I’ve been having some fun with the answer spreadwith my playing cards but so far I had never used it with the Sibilla. This is an example of a spread I did two days ago, when hubby invited a colleague over for dinner. My question was simply how the dinner would go. It is a mundane question, useful for trying out a new spread.
Regina Russell’s answer spread, adapted for the Vera Sibilla
The Sibilla is, thankfully, very clear here. The first column, the one that supposedly gives us the background of the question, shows hubby (the King of Hearts) extending an invitation (the Gift, a proposal).
The central column generally gives us the answer to the question. Usually, the Hope card, when reversed, makes things go up in smoke. Together with a card such as the Conversation, which talks about gatherings, clearly the appointment does up in smoke or is at least dalayed.
The final column usually gives us additional information. The reversed Ace of Spades is generally less dangerous or less disappointing than when it is upright, but another meaning it has is that of a repeated occurrance. What repeated occurange? The Reunion, i.e., another gathering card.
What ended up happening was that the colleague had to cancel on us to take care of her ailing mother, but we rescheduled for next week.
An interesting Experiment
According to Regina Russell’s instructions, we only read the cards in the answer spread in columns. However, let us try to read them in the order in which they were pulled, which is:
In this case, the situation doesn’t change that much. The Gentleman, i.e., my husband, repeatedly gifts an invitation which, with some delay (Hope rev.) ends up happening (Reunion). Though, to be fair, in this case I would have probably pulled an additional card to make sure.
(Note: this is a collection of the meanings attributed to the cards by some occultists in the past centuries. It does not reflect my own study or opinion of the cards. It is only meant as a quick comparative reference as I develop my own take.)
The Three of Pentacles from the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) deck
Paul Foster Case (and Ann Davies)
The time period is the second decanate of Capricorn, under the rulership of Venus, from January 1 to January 9. Well-Dignified: construction; increase, growth; financial gain; the building up of favorable conditions; gain in commercial transactions; rank or prestige in vocation or business; beginning of matters to be perfected later. Ill-Dignified: selfishness; cleverness in business, but lack of scruples; narrowness and prejudice; too much ambition. Keyword: Constructiveness. (From the Oracle of Tarot course)
A. E. Waite
A sculptor at his work in a monastery. Compare the design which illustrates the Eight of Pentacles. The apprentice or amateur therein has received his reward and is now at work in earnest. Divinatory Meanings: Métier, trade, skilled labour; usually, however, regarded as a card of nobility, aristocracy, renown, glory. Reversed: Mediocrity, in work and otherwise, puerility, pettiness, weakness. (From The Pictorial Key to the Tarot)
Aleister Crowley
The Three of Pentacles, in a similar manner, exhibits the result of the idea of Earth, of the crystallization of forces; and so the Three of Pentacles is called the Lord of Work. Something has definitely been done.
[…]
The influence of Binah in the sphere of Earth shows the material establishment of the idea of the Universe, the determination of its basic form. It is ruled by Mars in Capricornus; he is exalted in that Sign, and therefore at his best. His energy is constructive, like that of the builder or engineer. The card represents a pyramid viewed from above the apex. The base is formed by three wheels-Mercury, Sulphur, and Salt; Sattvas, Rajas, and Tamas in the Hindu system; Aleph, Shin, and Mem-Air, Fire, and Water-the three Mother letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
This pyramid is situated in the great Sea of Binah in the Night of Time, but the sea is solidified; hence the colours of the back-ground are mottled, a cold thin dark grey with a pattern of indigo and green. The sides of the pyramid have a strong reddish tint, showing the influence of Mars. (From The Book of Thoth)
AI-generated illustration for the Three of Pentacles or Coins
Golden Dawn’s Book T
A WHITE-WINGED Angelic Hand, as before, holding a branch of a rose tree, of which two white rosebuds touch and surmount the topmost Pentacle. The Pentacles are arranged in an equilateral triangle. Above and below the symbols Mars and Capricorn. Working and constructive force, building up, creation, erection; realization and increase of material things; gain in commercial transactions, rank; increase of substance, influence, cleverness in business, selfishness. Commencement of matters to be established later. Narrow and prejudiced. Keen in matters of gain; sometimes given to seeking after impossibilities. Binah of HB:H (Business, paid employment, commercial transaction). Herein are HB:YChVYH and HB:LHChYH Angelic Rulers.
