Fortune-telling by cards

Chapter I How We Got Our Pack Of Cards

PACK

Where do they come from ? — The Romany Folk — Were they made in Europe ? — Suits and signs — The power of cards — Their charm and interest — Necessity for sympathy — Value of Cartomancy • 15

CHAPTER 1.1

WHAT THE INDIVIDUAL CARDS SIGNIFY

Two systems — The English method — The foreign — Significations of the cards — Hearts — Diamonds — Clubs — Spades — A short table — Mystic meanings • 21

Chapter XVI

YOUR HEART’S DESIRE. SIX WAYS OF TRYING A WISH

The wish with fifteen cards— Another way — The wish with thirty-two cards — What the four aces tell — The wish in seven packs —

The wish card again p , 102

XI

Introduction

“This goddess Fortune frustrates, single-handed, the plans of a hundred learned men." In this saying the Latin author has given us the key to all the restless striving to search out the Unknown and the Unknowable which marks our own age, just as it has marked previous periods in history which we are apt to look back upon as being but little removed from the dark ages.

Of all the methods by which men and women seek to penetrate into the mysteries of Fate and Futurity, Cartomancy is one that can daim the distinction of having swayed the human mind from prehistoric times right down to this twentieth century of ours.

It may be that this book will fall into the hands of those who agree with the words of L’ Estrange : “There needs no more than impudence on the one side and a superstitious credulity on the other to the setting up of a Fortune-teller." This attitude of cynical superiority is sometimes genuine, but in many cases if we could read what lies beneath the surface we should find that it is but a cloak worn to conceal a lurking fear, an almost irritated condition of mind, bom of a half-confessed faith in the power at which it is so easy to

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icon.

There is a vein of superstition in every human heart, and many men who have played a great part in the world’s history have not been ashamed to seek help from occultists, when the tangle of life seemed too involved for them to unravel with die ordinary means at their disposal.

The pages of history are full of the penalties meted out by kings and rulers to those who were accused of working evd spells upon them. It needs but to mention the names of Wallenstein, Murat, King of Naples ; Beraadotte, afterwards King of Sweden ; and the merciless Robespierre, as types of a vast number over whom the fascinations of Astrology and

mil

Introduction

Cartomancy, which are so closely allied, hare cast theif

witching spelL

“ The kin^, unseen.

Larked in her hand and mourned hu captive queen.*

While in another passage he says :

“ Soon as she spreads her cards th* aerial guard Descend and sit on each important card.”

In the following pages we have given information that will, we hope, afford interest and amusement to many. We have not dwelt on the gift of prophecy, or on the power of second sight claimed by apostles of the occult We would in no case obtrude the subject of Cartomancy upon the notice of those whose susceptibilities would be wounded, or whose sense of right and wrong would be outraged by the practice, and we have ventured to speak a word of warning to the morbidly minded.

We give this method of Fortune-telling for what it is worth. It may be either a pastime seasoned with a flavour of mystery, a study in the weird ways of coincidence, or a test of skill quickened by intuition. We would have all our readers •mused and interested, but none saddened or enslaved by it

Fortune-Telling by Cards

Chapter I I

How we got our Pack of Cards

Where do they come from t — The Romany Folk — Were they made in Europe t — Suits and signs — The power of cards — Their charm and interest— Necessity for sympathy — Value of Cartomancy.

Where do They Come From?

When we take up an ordinary pack of cards to deal them out for a rubber, or to lay them down in the careful deliberation of Patience, or when we watch them being used as the inexplicable instruments of a something that, with a feeling akin to superstitious dread, we prefer to call coincidence, we do not often atop to think of the varied and eventful history represented by those smooth, highly-glazed playthings.

The actual and authentic history of playing cards only goes back about five hundred years, and various theories have been mooted as to the source from which Europe obtained them. It is an established fact that in past ages many eastern peoples, notably those of India, China, and Chaldea, possessed cards which differed materially both in use and design from those known in the West at a later date. It is impossible to trace these prehistoric beginnings of card -lore, but there seems little doubt that the Wise Men of eastern lands regarded their cards with none of the contempt usually bestowed upon them in the West They held them in high esteem as mediums for the partial revelation of the Unknowable, and included them as a part of their mystic lore.

