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Card Combinations, Cartomancy, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Threes

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In this article you will find some examples of combinations using the Vera Sibilla. Most of these combinations are handed down by tradition. Studying and decoding combinations is a very good way to improve your cartomantic vocabulary, but bear in mind that the exact meaning of a combination depends on many other factors, such as the context of the question and the other cards in the spread, so I would encourage you to keep an open mind. As a rule, you will find that if you do not pose a question and these combinations come up, they will mean what the tradition says they mean 3 times out of 5. Also, keep in mind that it’s useless to try to combine every card with every other card beforehand so that no surprises will ever come up in a spread, just as it is useless to try to combine every word in a dictionary with every other to study a language. That time is best spent actually practicing.

NOTE:
R = Reversed
U/R = Upright or Reversed (doesn’t matter)
* = This combination has to come up in this specific order
3♦ = The Gift (Omaggio)
8♦ = The Handmaid (Donna di Servizio)
C = Cuori (Hearts)
F = Fiori (Clubs)
Q = Quadri (Diamonds)
P = Picche (Spades)

Three of Hearts (3♥) – Balcony (Belvedere)

3♥ + 4♥ or 9♥ = arrival of love, usually love at first sight
3♥ + 3♣ = movement toward the querent | can be a distant journey
3♥ + K♦ = arrival of a job or looking for a job
3♥ + 2♦ = the arrival of a letter, check or document (look at the other cards)

3♥ + 7♦ = arrival of a baby or of something new
3♥ + 3♠ = something that will not arrive
Q♠ or J♠ + 3♥* = someone spying maliciously on you (+10♠R, in secret)
3♥ + Person = a visit, someone calling on you | someone coming into your life

3♥R + Person* = the arrival of someone you should keep at arm’s length
Person + 3♥R = a person who is dominated by their basest instincts and possibly a very choleric one, someone who “can’t see” reason
3♥R + 10♠ = a very traditional combination showing that you’ll soon meet a stranger you shouldn’t trust. Stranger danger
3♥R + A♠ + 10♥R = great violence
[Note: if in the combinations showing arrival the 3♥ comes up reversed, the arrival is delayed or will not happen, depending on the other cards]

Three of Clubs (3♣) – Journey (Viaggio)

A♦ + 3♣ + 2♥* = moving from a house into an apartment (if the 2♥ and A♦ are swapped, then moving from an apartment into a house)
3♣ + 7♥ = it can mean buying a car or other vehicle
3♣ + 8♥ = journey by water
3♣ + 8♣ = it can mean having two cars
8♣ + 3♣* = it can mean you need to travel in order to meet someone | a trip to the country

3♣ + 9♣ = a pleasant trip
3♣ + 10♣ = journey by air (+3♥, it adds the idea of distance)
6♦ + 3♣ = thinking about a journey or planning it | changing your mind
3♣ + 9♦ = a trip full of difficulties and problems | it can also mean leaving on the spur of the moment
3♣ + K♦ = travelling for work | working with vehicles

3♣ + 2♠ = a second-hand car
3♣ + 3♠ = moving away from something, someone or somewhere (often, the thing or person is shown by a card falling in the middle, e.g. 10♥, abandoning your city)
3♣ + 7♠ = an accident (but if no negative cards are present, it’s more likely that all of a sudden you’ll need to go somewhere)
10♣ + 3♣ + 2♦ + K♠R or 10♠ = fined for careless driving (the 8♦R would show money being spent)
10♠ + 3♣U/R + K♠R = having your car towed away (the 7♠R would show the fact that it’s something you can’t do anything against. Again, the 8♦R would show money being paid)

3♣R + 5♣ = a traditional combination showing a turn for the better in the querent’s destiny, going through a lucky period | with other cards, it can mean winning the lottery
3♣R + 7♥ = also a traditional combination showing a positive future for a self-employed person | the creation of a good name for oneself
3♣R + 2♣ + 3♠R = a successful white magic ritual
K♦ + 3♣R + 7♣ = rosy career prospects
5♠ + 3♣R = a difficult transformation which will prove beneficial

Three of Diamonds (3♦) – Gift (Omaggio di Preziosi)

3♦ + 2♥ = an opulent house (+ 8♥, a beach house; +8♣, in the country; +10♠, in the mountains or woods) | furniture, household items or appliances
3♥ + 3♦ = arrival of a gift or offer
3♦ + 5♥ = traditionally, an engagement ring, but it can mean other things
3♦ + A♣ = traditionally, a wedding ring, but it can mean other things
3♦ + A♣R = exclusive, luxurious objects that are worth a fortune