Etteilla
Important Upright. This card, as far as the medicine of the spirit is concerned, means, in its natural position: Noble, Considerable, Famous, Important, Great, Major, Extended, Vast, Sublime, Renowned, Famous, Powerful, Elevated, Illustrious. – Excellence, Consideration, Greatness of mind, Nobility of conduct, Generous deeds, Magnificently, Splendidly. Reversed. Puerility, Childhood, Infantilism, Frivolity. – Weakening, Lowering, Diminishing, Education, Modicity, Mediocrity, Minuity, Inezia, Frivolity, Lowness, Vileness, Poltrony, Rampant, Small, Puerile, Petty, Low, Servile, Vile, Abject, Humble. – Abjection, Humility, Humiliation.
Yesterday I was cleaning in my office. I took my playing card deck (the one I use for divination) and was about to put it on the windowsill to dust my desktop, when it fell to the floor and the cards went flying in all directions.
So I gathered the cards without thinking anything of it and went on with my day. Later on I realized that one of the cards was the wrong way around: the Six of Spades, the sickness card.
Around an hour later my husband was on the phone with my mother-in-law, when she suddenly started slurring her words and being unable to move one side of her face. Fearing a stroke, we immediately called an ambulance and they were there a few minutes later.
We are still not sure what it was, but it was thankfully gone. She seems to be doing fine now, but the paramedics told her to remain in contact in case the situation presents itself again.
It is a good thing that we were on the phone with her when it happened, and I find the way the cards forewarned me endlessly fascinating, though I didn’t put two and two together until after the fact.
The Answer Spread was popularized by Regina Russell in her Card Reader’s Handbook.1 Here, Russell details a system of fortune-telling by playing cards that is different from mine, but still quite interesting as a reference. She also gives examples of some spread layouts, including a small one to answer specific question.
I have rarely used this spread, but I added it to my repertoire just for variety, and I have found it to be quite reliable. You’ll need to shuffle or have the querent shuffle the deck after formulating a clear question. Then, have the querent take out six cards from the fanned out deck (or pull them yourself, if you’re doing a phone reading). Lay the cards out in this order
1
2
3
4
5
6
Layout for Regina Russell’s Answer Spread
Russell explains that the cards are read exclusively in columns (1-4, 2-5, 3-6). Each column has a different meaning: the first (1-4) indicates the background of the question or the current situation; the second(2-5) answers the question; the third (3-6) adds information about the answer. The sixth card can on occasion be of special importance and may contain the answer or some information on which everything hinges, but I have generally found this not to be the case.
As you may have guessed, this is a very short spread to receive information quickly. Here is an example from the recent past with my husband as a guinea pig: his birthday was approaching and he wanted to know relatives would drop by unannounced to celebrate. These were the cards (note that I am not using Russell’s meanings, but those I am familiar with):
Will there be a surprise visit? Regina Russell’s Answer Spread
Since the question is so specific, you have the right to wonder why he thought they would throw him a surprise party. If we look at the column on the left, the one that talks about background information, we have the Jack of Diamonds and the Two of Hearts, an exciting message or a message from relatives. I didn’t know this at the time of hubby pulling the cards, but in talking to his family on his family chatgroup there had been odd remarks that had made him suspect something was being prepared. So this is the background information we need to understand the spread.
The answer, however, is somewhat disappointing. There are steps (Two of Clubs) being taken, so something is indeed being organized, but the Seven of Clubs causes trouble.
If we look at the right column, where additional information is found, we see a party (Eight of Hearts) and a gift (Three of Hearts). If these two cards had been in the center column, the answer would have been positive. As it stands though, these cards merely explains what steps had were being taken. So the answer is no, they won’t come on the day of his birthday.
