I love a new pack of cards! Crisp, shiny, and stiff. Too stiff. So the first thing I do when I open a fresh pack is to shuffle them over and over (sometimes for a few days) in order to soften them enough to use. Once your cards are broken in enough to shuffle easily and the edges less uncomfortable to the fingers when cutting and riffling, set aside the joker(s) and any other extra cards and arrange the remaining 52 cards into 4 stacks. 1 stack for each suit, in descending order, Ace being the highest. Once this has been accomplished, choose a single stack of one suit and study each card and its meaning, using the information provided, to acquaint yourself and provide you with a basic understanding of each cards' advice. Repeat this process untl you have reviewed each card in all 4 stacks. Memorization is not necessary prior to becoming an accurate reader, but will certainly come in time and with regular usage, so dont be discouraged or feel overwhelmed if you need to consult with the reference sheets for awhile. We all start that way. When you feel comfortable that you have a general understanding of each suit, and are ready, gather all your cards together, and keeping the joker(s) aside, shuffle till good and well mixed. Continue on to the next step.
Lets try a Basic Beginners Layout. The most important concept for you to remember at this point is to understand that each card, although it has its own assigned meaning, should be considered a piece of a puzzle, and should be read in combination with the cards around it. Think of each card as representing a word in a sentence, and each spread a paragraph in a larger story. It is up to you, as the reader to use your intuition and creativity to interpret a cohesive story from the promptings of each card, and to remember that it is simply an indicator of things to come, should all things stay the same. Meaning, what you will see is a path that the cards will indicate is the outcome of current actions, but can be altered by the mere understanding of it if the Questioner should choose to do so.
Madam Sheol's Basic Cross
Simple reading that is often used to indicate immediate concerns needing little explanation, where the outcome of the situation is the most desired understanding or goal.
To begin the Basic Cross spread, think of a wish you would like to come true. Shuffle the cards until you feel they are really mixed up and you are ready. With your right hand (yes, even if left handed) cut the deck into three stacks and lay them in front of you, face down, side by side in a row. Once that is done, remove 1 card from the top of the middle stack and set it aside, face down, without looking at it. This is your "Surprise" card and will not be interpreted until the very end of the reading.
Gather all three piles into one stack again, think of a question you would like insight for, and shuffle three times. Using your right hand, once again cut the cards into three separate stacks and lay them face down on the table in front of you, in a row. Choosing the middle stack of the three, gather the cards together keeping the middle stack on top of the other two stacks of cards, and face down. You will deal from the top of the this final grouping. Before dealing your cards you will want to retrieve the Joker card that you set aside earlier.
Using the Joker as the "Questioner" card (the card that indicates you or your client) place it, face up, vertically on the table in front of you. This will act as the central card in your spread. Now, from the assembled pack, still in the face down position, deal the cards one by one, turning them over to reveal their values as you lay them down thusly:
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Put the first card face up, horizontally over the Joker in the center of your spread. This is the card of "immediate concern". It is to be viewed as the card that reveals the situation as it is now, or that currently effects the Questioner. This is called "The cross" and the reversed meaning of the card is indicated by this placement.
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Put the second dealt card to the immediate left of the Joker and its cross. This card represents the immediate past, and indicates the situation that the Questioner is just coming out of.
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Deal a third card from your stack and lay it face up, just above the Joker and its cross. This is the positive influence on the current situation. This card indicates what will help the Questioner meet their goal.
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Pull a fourth card, and face up, place it directly below the Joker and its cross. This card represents the negative influences, or obstacles to reaching the ultimate goal, or if the immediate future card indicates a less than positive outcome, what issues could be addressed to improve upon it.
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Deal a fifth card, face up, to the immediate right of the Joker and its cross. This is the immediate future, or outcome of the matter as indicated by the other cards.
You will want to first scan all of the cards as one picture, prior to honing in on each card individually. Note if there are special card combinations as indicated by the meaning sheets provided. Also look for other general indicators such as repetition of a particular suit or face cards in any position, indicating that another person could be highly influential in the matters at hand, etc. Remember, a good reading is based upon several factors, and the preponderance of all the information you can glean.
