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Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Everyday Oracle, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla Cheat Sheet

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Here is a quick cheat sheet of the main traditional meanings attributed to each card. To avoid going on and on, I’ve limited myself to a maximum of three concepts/keywords per card side (i.e. three concepts at most for a card in its upright position and three at most for the reversed position).

This list is not exhaustive, as I had to concentrate on the most useful meanings, but it’s a starting point and a good reference. You can click on the four suits to be redirected to more in-depth card descriptions.

Suit of Hearts

Ace – Conversation (Conversazione)
Upright: Communication | People under the same roof
Reversed: Transformation, Change | Communication problems

Two – The House (Casa)
Upright: House or building | Family | Intimacy
Reversed: Negative home environment | Negative place

Three – The Balcony (Belvedere)
Upright: Arrival | Looking, Watching, Seeing | Distance
Reversed: Non-arrival | Arrival of negative things or people | Uncontrollable, animalesque character

Four – Love (Amore)
Upright: Love, Emotions | Positive context that the querent loves
Reversed: Traditionally the card of homosexuality | Lack of emotions | Distorted expression of emotion

Five – Happiness (Allegrezza al Cuore)
Upright: Quick fulfillment | An engagement, A commitment of any kind | Extended family, relatives
Reversed: Cheating, Betrayal | Setbacks of all kinds | Problems with relatives

Six – The Safe (Denaro)
Upright: Money | The past, Things that exist now as a result of something in the past
Reversed: Money trouble | Avarice | The future, Not yet known

Seven – Scholar (Scholar)
Upright: The intellect, Creativity, Talent | A notary public, A lawyer | A contract or legal agreement
Reversed: Ulterior motives | Lack of creativity or talent

Eight – Hope (Speranza)
Upright: Trips and outings, Fun | Hope, Situation clearing up | By the water, Overseas
Reversed: Depression, Lack of hope | Hopes falling through, Situations going up in smoke

Nine – Faithfulness (Fedeltà)
Upright: Success in love | Faithfulness, Honesty, Loyalty to someone, something, etc.
Reversed: Lack of success in love | Betrayal, Infidelity, Unclear behavior

Ten – Perseverance (Costanza)
Upright: Firmness, Steadfastness, Earned success | Duration in time | The querent’s city or home country
Reversed: Wrath, Anger, Arguments | Instability | Inconstancy, Lack of effort

Jack – The Boyfriend (Amante)
Upright: An unmarried man over 30 | The him in “I would totally do him”
Reversed: The person is in trouble or is against the querent | Cheating man or a man who doesn’t love| Lustful, debauched

Queen – The Girlfriend (Amatrice)
Upright: An unmarried woman over 30 | The her in “I would totally do her”
Reversed: The person is in trouble or is against the querent | Cheating woman or a woman who doesn’t love | Lustful, debauched

King – The Gentleman (Gran Signore)
Upright: A married man | A protector, A man who helps you
Reversed: The person is in trouble or is against the querent | Cheating | This card is connected with addictions

Suit of Clubs

Ace – Marriage (Imeneo)
Upright: Marriage, Union or partnership | A contract, a legal agreement requiring a signature | Prosperity, Production
Reversed: Materiality, Material prosperity and material things | Sex, Sexual relations, Sexual sphere

Two – The Peacock (Superbia)
Upright: The best card in the deck, strengthening the positive and reducing the negative in any spread, Divine intervention, Success, Completion | Beauty | The significator card for magic and works of magic
Reversed: Vanity, ego distorting reality, Haughtiness | Dark magic, Demonic forces, Evil

Three – Journey (Viaggio)
Upright: Journey, travel, change of place | Change of opinion, of mind etc.
Reversed: Positive transformation, Progress | Public success | Only negative for travels and journeys

Four – Friend (Amica)
Upright: Friendship | Cooperation, Support | A female friend, sister, parent etc.
Reversed: Help, Recommendation, A very positive card

Five – Fortune (Fortuna)
Upright: Positive turn of events, Luck | Free success | This card is the second best in the deck, after the Peacock
Reversed: Also positive, but delayed | Gradual transformation, less in your face and requiring some patience

Six – The Surprise (Consolante Sorpresa)
Upright: Unexpected, unhoped for turn of events, Surprise | Getting, Receiving, Picking up | Now, Very shortly, the present
Reversed: Excess of aspiration causing one’s downfall | Downfall in general | Lack of common interests

Seven – Gratification (Gran Consolazione)
Upright: Stabilization, Concretization | Realization, Recognition, Promotion | The patrimony, One’s assets
Reversed: Insecurity, Fears | Lack of concrete outcomes or concrete effects | Slander

Eight – Reunion (Riunione)
Upright: The re- card of the Sibilla (Reunion, Reconciliation, Recovery, etc.) | Meeting, Appointment, Coming together, Social contacts | Positive evolution
Reversed: Insecurity, Apathy, Doubts | Non-union, disagreement, breakup

Nine – Cheerfulness (Allegria)
Upright: Social life, Social ties (not necessarily strong) | Party, Celebration | Any positive event that might be the cause for celebration
Reversed: Lack of restraint or self-mastery, Addictions in general and alcoholism in particular | Setbacks of all kinds, usually not dependent on the querent’s will

Ten – Levity (Leggerezza)
Upright: Levity, Superficiality, Frivolity | Carelessness, negligence | “Just a little” of something, Not too much for better or worse
Reversed: Lucky moment, Lucky opportunity | The internet | Betting, Games of chance, Gambling

Jack – The Helper (Domestico)
Upright: A young, single man under 30 | Dependable, helpful | A student, an apprentice, a co-worker
Reversed: Same, but he’s either in trouble or against the querent | A good-for-nothing, A bum

Queen – The Maiden (Giovane Fanciulla)
Upright: A young, single woman under 30 | Sensible, genuine, innocent |Lack of experience
Reversed: Same, but she’s either in trouble or against the querent | Fragility, A tendency to depression | Moodiness, Inconstancy, Immaturity

King – The Doctor (Dottore)
Upright: Someone, possibly a professional, who has power over the querent or the situation, A good position in life | A doctor, someone with a degree | Need to heal something, literally or figuratively
Reversed: Wrong advice, whether by a doctor or another professional | Wrong path | A corrupted man

Suit of Diamonds

Ace – Room (Stanza)
Upright: Intimacy, Privacy | Upcoming news, usually of a confidential nature | A place, especially a place within a building (but not always)
Reversed: Revelation of secrets or unpleasant truths | Lack of intimacy

Two – Letter (Lettera)
Upright: Letter, News, Telephone call | Document, Book, Prescription, etc. | Writing, elaborating
Reversed: Same, this card doesn’t have a reversed meaning, although sometimes it comes up reversed in contexts where negative cards appear

Three – The Gift (Omaggio di Preziosi)
Upright: Gift, Offer, Opportunity | Wealth, Opulence | Objects in general
Reversed: Positive solution, The sorting out of a difficult situation for the best, Especially on the material side of life

Four – Falsehood (Falsità)
Upright: Lie, Falsehood, Insincerity | Mistake, Wrong, Incomplete, Oversight | Negativity in general, Negative context
Reversed: Unmasking of a liar, Demise of enemies | Positivity, Relief

Five – Melancholy (Malinconia)
Upright: Passing sadness, Feeling down or meh| Dissatisfaction | An open wound from the past (see previous cards to confirm this interpretation)
Reversed: Same, but more negative and less passing | Debts, A critical financial situation | Fights, Quarrels

Six – Thought (Pensiero)
Upright: Planning, Projecting | Thinking, Conjecturing | One’s character or inner nature
Reversed: Negative thoughts/plans toward another or oneself | Illusion, Wrong assumption | Subconsciousness

Seven – The Child (Bambino)
Upright: A child, A pet, Something small | Newness, Something new with potential to grow | Inexperience, Naivety
Reversed: Things not growing or progressing | Uncertainty, Doubt | Same inexperience and naivety, but worse

Eight – The Handmaid (Donna di Servizio)
Upright: Offer, Being given something, Gift, Money coming in | Refinement, Politeness, Being upstanding | Evolution, Expansion, Elevation
Reversed: Money going out, Owing, Payment | A shallow, unrefined, petty, morally dubious character | Litigiousness, Tiffs and falling outs

Nine – The Fools (Deliranti)
Upright: Setbacks, Difficulties, Irregularities | Negative social interactions, Fights, Negative groups | Unwarranted exaltation, Miscalculation
Reversed: The steady worsening of a situation, Things unravelling, Devolving instead of evolving | A blunder, A misstep