It turned out that they did not come, though his brother would have liked to and was making plans for, because his mother was still recovering from a minor operation she’d had: this is the problem (Seven of Clubs). However, looking at this spread, I wouldn’t be surprised if a little celebration did take place next time we get together.
MQS
Which you may buy here if interested. I’m not affiliated with them, I just think the book is a good reference to have. ↩︎
In the Vera Sibilla there are a couple of cards that connect more or less directly to the topic of work. Here we review them quickly to show their similarities and differences. As usual, this isn’t meant to be exclusive.
Six of Hearts – Money
Not directly related to work per se, the Six of Hearts is the money card, and as such it shows where money comes from, where it goes, whether one has it or not, etc. However, in a consultation about work, it can also indicate whether the pay is good or not, whether the business one works for flourishes or not, etc.
Seven of Hearts – The Scholar
This card is always welcome when we want to know whether we’ll get a job, as it can show the signing of a contract. It is also related to talent in one’s field, as well as certain types of job (intellectual or desk jobs).
Ace of Clubs – Marriage
Again a card that can represent the signing of something. Marriage is anything that gives us rights and obligations with respect to someone else, and a job contract is exactly that. It is also an important card for business deals and partnerships
Six of Clubs – The Surprise
This is a small money card, but because it represents money being received, it can symbolize the wages and therefore being employed. For instance, together with the House card it can sometimes represent the place where you gain money, i.e. the workplace.
Seven of Clubs – Realization
The Seven of Clubs is the card of worldly ambition and it can therefore stand for the querent’s career (I’m always reminded that in German the word Beruf, work, comes from the word Ruf, fame, the name you make for yourself in the world).
Eight of Diamonds – The Handmaid
This is another card that is strongly connected with money and where it comes from and where goes toward, but it is also a card of employment (a handmaid works for someone else). When it signifies the querent’s work, it is essentially a synonym of the Merchant card.
King of Diamonds – The Merchant
This is THE work card, the one you usually want to see in a question about work, and four times out of five, when it pops up in a different kind of question it still indicates the influence of the querent’s job on question, though the card also has other less common meanings.
King of Spades – The Priest
Not directly related to the querent’s job, but this card can represent the institution or company the querent works for (especially if it is relatively big). Needless to say it can stand for many other things, such as works related with the law or religion (with specific cards) or even works where one wears a uniform (the Soldier also represents a uniform, but usually it shows less socially important types of employment, such as being a builder).
(Note: this is a collection of the meanings attributed to the cards by some occultists in the past centuries. It does not reflect my own study or opinion of the cards. It is only meant as a quick comparative reference as I develop my own take.)
The Three of Swords from the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) tarot deck
Paul Foster Case (and Ann Davies)
The time period is the second decanate of Libra, under the combined rulership of Saturn and Uranus, October 3 to October 12. Because Libra is involved, remember that the qualities of the Seventh house are prominent. Well-Dignified: this is nevertheless a Key depicting sorrow, disappointment and tears, but it can be the beginning of deep understanding as to the basis and cause of our problems; disruption of friendship; interruption of cherished projects; quarrels; occasionally the position in the layout may indicate platonic friendships; in money matters this card is almost always a symbol of loss, but indicates that whatever money matters are under consideration have been fair and honest, so that no blame attaches to anyone for the loss. Ill-Dignified: slander; selfishness and dissipation; deceit with respect to promises; loss in legal affairs. Keyword: Sorrow (From the Oracle of Tarot course)
A. E. Waite
Three swords piercing a heart; cloud and rain behind. Divinatory Meanings: Removal, absence, delay, division, rupture, dispersion, and all that the design signifies naturally, being too simple and obvious to call for specific enumeration. Reversed: Mental alienation, error, loss, distraction, disorder, confusion. (From The Pictorial Key to the Tarot)
Aleister Crowley
The idea of division, of mutability, the idea of the airy quality of things, manifests itself in the Three of Swords, the Lord of Sorrow. Here one is reminded of the darkness of Binah, of the mourning of Isis; but this is not any vulgar sorrow dependent upon any individual disappointment or discontent. It is Weltschmerz, the universal sorrow; it is the quality of melancholy.