3♦ + 2♣ = great opulence (+8♦, nobility)
3♦ + 3♣ = a luxury car
3♦ + 6♣ = finding a lost object | a positive and unexpected gift or proposal
3♦ + 9♣ = an important gift or proposal
3♦ + 4♦ = the wrong gift, or a gift made with ulterior motives (7♥R may also be present instead of the 4♦) | it can mean a broken object or one that malfunctions

3♦ + 7♦ = can be a toy
3♦ + 8♦ = traditionally, a gift of jewels | an important gift | a job offer that will move you upward
3♦ + 8♦R = a completely worthless trinket
3♦ + 9♦ = can also be an object that doesn’t work
3♦ + J♦ = a parcel or package

3♦ + K♦ = job offer
3♦ + 4♠ = also a broken object | an offer that is “sick”, that will bring no good
3♦ + Person = a wealthy person

7♥ + K♣ + 3♦R = some red tape clearing or being overcome
7♦R + 3♦R = in general, a situation that slowly untangles itself
4♠ + K♣ (+4♣R) + 3♦R = a health issue slowly being resolved thanks to a doctor’s help
9♣R + 9♠ + 3♦R = slowly kicking an addiction
8♦ + K♠ + 3♦R = it can be a loan that is granted to you (the combination of 8♦ and K♠ would already be a loan, so the 3♦R would show either that there had been obstacles to the loan being approved before which are being solved, or that the loan will be a life-saver. Look around in the spread)

Three of Spades (3♠) – Widower (Vedovo)

A♥U/R or 9♣U/R or 8♣U/R + 3♠ = solitude, difficulties getting along with others or making friends, not knowing how to reach out to people, solitude
4♥ + 3♠ = feeling lonely emotionally (if instead it’s 9♥, another possible interpretation would be lack of support)
4♥ + 3♠ + 9♥ = traditionally the best combination for love, it shows being “the one”, the romance of the century (the Widower has to come up in the middle)
6♥ + 3♠ = loss of money
6♥ + 9♠ + 3♠ = traditional combination showing the querent’s wish will be denied due to obstacles rooted in the past

8♣ + 3♠ = there won’t be reconciliation
K♠ + A♦ + 3♠ + 8♥ = a hermitage (instead of the A♦ you may find the 10♦R showing a difficult environment or 4♠R)
3♦ + 3♠ = loss of an object
7♦ + 3♠ = a lost child or an orphan | in the appropriate context it can represent the inability to conceive (if K♥U/R, because of him, if Q♦U/R, because of her)
7♦ + A♠ or 5♠ + 3♠ = loss of a child/miscarriage
3♠ + J♥ or K♥ = an ex | a lonely man | losing your man (traditionally this combination showed widowhood for a woman, but that was when people went to a card reader once in their life and had their whole life read for them. In itself this combination is not enough to show widowhood)

K♦ + 3♠ = it can mean loss of emoloyment | someone who works alone | a removal due to work
3♠ + 5♠ + Person = an actual widow or widower
K♠ + 3♠ = it can represent lawlessness or something or someone not in compliance with laws or regulations (the “loss” of justice)

4♥ or 9♥ + 3♠R = a trauma connected with one’s love life
6♥ + 3♠R = traditionally, a traumatic past
6♦ + 3♠R = a heavy miscalculation | wrong conduct (if 6♦R, serious mental issues, aberration from reality)
3♠R + 9♦ = a completely deranged individual (+9♣R, due to substance abuse)
3♠R + K♠ + 8♥ = a religious rite of some kind (not necessarily bad, but if 5♠, a burial)
3♠R + K♠R + 8♥R (+9♦ + 2♣R) = a satanic ritual (the 8♥R is atheism, but also distorted faith)

Card Combinations, Cartomancy, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Twos

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In this article you will find some examples of combinations using the Vera Sibilla. Most of these combinations are handed down by tradition. Studying and decoding combinations is a very good way to improve your cartomantic vocabulary, but bear in mind that the exact meaning of a combination depends on many other factors, such as the context of the question and the other cards in the spread, so I would encourage you to keep an open mind. As a rule, you will find that if you do not pose a question and these combinations come up, they will mean what the tradition says they mean 3 times out of 5. Also, keep in mind that it’s useless to try to combine every card with every other card beforehand so that no surprises will ever come up in a spread, just as it is useless to try to combine every word in a dictionary with every other to study a language. That time is best spent actually practicing.

