain and suffering.
♣️CLUBS: Friends, relationships.
♦️DIAMONDS: Difficulties, money problems.
♠️SPADES: Warnings.
have to say tho, i was kinda sceptical about doing divination at first because i thought it was just tarot. so you can imagine my surprise when i saw dice and playing cards and casting runes are also divination methods. i was curious enough to try out dice and playing cards and like. y’all. they actually Work.
dice are a bit finnicky, at least the 3d6 method, they’re very vague and give too little information (and my rolls have all been So Low, but maybe that’s because my dice don’t like that they’re also used for dnd and were kept in a big pouch of dice with little regard) but that doesn’t matter much because i use them in addition to playing cards.
now Those? i fucking Love. i’ve used them to speak to lucifer (and it was really fucking nice, he’s so kind and reassuring… also might’ve been testing me but i’m not sure, my intuition with cards isn’t the best by question 3, i get tired really fast) and today my cards told me that Yeah, asmodeus is Definitely sending me signals. again, by question 3 the answer was jumbled, but it could’ve(???) been asmodeus trying to talk directly to me? i’m not really sure. but when i was shuffling the cards to end the reading, a card jumped out and it was like my deck wanted to reassure me or like. solidify that This Will Happen. when i realised, i had to laugh a little because damn, my cards are so good to me.
so yeah, since those two methods work Beautifully for me, i bought a tarot deck off vinted. the. smith waite centennial one i think? yeah. the illustrations are Gorgeous. i’ll be taking some precautions before i actually use them, like cleansing them and using a protective sigil on them, introducing myself, etc etc. i really can’t wait until they arrive :33
Cartomancy
A tarot styled divination method using standard playing cards. This oracle first appeared in Europe in the 14th century and is still used sporadically today. Practitioners of this divination are commonly called cartomancers. Cards can be laid in a variety of spreads and functions much like a tarot deck. As such, cartomancy decks should be designated and regarded with all the respect of a deck of tarot cards. The meanings of the cards are as follows:
Hearts
• Ace: Love, beginning, happiness, friendship
• King: Fair-haired man, affectionate and generous, but impetuous
• Queen: Fair-haired woman, trustworthy
• Jack: Fair-haired young person, good friend
• 10: Good fortune, joy
• 9: Desires fulfilled
• 8: Invitations/partings
• 7: Someone unreliable
• 6: Unexpected good fortune, generosity
• 5: Jealousy, indecision
• 4: Changes, travel
• 3: Need for caution
• 2: Friendship, success
Clubs
• Ace: Harmony, property, achievement, love
• King: Dark-haired man, honest, open
• Queen: Dark-haired woman, strong, helpful
• Jack: Reliable friend
• 10: Fortune, abundance
• 9: New romance
• 8: Opposition, danger of recklessness
• 7: Prosperity, potential romantic interference
• 6: Business success
• 5: Help from a friend/partner
• 4: Bad change of fortune
• 3: Good partnership
• 2: Disappointment and opposition
Diamonds
• Ace: Money, a ring
• King: Fair-haired man, stubborn
• Queen: Fair-haired woman, flirty, witty
• Jack: A relative, unreliable
• 10: Journey, wealth
• 9: Financial opportunity, surprises
• 8: Declarations of love
• 7: A gift
• 6: Reconciliation
• 5: Successful meeting
• 4: Change for the better, an inheritance
• 3: Domestic/legal battles
• 2: Important love affair
Spades
• Ace: Conflict, infidelity, stress
• King: Dark-haired man, successful, ambitious
• Queen: Dark-haired woman, seductive
• Jack: Dark-haired youth, well meaning
• 10: Grief, despair, imprisonment
• 9: Bad luck, delays, quarrels
• 8: Disappointment
• 7: Possible loss of friendship
• 6: Improvements
• 5: Anxiety, setbacks, interference
• 4: Jealousy, business troubles
• 3: Bitter parting
• 2: Scandal, gossip, deceit
Note: You may choose to include the joker to represent folly, new beginnings, the Universe and to also signify the person receiving the reading.
Bonus: Using Playing Cards to Detect Baneful Magick
This technique relies on reading either red or black cards and nothing else. It can technically be used to answer any yes/no question.
Shuffle the deck and ask, "have I been hexed or cursed?" -while you are shuffling. When ready, stop shuffling and deal out five cards in a row, face down. Then one by one, left to right, turn them over. Black indicates a 'no' response, while red indicates 'yes'. You can see the degree of the curse by the presence of red cards. All black is a clear 'no' and all red is a clear 'yes'. The spread can be read as follows:
5 Black - 0 Red: No curse or negative energy present
4 Black - 1 Red: Blip of dark energy, natural defenses can ward it off
3 Black - 2 Red: Dark energy present, possible jinx
2 Black - 3 Red: Sufficient dark energy, possible hex, cleanse immediately
1 Black - 4 Red: Significant harmful magick present, likely hex or curse. Do a purification/protection ritual
0 Black - 5 Red: Curse confirmed, take serious action to uncross/cleanse/protect. Someone has intentionally tried to harm you with magick.