[…]
Binah, the Great Mother, here rules the realm of Air. This fact involves an extremely difficult doctrine which must be studied at length in The Vision and the Voice: Aethyr 14. Binah is here not the beneficent Mother completing the Trinity with Kether and Chokmah. She represents the darkness of the Great Sea. This is accentuated by the Celestial Lordship of Saturn in Libra. This card is dark and heavy; it is, so to speak, the womb of Chaos. There is an intense lurking passion to create, but its children are monsters. This may mean the supreme transcendence of the natural order. Secrecy is here, and Perversion. The symbol represents the great Sword of the Magician, point uppermost; it cuts the junction of two short curved swords. The impact has destroyed the rose. In the background, storm broods under implacable night. (From The Book of Thoth)
A gruesome AI-generated illustration for the Three of Swords
Golden Dawn’s Book T
THREE White Radiating Angelic Hands, issuing from clouds, and holding three swords upright (as though the central sword had struck apart the two others, which were crossed in the preceding symbol): the central sword cuts asunder the rose of five petals, which in the previous symbol grew at the junction of the swords; its petals are falling, and no white rays issue from it. Above and below the central sword are the symbols of Saturn and Libra.
Disruption, interruption, separation, quarrelling; sowing of discord and strife, mischief-making, sorrow and tears; yet mirth in Platonic pleasures; singing, faithfulness in promises, honesty in money transactions, selfish and dissipated, yet sometimes generous: deceitful in words and repetitions; the whole according to dignity. Binah of HB:V (Unhappiness, sorrow, and tears). Herein rule the Great Angels HB:HRYAL and HB:HQMYH as Lords of the Decan.
Etteilla
Removal Upright. This card, as far as the medicine of the spirit is concerned, means, in its natural position: estrangement, Departure, Absence, Discarding, Dispersion, Remoteness, Delay. – Contempt, Repugnance, Aversion, Hatred, Disgust, Horror. – Incompatibility, Contrariness, Opposition, Unsociability, Misanthropy, Incivility. – Separation, Division, Breaking, Antipathy, Section, Cutting off. Reversed. Misdirection, Dementia, Vanity, Alienation of spirit, Distraction, Insane conduct. – Error, Miscalculation, Loss, Deviation, Discard, Dispersion.
As someone who advocates a grounded approach to divination, you’d expect me to scoff at questions that deal with more philosophical or spiritual themes. But this is not so. Airy-fairy is in the eye of the beholder, or rather, of the reader. Just like many airy-fairy readers can drown concrete topics in a deluge of commonplace spiritual-but-not-religious buzzwords, so can a grounded reader approach complex, ‘soulful’ topics from a grounded standpoint, while always following what the oracle says.
Someone asked me what was the goal of her current incarnation. Right off the bat we are confronted with a dilemma: firstly, the question presupposes that there is such a thing as reincarnation, which I don’t believe (at least, not in a sense that is compatible with what most people think of as reincarnation);1 secondly, it presupposes that this happens with a goal.
The first problem (reincarnation) we may circumvent by simply asking what’s the goal of the querent’s life. The second question (the goal) is trickier, but as I show in the example, it is not unanswerable.
What is my life’s goal? Playing card divination
Since we have absolutely nothing to go off on, we can start by noting that the querent’s significator shows up (the Queen of Clubs), though not in a very good spot. She comes after the Five of Spades which is the card of sacrifice, imprisonment and the inability to move. So we can already sort of guess that the querent is feeling trapped in some form or another.
The spread ends with the Six of Diamonds, which represents worry, insecurity and the like. Often it shows financial problems, but not necessarily: it can be a card of general nervousness and uncertainty. The spread is now starting to reek of psychological hang-ups.
Usually, the Two of Clubs after a person card indicates the person taking steps. Toward what? Toward the Ten of Spades. This is the card of secrets, of the night and of unknown situations.