Ten – The Thief (Ladro)
Upright: Theft, A negative or criminal plan, Someone acting in the shadows | Loss, disadvantage | Things or people or situations snatched or taken away from us
Reversed: Insurmountable problems, Huge obstacles | Foreboding places, Places you’d rather not be | Insolvency, Not living up to a contract or agreement

Jack – The Messenger (Messaggero)
Upright: News, usually more official than those signaled by the letter, A postman | Errands, Small changes of place | An intermediary, An agent, A mediator
Reversed: Negative news or delayed arrival of news/parcels | Bad mediator/intermediary | Gossip, Rumors, Slander

Queen – The Wife (Donna Maritata)
Upright: A married woman, sometimes with children, or a woman with an important relationship
Reversed: Same, but she’s either in trouble or against the querent

King – The Merchant (Mercante)
Upright: This is the significator card for the querent job/career | Only very rarely a calculating individual
Reversed: Problems with the querent’s job or career | Lack of common sense or talent

Suit of Spades

Ace – Sorrow (Dispiacere)
Upright: Bad news | Sorrow, Tears | Violence, Beatings
Reversed: Sorrow, but to a lesser extent | The need to put in much effort, Toil, Labor (also a woman’s labor) | Cycles, Repetition, Many times

Two – The Crone (Vecchia Signora)
Upright: Decline, Weakening, Cooling off | Something reaching its natural conclusion | An older woman, Old as an adjective
Reversed: Obsolete, Outdated | Separation, Inability to get along | Avarice, Inability to let go

Three – The Widower (Vedovo)
Upright: Separation, Removal, Solitude | Loss, Deprivation, Lack | An older man
Reversed: A funeral, A ritual or rite in general | Trauma, Traumatic loss | Misconduct, Aberration from reality

Four – The Sickness (L’Ammalato)
Upright: Sickness, Illness, Malady | Something that is morbid, rotting, noxious | A breakdown
Reversed: A blockage, A standstill | Avarice, Hoarding, Economy | Closed-off places, Lack of movement

Five – Death (Morte)
Upright: Death, Ending, Transformation (usually painful) | Imbalance, Lack of reciprocity or equilibrium or fairness
Reversed: Profound inner turmoil, Inner death, Inner devastation

Six – Sighs (Sospiri)
Upright: Anxiety, Tormented Hope | Waiting, After a long time | A large means of transport
Reversed: Fluctuation, Instability | Explanation, Listening to reason, Receiving advice, especially from a professional

Seven – Disaster (Disgrazia)
Upright: Accident, literal or figurative (anything that hits us from the outside and changes the situation) | Negative energy, Choleric temperament | All of a sudden
Reversed: Force majeure | Oppression, Tyranny, A power we must bend to | Downfall, Ruination

Eight – Desperation (Disperato per Gelosia)
Upright: Crisis, Critical moment | Desperation, Tears | Jealousy, Envy
Reversed: Arrogance, Ego trips | Accidents, Upset

Nine – The Prison (Prigione)
Upright: Blockage, A situation you either are forced into or you can’t get out of, A heavy bond | Solitude, Unwelcoming place | A pregnancy
Reversed: Regret, Feeling of guilt | Loss of physical or moral freedom | If followed by positive cards, the end of a blockage, Liberation, Atonement

Ten – The Soldier (Militare)
Upright: Physical force, strength, violence | The need to fight, an uphill battle | A person in uniform, a person in the army or police
Reversed: Secrets, clandestine matters, Things/people we don’t know | Betrayal, Spinelessness, Cowardice | Controversy, Fights

Jack – The Villain (Nemico)
Upright: A negative man, a man against the querent
Reversed: Same, but a man who is negative out of stupidity | An enemy in trouble, the demise of an enemy

Queen – The Witch (Nemica)
Upright: The female version of the Jack
Reversed: The female version of the Jack

King – The Priest (Sacerdote)
Upright: The government | Legal affairs | Specialist knowledge, Someone who has conducted serious studies to get where they are (in any field, which includes divinity of course, but rarely)
Reversed: Legal trouble or trouble with the government | Having the system against you | Injustice

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Everyday Oracle, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Sibilla Quick Meanings – Suit of Spades

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Ace – Sorrow (Dispiacere) | A♠
Upright: Bad news, Sad news, Negative communication | Sorrow, Despair, Tears, Sadness | Violence, Aggression, Brutality
Reversed: Sorrow, but to a lesser degree, which is relatively easier to get over | When preceded by negative cards and followed by positive ones, the end of sorrow | Toil, Labor, The need to put in a great amount effort | Labor pains, Going into labor | Conception, Fertility, Sperm, Fecundity | Cycles, Something that is repeated, Something that happens over and over, Repetition | A signature

Two – Crone (Vecchia Signora) | 2♠
Upright: Decline, Weakening, Cooling down, Lessening | Something that is reaching its natural conclusion | Something old, Old as an adjective, An ex, Something already known | An elderly woman | A visit, Short trips, Small movements
Reversed: Separation, Division, Split | Inability to get along, Misunderstandings | Profound avarice, Unwillingness to let go or to give | Decline, but much quicker and irreversible than in the upright position | Something outdated, Obsolescence, Something completely out of touch with current reality | A negative old woman or (more rarely) an old woman in trouble (or deceased) | Inability to learn from experience

Three – Widower (Vedovo) | 3♠
Upright: Separation, Removal, Getting away | Loss, Deprivation, Lack of (of what? See the cards around) | Loneliness, Aloneness, Abandonment, Singleness | A sense of mourning, of profound sadness (less passing than in the Five of Diamonds) | An older man, A grandfather etc.
Reversed: Traditionally, the card of the funeral | Bereavement, Grief | Trauma, Traumatic loss, Traumatic event | Mental derangement, Disorder, Madness | Wrong conduct, Mistake | Any ritual or rite, positive or negative, religious or magical | Substance abuse (especially alcohol) may be indicated 

Four – Sickness (Ammalato) | 4♠
Upright: Sickness, Illness, Ailment | A situation that is ill, sick, A situation or a thing that is noxious, Bad, Rotten or rotting, Broken, Breakdown | A profound sense of lack of resources (especially inner resources) to pull through, Mental breakdown
Reversed: Stop, Blockage, Halt, Situations that have no development and don’t move, at least for the time being | When followed by positive cards, it shows the removal of a blockage, The resuming of normal life, The end of illness | Avarice, Money issues Economy, Extreme carefulness in allocating one’s resources (but more usually avarice) | Places of retreat, Places of isolation, Isolation in general

Five – Death (Morte) | 5♠
Upright: Death, The literal one, with skull and crossbones | Ending, Termination, No more of whatever was going on before, Complete overhaul of a situation, or even of one’s life | When followed by positive cards, a difficult transformation for the better, which however is likely to come at a price | Imbalance, Disparity, Unevenness, Disturbance, Disproportion, Rip-off  
Reversed: Traditionally the card of “Inner death”, It represents feelings of profound sadness, upset, etc. | The seriousness of this card greatly depends on the context and the surrounding cards

Six – Sighs (Sospiri) | 6♠
Upright: Anxiety, Torment, Inner turmoil, Tormented hope | Waiting, Having to wait, Delay, After a long while | The element of water, like the Eight of Hearts, but usually in a more negative sense | Large means of transport
Reversed: Fluctuation, Ups and down, Instability, Uncertainty, Alternation of highs and lows, Ebbs and flows | If followed by positive cards, It points to the end of turmoil, Resilience, Pulling through, Self-mastery, End of useless waiting, Moving on | Explanation, Revelation, Counsel, Advice, Especially from a professional or someone who knows what they are talking about, An invitation to step outside of oneself and look for more objectivity

Seven – Disaster (Disgrazia) | 7♠
Upright: Accident, Mishap, Disaster | The element of Fire, Also electricity | Upset, Anything that hits us from the outside, Unexpected, Incalculable, Unforeseeable, Disruptive of the status quo | All of a sudden, Very quickly (whether for better or worse) | Ill-will, Negative plans, Desire to hurt, A choleric disposition, A tendency to snap quickly, A negative person | Negative energy in general, This card is traditionally described as “evil, chaotic energies overcoming the energies of reason and balance”
Reversed: The most brutally negative card in the deck | Traditionally described as the card of “la forza maggiore”, force majeur, i.e. anything where there is a greater power against which the person is absolutely powerless | Subjugation, Oppression, Suppression, Tyranny, Slavery, A forced situation, A situation where the querent is in chains | Ruination, Destruction, Complete downfall

Eight – Desperation and Jealousy (Disperato per Gelosia) | 8♠
Upright: Crisis, Critical moment, Hopes and projects falling through, Situations going south | Desperation, Tears, A moment of crisis, A moment where the normal flow of life stops and you come face to face with a situation in all its ugliness, Lack of hope, Negative attitude | Loss of money | Ill-will, Envy, Toxic environment, Look behind your back | Jealousy (in varying degrees), Possessiveness
Reversed: Accident, Fatality | Arrogance, Ego-trips, Selfishness, Egoism, Holding on to grudges | Lack of restraints, One who will go to any length | When preceded by negative cards and followed by positive ones, the end of a critical moment

