The Wise & Subtle Arte of Reading Cards

Chapter One: For the Witch of Poor Memory

Reading cards to discern the future has been a practice of witches, gypsies, and fortune tellers for several hundred years. It is true, of course, that the regular playing card pack is not so charming or erudite as her mother, the Tarot. Nonetheless, we have often found ourselves willing to trade the mother's unvoiced, wisdom-filled glances for the child's forthright and honest speech.

Thus, it is well worth bearing in mind that finery and age are not inevitably marks of wisdom and knowledge, nor plainness and youth marks of foolishness and ignorance. It all depends on what you want to know. If you wish to discuss philosophy, approach the front door and ask for the philosopher. But should you wish to know what transpires in the philosopher's house, approach the back door and ask for the scullery maid.

The reading of playing cards has another advantage… because they are so common, most people seeing them in your desk, on your table, or in your possession will not suspect the use to which you put them. Thus you shall follow a long-held tradition of witches: hiding in plain sight.

Many systems of card reading, both of regular playing cards and Tarot cards, are generally too rigid in their meanings and methods. This does not allow the reader to give full play to intuition, and consequently, detailed predictions, such as come only through the use of intuition, are lacking.

The following method is presented in three parts. A person studying it may stop at any part, although The Witch of Exceptional Memory will have more predictive material at her fingertips than The Witch of Poor or Middling Memory.

To begin, we shall present the bare bones of the method for The Witch of Poor Memory. Those with middling or exceptional memories must also study this material and practice it before moving on to greater tasks and abilities.

A standard deck of playing cards should be procured for this study. Please note that there are no “reversals” in the system. A card has the same meaning upright as reversed.

Examination of the Firstmost Rule

In order to begin training one’s intuitive faculty, it is best to start reading cards in combinations right from the start. A single card, standing alone, is like a far-off whisper, or a sentence that has no verb. When combined with other cards, however, it is a fleet and adaptable messenger, speaking clearly.

We shall use groupings of three as our basis, as it is a very common usage amongst old Gypsy and European card spreads.

Draw off from your pack three cards at random, placing them in a row -- the first card on the left, the second card in the middle, and the third card on the right. In this row, time moves from left to right. Your task is merely to note the color of the three cards, whether red (R) or black (B). If you draw off many rows of three, or if you have a facility with statistics, you will note that there are only eight possible combinations of two colors in a series of three. Below are the eight combinations, along with their generalized meanings. You need not memorize them by rote. If you know the firstmost rule, you will be able to figure out any of them.

Examine each of the combinations above and with reference to the firstmost rule, think through how the meanings given are derived.

Whenever you are examining a group of three, follow the firstmost rule first and note the sequence of colors. It will provide your first clue to the meaning of the group, and very often aid you in a troublesome interpretation.

Examination of the Secondmost Rule

The secondmost rule deals with the meaning of the four suits. It is another layer of information to add to the firstmost rule. Your task is to note the suits of the three cards in your row. There are many more possible combinations here – far too many to list. But you shall acquire the knack of it by example.

Always keep in mind that time moves from left to right in the group of three. The suit of the first card will show where you have been , the suit of the second card will show where you are, and the suit of the third card will show where you are headed as a result of the first two cards. The third card is usually the most important and should be given greater emphasis.

Let us first examine cards hemmed in by spades, for these are easy to understand:

The first two examples above fall in the B R B pattern of the firstmost rule. Thus, they show a troubled heart or purse that only ever receives temporary respite from problems. And just when one thinks that one problem is over, another takes its place after a brief interlude.

The second two examples fall in the B B B pattern, showing fairly constant trouble and stress. Even where the ♣ is the middle card, it hardly acts as a respite, for it shows the Seeker needing to expend energy on work before the next problem arises.

From the examples of spades hemming in a card, you can easily think through the following examples of a middle card flanked by two cards of the same suit. Refer back to the combinations of the firstmost rule, too, as you examine the examples below:

Let us continue with examining trios with spades in them. Look at the following examples, again keeping in mind the color sequences of the firstmost rule:

Note that because the first trio above ends with the spade, you are working into the problem. In the second trio, the spade falls first, so the problem is being overcome. In the third trio, the spade is in the middle, so the problem will be overcome, but the spade will slow down your efforts. Replace the hearts in the above examples with diamonds, and you will have the following:

Let us examine a few more examples, this time with clubs starting the trios. These are very easy to grasp.

