Sometimes it is hard to predict your own future even while interpreting the cards correctly. In the past month, whenever I drew cards for my general future or to answer personal questions, I kept receiving this combination:
A♥ – K♠ – 6♠
The order of the cards changed, but they were always present, and if you’ve had a look at the meanings I use, it is quite clear that they refer to a health-related issue in the home.
This is where making assumptions is deadly: I know that my dad, being old, suffers from quite a vast array of issues, so I assumed the cards were talking about him.
Nope: it was me. Yesterday my wisdom teeth started screaming bloody murder in my mouth, so much so that I haven’t slept a bit. At 8 in the morning I dragged myself to the dentist, where I was given an appointment for tomorrow, likely to get those teeth pulled. This is probably going to be the longest 24 hours of my life.
Interestingly, the cards do not put my significator next to the combination of the doctor, so all I could say was that there would be a health issue at home, and I am, of course, part of my home.
NOTE: it is also fascinating that the teeth started aching exactly on the day before I was going to start a particular ritual work. This is not seldom the case: as soon as one approaches magic the whole of existence plots revenge.
As I already talked about ad nauseam, some months ago hubby and I bought an apartment. During that period I kept track of the situation using various divination tools, including Horary. This is a reading that I didn’t cover, since I didn’t have any feedback for it yet.
My question was simply if we would be happy in the new home. Here is the chart.
Will we be happy in the new home? Horary question. App used: Aquarius2go
We are represented by the First house and the planet ruling it, Mars (ruler of the rising sign Scorpio). As for which house represents the new place, I believe there are two schools of thought: either the Seventh House (that place there, as opposed to this place here, which is the First house), or the Fourth House of real estate and umoveable property.
The chart seems to guide us to the Fourth House. Plus, usually the Seventh house is reserved for hypothetical “there” places, whereas we had already bought the new place (therefore it was our property) and I was not interested in a comparison between the old apartment and the new, but only in the new place (I already hated the old one).
The Fourth House thus represents the apartment. Jupiter, ruler of Pisces, is the house. And look! Mars, our significator, is right inside the Fourth House, which is good and a symbol of liking the place. It has no major dignity in it (no house rulership or exaltation) but it is dignified by triplicity, term and face. So while it is not the ultimate castle of our dreams, it is very comfortable indeed.
The place’s significator, Jupiter, is conjunct the Seventh cusp and thus angular, and sextiles our significator. A sextile is a positive aspect of ‘friendship’. All in all the picture that emerges is not perfect, but it is quite satisfying.
However, look at the Moon! The Moon is about to oppose Saturn, which is right inside the Fourth cusp, afflicting it. There is some kind of problem ahead. Pinpointing it is not very easy, but considering that Saturn is inside the house representing the place itself and that Saturn rules the Third house, my first instinct was that there might be issues concerning the neighbors (the other people who live in the building). These issues would not be major, as the picture remains generally favorable, but they would be serious enough to be worth mentioning.
Fortunately, a couple of months passed and we saw that the neighbors are generally well-adjusted people. Furthermore, the apartment is, in fact, very comfortable.
What did turn out to be the problem was that the neighbors started some major fuss about the manager of the building as, according to them, he is incompetent and charges way too much for his services and even skims off on the money required for taking care of the building. The thing escalated so far as to almost end up in court, and finding a new manager is costing us quite a lot of time spent traveling and talking to new candidates.
A recent comment by a visitor of this website has inspired me to write an article about what makes divination go south, whether it’s card reading or something else. I have already shared one or two readings I got wrong, but in the future I would like to share more of my hardships as well as my successes, for two reasons: 1. it gives a fairer representation of how divination works and 2. it doesn’t discourage those who are studying the material I provide (I often get messages from people despairing they will ever be good diviners)
The reality is that divination is a human activity, and like all human activities it can go wrong. In a world where lawyers, scientists and doctors can be wrong (and not seldom), it’s unclear why we would expect fortune-tellers to be infallible.
There can be a variety of factors that make a reading go south. Here’s a bunch, in no particular order.
The querent is too emotionally volatile
Usually, the querent’s attitude doesn’t matter that much. However, it has been my experience that when a querent is in a state of utter and extreme desperation or emotional volatility, they will skew the reading in one direction or the other. This is rare, but it does happen on occasion. Once a friend who was looking for a job and was absolutely desperate asked for a reading and he pulled ALL spades. He still got a job around a month later. The cards were just reflecting his emotional turmoil.
Emotional involvement is also usually not good when reading the cards for ourselves. My personal experience is that if I read for myself about a topic I don’t care too much about, the reading will be largely accurate, while if I read about something I care very much about, the cards will show me either what I hope or what I fear.
Note though that there are divination tools that work better when the querent is very emotionally involved. This is the case, for instance, for Horary Astrology, where there are no counters to manipulate and therefore a relatively strong emotional push is required for question and answer to align.
The reader isn’t grounded enough
This is more common. Divination is not an assembly line type of occupation. We are dealing with a world that is, in a very real sense, divine and that eschews the mechanic and repetitive.
