A couple of years ago I published a series of three articles on the Skat deck. This is not a system I use, merely one that has been kindly passed down to me, together with the premission to translate it. I came into contact with another reader, who also kindly accepted to share her system, which she learned from a friend some years back. This is another German system, which is recognizable in that Spades tend to be neutral and Clubs negative. There are also many similarities with the previous system I published, which is not surprising since the various systems tend to be regional, and both readers come from the same region ( the Südpfalz). Still, there are some interesting differences. What follows is my translation of the meanings, combinations and reading method. Thanks to Anke for this method.

Hearts

Ace – The Home
King – The Man (Herzensmann, the man of my heart)
Queen – The Woman (Herzensfrau, the woman of my heart)
Jack – Thoughts, Projects, Hopes, Positive Feelings/Thoughts (gute Gesinnung)
Ten – Great Joy, Wish Fulfillment, Wedding Bells (Hochzeitsglocken)
Nine – Joy, Love, Sympathy, Affection / Inclination (Zuneigung)
Eight – A Relationship, Harmony, Accord / Deal, Reconciliation
Seven – Fun, Entertainment (Fröhlichkeit, Spaß)

Spades

Ace – Office (Amt), understood as official things, Bureaucracy, Documents, Laws, Lawsuits, etc.
King – A friend or relative, Can be an office worker
Queen – A friend, relative or office worker (Büroangestellte)
Jack – Message, Contacts
Ten – Journey, A long period of time, The Long Road (auf dem langen Weg), An important change (Umbruch)
Nine – Uncertainty, Uncertain timeframe, Jealousy, Unwarranted turmoil, at the end of a sequence it improves the situation (the worry is unwarranted)
Eight – A short timeframe, Also the card of society (Gesellschaftskarte)
Seven – Very short timeframe, Discussions and Talks, The Short Road (auf dem kurzen Weg)

Diamonds

Ace – Letter, Invitation or Gift
King – A Man of position, Respected (angesehener Mann), Someone who counts
Queen – A woman of position, Respected, Who counts
Jack – The Jack of Good Luck (Glücksbube)
Ten – Big Money
Nine – Success, Ambition, Idealism
Eight – Work, Also buying and selling, Business (Geschäftskarte)
Seven – Small Money, A child

Clubs

Ace – Shock (Schreck), Fear, Fright, Suffering or Loss
King – A lonely man, Older or inimical, Father-in-law
Queen – A lonely woman, Older or inimical, Mother-in-law
Jack – The Jack of Bad Luck (Pechbube), Bad/evil ideas / feelings / disposition (böse Gesinnung)
Ten – Great sorrow, Illness
Nine – Falseness, Antipathy (Abneigung), Dislike
Eight – Arguments, Fights, The need to fight, Obstacles
Seven – Tears

Some Combinations

Ace of Hearts – Ace of Spades – Ten of Hearts = Wedding
Ace of Spades – Ten of Clubs – King of Clubs = Hospital stay
Any Queen – Seven of Diamonds – Ten of Clubs = Pregnancy (apparently pregnancy is seen as a sickness)
Ace of Clubs – Ace of Spades – Evil card (especially the Jack of Clubs) = death
Ace of Spades – Eight of Clubs – King of Clubs = Court case
Ten of Spades – Person card = Someone who comes from afar (but can also be someone who is away)

Spreads

There are two phases to a general reading. The first is a cross spread not unlike the one I use. Lay out the querent’s card (King or Queen of Hearts), but with some slight variations. Let’s say you are reading for a woman:

			4	9	14
2	7	12		QH		3	8	13
			1	6	11
			5	10	15

The positions’ meanings are quite similar, although the order of laying out the cards differs: above are the thoughts, underneath the problems or what she has command over, behind is the past, in front is the next future. The second stage is as follows:

3	8	13				4	9	14
				QH
			1	6	11
2	7	12				5	10	15

This second spread is called the Rundum Blick, literally the comprehensive view or all-around view. The cards covering the Queen are supposed to be the most important ones, while the others all cover the future, with those to the left being a bit closer than the ones to the right, unless the Ten of Spades (the long time card) is present, in which case it can change the timeframe.

I didn’t receive any instructions on how to read the cards for answering specific questions, which is not surprising, since many folk methods of divination were simply meant to talk generally about what was ahead. Still, I am quite sure you can devise your own strategy.

MQS