Whenever a heart ends the trio, it is a very good sign. No matter what the first two cards of the trio are – showing stress or hard work or financial problems, a heart at the end will show that the problem will be overcome fairly easily. For instance:

Compare that example with one given above — ♦ ♠ ♣. Because the example above ends with a heart, the problem is easily overcome. When the trio ends in a club, more work will be needed.

Simply remember the easy meanings of the suits and that time in the trio of cards moves from left to right, and you shall hit on the correct interpretation. Again, do not simply jump in and begin interpreting the meanings of the cards. First note the sequence of colors in the trio, then the sequence of suits.

As you can see, with just the firstmost and secondmost rules, one can actually glean quite a bit of information from a trio of cards.

Examination of the Thirdmost Rule

Now we come to interpreting a single card in itself. It is easy to do. Simply combine the meaning of the suit and the meaning of the number, and put together an interpretation.

The meanings of the numbers, themselves, are easy to remember. Just think of these clues:

1. Aces are beginnings because they begin each suit.
2. Twos naturally suggest pairings and exchanges.
3. Threes are the number of growth – the third thing produced from the union of two things.
4. Fours remind us of the stable, unchanging, solid square.
5. Fives are the body because we have five appendages (two arms, two legs, head).
6. Sixes are a path because the way the pips are arranged in the cards makes them look like paths.
7. Sevens are troubles because there is a blockage added to the path of the sixes as you look at the pips of the cards.
8. Eights are ideas and thoughts in the mind because eight is traditionally the number of the mind.
9. Nines show changes because the number nine is related to the Moon, which is ever fluctuating.
10. Tens show ends or goals achieved because they end the number sequence before a new cycle starts. A ten is almost an ever-renewing influence, so whatever its suit, it shows that influence at a pinnacle almost continually.

Kings as power and men is fairly easy to remember on its own, as are Queens as women and truth, and Knaves/Jacks as messages or a child of either gender.

Deriving the card meanings from suit and number may seem difficult at first, but you will quickly get the hang of it as you begin to interpret. Each card will have more than one interpretation because you will be able to combine the suit and pip in different ways: Let us take some examples:

• Ace (beginning) and ♥ (love, family, friends): the beginning of a love affair; a new friendship; a birth or addition to the family.
• Two (exchange) and ♠ (trouble): argument; separation; inability to get along.
• Three (growing) and ♦ (money, wealth, means and ends): a raise in pay; greater financial security; profits.
• Four (will not change; stability) and ♣ (work, callings, plans): goals are on a firm footing; job security; “same old, same old” at work; boredom; plodding along.
• Five (the body/health) and ♥ (love, family, friends): sexual relations, the hand of friendship, good health (because the heart is a good card).
• Six (a path) and ♠ (trouble): headed in the wrong direction; wrong choice; running with the wrong crowd; difficulties while traveling; ill-advised journey; a journey from which no profit comes; walking away, abandonment.
• Seven (trouble) and ♦ (money, wealth, means and ends): financial difficulties, profits down, the means will not reach the end sought.
• Eight (thoughts/ideas) and ♣ (work, callings, plans): thoughts about work; thinking of changing jobs; practical plans.
• Nine (changes) and ♥ (love, family, friends): change for the better (because the heart is a red card); traditionally the “wish card” (see below).
• Ten (end/goal achieved) and ♠ (trouble): tremendous amount of trouble; evil; violence; grief (see below).
• King (men or power) and ♦ (money, wealth, means and ends): a man of financial means; wealthy man; financial power, so possibly a bank or profitable business.
• Queen (women or truth) and ♣ (work, callings, plans): a practical or driven woman; a business woman or career woman; a true calling; a job that fits you perfectly; well-laid plans.
• Knave/Jack (message, child) and ♥ (love, family, friends): a boy or girl child in your family; a love letter; a message from a friend; a compliment, “thank you”, or bouquet of flowers.

Keep in mind, too, that hearts and diamonds are generally good and spades and clubs are generally bad. Clubs are not intrinsically bad, but they call for effort and work. Spades, of course, are the worst.

There are also some brief traditional meanings for a few of the cards that you should memorize. They are:

Each of the suits also has certain colorings associated with them, which will help you in interpreting the court cards. Diamonds are very fair people, Hearts are people of medium coloring, Clubs are people of darker coloring, and Spades are very dark coloring. Thus, the Jack of Clubs may be a child of darker coloring, or a practical, work-oriented child.

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