The diviner needs to be relatively at peace with themselves before performing a divination. I say ‘relatively’ because we don’t need to always be at our best (otherwise we’d never be able to divine). Certainly we need to be capable of detaching at least momentarily from our deepest worries and hopes. Fits of ecstasy and cheap mysticism are also to be avoided, as the best attitude is one of sober helpfulness toward the other.
There are some partial exceptions for ‘inspired divination’, such as mediumistic spiritism, but I don’t cover these topics on this website as I avoid these practices like the plague (I had a distant relative who was an excellent natural psychic and ruined her life in her attempt at constantly staying in the required state of passive receptivity).
The reader simply doesn’t always interpret the medium right
This is obvious, and I’ve talked about it at length, but it bears repeating. Divination is a language with no native speakers. We must learn it as if it were a foreign language. or, if you are romantic about the universe and think divination is our original language, then we must relearn it, but the end result doesn’t change. Like with all secondary languages, we are bound to make mistakes.
The best we can do about it is strive to correct our mistakes and be upfront with our querents that we are not offering miracles but just help in widening their view of their own life, of where it’s coming and where it’s directed.
Drawing wrong conclusions from right premises
This is another important pitfall, and it is a particular variety of ‘not reading the medium right’. As diviners we must understand that certain things can be changed and certain things can’t. Most divination tools are very upfront about it. If they say the thing you want cannot be achieved, then it cannot be achieved (unless we are interpreting the medium wrong, see above). If it says the thing you want will fall in your lap, then it will fall in your lap. Period. But if the medium says what you want is hard, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible, just as when it says it’s easy it doesn’t mean you’ll achieve it.
As diviners, sometimes, we feel we must give our querents more certainty than we are entitled to give them based on our divination tools. If the querent wants to become a writer and the cards show that writing comes easy to them, it doesn’t mean they will become a writer if they don’t put in the effort. Usually, in such cases, the lack of effort does come up in the cards as a warning, so that the prediction will sound like: you are very talented, but unless you actually spend time honing your craft, you won’t amount to much. This, too, is a valid prediciton.
All in all, we must be careful to distinguish what the medium says from what we want to tell the querent.
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.
Abano discusses the various meanings of Via, Populus, Caput and Cauda when deriving from various figures.
Via
From Via and Populus, its meaning is weakened, but quickened.1 From Acquisitio and Amissio its efficacy is mediocre in every question. From Major and Minor it means good luck, but it is still mediocre. From Laetitia and Caput, it means good luck and success.
From Tristitia and Cauda it means misfortune in the question at hand, and it is very strong in its malice. From Albus and Puer it is mediocre good luck. From Rubeus and Puella it shows a mix of good and bad, but it brings about the thing quesited. From Conjunctio and Carcer it means good luck, stability and firmness in all one asks about.
Populus
From Populus and Populus it means stability, getting one’s wish, copious amounts. From Acquisitio and Acquisitio it means great good luck, great acquisition of what one wishes, usefulness. From Amissio and Amissio it shows good luck, and being venereal and lascivious. From Major and Major it means fortune, stability, great gain, honor. From Minor and Minor it means mediocre good fortune. From Via and Via it means weakness in the thing enquired about. From Caput and Caput it means good luck, usefulness. From Cauda and Cauda, it means great misfortune.
From Albus and Albus it means good effect, good outcome especially in watery things and womanly or white things. From Rubeus and Ruveus it means excessive evil, war, loss of blood. From Laetitia and Laetitia it means good luck, happiness, honor, easily getting what one wants. From Tristitia and Tristitia it means great misfortune, long lengths of time, difficulties and problems, enmities. From Conjunctio and Conjunctio it means good luck, getting one’s wish, good for marriage and partnerships. From Carcer and Carcer it means great good luck in everything, melancholy and difficulties, anger, discord, infirmity, prison. From Puella and Puella it means good luck and fortune, firmness, usefulness, getting one’s wish. From Puer and Puer it means war, fighting, discord, good for merchandise, mediocre gain, good for marriage.2
Caput
From Populus and Caput it means great firmness, good outcome. From Acquisitio and Albus it means great good luck, getting one’s wish. From Amissio and Puer it means misfortune, loss, difficulties. From Major and Rubeus great good luck, mediocre gain or honor, good fortune. From Tristitia and Conjunctio it means good luck and gain, but with delay and difficulties. From Cauda and Carcer it means misfortune and tragedy.
Cauda
From Populus and Cauda it means misfortune, long illness, difficulties, weakness in getting one’s wish. From Acquisitio and Puella it means good fortune, firmness, usefulness in mobile things.3 From Amissio and Rubeus it means misfortune and grave danger. From Major and Puer, it means misfortune under the guise of gain.