*5

The Romany Folk

The Romany Folk.

It Is thought by many that we owe our cards to the gipsies, who are supposed to have been the offspring of a low caste of Hindus, and who, driven from their own land, found their way, as fugitives, through Western Asia into Egypt, and from Northern Africa into Europe. It is certain that all kinds of fortune-telling, whether by Cartomancy or whatever method, are inseparably connected with that curious, fascinating, highly gifted and elusive people. They excelled in music and all mechanical pursuits; they could learn a language, or distinguish themselves in metal work, with equal ease ; but they had to live more or less on the defensive, as very children of Ishmael, and years of persecution only deepened their craftiness, sharpened their intuition, and rendered them more keen to assert their mysterious power over those who oppressed and yet inwardly feared them.

These Romany folk have preserved intact the ancient lore of the East, while incredulous Europe has turned the sacred pages of divination 'from the book of fate into mere instruments of amusement, and a vehicle for winning or losing money. The gipsy remains a past master in the art of Cartomancy, and though we may scoff, there are very few amongst us who do not feel a sense of disquietude when brought face to face with an instance of her uncanny power. We can afford to laugh when the sun of our lives is shining brightly and all is well in mind and body, but there come dark days in the lives of all, and then some are impelled to seek the aid of these weird sons and daughters of an unknown land.

By many, perhaps by the majority, this inexplicable gift has been vulgarised and debased to a mere means of extorting money from the ignorant and the credulous ; but by some it is still held as a sacred faith — possibly no more superstitious than some forms of unenlightened or perverted Christianity

Were They Made in Europe?

Another theory separates the cards of the West entirely from those of the East, and holds that the western were originally made in Europe. This is as it may be. A writer of the latter part of the fifteenth century says that cards were first known

Suits and Signs

at Viterbo in 1379, and that they had been introduced by the Saracens, who, with the Arabs and Moors, have the credit of planting the seeds of Cartomancy in Spain. It is certain that afc, first cards were called by the name nctibi ; and the Hebrew and Arabic words, Nabi, nabai nabaa , signify “to foretell” It is also widely believed that the idea of playing games with cards was an after-thought, and that their original purpose was for the practice of divination.

The earliest cards were the Tarots, of which we speak in another chapter, and it is supposed that some one had the bright idea of adding the numeral to the symbolical cards, so as to play games with them. This addition was made about the middle of the fourteenth century, and at the beginning of the fifteenth century there was a pack in Venice composed of seventy-eight cards, twenty-two symbols and fifty-six numerals ; with four coat (court) cards, king, queen, chevalier, and valet, and ten point or pip cards to each suit The fifty-six numerals were subsequently reduced to the present number, fifty-two, by the rejection of one of the picture cards.

The Spaniards discourteously abolished the queens, but the French, true to their reputation, kept the dame and rejected the chevalier. The early German packs were the same as the French, but the queens again were cast out in favour of a superior knave called the Obermann. England accepted the Spanish or French pack as she found it

Suits and Signs.

There have always been four suits, but there have been many changes in the signs used to mark them. The original quartette were ‘Cups, supposed to be emblematical of Faith ; Money, representing Charity; Swords, figuring Justice; and Clubs, typical of Fortitude. These signs are still retained in the Tarots, and in Italian and Spanish cards. Old German packs have bells, hearts, leaves, and acorns ; and during the fifteenth century the French adopted spades (pique), hearts, clubs (trifle), and diamonds.

There is some difficulty in tracing how we come by the word spade in this connection. It has been thought to be a corruption of the Italian word spade, meaning swords. It is not known why the Frerch should have allied this

I) B

The Power of Cards

•nit piqiu* Our suit of dubs is known by the French is tr^U, from their drawing the sign like the trefoil ; and the Germans call it Eichel from its resemblance to an acorn. Our name Is supposed to show Italian influence, though where the connection between the word bastoni and our sign is to be found, I am at a loss to say. The heart sign needs no explanation, and is found in French, German, and English packs. It corresponds to the Spanish and Italian sign of cups. By some curious evolution the signs of money and bells were squared into the French carreaux , our diamonds.