Nine – Prison (Prigione) | 9♠
Upright: Prison, Punishment| Isolation, Loss of friends | A situation that you are forced into or at least feel forced into | A situation that you can’t get out of | A blockage, in general, Solitude, Unemployment, Lack of support or help | Traditionally, also the card of pregnancy | Any oppressive place, A negative place or environment (also a negative family environment) |
Reversed: A Loss of physical or moral freedom (as in the upright position, after all), Someone trying to deprive us of our freedom | Regret, Feeling of guilt | Feeling sorry for what you’ve done, whether because it was bad or because it had bad consequences (e.g. marrying young, signing a contract, etc.), Often things done out of guilt, Or feeling blocked by guilt | When followed by negative cards, the entering into a period or situation of blockage, of loss of freedom, etc. | When followed by positive cards, leaving a situation of loss of freedom, Release from freedom, Atonement, Or even someone asking for our forgiveness

Ten – Soldier (Militare) | 10♠
Upright: Force, Strength, Muscle power | The purely physical plane of existence | Violence, Brutality | The need to fight, An uphill battle | A secretive attitude, Unclear and murky situations | The card of the uniform, Someone wearing a uniform | A hot young man (under 35, usually) | The card for the police, The army, the navy, etc., The armed forces in general, This card also rules arms | The night, Nighttime | Mountains, Forests, Deserts, unwelcoming environments in general (literally or figuratively), When in doubt it represents mountains
Reversed: Secrets, Clandestine matters, Underground, Covert | Again, the night | Things, People, Situations that someone (or the querent) doesn’t know about | Controversy, The need to fight | Weakness, whether moral or physical, Spinelessness

Jack – Villain (Nemico) | J♠
Upright: A male person who is working against the querent, traditionally because he is evil | But be careful and take the situation into account, it can also simply signify someone who wins if the querent loses and vice versa | Also, someone who is angry at the querent | The father-in-law (usually together with the King of Diamonds)
Reversed: the same, but usually the person is either against the querent out of stupidity rather than because of a truly evil disposition, or they are overtly inimical to the querent | It can also signify the downfall of an enemy

Queen – Rival (Nemica) | Q♠
Upright: Same as the Jack, but this is a woman: she is evil, or she wins when the querent loses, or she is angry at the querent | The mother-in-law (usually together with the Two of Spades)
Reversed: Same as for the Jack | However, an additional nuance is that she is traditionally considered also the woman who is ready to do anything for vengeance (although I haven’t found it to be often the case, normally she’s just the same as the Reversed Jack of Spades, only for a woman)

King – Priest (Sacerdote) | K♠
Upright: VERY rarely a priest, usually only in the appropriate context and even then this card has nothing to do with spirituality, which is shown by other cards | The first main meaning of this card is that it shows the government, from city to state to federal | The second main meaning is that it shows the legal system, The law in general, etc., Something that is legally valid | The third main meaning is that it represents specialist knowledge, A specialist doctor (the GP is the King of Clubs), A judge, An attorney, Anyone who has amassed an outstanding amount of specialist knowledge in order to do what they do | An exorcist, A magician (neutral), Someone with great esoteric knowledge | It can also show compassion and faithfulness together with a sense of detachment, non-involvement, neutrality, Someone who is not expansive, A husband who may be a bit cold or guarded (but not evil, unless with negative cards)
Reversed: Injustice, Illegality, Immorality, Disorder, Corruption | Four times out of five, either a legal problem or a problem with the government | The law intervening in the situation, Lawsuit, Divorce, Dissolution of a partnership, Legal battles with little hope of winning, Outright loss of a legal battle, A fierce opponent in a legal battle | Someone who either doesn’t have specialist knowledge, or is not good at it, or uses it for evil purposes | A very evil man, with the potential to be extremely dangerous

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Everyday Oracle, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Sibilla Quick Meanings – Suit of Diamonds

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Ace – Room (Stanza) | A♢
Upright: Upcoming news usually of a confidential nature | A private meeting or encounter, A meeting that may or may not be secret but is certainly not advertised publicly | Intimacy, Privacy, The querent’s private sphere | A literal room, A place within a building, A place in general | This card is auspicious for the economy, showing potential for prosperity, Advantage, etc.
Reversed: Shocking revelations, Unpleasant facts coming to light, Revealed secrets | In the economic sphere, this card points to bad management with negative cards

Two – Letter (Lettera) | 2♢
Upright: Written words, Written elaboration | Letter, Message (may also be a telephone call these days) | Documents, Papers, Contracts, A Diagnosis, Prescriptions | A Book, A written exam, A test | Elaboration of plans and projects (this comes from the concept of writing down, which implies a certain amount of reflection)
Reversed: Traditionally this card is given as not having a reversed meaning, But you may find that it tends to show up reversed when surrounded by negative cards that show problems with whatever is written in the letter

Three – Gift (Presente di Pietre Preziose) | 3♢
Upright: Objects, Moveable goods in general, Packages sent or received | Gifts, Offers, Proposals, Everything that is extended to the querent that might represent a way for them to progress | This card is connected with wealth, Opulence, Richness, Upward mobility, Luxury, Nobility | Metaphorically, this card can (rarely) show the querent’s “gift”, i.e. their talent, and whether or not it is used
Reversed: A positive card that shows difficult situations progressively going toward some kind of resolution, Especially in a material context | Very rarely, this card may show cheapness, Not using one’s gifts, Difficulties in a couple due to different characters

Four – Falseness (Falsità) | 4♢
Upright: Negativity, Negative context all around, A context the querent should avoid or beware of, because it is not as it seems | Lies, Falseness, Falsehoods, Scams, Things that are not as they seem or don’t seem as they are, Sabotage | Mistakes, Errors, Incompleteness, Wrong point of view, Skewed perception, Distorted sense of reality, Delusion | Broken, Not working, Breaking down | Bad weather | Relatives by marriage, Step-relatives, Adopted children, etc.
Reversed: Discovery of negative plans, people, intents, with a positive solution for the querent being implied, Discovery of lies, etc. | Positive resolution in general, Relief | On rare occasion, this card will point to avarice, but not in an excessively negative sense

Five – Melancholy (Malinconia) | 5♢
Upright: A step toward instability, Unhappy transition | Transitory difficulties and unhappiness which is not necessarily going to last | Often this card represents an open wound, Something that still hurts from the past (look at the cards before to see what it is) | Melancholy, Loss of heart, Sadness, A bad mood, Not feeling like it, Disappointment, Dissatisfaction with a situation
Reversed: The same, but usually worse or longer-lasting, A strongly stressful situation| Situations where it’s too late to do something | Fights, Litigiousness, Quarrels (including legal ones) | This is the card of debts, this is a very prominent meaning of this card

Six – Thought (Pensiero) | 6♢
Upright: The querent’s (or someone else’s) thoughts, Projects, Ideas, Conjectures, Plans, Not necessarily the reality of a situation | Consciousness, as opposed to the normal flow of outside reality | Character, Psychological traits, etc. | Pondering, Thinking, Studying
Reversed: Negative thoughts, Negative thinking, Pessimism | Negative plans, i.e. the plan to do something bad (e.g. cheating, stealing, doing something shady), Note: the negative plans could also be plans of self-harm or self-destruction | Illusion, Delusion | Subconsciousness, Including the paranormal phenomena connected to it (psychic abilities, etc.), Also dreams

Seven – Child (Bambino) | 7♢
Upright: Beginning, Something that starts, Something new that has in itself the potential to develop and have a future | A literal child (usually no older than 10) | A pet, i.e. Any domesticated animal that shares a bond to a human | Newness in general, New ideas, New views of oneself and what’s around | Innocence, Honesty, Candor | Lack of experience, Naivety
Reversed: Things that take long to mature, Things that don’t mature, Things that don’t go on and don’t grow into what they are supposed to become | Hesitation, Uncertainty, Losing momentum, Losing dynamicity | Immaturity, Childishness | The meanings of inexperience and naivety are magnified | A child (or pet) that is sick or in trouble, Abortion or Miscarriage (with other cards)