NOTE:
R = Reversed
U/R = Upright or Reversed (doesn’t matter)
* = This combination has to come up in this specific order
3♦ = The Gift (Omaggio)
8♦ = The Handmaid (Donna di Servizio)

Two of Hearts (2♥) – House (Casa)

2♥ + 4♥ = the consolidation of love, moving in together | a house where the querent feels loved or love for the family
2♥ + 4♥R = A house where the querent doesn’t feel loved
2♥ + 5♥ = the house of relatives | an engagement at home
2♥ + 6♥ = A rich house or household | A bank | Can be a house from the past, maybe the one the querent grew up in
2♥ + 7♥ = a real estate contract | a male family member | Depending on the surrounding cards it can be a school (e.g. +6♦) a library (e.g. +2♦) or another type of building coherent with the 7♥‘s meaning

2♥ + 3♣* = moving into a house
3♣ + 2♥* = moving out of your house
2♥ + 4♣ = the house of a friend | a house where solidarity among people is important
2♥ + 6♣ = a traditional combination showing a happy event at home or in the family
2♥ + 7♣ = can be owning real estate, a property you derive money from

2♥ + 8♣ + 9♣ = A family reunion or a party at home
2♥ + 9♣ = may be a restaurant or place where people have fun, like a night club (look at the other cards, for instance the 10♠R is the night, so it would reinforce the idea of night club, if 8♦ it’s more likely a restaurant)
2♥ + K♣ = A clinic
2♥ + 2♦ or J♦ = arrival of news at home | can be a post office
2♥ + 6♦ = depending on the other cards, it can be a real estate speculation, plans concerning the house (e.g. + A♥R, to renovate) or a school or other type of building

2♥ + 10♦ = enmity in the family | someone is jeopardizing the family’s or couple’s unity | a break-in (only with cards such as 7♠, 9♦, J♠, Q♠. It would be more common for the House to come up reversed. If 10♠U/R and/or A♠, risk of violence, if also with 5♠, well…; with cards like 6♥R and/or 2♠R, money or valuables are stolen, with 3♦, objects)
2♥ + 10♦R = a house or place the querent would rather not be, look around for why (e.g. + K♥R +9♣R, the father or husband is a debauched prick)
2♥ + K♦ = the workplace | working from home
2♥ + 2♠ = can be granny’s house | an old house | if followed by negative cards, it can show the couple’s stability is declining
2♥ + 3♠ = not being at home | home alone or feeling alone at home even if you aren’t

2♥ + 4♠ = a hospital | sickness at home or, figuratively, a “sick” family life
2♥ + 10♠ = can be a difficult family environment | a gym | the police’s headquarters
2♥ + K♠ = the seat of an authority | a courthouse | it could represent a family where not much affection is shown, but in itself it’s not overly negative, unless there are other bad cards

2♥R + 4♥R = a brothel (look for the 7♥R for confirmation) | a house where depravity rules
2♥R + 5♥R = betrayal in the family | very unstable family relationships
3♣ + 2♥R + 3♠* = running away from a house you hate (+10♠R, running away in secret, if 4♣ or 9♥ before the 3♣, maybe you crash at friend’s house)

2♥R + 4♠ = more clearly a hospital than if the House is upright, as here hospitalization is implied (+K♣ or K♠ and 7♠, surgery takes place)
2♣R + 2♥R + 3♠R + 9♠ = the house or family has been hexed
6♦R + 2♥R + 9♦ + 5♠ = the house is haunted (especially if with 10♦R) | can also be a house where someone’s evil plans create great imbalance and fractures)
2♥R + 9♦ + 7♠ = traditionally it would show the house being destroyed by a natural disaster or fire, but there’s plenty of other possible interpretations before you get to this one, which only makes sense if a specific question is asked or if other negative cards are present
2♥R + 9♠ = prison (4♠R or 10♦R might be present)
10♠ or K♠ + 2♥U/R + 4♠R = could be house arrest
2♥R + K♠ = more clearly a courthouse than if the House is upright

Two of Clubs (2♣) – The Peacock (Superbia)

A♥ + 2♣ = a conversation that solves a problem, solemn words, an oath, beautiful words

2♣ + 2♥ = a beautiful house (+3♦, a majestic palace or mansion) | if renovations are shown, this combination could also show expanding the house, as the 2♣ is a card of completeness and totality
2♣ + 7♥ + 6♦ = a genius
2♣ + 8♥ = realization beyond one’s hopes | in a specific question, or if specific cards appear, a strong faith (2♣ would be the God power here)
2♣ + 10♥ = a beautiful city or a tourist hotspot within the city | generally, success
2♣ + 5♣ = traditionally the combination of great fortune