Many of the packs used in the fourteenth century were of the most artistic and costly nature, and in some cases the court cards were drawn so as to represent historic characters.

The Power of Cards.

Fierce controversies have ranged round these apparently simple pieces of glazed pasteboard. They have exercised such an irresistible fascination upon the minds of men and women of all grades and ages that others have risen in wild revolt against this power, which had no attraction for them, and which they longed to crush out of existence. There are still those amongst us who will not have a card in the house, and who, even if they do not use it, acquiesce in the term “ the Devil’s books,” which has been applied to the pack.

With their use for gambling purposes we have nothing to do here. As the instruments of Cartomancy we give them our respectful consideration. We would urge those of a morbid and unhealthy turn of mind to beware of letting this practice take too strong a hold upon them. No reasonable being need be ashamed of confessing a certain fear of die Unseen and the Unknowable; but, on the other hand, no sane person would take a pack of cards as the rule and guide of life, die final court of appeal in any matters of moment

Their Charm and Interest

There is much amusement to be derived from the study of Cartomancy, and it Ib not to be denied that there are certain persons who appear to have the power of making die

Necessity for Sympathy

■Mnmg of the cards vivid and convincing, while in the handi of others there seems neither rhyme nor reason in their manipulation of the most carefully shuffled pack. We may call things by what name we will, but strange coincidences meet us at every turn, and now and then there seems bat the thinnest veil between us and the Future, which is so sedulously hidden from us.

There has been a great revival of interest in all matters relating to occultism in the immediate past, and if we are to believe what we read and hear, educated men and women of today are going to have their fortunes told as eagerly as did the great men and famous women of France during the stormy period of the Revolution, and under the sway of the great Napoleon himself. Many curious and convincing instances of accurate foreshadowing of future events are told with regard to the famous Mademoiselle Lenormand, and other cartomancers who held undisputed sway over the minds of society at a rime when credulity was supposed to have been cast off with the trammels of a worn-out creed.

So when the fortune-tellers of the twentieth century take a pack of cards and proceed to read the mysteries revealed therein, they are following the example of the wise men of Chaldea, Egypt, and China, the Flowery Land of the East, to say nothing of their European predecessors.

Divination by cards, therefore, is of great antiquity and of world- wide popularity. Formerly it was combined with a knowledge of astrology ; but now it is considered sufficient to follow the general rules laid down by one of two famous cartomancers, and to rely on intuition and experience for details.

Necessity for Sympathy.

Any one with the slightest knowledge of occultism is aware that sympathy with the inquirer or subject is essential.

It is true that cold reason tells us that the cards are piece* of pasteboard and nothing more, and that it is the height of absurdity to expect any revelation ; yet, in dealing with th^rr^ human sympathy may discern something of our paplexitkd^ and aU unconsciously set our feet on the right path.

io

Value of Cartomancy

Value of Cartomancy.

In the following pages there are several methods of divine* don by cards. Any one observing the rules can learn the signification of the cards, and while a study of the combinations they resolve into in the hands of different people will always provide a fund of amusement, it may also — in all seriousness I say it — inspire hope in the place of despair, assuage sorrow, and send the inquirer away comforted; surely no insignificant result

CHAPTER II What the Individual Cards Signify

Two systems — The English method— The foreign — Signified tions of the cards — Hearts — Diamonds — Clubs — Spades — A short table — Mystic meanings.

Two Systems.

There are two separate systems of explaining the cards individually : one which makes use of the whole pack of fifty-two cards, and another which only employs thirty-two, throwing out the plain cards under seven of each suit.

The English Method.

The former plan is sometimes spoken of as the English method, and in it we do not find mention of reversed cards bearing a different meaning from those which come out in the ordinary way. This is probably to be explained by the fact that the larger number in use affords sufficient shades of meaning, and the task of remembering one hundred and four significations would be too heavy for many minds.

The Foreign.

In the latter system, which is more distinctly traceable to foreign sources, we get the signification of each card modified, or even contradicted, by its position being upright or the reverse.