Eight – Handmaid (Donna di Servizio) | 8♢
Upright: Evolution, Positive development, Expansion | All things that are given to the querent, Gifts, Loans, Offers, Money, etc. | Money earned, in general | Refinement, Sophistication, Politeness, A noble character | Things of value | Rarely, actual nobility, or its equivalent in today’s bourgeois world | Sometimes this card signals the querent’s entrance into a new phase of life, for better or worse | A visit or short trip | Sometimes this card represents a person, A woman whom the querent usually works with, Normally she’s trustworthy and dependable | This card can sometimes be a significator card for the querent’s work in substitution for the Merchant
Reversed: All things that are NOT given to the querent, Things that are refused to the querent, Things that are owed by the querent (e.g. taxes, payments, etc.) | Money spent, in general, Money going out, Where your money goes (see other cards) | Gossip, A sharp tongue | A wretched character, The hoodrat, the trashy type, Sleaziness, Slovenliness, With no standards, prone to cheating or abusing other people’s kindness or honesty, Base, Inferior, Worthless, The classless bitch type (of any sex)| Things of little or no value | Squabbles and quarrels, especially among members of the same family or among neighbors, Sometimes with the partner too

Nine – Fools (Deliranti) | 9♢
Upright: Difficulties, Setbacks of any kind, Usually unpredictable | Irregularity, things that don’t follow a pattern, Things not to be trusted | Things that proceed with difficulties, or with no clarity, or with no clear aim | Fights, Arguments | Unwarranted exaltation, Great misconception, Derangement, Foolishness | Natural disasters (earthquakes, fires, floods, etc.) | Negative social ties, Running with the wrong crowd | Many people, but in a negative sense, Mob mentality, Negative groups | Degeneracy
Reversed: Involution, Steady worsening of a situation, Situations that go back in stead of going forward, That become more difficult instead of improving | Blunders, Mistakes, Misguided attempts | Hesitation, Lack of direction

Ten – Thief (Ladro) | 10♢
Upright: Theft, A thief, Snatching away, Criminal intents | Intrusion, Interference, Ill intents, The shady influence of someone on the situation, Someone who tries to come between two other people | Loss, especially of money or of opportunities, Things (or people, or situations) that are taken away from us in general | When this card comes after a positive sequence, it “snatches” it away from us, no matter how promising it was
Reversed: Insurmountable obstacles, That’s it, Period, One of the worst cards in the deck | A situation of great oppression and difficulty | Places the querent would rather not go, Hospitals, Cemeteries, Prisons, Also large, foreboding places such as castles or monasteries | Devastating material loss, This card is especially a warning to those who bet and gamble | Agreements and contracts that won’t be respected, Also if you lent someone money, you won’t see it back

Jack – Messenger (Messaggero) | J♢
Upright: News, Letters, Messages, Usually more important or more formal than those shown by the Two of Diamonds | The postal services, A postman, A package or parcel | A young man with dark hair (very rarely) | Usefulness, Acquiring knowledge of useful facts within the context | An intermediary, A middleman, Someone who mediates, An agency | Short trips, Errands
Reversed: Delays, Negative news | Problems with the postal services | Ineffective intermediary/agency | Gossip, Slander, Unfounded rumors

Queen – Wife (Donna Maritata) | Q♢
Upright: A woman whose role will be clarified by the context, She is a neutral figure, Usually married or in a committed relationship where she lives with her partner, Sometimes with kids | Unless other cards show otherwise, she’s not the object of the querent’s desire (which doesn’t mean the querent is not married to her, mind you) | An older (but not ancient) woman, A mature lady | Being married was the highest aspiration for a woman back in the day, Today this card can show a woman who is realized | This card is connected to wealth
Reversed: A woman who is either in trouble or who is trouble for the querent, False, jealous, two-faced | Sometimes, a woman who gets into trouble in order to help the querent

King – Merchant (Mercante) | K♢
Upright: Very rarely an actual person, 9 times out of 10 this card is the significator card for the querent’s job/career, Period | On the odd occasion, this card has connection with money, banks, buying and selling, etc. | VERY rarely, a cunning but somewhat charismatic man (not necessarily evil, but certainly not prince charming)
Reversed: Something’s wrong with the querent’s job or career | This card also has a connection with lack of practicality and commonsense, Lack of talent, Not being cut for a certain job or duty | Rarely, a sleazy individual, the stereotype of the merchant before the industrial revolution, The Shylock type

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Everyday Oracle, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Sibilla Quick Meanings – Suit of Clubs

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Ace – Marriage (Imeneo) | A♣
Upright: Union, Contract, Partnership, Marriage, Anything that requires the legal agreement between two (or more) people to start | This card is the significator card for a marriage and what happens to it, or for any partnership/joint venture/enterprise | Production, Creation, Prosperity | Concretization of projects
Reversed: Materiality, The material world | Wealth, Substance | Sex, Sexual union, Sex is a very prominent meaning of this card when reversed | Conception, Fertility | In a question about feelings, this card alone doesn’t speak about love (but other cards around it might show otherwise. In itself, however, this is the card of sex, when reversed) | With negative cards, this card points to the dissolution of a union of any kind, or denies that the union will happen

Two – Peacock (Superbia) | 2♣
Upright: Completion, Totality, Wholeness, Victory, Triumph | The traditional “talisman” card, showing protection, The God-power, This card increases the good in good cards and decreases the bad in bad cards, It’s the best and most powerful card in the deck | Liberation from limitations, obstacles and chains | Beauty, Aesthetics | Honor, Recognition, Virtue, Competence, Talent | The significator card for Magical works
Reversed: Vanity, Pride, Haughtiness, Lack of Humility, Ego-trips | Someone’s behavior is clouded by their ego or idiosyncrasies, Setbacks caused by the wrong attitude | Dark arts, Black Magic, Satan, The Devil, Demonic presences and possessions

Three – Journey (Viaggio) | 3♣
Upright: Movement, Change of place, Travel, Trip | Inner journey, Change of attitude, Change of perspective, Change of ideas, of plans, of strategies | Situations that change, that are set in motion, especially if the previous cards show a static period, Dynamicity | A means of transport
Reversed: Evolution, Progression, Transformation | This card is good in all aspects of life, except for travel, where it shows setbacks and delays (accidents only with very negative cards)

Four – Friend (Amica) | 4♣
Upright: A significator card for a woman, usually a friend or a relative | Friendship in general, Help, Consolation, Support, Cooperation | A positive, supportive context, A situation where the querent won’t be alone and will receive support
Reversed: Material help, Help in general | Recommendations, Someone pulling some strings for you, Connections, Networking  

Five – Fortune (Fortuna) | 5♣
Upright: Positive evolution regardless of personal merit, Success, Positive turn of events
Reversed: Also positive, but delayed, It shows a transformation that happens over a longer period of time

Six – Surprise (Consolante Sorpresa) | 6♣
Upright: Surprise, Unexpected (usually positive) development | Results that exceed one’s effort, Good luck | A situation flourishing with little effort | Money, A raise | Receipt, Getting, Obtaining, Discovering, Picking up etc. | The present time, Now, All of a sudden, Very soon, Very shortly, Presently
Reversed: Excessive ambition that might cause a plan’s downfall, Downfall in general | With positive cards, the need to put in an inordinate amount of effort | In love, it warns of a lack of common interests as a possible cause for break up, Growing apart

Seven – Gratification (Gran Consolazione) | 7♣
Upright: Solidity, Sense of security in the world, The querent’s sense of personal realization | Concretization, The next logical, tangible step in solidifying one’s position in a certain situation | The querent’s material assets | Conquest, Personal realization, Gratification, Graduation, Promotion, Upward mobility | Ambition, Recognition, Fame, Renown, A good name | A light at the end of the tunnel, if after negative cards | The querent’s work environment
Reversed: Things that do not move along, Lack of concrete results, Lack of further developments, Lack of tangible outcomes | Fear, Insecurity | Spiraling downward, One’s position is threatened | Attacks to one’s name, Slander, Malicious gossip that threatens one’s position 

Eight – Reunion (Riunione) | 8♣
Upright: Going back to a previous, positive situation that had been interrupted, Reconciliation, Recovery, Recouping one’s losses or credits, There is a general sense of re-, of going back to, in this card, usually in a positive sense | Positive development in general | Meeting, Appointment, Date, Encounter, Congregation, People coming together with an aim | The countryside as a place, And the leisurely activities connected with it| More than one of anything, The second of something, Two of something | A card that can stand for social relationships, contact with the public and having a positive attitude toward others (with good cards, that is)
Reversed: Doubts, Self-doubt, Uncertainty, Inability to muster up the strength to fight, Apathy | Pangs of conscience | Lack of reconciliation (or a Break-up) | Inability to get along in a group of people, Problems with people