2♣ + 3♦ = a beautiful object | opulence | an offer you’d be an idiot to turn down
2♣ + 4♦ = a white lie or a lie that will have no consequence
2♣ + 4♦ + 7♠ = can be cosmetic surgery
2♣ + 4♦R = another combination of good luck
2♣ + 6♦ = a great idea
2♣ + 6♦R = psychic abilities | It could mean that you will be protected from an evil plan

2♣ + 8♦ = nobility (look for the 3♦ to be certain)
2♣ + 5♠ = a sharp positive turn in the querent’s life (it might be painful though)
2♣ + 7♠ = an accident with no consequences (if too many negative cards are present, then with no major consequences. The peacock will snatch you from the jaws of death by your hair in that case) | can be a sudden, positive event
2♣ + 9♠ = the overcoming of obstacles, being freed of a bond or limitation of some kind (same with other cards of blockage like 4♠R or 10♦R)
2♣ + 10♠ = it can show great resilience
2♣ + 10♠R = the occult in a neutral sense

2♣R + 6♣R = pride before the fall, overconfidence causing a miscalculation (10♣ might be present, showing carelessness)
2♣R + 4♦ = a strong distortion in your perception of reality
4♥ + 7♠ + 2♣R + 8♣R = lack of reconciliation due to pride or having been hurt in your ego
2♣R + 3♠R = a black magic ritual (look for other clues, don’t go around diagnosing curses for a couple of bad cards)
2♣R + 8♠R = it intensifies the ideas of egocentrism and haughtiness | in a specific context, it can show a psychic attack
2♣R + 10♠R = the occult in a negative sense

Two of Diamonds (2♦) – Letter (Lettera)

2♦ + A♥ = Invitation to a meeting | Can be a chat (look for 3♥ for confirmation)
2♦ + 5♥ = Invititation to an engagement party
2♦ + 6♥ = a check or financial papers
2♦ + A♣ = Invitation to a wedding
2♦ + 9♣ = Invitation to a party

2♦ + 10♣ = can be a misplaced document or a document it would be careless to sign, maybe one that’s been put together in a haste, for instance
2♦ + 4♦ = false or incomplete documents | don’t sign!
2♦ + 6♦ = a school test or a report card | elaborating a plan
2♦ + 7♦ = A birth certificate | Announcement of a birth
2♦ + 10♦ = a document lost or stolen
2♦ + J♦ = Important communication, can be a telegram (if the Jack is reversed, it’s negative)

2♦ + 3♠ = a communication that doesn’t arrive or is lost
2♦ + 3♠R = communication of someone’s passing (look for the 5♠ to be sure; if with 8♣ and/or K♠, invitation to a funeral)
2♦ + 4♠ = a diagnosis (if K♣, it can also be a prescription)
2♦ + 9♠ = a pregnancy test (look for 7♦ to be sure)
2♦ + 10♠ = traditionally, a draft card | A fine or ticket (look for 8♦R to be sure)

2♦ + 10♠R = anonymous calls (look for J♠ or Q♠ to be sure, in which case someone is truly your enemy; if 9♣ and/or 10♣, it’s just a prank, but if 9♣R, a prank that goes too far)
2♦ + K♠ = A communication from an authority, in general
2♦ + K♠R = a fine | a summons | a negative communication from an authority, in general
[Note: in all these combinations, the 2♦ may appear reversed and it wouldn’t change its meaning]

Two of Spades (2♠) – The Crone (Vecchia Signora)

2♠ + 2♥ = an old house
2♥ + 2♠ + 4♠R = a retirement home, Shady Pines, Ma | also with 8♥, can be a convent or other similar place
2♠ + 4♥ = an old love or an old woman in love
4♥ + 2♠* = feelings cooling off, declining
2♠ + 5♥ = an old relative, usually an aunt or something

2♠ + 9♥ = can be a distant relative
2♠ + Q♥ = can be an ex (if Q♥R, she hasn’t been nice to the querent)
2♠ + 3♣ or 8♦ or J♦ = traditionally, a visit
7♣ + 2♠ = a decline in one’s social or economic position
2♠ + 3♦ = an heirloom

2♠ + 7♦ = granny and her grandchild
2♠ + 3♠ = granny and grandpa
K♦ + 2♠ + 5♠ = retirement
2♠ + 6♠ = traditionally, a long life
2♠ + Q♠ = a mother in law | a negative old woman

