Cartomancy or playing card reading
Cards without the tricks
When people think of using a deck of cards for fortune-telling, the first thing that will usually spring to mind will probably be Tarot.
While Tarot cards are certainly the most popular for divination, another method that is just as powerful is cartomancy or playing card reading
When read properly, playing cards are incredibly effective and powerful in helping us make important decisions in our lives and providing insight into the future.
Pick a card
In recent years, the popularity of Tarot has meant that the use of standard playing cards for psychic readings has diminished significantly.
However, cartomancy with standard playing cards was the most popular form of card-based divination for centuries.
And don’t be fooled into thinking that Tarot cards are superior to playing cards because they were specially designed for the purpose of fortune-telling.
In fact, the earliest decks of Tarot cards weren’t designed with divination in mind at all; they were actually commissioned by wealthy Italian families and meant for playing a game similar to modern-day bridge.
So, both Tarot cards and standard playing cards were developed as a game and repurposed for cartomancy.
In fact, cartomancy with a standard deck of playing cards is far older than Tarot and is actually one of the oldest forms of psychic reading that there is.
Cartomancy has been observed since playing cards first came into use in Europe. Some cartomancers have even claimed that its origins actually date back to ancient Egyptian times.
Cartomancy – Fortune Telling Using Playing Cards | Tools for Divination
When we use playing cards for entertainment, we assume that the combination of cards is completely random and that we’ll win through a combination of luck and skill.
However, if we accept the fact that the universe has a plan and that everything is pre-ordained, we know that there nothing is random.
So if you think about it, the order in which a set of playing cards is produced is not a coincidence at all.
For those that are able to interpret the meaning of the cards and the way in which they relate to the higher power, the answers to many of life’s questions are laid out right in front of them.
What the cards mean
As you’ll probably know, playing cards are divided into for suits: hearts, clubs, spades, and diamonds.
Each of these suits is connected to one of the earth’s elements, and probably not in the way you’d expect (Spades have nothing to do with the earth for example!).
If you are familiar with astrology, you’ll know that each element holds a special cosmic meaning, which each suit shares:
- Hearts / Water: Hearts is a mysterious suit, related to people, abundance and human emotion.
- Clubs / Fire: Clubs represent strong emotions: passion, love, conflict. It can also become destructive.
- Spades / Air: Spades relate to change. They often present themselves during crossroads in our lives and warn us about negative forces that might be looming.
- Diamonds / Earth: Diamonds deal with material things, like possessions and money. It can also provide insight into careers and point towards a move or change.
While an understanding of the significance of each suit will help you see the relationship between different cards, each individual card has a specific meaning as well.
A skilled cartomancer will be able to interpret these via reading, but if you’re looking for a simple and quick answer to a question in your life, drawing a single card from a deck might provide unique insight.
We won’t outline each individual card, although there are plenty of online resources that do provide this information. Instead, here are a few of the most popular, which we find people ask about more often than the others:
- Ace of Spades: Represents a time of significant change. Something will come to an end to make room for something new.
- King of Diamonds: A powerful and successful businessman.
- Queen of Hearts: This may be an indication of marriage or it could represent a mother or a pregnant woman.
- Jack of Clubs: This represents an honest and trustworthy person or friend.
Read More:
How Can a Tarot Card Reading Help Me?
Share this page