Nine – Cheerfulness (Allegria) | 9♣
Upright: Cheerfulness, Mirth, Any situation that could be cause for celebration (usually on the material side of things), A jolly disposition and its positive expressions (jokes, laughing together, etc.) | Social ties, Groups of friends or of people (the ties are not necessarily strong) | A party | Places where people drink, eat and have fun | Eating, Drinking, Nutrition, Food
Reversed: Excesses of all kinds, Addictions, Inability to master one’s instincts or get out of self-indulgence and self-destruction (in itself, this is the card of alcoholism, but also of addiction in general, see the other cards) | Setbacks of all kinds, usually not dependent on the querent’s behavior, Loss of profession | A nasty attitude toward other people, Nasty jokes that are not funny at all, Bullying, Malicious intents masked as joking | “Enforced gayety”, Faking happiness or pretending to be happy

Ten – Levity (Leggerezza) | 10♣
Upright: Recklessness, Carelessness, Haste, Irresponsibility | Lack of focus, Lack of perseverance, Lack of serious commitment | This card can work as an adjective, showing “only a little”, “just a touch”, “not that much”, “not that positive” or “not that negative”, It moderates the import of the other cards for better or ill | A tendency to overspend or to spend toward the wrong things | Something that passes, that doesn’t last, that is not solid, that is not rooted in the querent’s destiny, Something that happens without any deep reason, and that therefore may (and probably will) go away without any deep reason | The element of Air,  The Wind, “Airy” places and things, Bridges, The sky, Airplanes, Helicopters, etc.
Reversed: Lucky moment, Lucky occasion, Stroke of luck, A window of opportunity (usually more on the material side) | Being thorough, Being mindful of our assets and careful how we spend them | Games of chance, Betting (in itself it doesn’t show winning, when it takes on this meaning) | Virtual reality, The internet

Jack – Servant (Domestico) | J♣
Upright: A younger man (traditionally under 30), May be a son, a brother, a friend, A co-worker, etc., He is usually already part of the querent’s life, Often through work, Unless the cards show otherwise he is not romantically connected to the querent | A helper, Someone who helps you, Help in general as a concept| A dutiful young chap, A student, An apprentice, Someone who is learning | It can show a lowly position in life or at work, but with positive cards it may show someone who starts small and then grows
Reversed: The younger man we talked about is either in trouble or against the querent | He is the stereotype of the bad guy, A thief, A junkie, Someone with no morals, Someone with no ambition other than exploiting others, Self-indulgent, Often one who squanders money, A bad student or apprentice | A help that doesn’t come, Help that is denied

Queen – Maiden (Giovane Fanciulla) | Q♣
Upright: A young woman (traditionally under 30), May be a daughter, a sister, a friend, etc., She is the female counterpart to the Jack | She is usually the innocent princess, Somewhat prissy but good | She is connected with virginity, Inexperience, Innocence | Sensibility, Fragility, The need for protection, but in a neutral way
Reversed: As with all people cards, she is either in trouble or against the querent, but experience shows that, unless morally ambiguous cards show up next to her, she is usually just in trouble | A woman who, regardless of age, is very immature and frivolous, like a teenager | Great fragility of character, Mood swings, A tendency to depression, Inconstancy, Also a tendency to latch on to other people’s help and good heart

King – Doctor (Dottore) | K♣
Upright: A doctor (A GP, unless some other card defines him otherwise) | Someone whose services are required in the situation | Someone with a degree, A degree in itself | Someone with a good position in life, Figuratively it can show that the querent is (or isn’t, look at the other cards) on the right path toward attainment | Someone who has the power to influence the querent’s situation for good or ill, Often the querent’s boss | Can point to the existence of a health problem, Figuratively however it points to something that is not fine and needs healing (this is a very important meaning in all sectors of life) | More rarely, a controlling, austere husband and father, although not necessarily violent
Reversed: Traditionally, wrong medical advice, Wrong diagnosis, Wrong prescription, Seek second opinion | Wrong service being given to the querent in any field | Wrong path | A scumbag, A depraved man, Corruption in general | A negative individual who will influence the situation negatively | A criminal (this is the card of the mobster) | Someone incredibly arrogant and possibly violent, A negative husband that the querent is advised to leave | Figuratively, A person or situation that cannot be healed

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Everyday Oracle, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Sibilla Quick Meanings – Suit of Hearts

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Ace – Conversation (Conversazione) | A♡
Upright: Words, Conversations, Information exchange, News, Communication | Meetings, Dates, Appointments | People who live together or spend a lot of time under the same roof | How you communicate, How you open yourself up to other people or to new things | Ability to interact with other people, with the public, etc.
Reversed: Revolution, Change, Metamorphosis | Lack of communication, Communication problems, Arguments | Problems with clients or with the public

Two – House (Casa) | 2♡
Upright: Warmth, Harmony, Intimacy, Solidity, Stability, Stabilization, Solidification | The querent’s home or family | A House, Real estate | An outside building in general | This is the significator card for a couple’s inner dynamics 
Reversed: Problems at home or in the family, The querent’s home environment feels stifling or wrong, A troubled household | Trouble in the couple, A couple that is no longer solid | Problems with real estate, Problems with a building, A house you shouldn’t buy | Any building or outside place where the querent would rather not go (Hospital, Graveyard, Prison, A court of law, etc.)

Three – Balcony (Belvedere) | 3♡
Upright: Arrival of news, people, situations, etc. within a short period | New developments soon to be expected, The situation is taking shape | Looking, Watching, Seeing, Searching | Seeing in a metaphorical sense, Insight | This card is connected with long distances
Reversed: News, people, situations, developments that won’t arrive, or will be delayed, or the querent would be better off without | An animalesque character, Bestial behavior | Lack of insight, Not seeing | A situation that will not have developments

Four – Love (Amore) | 4♡
Upright: Love, Feelings | Emotionally important situation, Emotionally supportive environment, Context that is good or emotionally fulfilling | Traditionally, a “blind force” that cannot be dominated by human rationality
Reversed: Traditionally, homosexuality | More often, Distorted feelings, Promiscuity, Off-limits sexual behaviors | Aridity, Lack of love or support or fulfillment

Five – Happiness (Allegrazza al Cuore) | 5♡
Upright: Step toward stability, Step in the right direction, Transition toward happiness | Quick, fulfilling developments, Joy, Celebration, Dance | A commitment, Any type of commitment and promise that will be honored at a later date or that will lead to a next step later (An engagement, A reservation, A down payment, A probationary period, Making out with someone, etc.) | This card can be a significator for the querent’s engagement and what happens to it | The querent’s extended family, The querent’s relatives
Reversed: Unstable relationships in any field | Cheating, Betrayal in any field | A commitment that won’t be honored | Frustrations, Setbacks, Unreached aims | Problems with the querent’s relatives

Six – The Safe (Denaro) | 6♡
Upright: Everything that is accumulated, All situations that are present now in the querent’s life as a result of having been there from the past, Transmition, Hereditariness in all senses, from the genetic sense to the metaphorical sense | The past | Money, Liquid assets, Opulence, Wealth
Reversed: The future, New things | Suddenness | Money trouble | Avarice, Possessiveness, Unwillingness to let go | Situations, good or bad, that will persist for a long time

Seven – Scholar (Letterato) | 7♡
Upright: The mind, The brain, Intelligence, Talent | Education, Scholarly endeavors | Creativity, Artistry, Projects | Ability to make projects, To commit, Being serious about a relationship, Reconciliation | A notary public, A lawyer, An expert, A professional | A contract, A legally binding agreement | A man from the querent’s family, Or the querent, Or the querent’s (male) partner
Reversed: Ulterior motives, A calculating individual | Lack of education, intelligence, talent, Not being cut for something | Impotence in all senses, from sexual impotence to lack of power/ability to cope with a situation

Eight – Hope (Speranza) | 8♡
Upright: Realization, Situations clearing up, A sense of balance and confidence, The end of turmoil and difficulties | Optimism, Hope, Expectation, Faith, Belief |Emotional investment, Investments in general | Flirts, Easy love stories | A meeting, A trip, especially near the water | All watery places (beaches, rivers, islands, etc.) | Overseas
Reversed: Situations that go up in smoke, Hopes falling through | Depression, Sadness, Doubt, Lack of confidence | Atheism, Loss of faith, Dark religious beliefs | Danger by water (rare)

Nine – Faithfulness (Fedeltà) | 9♡
Upright: Success in Love | Faithfulness, Loyalty, Honesty, Dependability, Transparency | Things that seem as they are and are as they seem | A strong bond, Attachment to someone, something, an idea, a country, a tradition, a religion | Rarely, a friend or friendship | This card is connected with distant relatives
Reversed: Lack of success in love | Disloyalty, Dishonesty, Cheating, Betrayal, Unfaithfulness, Disrespect | Things that don’t seem as they are or are not as they seem, Having an axe to grind | Biting the hand that feeds you, A nasty character, Lack of sweetness | Anarchy, Revolt, Rebellion, Secession, The will to be independent, The will to oust or overthrow, Disrespect of tradition