2♠R + A♥U/R or 8♣U/R = inability to get along
2♠R + 4♥ = a sharp cooling off of feelings | fights in the relationship
2♠R + 5♥U/R = a mean old relative
2♠R + 6♥ = it can mean the inability to accept the past | A sharp decline in one’s financial status | If 6♥R, it can also means avarice, hoarding, possessiveness, not letting go
2♠R + A♣ = it can herald separation
2♠R + 6♦ = outdated thinking, strategy, etc. | conservatism (in a negative sense. If 2♠, in a more neutral and less extreme sense)

Card Combinations, Cartomancy, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Aces

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In this article you will find some examples of combinations using the Vera Sibilla. Most or all of these combinations are handed down by tradition. Studying and decoding combinations is a very good way to improve your cartomantic vocabulary, but bear in mind that the exact meaning of a combination depends on many other factors, such as the context of the question and the other cards in the spread, so I would encourage you to keep an open mind. As a rule, you will find that if you do not pose a question and these combinations come up, they will mean what the tradition says they mean 3 times out of 5. Also, keep in mind that it’s useless to try to combine every card with every other card beforehand so that no surprises will ever come up in a spread, just as it is useless to try to combine every word in a dictionary with every other to study a language. That time is best spent actually practicing.

NOTE:
R = Reversed
U/R = Upright or Reversed (doesn’t matter)
* = This combination has to come up in this specific order
3♦ = The Gift (Omaggio)
8♦ = The Handmaid (Donna di Servizio)

Ace of Hearts (A♥) – Conversation (Conversazione)

A♥ + 2♥ = The querent’s own home or family | Talking at home | Talking about real estate
A♥ + 3♥ or 5♥ = An engagement or being hired for a temporary job (depending on the question and the other cards)
A♥ + cards referring to a certain topic = Talking about that topic (e.g. + 4♥ declaring your love; + 6♥ money or investment; + 7♥ a contract or some intellectual thing; + A♣ marriage or a contract or partnership; + 7♣ business or work; + K♦ can be an interview)
A♥ + 8♥ = A meeting by the water | a hoped for meeting will take place or will be successful
A♥ + 10♥ = can be a successful meeting or discussion | It can mean confidence in interpersonal relationships

A♥ + 2♦ + 3♥ = Long-distance communications (including over the internet)
A♥ + 8♣ = A reconciliation, talking things over | An appointment, meeting, date, etc.
A♥ + 9♣ = A party
A♥ + 9♣R = Meetings falling through | Be careful about too much indulgence with what you put in your mouth
A♥ + 10♣ = Chatting about nothing in particular | Careful who you meet or what you say (look around for the J♠ or Q♠)

A♥ + 4♦ = Lies or, at best, incomplete information | Being around the wrong people, either because they are wrong in themselves or because they are wrong for your purpose (barking up the wrong tree)
A♥ + 6♦ = It might be an oral examination or an aptitude test (+10♥ or positive cards, you pass) | Opening up about what’s going on in your mind
A♥ + 3♠ = Difficulty of interaction with others, Social isolation | A meeting that won’t happen

A♥ + 10♠ = Lies | An argument | Being guarded or defensive when with others
A♥ + 10♠R = More probably a secret meeting (this can also be the case if the 10 is upright, although less likely)
A♥ + K♠ = Talking with an authority | Traditionally, a trial taking place (but this is more common if the Ace or the King are reversed or if other relevant cards appear)
A♥R + A card signifying a certain topic = Change, revolution or renovation in that topic
A♥R + Cards of argument or disagreement = Reinforces the idea of disagreement

Ace of Clubs (A♣) – Marriage (Imeneo)

A♣ + 2♥ = The couple’s life (or a firm’s/company’s life, in a career reading). This is a very important combination, when it comes up. Look at the cards surrounding this combination or falling between them to see what’s going on
A♣ + 4♥ or 9♥ = A marriage of love
5♥ + A♣* = It may mean an engagement to be married very soon
A♣ + 7♣ = A business contract | Marriage to a rich person
A♣ + 2♦ + Happy cards = an invitation to someone’s marriage

A♣ + K♦ or 8♦ = A job contract (if it’s the 8, it’s more usually employed work)
A♣ + 9♦ = Litigiousness between partners of any kind | Don’t sign anything
A♣ + 10♦ = Someone is trying to snatch your partner away | if you are planning a wedding, it will not take place (not necessarily because of cheating, look around), or if positive cards follow, things will happen that will make plans change in some respect
A♣ + 3♠ = Abandoning a partner (this is a very traditional combination)
A♣ + 7♠ + K♠U/R = Divorce