The following definitions apply to the use of the whole pack, and have been worked up from both ancient and modem sources of information. It must always be borne in mind that the reading of the cards has come down to

si

Signification of the Cards

as through many ages, has been passed on to us through count less hands and in varied tongues. Cartomancy has travelled from the East to the West, from the South to the North, and its secrets have been, for the most part, jealously preserved by oral tradition among its weird and fascinating votaries.

Significations of the Cards.

The following definitions are based upon one of the oldest authorities dealing with the subject, and have been amplified by some of the more modem meanings now in vogue.

Hearts.

Ace. — An important card, whose meaning is affected by its environment. Among hearts it implies love, friendship, and affection ; with diamonds, money and news of distant friends ; with dubs, festivities, and social or domestic rejoidng ; with spades, disagreements, misunderstandings, contention, or misfortune ; individually, it stands for the house.

King. — A good-hearted man, with strong affections, emotional, and given to rash judgments, possessing more seal than discretion.

Queen. — A fair woman, loving and lovable, domesticated, prudent, and faithful

Knave. — Not endowed with any sex. Sometimes taken as Cupid ; also as the best friend of the inquirer, or as a fair person's thoughts. The cards on either side of the knave are indicative of the good or bad nature of its intentions.

Ten. — A sign of good fortune. It implies a good heart, happiness, and the prospect of a large family. It counteracts bad cards and confirms good ones in its vicinity.

Nine. — The wish card. It is the sign of riches, and of high social position accompanied by influence and esteem. It may be affected by the neighbourhood of bad cards.

Eight. — The pleasures of the table, convivial society. Another meaning implies love and marriage.

Seven. — A faithless, inconstant friend who may prove ao enemy.

Six . — A confiding nature, liberal, open-handed, and an easy prey for swindlers ; courtship, and a possible proposal

Five. — Causeless jealousy in a person of weak, unsettled character.

Four. — One who has remained single till middle life from being too hard to please.

Three. — A warning card as to the possible results of the inquirer’s own want of prudence and tact

Deuce. — Prosperity and success in a measure dependent on the surrounding cards ; endearments and wedding bells.

Diamonds.

Ace. — A ring or paper money.

King. — A fair man, with violent temper, and a vindictive obstinate turn of mind.

Queen. — A fair woman, given to flirtation, fond of society and admiration.

Knave. — A near relative who puts his own interests first, is self-opinionated, easily offended, and not always quite straight It may mean a fair person’s thoughts.

Ten . — Plenty of money, a husband or wife from the country, and several children.

Nine. — This card is influenced by the one accompanying it; if the latter be a court card, the person referred to will have his capacities discounted by a restless, wandering disposition. It may imply a surprise connected with money, or if in conjunction with the eight of spades it signifies cross swords.

Eight — A marriage late in life, which will probably be somewhat chequered.

Seven. — This card has various meanings. It enjoins the need for careful action. It may imply a decrease of prosperity. Another reading connects it with uncharitable tongues.

Six. — An early marriage and speedy widowhood. A warning with regard to second marriage is also included.

Five. — To young married people this portends good children. In a general way it means unexpected news, or success in business enterprises.

Four. — Breach of confidence. Troubles caused by inconstant friends, vexations and disagreeables.

Three. — Legal and domestic quarrels, and probable unhappiness caused by wife’s or husband’s temper.

Deuce. — An unsatisfactory love affair, awakening opposition from relatives or friends.

>1

Clubs.

Act. — Wealth, a peaceful home, industry, and general prosperity.

King . — A dark man of upright, high-minded nature, calculated to make an excellent husband, faithful and true in his affections.

Queen. — A dark woman, with a trustful, affectionate disposition, with great charm for the opposite sex, and susceptible to male attractions.

Knave. — A generous, trusty friend, who will take trouble on behalf of the inquirer. It may also mean a dark man’s thoughts.

Ten. — Riches suddenly acquired, probably through the death of a relation or friend.

Nine. — Friction through opposition to the wishes of friends.

Eight. — Love of money, and a passion for speculating.

Seven. — Great happiness and good fortune. If troubles come they will be caused by one of the opposite sex to the inquirer.

Six. — Success in business both for self and children.