Ten – Perseverance (Costanza) | 10♡
Upright: Willpower, Earned success, Earned victory, Victory after toil and sacrifice | Dependability, Reliability | Steadfastness, Perseverance, Constancy, Fixity of purpose | Fixity in general, Duration (for good or bad), For a long time | The querent’s city or homeland (depending on the scope of the question)
Reversed: Inconsistency, Lack of perseverance | Anger, Arguments, Violence (with other cards) | Willpower in a negative sense (lack or eccess of it, or wrong pursuits, or pursuits against the querent/query) | Loss in transactions | Storms, Bad weather for travelling, Danger at sea

Jack – Boyfriend (Amante) | J♡
Upright: An unmarried man, usually older than 30, but not necessarily | The boyfriend, The lover, The one the querent’s heart skips a beat for | VERY rarely this card has a sense of longing for something, or even courting it, either in a literal or a metaphorical sense
Reversed: Same as the upright, but the man is either negative/against the querent or in trouble (depending on the context of the question or of the surrounding cards) | In questions like “Does he love me?” it’s a resounding no | As a reversed court card of the Suit of Hearts, it can stand for a cheater | This card is sometimes connected with seeking unbridled sexual pleasure, a male prostitute or a sexually hyperactive man

Queen – Girlfriend (Amatrice) | Q♡
Upright: She is the female counterpart to the Jack of Hearts | VERY rarely, this card has a sense of emotional fulfillment attached to it
Reversed: A woman who is either negative/against the querent or in trouble | Like all reversed court cards of the Suit of Hearts, it can stand for a cheater | “Does she love me?” Answer: no | An older meaning is that of a career-oriented woman, but I find it very rarely the case (this meaning probably comes from XIX century prejudices depicting career women as prostitutes, as the Reversed Queen of Hearts can, in the appropriate context, represent a prostitute or a sexually hyperactive woman)

King – Gentleman (Gran Signore) | K♡
Upright: A mature (or older in the context of the question) man, A married man or Family man, A father or uncle | A protector, A teacher, A trustworthy partner all around, A (good) boss | Protection in general
Reversed: A negative man or a man in trouble | This card is connected with addictions and “sinfulness”, i.e. leading a life of excess | All the negative connotations of the Reversed Heart Court cards apply here (unfaithful/not in love/promiscuous, etc.) | Someone whose help should not be accepted

Card Reading, Cartomancy, Everyday Oracle, Reading Example, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

An Exercise To Do With New and Pre-Owned Decks

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One fun little exercise I like to do whenever I get a new deck (any deck, of any tradition) is to ask them some questions to see if they are in tune with me. Some readers treat decks as if they were God-given artifacts. If that works for you, wonderful, no judgement, but I treat them as simple pieces of cardboard that are inserted into a universal mechanism of synchronicity. They are tools, and, like all tools, they need to be treated with some respect, but not to be revered as idols.

My own very personal experience with new decks is that the first few readings they give are often way off, until they enter into synchronicity with a particular reader and that reader alone. The only way for me to get past this phase of initial unreliability on their part is simply to use them a lot, until they get tuned to my subconscious language.

I will probably cover this in another article, but I staunchly believe that divinatory tools are like languages, and, like languages, their structure is perfectly objective, meaning that just as I cannot reinvent the English language as if it were a random convention, I cannot reinvent the meaning assigned to cards in a particular system (although there can be different systems, just as there can be different languages, and sometimes different systems use the same deck, just as sometimes different languages use the same alphabet or even similar words).

That being said, even though English is out there regardless of me, I will have my own take on the English language as I learn it, and you yours. Ever tried reading a Modernist author? Finnegan’s Wake is written in English, yet it is an English very few people who are not called James Joyce will understand. All this is to say that my own take on the issue is that card systems are objective, but you need to develop your own take on them in order for them to make sense in your particular universe (and you are your own universe).

The process of “developing your own take” cannot be decided rationally by convention, as in “From now on X will mean Y”. That’s part of the reason why Esperanto will never be a real thing aside from a laudable minority of dedicated learners. No, this process of development is largely a subconscious process of reciprocal adaptation between language and speaker, or between reader and reading system. It does take a little bit of time and patience, but then again, all things that are worth time take time.

As far as I am concerned, new decks need to be inserted into my mechanism of synchronicity. What about used deck? I have found that if a deck has been consistently used by someone else, it will take a bit more time for it to respond to me. Either way, the first question I will ask my new deck to answer is “Who is your master?” or, if you are not into kinky stuff, “Who do you respond to?” and I pull three cards. Usually, as soon as the cards start responding, I get a very clear description of myself as I am at the moment. Interestingly, if a deck belonged to someone else, I first get complete nonsense, then, as the cards start to respond to me, but not well enough, I almost always get the older owner’s description.

If you give this exercise a try, remember that the description you get of yourself needs to be beyond doubt. It’s like an “a-ha” moment. No vagueness. So, what happens if you don’t get the answer you are looking for? That is up to you and, in part, to your creativity. If you want to consecrate or cleanse your deck, go ahead. My own practice is to give the same question another couple of tries, and if the deck refuses to acknowledge me, or to let go of its previous owner, I leave it there for a couple of days, maybe spending some time shuffling it in the meantime, before giving it another try.

Here is what I did with my new Sibilla della Zingara deck. I asked “Who do you answer to?” and it answered perfectly on my first try, something that had never happened to me, except with my very first deck. I guess part of the reason is that it didn’t have a previous owner, as pre-owned decks tend to be a bit more stubborn, I have found. (Even then, don’t worry: my main deck was second hand, and it works perfectly now).

“Who do you answer to?” “To you, oh lord of all that’s sad, master of inner drought”

One thing you have to know about me is that I have a relatively strong depressive streak to me. I’ve always had it, and depending on the period it resurfaces. These days I was battling through a relatively strong depressive episode, and it definitely shows in the cards.

The King of Hearts is me. Usually I show up as the Jack of Clubs (unmarried man under thirty), but in the past I have come up as the Gentleman, mostly in relationship readings and in job readings, as I’m a teacher (protector/helper figure) and therefore the Jack of Clubs can represent the students. In this case I’m not sure why I showed up as Gentleman. It might be a very contingent reason, as upon searching the deck for the Jack of Clubs and the Jack of Hearts, I found them reversed. Apparently, the deck simply pushed the most serviceable significator into service.

The following combination is Six of Diamonds (Thought) + Nine of Spades (Prison). This is one of those combinations that can signal feeling down, or depressed, or oppressed. It can also signify psychological submission, but there would need to be other cards as well.

What’s interesting about this reading is that these past couple of days I had battled through the depressing feelings without even noticing them, but as soon as they came up in the reading I got my “a-ah” moment, “yep, that’s me”.

Other questions you might ask the cards are “What’s going to happen in the next 24 hours?”, “What did I do yesterday?” or any other question whose answer can be easily verified within a very short timeframe. I personally would avoid questions like “What will you teach me?” or “What have you entered my life for?” as it’s all too easy to concoct a convenient answer out of any card combination, but I leave it for you to decide for yourself.

The point is: don’t feel bad if sometimes a new deck doesn’t seem to make any sense, it just takes some time to get in tune with it. At other times, however,, as in the example above, the synchronicity is perfect from the start.

Card Reading, Cartomancy, Everyday Oracle, Reading Example, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Reading – Will the University Go Bust?

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Here’s a reading from some time ago, which I recreated using my new Sibilla Originale 1850. The querent’s problem was: Will the university I work for go bust?

A pyramid spread on the question “Will the University I work for go bust?”

The first line is pretty interesting, as we get a chance to see the power of the Peacock card in action. The Two of Clubs is the best card in the deck, capable of lessening the blow of any negative card. And boy do we need it, as right before it we have the worst card in the deck, the Seven of Spades Reversed. Aside from being the card of tyranny and overbearing power, the reverse Seven of Spades talks about ruination and utter and final capitulation.

Why is the university going toward ruination? We have the Ace of Clubs, Marriage, and the Ten of Clubs, Levity. The Ten of Clubs is the card of “just a little”, while the Marriage card is about contracts and legal agreements. So, the university is at risk of going bust because there’s not enough students signing up, but the worst will be avoided thanks to the Two of Clubs, which can be visualized as a sort of divine hand grabbing the debris falling from a collapsing building and putting them back in place before they manage to fall on someone’s head.

The second line tells us something a bit more specific about what is going to save the university from the worst. The Seven of Diamonds, the Child, is about new things, and the Jack of Clubs, the Servant, is, among other things, the card of students, an interpretation which is confirmed by the Two of Diamonds, the Letter, which is one of the cards of studying and books, and when near the Servant it can identify a student. Here we are not talking about a specific student, but about students in general. There will be new (Child) students. At least enough to keep the whole thing going.