A♣ + 8♠ = A critical moment in the marriage (if the Ace is reversed, it’s beyond saving)
A♣ + K♠R = Also divorce, but depending on the context it might mean other things, for instance the government or public authority causing problems to a partnership
A♣ + Person card = It may imply that the person is married
A♣R + Person card = It may imply that the person is divorced or separated

A♣R + 2♥R = A couple’s daily life is perceived by the person as stifling and they would like to get away from it | A firm/company unravelling
A♣R + 6♥ = Riches
A♣R + 7♣ = Real estate
A♣R + 10♥ = One’s assets (+2♣ + 3♦, you probably have money to burn)
A♣R + 8♦ (+2♣)= A noble person, an aristocrat

A♣R + A♦ = Sex (+ A♥ oral; + 5♥ (+7♦) with much foreplay; +9♠ can be anal; +10♣ casual or without protection; + 8♦R and/or J♣R sleazy or very kinky, someone who likes debasement or being dominated (K♣ or Q♦ would be the master/mistress), with 7♣R shaming plays a role, with 7♠R it borders on abuse or a very extreme slavery kink; +9♦ + 4♥R (+ reversed people cards) group sex; +5♥R and other negative cards it might be incestuous; +Q♥R or J♣R + 6♥U/R or 8♦R, with a hooker; +9♣R drugs are being used in the context; +4♥R and/or 7♥R, sexual depravity is implied; +4♥R +3♥R + 4♠ careful about STDs, if also 5♠, it might be AIDS (you may find A♠ or J♦R instead of 3♥R, showing the “communication” of something bad); +A♠ or 10♠, violence might be part of the thing, but 10♠ can also be a uniform kink (e.g. + J♣); + Q♣R traditionally the loss of virginity)
A♣R + 4♥R + 3♥R = A traditional combination of sexual abuse
A♣R + 7♦ = Conception of a child
A♣R + 7♥R or 2♠R + 9♠ = Difficulties getting off, impotence or frigidity

Ace of Diamonds (A♦) – Room (Stanza)

A♦ + A♥ = a private talk
A♦ + A♠ = the news received confidentially is bad
A♦ + 2♥ = One’s home
A♦ + 4♥ = A private meeting between lovers
A♦ + 6♥ and/or 6♣ and/or 7♣ = material prosperity
A♦ + K♦ = may be an office or a shop | confidential information concerning the job

A♦ + 7♥ = a professional’s office | a den or office
A♦ + 9♥ = sexual encounter (the Nine implies giving oneself completely to the other, so it’s probably not a random encounter)
A♦ + 10♣ = careful whom you trust with your secrets
A♦ + 4♦ = what you tell/are being told is false | the pantry
A♦ + 4♠ = spending time in bed due to illness | in love, it can mean the intimate sphere is “sick”

A♦ + 7♠ = can be a domestic accident (look around for the 10♣ showing carelessness) | what you’ll be told will anger you | the electrical system or the stove, depending on the other cards
A♦U/R + 7♠R = Wringing a confession out of someone
A♦ + 9♠ = a traditional combination meaning intimacy. It’s not negative
A♦ + 10♠R = A private meeting of a secret nature
A♦U/R + 7♠ + A♠ and/or 10♠ + 5♠ = the confession of a homicide

2♥ + A♦ = The querent’s bedroom
A♦ + 3♥ = a museum or cinema or place where you look at things | the balcony | the point of view
A♦ + 3♥ + 10♠R + 4♥R = A peep show
A♦ + 2♦ = private writings | a desk
A♦ + 5♥ = the garden, a park, if it makes sense in the context

A♦ + 6♥ = can be a literal safe or vault
A♦ + A♥ = can be a living room or dining room (8♣ might also show the living room)
A♦ + 9♣ = more probably a dining room
A♦ + 3♣ = can be a garage, a hotel room or moving into an apartment (especially if 2♥ follows the 3)
A♦ + 3♠ = the cellar (+8♥R, the plumbing, a sewer)

A♦ + 10♣ = the attic, the roof
A♦ + 8♦ = the kitchen
A♦ + 5♠ = a mortuary
A♦ + 7♠ = a place in ruin
A♦ + 8♠ = a place of bad memories, a place of desperation and low energies
A♦ + K♠ = the seat of an authority | a confessional
(Note: there are many other combinations showing places, with a little practice you’ll be able to detect them easily. Also, depending on the context you will need a different interpretation for these combinations. Be flexible)