At this point I asked the querent if she’s someone who never leaps into unclear, unknown situations. She said that that was one of the things keeping her from enjoying life, since she always prefers to avoid risk or put off taking it until she feels prepared, which is never.
Bingo. This is the answer: she must learn to step into the dark, take risks and be ok with not having everything figured out. She must learn to swim by swimming rather than by reading up on how to swim. If she doesn’t do it, she will spend her whole life by the poolside waiting for every condition to be perfect.
So, have the cards talked about the purpose of the querent’s whole life? You may disagree with me, but I don’t think so. I do not think that this is the purpose of her whole life (I think there is much, much more to anyone’s life), nor do I think that this is the reason she was born or has reincarnated (if you believe in reincarnation at all). And I told the querent as much, in the spirit of transparency.
What I do mean is that, at least at this juncture in her life, this is a recurring pattern that weighs her down and that needs addressing because it influences her general quality of life. That’s already enough to be worth being mentioned by the cards.
Ultimately, almost every airy-fairy woo woo question is the voluntary or involuntary corruption and modernization of some kind of longing that is deeply seated in the human soul. Questions about the purpose of one’s life may be often answered with the usual mix of mind body spirit platitudes, but the human desire for purpose is not to be lightly dismissed, whether the purpose is really there or not. And divination can address this desire in some form or another.
I believe that divination should be able to run the whole gamut of the human experience, from the most concrete questions to the most abstract, because this is the extension of the human soul. The problem arises only when we try to reduce one order of problems (Will I the chicken cross the street?) to another order of problems (What kind of psychospiritual drama do you think caused the chicken to want to cross the street?)
MQS
I will probably discuss it more at length in another section, but my belief is that there is only one, universal soul that is constantly incarnating and reincarnating through everything. ↩︎
This is a super-quick reading I did for a friend of a friend. She doesn’t believe in the cards, which is fine, but decided to try them by asking a silly question. She asked if her ex would come back to her. Here are the cards:
K♣️ 3♣️ 10♥️
On the surface of it, the cards seem positive: they show the man she’s asking about, they show a union (the Three of Clubs) and they show happiness (the Ten of Hearts).
Unfortunately, what the cards seem to be saying is that he has a marriage going on, and he is happy in it. When I told the querent, she confirmed that they haven’t spoken in years and he is married and has children.
This is not the first time someone asks me a fake question, either purposefully or out of self-delusion, and it is not rare for people to ask about old sweethearts who have moved on.
It goes without saying that we, as diviners, must always come to terms with our finitude and fallibility, but the more the querent is deluded or insincere, the harder it becomes to interpret the cards. This time I was doubtlessly lucky that the cards came up very clear.
NOTE: if the querent had told me that the man she was asking about is not married, then I would have asked if they had just broken up. In this case, the spread would have probably meant that their relationship was still going on strong, and that the break-up was something so fleeting the cards didn’t feel the need to describe it.
(Note: this is a collection of the meanings attributed to the cards by some occultists in the past centuries. It does not reflect my own study or opinion of the cards. It is only meant as a quick comparative reference as I develop my own take.)
The Three of Cups from the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) tarot deck
Paul Foster Case (and Ann Davies)
The Three of Cups is astrologically related to the second decanate of Cancer ruled by the Scorpio aspect of Mars, time period July 2 to July 12. The distinct meanings in divination combine the pleasure and emotion associated with the suit of Cups and the sex magnetism of the Scorpio aspect of Mars, together with Cancerian practicality and penchant for attachments. Well-Dignified: activity, determination, practicality; fondness for pleasure and comfort; attachments and attractions to the opposite sex; pleasure, merriment, eating and drinking, plenty of new clothes, etc. Ill-Dignified: danger of the ‘triangle’ situation; trouble through attachments to the opposite sex; midunderstandings; prodigality; sensuality. Keyword: Enjoyment (From the Oracle of Tarot course)
A. E. Waite
Maidens in a garden-ground with cups uplifted, as if pledging one another. Divinatory Meanings: The conclusion of any matter in plenty, perfection and merriment; happy issue, victory, fulfilment, solace, healing, Reversed: Expedition, dispatch, achievement, end. It signifies also the side of excess in physical enjoyment, and the pleasures of the senses. (From The Pictorial Key to the Tarot)
A marvellous AI-generated illustration for the Three of Cups
Aleister Crowley
The Three of Cups is called the Lord of Abundance. The idea of love has come to fruition; but this is now sufficiently far down the Tree to introduce a very definite differentiation between the suits, which was not previously possible.