Five. — An advantageous marriage.

Four. — A warning against falsehood and double-dealing.

Three. — Two or possibly three marriages, with money.

Deuce. — Care is needed to avert disappointment, and to avoid opposition.

Spades.

Ace. — It may concern love affairs, or convey a warning that troubles await the inquirer through bad speculations or illchosen friends.

King. — A dark man. Ambitious and successful in the higher walks of life.

Queen. — A widow, of malicious and unscrupulous nature, fond of scandal and open to bribes.

Knave. — A well-meaning, inert person, unready in action though kindly in thought.

Ten. — An evil omen; grief or imprisonment. Has power to detract from the good signified by cards near it

A Short Table

Nine. — An ill-fated card, meaning sickness, losses, troubles, and family dissensions.

Eiiht. — A warning with regard to any enterprise in hand. This card close to the inquirer means evil; also opposition from friends.

Seven . — Sorrow caused by the loss of a dear friend.

Six. — Hard work brings wealth and rest after toil.

Five. — Bad temper and a tendency to interfere in the inquirer, but happiness to be found in the chosen wife or husband.

Four. — Illness and the need for great attention to business.

Three . — A marriage that will be marred by the inconstancy of the inquirer’s wife or husband ; or a journey.

Deuce. — A removal, or possibly death.

In connection with the foregoing detailed explanation of the meanings of each card in an ordinary pack, we append a short table, which may be studied either separately or with the preceding definitions. It gives at a glance certain broad outlines, which may be of use to one who wishes to acquire the art of reading a card directly it is placed before the eye: —

A Short Table.

Prudence .

Wealth.

Rejoicing.

Early Marriage.

Ace of clubs.

2 of clubs.

6 of spades.

* M II

IO ,, diamonds.

IO „ clubs.

5 „ dubs.

Credulity.

Jealousy.

Unfaithfulness.

Late Marriage.

i of hearts.

King of diamonds. 4 of diamonds.

4 „ dubs.

8 of diamonds. 3 „ dubs.

Prosperity.

!• of hearts.

7 „ dabs.

4 h n

Discretion Needed.

* ii «

a „ clubs.

4 m *pad«L

Presage Misfortune. io of spades.

° it

*M

3 m

»M

M

M

M

••

M

diamonds.

dabs.

•I

Mystic Meaning*

Mystic Meanings.

There is fascination in certain calculations, and the follow* ing figures are not without a deep interest to those attracted by the study of Cartomancy.

The fifty-two cards in the pack correspond with the fifty-two weeks in the year.

The thirteen cards in each suit symbolise the thirteen lunar months, and the thirteen weeks in each quarter.

There are four suits, as there are four seasons in the year.

There are twelve court cards in the pack, just as there are twelve calendar months and twelve signs of the Zodiac

A Curious Calculation.

Number of pips on the plain cards of the four suits .

Twelve court cards, counted as io each . •

Number of cards in each suit

Equal to the number of days in the year • 365

CHAPTER III The Selected Pack of Thirty-two

Cards

Reduced pack generally used — How to indicate reversed cards— Meaning of Hearts — Diamonds — Clubs — Spades .

Reduced Pack Generally Used.

The practice of using only thirty-two cards in telling fortunes is very general, especially in those systems which have been adopted from or based upon a foreign source. We here give the definitions used in these methods, as they differ in certain respects from those given with the entire pack of fifty-two cards. Special care must be taken when using the selected pack to podce which way the cards come out upon the table, whether upright or reversed, as the meanings of the two positions may be diametrically opposed.

How to Indicate Reversed Cards.

In former days it was easier to distinguish between the top and the bottom of a card, but now that they are practically made reversible, with a few exceptions, it is necessary to mark die cards that are to be used for fortune-telling in such a way as to enable the dealer to say at a glance whether the card is reversed or not These marks should be made before the pack has been used, and need not be altered if the cards are kept solely for this purpose.

In the following pages this selected pack is required for several methods, and in the case of the Master Method it is augmented by the four twos taken from the excluded cards.

Meaning of the Hearts

Meaning: of the Hearts.