A♦R + 9♠ = problems of intimacy
A♦R + K♣R = an unpleasant diagnosis
A♦R + 4♥R = a coming out | the discovery of a sexual secret
A♦R + 10♣ = being busted due to carelessness
A♦R + 4♦ = the shocking secret is false

A♦R + 10♣R + J♠ or Q♠ + 2♦ = unpleasant secrets spread over the internet by trolls, fake news
A♦R + 7♦ = a traditional combination showing the recognition of an illegitimate child
A♦R + K♠ = Another traditional combination, showing the possibility of legal action

Ace of Spades (A♠) – Sorrow (Dispiacere)

A♠ + 4♠ = a mental breakdown
K♦ + A♠ + 5♠ = loss of employment
A♠ + 2♦ = bad news via letter or telephone
A♠ + 10♠ = can represent violence (but look around for other cards confirming it)
A♠ + 6♦ = depressing thoughts | psychological violence

8♥ + A♠ = a hope or wish that will not be realized
A♠ + 7♠ + 9♦ = can be a brawl
A♠ + 4♠ + K♣U/R = a traditional combination showing that the person will develop a physical defect due to an illness (+7♠, after a surgery)
7♠ + A♠ = the traumatizing disruption of a situation | with other cards showing violence, the 7♠ becomes a card of wrath)
2♦ + A♠ + J♣R + 10♠ + 7♠ + 5♠ = receiving news that a son has died in war
J♠ or Q♠ + A♠ + 7♠ + 5♠ (+10♠) = a murderer

A♠R + A♥ or 8♣ or 9♣ = many outings, a good social life
A♠R + 10♥ = success after much toil
A♠R + 10♥ + 7♦ = birth of a child (I once drew 2♦ + A♠R + 10♥ as a daily spread and on the same day we received a postcard telling us of the birth of a distant cousin’s daughter)
A♠R + A♣ and/or 2♦ and/or 7♥ = the signing of a document
A♠R + 2♦ + 4♦ = forgery of signature | signing something you’d be better off not signing

A♠R + 3♣ = many occasions to travel
A♠R + 8♦ or 6♣ = many occasions to receive money
A♠R + 8♦R = many expenses | paying something in installments (+10♥, you finally pay off something)
2♥ + A♠R + 10♥ = extension of a mortgage, remortgaging
6♥ + A♠R + 10♥ = extension of loan

8♦ + A♠R + K♦ = Holding down two jobs
K♦ + 2♠ + A♠R + 7♥ or A♣ = renewal of a job contract (the 2♠ is the job reaching its natural conclusion)
10♣R + A♠R = many occasions to win money or a lucky streak in general
9♠ + A♠R = labor (the one before birth), if 10♣ or 6♣ before the 9♠, it will come sooner than expected
Bad cards + A♠R + Good cards = end of a sorrowful period

Cartomancy, Everyday Oracle, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

The Four Suits in the Vera Sibilla

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The Vera Sibilla (or Sibilla della Zingara) inherits its suit system from the playing card tradition. This is nothing extraordinary in itself. The Lenormand oracle also follows this system, but in a different way.

Coming from the German/Austrian Spiel der Hoffnung, Lenormand cards are assigned their value according to the meanings that the four suits have in the German tradition, where Spades are, on average, better than Clubs. Plus, I have never been able to see much numerology behind Lenormand. Other card systems, such as the Gypsy cards, the Biedermeier Aufschlagkarten and the Kipper cards, do not employ suit correspondences.  

As I have said before, and as other Sibilla experts confirm, the Vera Sibilla is a result of the application of the same archetypes as those of the Gypsy cards to the Italian system of reading playing cards (every country has its own variations, probably). Even then, the Sibilla evolved into its own system, so the suit correspondences are not just like those of playing cards. We’ll see why.

The first, most obvious distinction is between red suits and black suits. In the Vera Sibilla, the back suits, i.e. Spades and Clubs, tend to be more active and dominating. Their influence on the spread, in other words, is often stronger, and they tend to influence red cards rather than being influenced by them. This is a rule of thumb, however, and there might be exceptions.

Within the first binary distinction we find the fourfold division of the four suits*. Here, the most glaring pattern that you will find is that Spades cards are all somewhat negative, or at least difficult neutral cards. On the other hand, Hearts are almost all positive, or at least neutral to positive. However, Hearts are red, which means that the presence of negative cards can easily turn a positive Heart card into a negative omen, while Spades tend to be very dominating cards.