In this instance, we may also see the Child as falling between the Ace of Clubs, Marriage, and the Two of Hearts, House. Ace of Clubs + Two of Hearts is the card combo that, in job-related issues, represents a firm or a business. Here we are talking about a university, but the meaning still applies: universities don’t pay their employees in wisdom. They, too, need to make money, just like a business.

The presence of the Child inside this combination of business tells us that the university is preparing something new, perhaps new courses or maybe some new marketing ploy. The querent confirmed that they are looking to concoct some new study course that will make the university he works for more alluring.

The final three cards tell us that, although the university will manage to stay alive, it probably won’t be thriving, at least not in the next period. We need to understand “the next period” in the context of the question: we all know how public institutions tend to suck as much money as they can for as many years as they can without profit before actually being left to their fate, so in the context of a public institution, which this university is, the next period means the next few years, or at least that’s what I think.

The Two of Hearts, the House, shows the place itself, while the Nine of Diamonds, The Fools, and the reversed Three of Hearts, the Balcony, tell us something that seems to contradict the presence of the Peacock in the first line. It would be easy to interpret this combination as one pertaining to violent groups, but this wouldn’t mean anything in the context.

Aside from its usual connotations, the Nine of Diamonds talks about things proceeding irregularly, or without really looking where they are going, while the Three of Hearts is connected with sight, whether literal or figurative. Reversed, it becomes a lack of insight, so whatever it is that the university is coming up with is not going to be that good of a product for potential students to buy into.

Finally, let us look at the angles of the pyramid: Marriage, Peacock and Balcony Reversed. The business (Marriage) will stay open for the foreseeable future (Peacock), but this will not necessarily be a good thing, as the Balcony Reversed is also the card that points to a lack of positive developments.

Card Reading, Cartomancy, Everyday Oracle, Numerology, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla and Numerology – The Sixes

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In the Vera Sibilla, the Sixes represent the natural evolution of the number Five. Whereas Fives dealt with transition, the Sixes represent the flow of time, with all its philosophical annexes: the idea of duration (or lack thereof), the notions of past, present and future, etc.

The four Sixes in the Vera Sibilla: The Six of Hearts (Money), The Six of Clubs (Surprise), The Six of Diamonds (Thought), The Six of Spades (Sighs)

The Six of Hearts is called Money. A better name for it would perhaps be The Safe or The Archive, because while it is true that it does represent money, liquid assets and wealth, this meaning is derived from the idea of accumulation which is a consequence of the traditional meaning of the Six of Hearts in cartomancy in Italy: the past.

And, indeed, the past is one of the main meanings of the Money card, strange as this may sound. Often, when together with a court card, it shows someone whom we already know, or an ex. In general, this card shows that we inherit something from the past, whether it be a situation, a person, an illness (which maybe we haven’t treated properly, or simply one that runs in the family, i.e. a hereditary disease), etc.

Money, the other main meaning of this card, is simply a logical consequence of the notion of time (number six) understood in a positive sense (suit of Hearts), i.e. as a resource and therefore as convertible in resources to be accumulated. Note that, reversed, the Six of Hearts talks about the future, as in future occurrences, unknown places, situations and people. It also heralds money trouble, but it is especially a card of avarice, i.e. unwillingness to let go of what we already have (or of the past).

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the Six of Spades, Sighs, is the card of anxiety and tormented hope. This card, too, can represent something that already happened, but this time it doesn’t show it in a neutral way, but as a source of anguish. More in general, however, rather than to the past, this card is connected with the passage of time as a neutral-to-negative element that comes between us and our desire: the need to wait.

When reversed, one of the meanings of the Six of Spades is that it can represent the idea of letting go of our tormented desires or of our anxiety concerning the past. This is one of the cards that can show, when reversed, opening up to new possibilities rather than clinging to what causes us nothing but grief.

It’s the ability to step outside of ourselves or of our issue and listen to reason, whether it’s in the form of new inspiration or some professional advice. When surrounded by more neutral or negative cards, however, it remains a card of instability, material or psychological even when reversed.

In between Hearts and Spades we find the Six of Clubs, the Surprise, and the Six of Diamonds, Thought. The Six of Clubs is the card of the present time. It represents things happening now, or at least in the very near future. With it are connected the ideas of suddenness and immediacy, and therefore marvel and surprise, of coming across something that was unexpected. Since the suit of Clubs is positive, this unexpected surprise is usually positive.

Taking this idea of “chancing upon” further, we get to the meanings of receiving, getting, acquiring that this card also shows. But this is also the card of things that start flourishing. Note how, in the image, the guy is fishing a bag of money out of a river or lake, which means that, while the result was beyond his expectations, he did have to cast his net. As such, this is the card of minimum effort for great results: small past efforts paying off in the present and possibly heralding a positive future.

Finally, the Six of Diamonds, Thought, also represents the present, but it’s more the a-temporal present that exists in the mind, rather than the physical present of the Six of Clubs. As the card of consciousness, the Six of Diamonds is the point where past, present and future converge and are organized, made sense of and shaped into alternative ideas of reality that we then seek to act out.

As such, this card also shows plans, ideas, etc. Not necessarily true ideas, not necessarily good plans, and not necessarily plans that we are going to be able to act out: this is the card of pure consciousness, the timeless present which fluctuates above the flow of real time.

Card Reading, Cartomancy, Everyday Oracle, Numerology, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla and Numerology – The Eights

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The Eights in the Vera Sibilla are a natural continuation of the sevens. They represent the concept of balance and evolution toward balance. If you look at the number 8, you’ll see that it’s made up of two loops, which represent the inside or inner world and the outside or outer world. One of the two loops is represented by the “intention” set forth by the number seven, while the other loop represents whether or not that intention finds actual expression in reality.

The Eights in the Vera Sibilla: The Eight of Hearts (Hope), The Eight of Clubs (Reunion), The Eight of Diamonds (Handmaid) and the Eight of Spades (Jealousy)

The Eight of Hearts, Hope, is connected with the realization of one’s expectations and dreams. At its best, this card shows things going as hoped, at its worst, when it ends a negative sequence, the Eight of Hearts promises us that all will be well anyway and things will evolve in a positive direction.

The two “loops” that make up the number eight are, in this case, in perfect balance: inner and outer are as one. As such, aside from showing the realization of hopes, this is the card that represents clairvoyant abilities, dreams and faith as a whole, as these are manifestations of the concrete reality of our inner world.

The Eight of Spades, Consumed with Jealousy, is by far the most interesting card in the deck. In the Italian title, the word “Disperato” actually means “desperate”, not consumed. Desperation is the opposite of Hope. And, indeed, the two images convey opposite ideas.

Let’s look at the two cards. On one hand, a young woman is gazing confidently in the distance. She is poised and dignified, and there is a sense of peace, of perspective, of having a future in front of us that is clear and peaceful. Her titties out to the wind don’t exactly scream insecurity, if I may add. The connection of this card with the element of water can also be interpreted as things flowing smoothly and calmly, which is itself an extension of the eight-ish idea of balance, understood as our inner wishes flowing out and permeating reality.

On the other hand we have one of the most disturbing images in the history of cartomancy: a guy who has lost all sense of perspective and all hope for the future, whose life has stopped flowing smoothly and who finds himself at a desperate turning point, and he’s about to possibly end his own life. Not someone you’d ask to look after the kids while you are out shopping.

This is the card of crisis, of the world closing in on you, of oppression and lack of positive ways out of this impasse (at least, unless other cards show otherwise). This card behaves as a landmine that our hopes and desires step onto while on the way toward realization. Here, the two loops of the number eight are imbalanced with one another. This imbalance can also be understood not just as unfulfilled hope or crisis, but also as negative hope, hence the card’s connection with envy, slander etc.

In between Spades and Hearts we have the Eight of Clubs, the Reunion and the Eight of Diamonds, the Handmaid, which represent evolution toward balance in two opposite senses. The Eight of Clubs is the card of the positive evolution toward a good conclusion, but it implies either a previous upset or a previous distance.

This is the card that can show winning a court case, which implies the upset of having gone through a trial, it’s the card of the date or meeting, which implies being apart (otherwise we wouldn’t be able to meet), it’s the card of reconciliation, which implies break-up, it’s the card of healing, which implies illness, it’s the card of getting back the money you’ve lent, which implies a previous parting with your money. In general, this card represents an evolution leading us back to a previous balance that has been interrupted, and a positive offsetting of the situation as a whole.