Act.— A lore letter, good news; reversed, a removal or a visit from a friend.

King. — Fair man of generous disposition; reversed, a iisappointing person.

Queen. — Fair, good-natured woman ; reversed, she has had an unhappy love aflair.

Knave . — A young bachelor devoted to enjoyment ; reversed, a military lover with a grievance.

Ten. — Antidote to bad cards ; happiness and success ; reversed, passing worries.

Nine. — The wish card, good luck ; reversed, short sorrow.

Eight. — Thoughts of marriage, affections of a fair person ; reversed, unresponsiveness.

Meaning of the Diamonds.

Act. — A letter, an offer of marriage ; reversed, evil tidings.

King. — A very fair or white-haired man, a soldier by profession, and of a deceitful turn of mind ; reversed, a treacherous schemer.

Queen. — A fair woman, given to gossip and wanting in refinement ; reversed, rather a spiteful flirt

Knave — Subordinate official, who is untrustworthy; reversed, a mischief-maker.

Ten. — Travelling or a removal ; reversed, ill-luck will attend the step.

Nine. — Vexation, hindrances ; reversed, domestic wrangling, or disagreement between lovers.

Eight. — Love passages ; reversed, blighted affections.

Meaning of the Clubs.

Act. — Good luck, letters or papers relating to money, pleasant tidings ; reversed, short-lived happiness, a tiresome orrespondence.

•8

Meaning of the Spades

King. — A dark man, warm-hearted and true as a friend, straight in his dealings ; reversed, good intentions frustrated.

Queen, — A dark woman, loving but hasty, and bearing no malice ; reversed, harassed by jealousy.

Knave. — A ready-witted young man, clever at his work and ardent in his love ; reversed, irresponsible and fickle.

Ten. — Prosperity and luxury ; reversed, a sea voyage.

Nine. — An unlooked-for inheritance, money acquired under a will ; reversed, a small, friendly gift.

Eight. — Love of a dark man or woman which, if accepted and reciprocated, will bring joy and well-being ; reversed, an unworthy affection calculated to cause trouble.

Seven . — Trifling financial matters ; reversed, money troubles.

Meaning* of the Spades.

Ace. — Emotional enjoyment ; reversed, news of a death, sorrow. >

King. — A widower, an unscrupulous lawyer, impossible as a friend and dangerous as an enemy ; reversed, the desire to work evil without the power.

Queen. — Widow, a very dark woman; reversed, an intriguing, spiteful woman.

Knave. — Legal or medical student, wanting in refinement of mind and manners ; reversed, a treacherous character, fond of underhand measures.

Ten. — Grief, loss of freedom ; reversed, passing trouble or illness.

Nine. — A bad omen, news of failure or death; reversed, loss of one near and dear by death.

Eight. — Coming illness ; reversed, an engagement cancelled or a rejected proposal, dissipation.

Seven. — Everyday worries, or a resolve taken ; reversed, silly stratagems in love-making.

CHAPTER IV The Signification of Quartettes, Triplets, and Pairs

Combinations of court cards — Combinations of plain cards — Various cards read together — General meaning of tks several suits — Some lesser points to notice.

Combinations of Court Cards.

Four Aces. — When these fall together they imply danger, financial loss, separation from friends, lore troubles, and, under some conditions, imprisonment The evil is mitigated in proportion to the number of them that are reversed

Three Aces. — Passing troubles, relieved by good news, faithlessness of a lover and consequent sorrow. If reversed, they mean foolish excess.

Two Aces. — These portend union ; if hearts and dubs it will be for good, if diamonds and spades, for evil, probably the outcome of jealousy. If one or both be reversed, the object of the union will fail.

Four Kings. — Honours, preferment, good appointments. Reversed, the good things will be of less value, but will arrive earlier.

Thru Kings. — Serious matters will be taken in hand with the best result, unless any of the three cards be reversed, when it will be doubtful.

Two Kings. — Co-operation in business, upright conduct and prudent enterprises to be crowned with success. Each one reversed represents an obstacle. All three reversed spell utter failure.

3 e

Combinations of Plain Cards

Four Queens. — A social gathering which may be spoilt bf one or more being reversed.