If you examine Spades and Hearts side by side, as I’ve done in the numerology series, you will notice that each Heart card is the direct opposite of the Spade card with the same number. Thus, Hearts and Spades symbolize the basic polarity of good and bad that exists in everyday life.

In the middle, we find the other two suits: Diamonds and Clubs. Whereas Spades are black and negative, Clubs are black and positive (with the exception of the Ten of Clubs, which is neutral). Clubs therefore have a strong -mostly- positive influence, while Spades have a strong -mostly- negative one.

Diamonds, finally, are red, which means that they are easily influenced, but they are more of a mixed bag, compared to Hearts: they are mostly neutral, with some very negative cards, some problematic ones and some mildly positive ones. Diamonds and Clubs move within the good-bad polarity that is established by the suits of Hearts and Spades.

HEARTS
It doesn’t take a revolutionary philosopher to realize that Hearts deal mostly with emotions. They are a relatively straightforward suit, showing the many facets of our more intimate relationships. Curiously, the Six of Hearts is called Money, and is the significator card for, well, money.

However, since one of its major meanings is the past (all sixes have to do with the concept of time), I suspect that whoever drew the card was going for the image of a safe to symbolize the idea, and then they decided they could attach the archetype of money to this card.

Be it as it may, even when the Six of Hearts means money, it often shows that emotions and finances are entwined in the situation (as opposed to other money cards such as the Handmaid or the Surprise).

All the other Heart cards have obvious connections with the inner world of emotions their outer manifestation as personal relationships. If we had to associate the suit of Hearts to a planet, it would obviously be Venus, the smaller benefic, ruler of love, emotions, art and beauty, all stuff that goes under the suit of Hearts.

CLUBS
In traditional playing cards, the suit of Clubs is connected to work, toil, the countryside, study and learning. It is not particularly positive, as it is black and conveys ideas of struggle, labor and the need for discipline. It’s not bad, but it’s not a suit of free success.

In the Sibilla, however, the Suit of Clubs is mostly about good luck, opportunities and money. No card in the suit depicts the idea of toil, although some of the cards convey it when reversed. Most of them are connected with chances and opportunities, and also with social relationships. They also showcase the notion of objective production (as opposed to the inner realm of the Hearts), recognition, advancement.

The two best cards in the deck, the Peacock and Fortune, are part of this suit. The only mixed card in the deck is the Ten, Levity, which still conveys the idea of chance, randomness etc. but in a more neutral way, with possible negative undertones depending on the situation.

If we were to associate the suit of Clubs with a planet, it would probably be a tie between Jupiter and the Sun. Jupiter is the greater benefic, ruler of luck, protection, religion and dolce vita, all concepts we find in the suit. The Sun is the planet of royalty, recognition and greatness.

DIAMONDS
Unlike in playing cards, where Diamonds are mostly about money, here the Sibilla seems to want to convey the idea of “everyday happenings”. As Sibilla expert Etienne Valancourt pointed out, the suit of Diamonds is the suit of seeds and impulses, of news, of happenings in general.

It is not a positive suit, though it’s not as negative as the suit of Spades. It shows how our experience of the human condition can lead us to very dark places as well as to very bright ones. If we were to associate this suit with a planet, it would be Mercury, a neutral, shapeshifting influence that can be positive or negative, heralds news and new phases, rules communication, writing and commerce.

SPADES
The Suit of Spades is the one no one wants in their spreads, unless they are waiting for an old lady to kick the bucket so they can get their hands on her money. Every major unpleasant aspect of life is covered here, from death to malady, from tears to loss, from violence to imprisonment, from disasters to desperation.

While the suit of Hearts has an expansive, easy feeling about, the Spades separate, hurt, scar (sometimes for life). At a deeper level, it might be said that the Spades represent the tough lessons we learn from life, or the lessons we learn from pain.

A child truly learns that knives cut only by grabbing one the wrong way (Spades), even though her mother would rather he learned by simply listening to her love-filled advice (Hearts). If we had to associate the Spades to a planet, it would be a tie with Mars and Saturn, the two malefics. Mars rules conflict, war, surgery and struggle, while Saturn rules death, decay, limitation, poverty, depression.

* Some versions of the Vera Sibilla, unfortunately, do not have suit icons, and use a somewhat confusing system of letters. C stands for Cuori, i.e. Hearts (thus, 3C is the Three of Hearts); F stands for Fiori, Clubs (3F = Three of Clubs); Q stands for Quadri or Diamonds (3Q = Three of Diamonds); P stands for Picche or Spades (3P = Three of Spades).

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

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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

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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.