The Eight of Diamonds, The Handmaid, is also a card of evolution, but one that doesn’t necessarily lead us back: it’s an evolution that leads us forward toward a new equilibrium (or lack thereof). It is said that this card, when it falls in the spread without any specific reason, heralds new phases in life, and we must always look where the young woman is going.

The staircase she’s climbing is a symbol for improvement, expansion, growth. As such, this is one of the cards representing nobility, refinement, good manners and climbing up the social ladder. The evolution here is therefore not intended as a re-establishment of a former positive situation as the Reunion (Re-union) often implies, but rather as a building on what is already there to reach a new equilibrium. Note that the handmaid is also the card of offers and money, things and situations being given to us: the new equilibrium or balance may be coming toward us from the outside.

Everyday Oracle, Review, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Sibilla Originale 1850 by Il Meneghello – A Review

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I was pleasantly surprised to discover the legendary Il Meneghello had come out with a new edition of their lovely Vera Sibilla deck. The Vera Sibilla is a traditional Italian divination deck. In its land of origin, the Sibilla is second in popularity only to Tarot cards, so much so that it is cheaply available at any of the numerous tobacco shops scattered in every town and city. It also seems to be slowly making its way to the rest of the world.

Sibilla cards are also affectionately called “chiacchierine”, which means something along the lines of “little chatty (cards)”. The word conjures up the image of a couple of saggy old grannies sitting outside late in the afternoon in a picturesque cobblestone alley, away from the noise of the main street, shelling beans while exchanging the latest news about the neighbor’s affair with the school teacher’s dog trainer, and what the florist’s daughter thinks about all this, being the prude that she is.

They are, in a word, nosy little f*ckers, these cards. Their astounding love for details is only equaled by their complete inability to keep their mouth shut. It is often wise to keep them on a short leash to avoid being overwhelmed. In my personal experience, a short-ish spread done with the Sibilla often gives the same amount of detail as a Kipperkarten or Lenormand Grand Tableau. This doesn’t mean that other decks are more limited. It is purely a question of “character”, and each deck has its own character. The Sibilla simply happens to be the hyperactive cousin with no grasp of boundaries, political correctness and social acceptability.    

Il Meneghello is renowned for its hand-made limited editions of historical decks. Master Menegazzi, the heart and soul behind IM, has been producing and reproducing decks for years now, and has become some kind of a legend amongst collectors and card readers. The products they publish are always guaranteed to be of high quality. This reproduction of the 1850s Vera Sibilla is no exception.

What’s inside

As usual for Il Meneghello, the deck comes packaged in a lovely reinforced cardboard box (see picture). I keep my other Sibilla decks in their original box, as I’m a practical dude and I can’t be bothered with finding a more “appropriate” accommodation for what is, at the end of the day, just a deck of cards. In this case, however, I wouldn’t be able to think of a better solution even if I wanted to. Not only is the box beautifully decorated (with a reproduction of the iconic Love card glued on the front), but it is also made to last.

The Deck, The Extra Card and the Box

Inside the box you’ll find the deck itself, an extra card, a Little White Book and a note. The note simply warns you that, since the product is hand-made, some imperfections are to be expected. Cool. The Little White Book is, like all Little White Books, pretty useless. You won’t find the meanings of the cards in it, although a simple five card positional spread is suggested.

Frankly, the Sibilla works at its best when read in rows or other geometrically inspired shapes (e.g. box, square, pyramid, tableau etc.) which are made up of multiple rows. This allows the cards to come together and form combinations and clusters. Using positions, and even worse, using one card per position is extremely limiting. Other than that, the LWB keeps its promise of being “little”, and it only adds some historical remarks in Italian and English. The extra card, which you can see in the picture, is a reproduction of the Ten of Hearts with some information about the edition.

All that’s left to talk about are the cards themselves. If you don’t know how a Vera Sibilla deck is structured, it is basically like a playing card deck, with four suits (Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds and Spades), but each card is assigned an image. According to Sibilla expert Etienne Valancourt, the Vera Sibilla deck has been created by taking the Italian system of reading playing cards and adapting it to the images of the famous Gypsy Cards which were popular in Germany and Austria back then.

Indeed, many images and names are very similar. However, since the Gypsy cards are 36, while the Sibilla has 52 cards, some images had to be split among various cards (for instance, the card of the Visit, where you can see a handmaid visiting an old lady, became the two cards of the Old Lady and of the Handmaid), while other images were added to the mix to fit the Italian system. Let’s look at the cards in this particular edition.

Pros

The cards themselves are a treat for the eye and, if I may, for the hand as well. Il Meneghello has chosen to sell this new edition of their Sibilla deck with the corners already rounded off. I believe this is a winning move: the cards come across as much gentler and “approachable” to the eye. They are just pretty, I wanna merry them. According to Kapherus of Art of Cartomancy, who owns a copy of the previous IM Sibilla reproduction, the square corners of that edition tended to peel off a bit too easily. I have been mistreating (really!) this deck for a couple of weeks now and it seems to be in perfect shape. If in doubt, choose this newer edition.

The backs of the cards in this edition (left) compared to the standard Masenghini edition (right). As you can see, they are not exactly reversible, but they are more reversible than the Masenghini ones.

There’s something extremely authentic and genuine in the experience of holding this deck in my hands. Although the size is the same as the popular Masenghini edition (see image), the deck as a whole takes up more space, simply because it is made of relatively irregular pieces of actual cardboard rather than of 52 identical pieces of plastic. Whenever I shuffle the deck, I feel immediately transported to a tearoom of old, where a funny-looking lady shuffles her self-made deck for her numerous clients.

Speaking of hand-made stuff, this deck is completely matte. I don’t have the previous Il Meneghello edition of the 1890 Sibilla, but I have been told by a Facebook friend that that edition is at least lightly coated. Not so with this 1850 edition. This certainly contributes to the feeling of authenticity of the deck.

Another important pro, in my opinion, is that this deck, like the previous edition (and like the original edition), has no annoying keywords on it as the Masenghini edition does. Bear in mind that the Masenghini edition came out only in the late 1970s and it was probably some rich old manager who’d never used the cards for divination and simply wanted to make them more appealing to bored teenagers that slapped the keywords on the cards.

Granted, I have learnt to disregard them, especially since they are very reductive, and many of them are extremely misleading, telling you the Jack of Clubs is an evil dude, even though he is actually traditionally the prototype of the good friend, son, student, coworker, and only becomes negative when reversed. Still, it feels liberating, and the font used for the title is also much prettier.

Some of the names of the cards, being the original ones, are slightly different from the Masenghini edition (e.g. Present of Precious Stones instead of Present of Jewels, Consumed with Jealousy instead of just Jealousy, etc.). Also, the Present and the Handmaid are swapped back to their original place. Finally, you can see that the colors in this edition are a bit more muted compared to the newer ones. I find them lovely, less fake. Note: this is not meant as a bashing of the Masenghini edition, which I adore and use. It’s just a comparison.

A comparison of the images on the cards of this 1850 edition (top) with those on the Masenghini edition (bottom). Notice how some names have been changed and the Eight and Three of Diamonds have been swapped back to their original placement.

Cons

Is this a wonderful deck to have if you are a Sibilla Reader? Absolutely! I don’t know how you could miss out on it.
Is this a great deck to have if you like traditional oracle decks in general? Yep, go ahead, buy it!
Is this a good addition to your collection if you are a collector? Hurry up, it’s limited!
Should this be the only Sibilla deck you own? Probably not.

Granted, it does seem sturdy enough to last me a lifetime. This doesn’t change the fact that it’s not meant to be as resistant as a mass-produced, heavily coated plastic deck, especially considering it’s a limited edition and it’s not necessarily cheap. If I ever chose to go pro, this wouldn’t be the deck I use with my clients, although I could probably keep it for my personal readings.

Since these are actual pieces of uncoated cardboard, you need to be careful around liquids, as I guess they will stain quite easily. Also, you need to get used to shuffling this deck, which wasn’t easy for me at the beginning. It’s not impossible, and with a little practice it is actually extremely pleasant, but don’t expect it to be the same as with the newer, plastic-y editions.

Final Thought: absolutely recommended!

Pros:
+ The Vera Sibilla Oracle at its best. If I had to choose my favorite edition, this would be it
+ Pleasantly matte pieces of cardboard in your hands
+ Rounded corners!
+ Seems very resistant
+ No keywords on the cards
+ It’s like gazing into images from a dream

Cons:
– You might need to be careful around liquids
– Initially difficult to shuffle, but you just need to get used to it
– It’s lovingly hand-made in a limited edition, so I don’t know if it would be suitable as a “power horse deck”. Perhaps if you are careful

Price: When I bought it, it cost 40€ plus shipping.

How to order it: It is not currently available on the website. However, you can order it by emailing Il Meneghello. Their customer service is quick and efficient.