From Via and Tristitia it means misfortune in getting what one wishes, and long-lasting difficulties. From Caput and Carcer it means mediocrity, good for virtue and honorable things, otherwise loss. From Laetitia and Conjunctio it means mediocre fortune, but gain from merchandise. From Albus and Minor, it means good luck and freedom from difficulties, but mediocre gain.4
MQS
Footnotes
One of the reasons this Book IV is interesting is that it affords us a look into how old geomancers derived meanings from the interaction of figures. Unfortunately Abano’s process is not always clear. Furthermore, it is not clear whether Abano means what I have written (namely, Via’s meaning is weakened but quickened) or if he is saying that Via’s meaning is weakened more than any other figure. I have chosen my interpretation based on this logical argument: that Populus tends to accentuate the meaning of the figure it interacts with, and Via is weak and quick, so in interacting with Populus it would become weaker and quicker. ↩︎
Generally speaking, it seems the effect of Populus is that of accentuating the meaning of the figures it comes from (‘lots of…’). However, some interpretations are not clear, for instance Carcer and Carcer meaning great good luck. Note also that Populus is the only figure that Abano explains in full, giving all possible combinations. ↩︎
It seems here that the two positive figures rub off on the otherwise foreboding Cauda. ↩︎
Again, the two positive figures it comes from seem to bring out the best in Cauda, according to Abano. ↩︎
(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. ↩︎
Here Abano begins a discussion of how the genesis of each of the figures from other two figures can modify their meaning.
Since one is not only supposed to consider the springing of the figures from one place to the other, but also their origin and generation one from the other,1 an esposition of of the meanings of each of the figure depending on the figures it is born from is in order, without forgetting the inherent meaning of the figure, as well as that of the querent’s and quesited’s, and those figures in the angles, and those conjoined to them.
Acquisitio
From Populus and Acquisitio: recovering one’s losses or recovery from damage; gain, profitable journey. From Amissio and Via: dishonorable journey, but useful, recovering something lost. From Fortuna Major and Conjunctio: good luck, mediocre gain, and [it is positive for] the thing asked. From Fortuna Minor and Carcer: love between husband and wife,2 and [it is good for] the thing asked. From Puella and Cauda Draconis: gain, usefulness in things of merchandise, and gain from difficulties.
From Puer and Laetitia: gain from minerals, gain from merchandise. From Tristitia and Rubeus: fortitude, stability in everything, good outcome, victory, loss of merchandise. From Conjunctio and Fortuna Major: good luck, mediocre gain. From Carcer and Fortuna Minor: usefulness; kings and lords, noble people. From Albus and Caput Draconis: good luck in material things, loss of objects.
Amissio
From Populus and Amissio: loss, trouble, good luck for the ill and the imprisoned, good for traveling. From Acquisitio and Via: damage, trouble, loss, the lost or stolen thing is not found, vain friends or servants. From Carcer and Fortuna Major: trouble, problems, little gain. From Caput Draconis and Puer: good luck in things connected with women; in other questions, gaining what one wants results in damage. From Rubeus and Cauda Draconis: misfortune [or accident], injury, fear, fighting, trouble, damage, illness.
From Conjunctio and Fortuna Minor: loss of animals, lots of trouble, desperation for the thing lost. From Albus and Laetitia: freedom from illness or prison, the absent party will come back, white clothes, mobile things, quick ending. From Puella and Tristitia: poverty, vile things, trouble due to secrets, desperation, mirth, luck in debauched things. From Fortuna Major and Carcer: recovering the lost or stolen thing.3
Fortuna Maior
From Populus and Fortuna Maior: luck in everything, getting what one wishes to get, but with delay. From Carcer and Amissio: being very lucky and obtaining what one wants, but with difficulties. From Albus and Tristitia: it means good news, messenger, usefulness, dignity, good salary [remuneration]. From Caput Draconis and Rubeus: great accident or misfortune, hanging, health problems, violent death.
From Amissio and Carcer: accident, problems, prison, good ending but with difficulties. From Fortuna Minor and Via: fighting, good news, quick dispatch, honorable journeys. From Acquisitio and Conjunctio: good fortune, prosperity, getting one’s wish. From Puer and Cauda: good fortune, tranquillity after much trouble, getting one’s wish with much delay. From Puella and Laetitia: mediocrity in everything, good things.
Fortuna Minor
From Populus and Fortuna Minor: its meaning has more virtue in good as in bad depending on the question. From Acquisitio and Carcer: stability, certainty, mediocre fortune. From Amissio and Conjunctio: good but mediocre fortune, especially in mobile things, less in stable things. From Fortuna Major and Via: great virtue, great good fortune.
From Caput and Puella: good luck, especially in friendship and marriage. From Albus and Cauda Draconi: mediocre good luck, especially in feminine things. From Laetitia and Rubeus: very noble things, luck in mobile, outgoing things. From Puer and Tristitia: mediocrity, but more bad and mutable than otherwise.
MQS
Footnotes
This seems to imply that we must consider how the figures are generated on the shield. Whether this applies only to the Judge is not clear, though Abano seems to hint at the need to consider all figures, since he also considers those that cannot be Judge. ↩︎
Admittedly, some of these explanations are hard to follow. I do not know, for instance, why this combination should indicate positive things between husband and wife. ↩︎
Abano does not present all possible combinations. It is not clear whether he forgot or he thought it was enough to give some examples. Note also that some explanation almost seem contrary to reason. ↩︎
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).