Once you are satisfied that you have noted any irregularities or patterns, and using the placement of each card as your guide, read them as they were lain. Examine each card individually for meanings and then put all of those meanings together into a larger story, climaxing with the "immediate future" card.
Once you have satisfied your curiosity enough regarding your current situation, and are ready to gather up your cards for the evening, retrieve the card set aside earlier that we referred to as the "Surprise" card. Go ahead and flip this card, and reveal your present. This is the "secret message to the self", and the card should be carefully considered. If you wished for something, and the card is face up, it is thought to be a positive indicator. Should it be in the reverse position, it may take a bit longer to achieve your desires. If you receive the 9 of Hearts, your wish will surely be granted.
Watch this space for more card reading layouts to be added soon!
Acknowledgement
As mentioned before in the introduction to Divination Methodology, my training was augmented by the opportunities for private instruction from practicing card readers and astrologers. I have had 5 outstanding teachers in my career as a reader, but one in particular - a Mrs. "R" as I shall refer to her, was the first, and as such, a tremendous influence on how I read. Although all methods provided here are of my own design based upon several methods and developed for myself over the years, I wish to acknowledge the fact that she taught me the basics of card and pendulum reading and inspired me to continue my studies. In exchange for 4 years of her priceless tutelage, I did household chores, babysat her children, acted as chauffeur, and otherwise snatched extremely rare moments of actual instruction between the orchestrated chaos that is typical in a traditional Greek Orthodox family. She was brilliant, and to think of her still makes me smile, even though it has been many years since I knew her, I remember her fondly as a handful of passionate outbursts and countless pearls of wisdom, an exasperatingly wonderful character to whom I dedicate my blog: "Confessions of a Card Pusher".
Copyright © 2016-2021 A.G. RUFF ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Fortune Telling with Playing Cards
Materials Needed:
1 Pack of Regular Playing Cards
A Notepad of paper and a Writing Instrument
Although the use of Tarot Cards has become quite fashionable, and fairly common among todays readers, (and frankly most non-professionals as well) it was playing cards that I first learned to use to tell fortunes, and continue to consider my favorite method. Playing cards are inexpensive, readily available, and don’t tend to immediately garner curious attention if idly introduced at an informal gathering or in a public place. I tend to like to blend in and introduce my skills in a more subtle fashion, and I find that they can be a "less controversial" conversation starter when in a group of people you are not familiar with.
Playing cards are also interpreted differently, and offer a much more straight forward and mundane reading about common everyday occurrences. They are wonderful for getting to the heart of matters and answering simple questions regarding love, money, finances, etc. Whereas a Tarot card spread can be much more involved, and deal with esoteric issues. Both methods do equally well in predicting paths that the seeker may be following and for offering advice regarding typical concerns.
Unlike most playing card readers, I do tend to prefer to use reverse meanings when reading. It helps me to give what I feel are more accurate and concise interpretations. If you choose to use the reverse meanings as well, it is important that you mark the cards in your pack, that are harder to distinguish reverse from upright (for example the suit of Diamonds or the Face Cards). To do so, simply use a pen or pencil to create a mark on the edge of the card you wish to designate as its reverse showing. *Hint, Face cards can be interpreted as "Reversed" if the face itself is looking away from your Questioner's card. Conversely, if the face card seems to be looking towards the direction of the Questioners card, it would be considered in the upright or "Positive" position.
If you wish, set the mood in your reading space by lighting candles, incense, or putting on music that helps to make you feel relaxed and/or happy. I love rituals and creating a space that reminds me of the Catholic Churches I visited as a child, so I tend to like to surround myself with objects that enhance my mood. These things help me to feel comfortable. Set up a space that is private and quiet that you will be able to "center" yourself and feel most at ease in. For best results, I highly recommend keeping a journal or notes recording your sessions, it will help you refine and memorize, as well as refresh your memory when looking for accuracy of messages.
Card Meanings, including their indications if in reverse position (R), as well as key combinations and groupings can be found here.
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