[…]
This card refers to Binah in the suit of Water. This is the card of Demeter or Persephone. The Cups are pomegranates: they are filled bountifully to overflowing from a single lotus, arising from the dark calm sea characteristic of Binah. There is here the fulifilment of the Will of Love in abounding joy. It is the spiritual basis of fertility.
The card is referred to the influence of Mercury in Cancer; this carries further the above thesis. Mercury is the Will or Word of the All-Father; here its influence descends upon the most receptive of the Signs.
At the same time, the combination of these forms of energy brings in the possibility of somewhat mysterious ideas. Binah, the Great Sea, is the Moon in one aspect, but Saturn in another; and Mercury, besides being the Word or Will of the All-One, is the guide of the souls of the Dead. This card requires great subtlety of interpretation. The pomegranate was the fruit which Persephone ate in the realms of Pluto, thereby enabling him to hold her in the lower world, even after the most powerful influence had been brought to bear. The lesson seems to be that the good things of life, although enjoyed, should be distrusted. (From The Book of Thoth)
Golden Dawn’s Book T
A WHITE Radiating Hand, as before, holds a group of lotuses or water-lilies, from which two flowers rise on either side of, and overhanging the top cup; pouring into it the white water. Flowers in the same way pour white water into the lower cups. All the cups overflow; the topmost into the two others, and these upon the lower part of the card. Cups are arranged in an erect equilateral triangle. Mercury and Cancer above and below. Abundance, plenty, success, pleasure, sensuality, passive success, good luck and fortune; love, gladness, kindness, liberality. Binah of HB:H (Plenty, hospitality, eating and drinking, pleasure, dancing, new clothes, merriment).
Etteilla
Success Upright. This card, as far as the medicine of the spirit is concerned, means, in its natural position: Success, Science, Happy outcome, Happy solution, Victory. – Healing, Cure, Relief. – Accomplishment. – Perfection. Reversed. Dispatch, Sending, Execution, Completion, End, Conclusion, Termination, Fulfillment.
One of the things I enjoy the most about cartomancy (not just with the Sibilla. Most decks will do it) is how they tell a story of the querent’s life, either in general or in a particular sector, and we get to experience it as if it were a slide show of someone’s vacation. Here is an example about a querent who asked, generally, about her career (don’t mind the chaotic layout. The cards are essentially to be read in a row. I started with five cards and I had to rearrange the spread to take the picture once the layout had become too unwieldy from drawing additional cards).
A career reading with the Vera Sibilla
The first thing that caught my eye was that Scholar (Seven of Hearts) showing a legal contract, caught between the reversed Sickness card and the Death card. I enquired if the querent had recently lost her job or if she was about to, then the King of Spades (the law) popped into view, next to the Death card which shows unbalanced things, so I added if she considered the termination to be wrongful in some way.
It turned out that the querent had just been fired, a couple of weeks prior, from her job and that she thought they had fired her after wringing her dry of her business contacts.
Notice, though, how the cards immediately clear up as soon as that nasty initial constellation is overcome: we have important contacts (Letter and Messenger) that will put her on the right track (the Peacock). There is still anxiety (Sighs) surrounding her work (Merchant) but she is going to get a temporary job (the Five of Hearts) probably working with people (all the people cards) and that will solve quite a bit of her problems (the Four of Diamonds reversed at the end).
She ended up getting in contact with a smaller business than the one she had worked for, but one with a more positive environment, where the boss offered her a very well-paid temporary position to be a representative of their product to new clients. I also told her that if she was thinking of suing her old employers for wrongful termination, she probably had a leg to stand on. She said she was thinking of suing, but wasn’t sure.
