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Vera Sibilla | Ten of Spades – Soldier (Militare)

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Name: Soldier
Italian Name: Militare
Playing Card: 10♠
Polarity when Upright: Neutral to Negative
Core Meanings: strength, force | arguments, violence | wearing a uniform | the army | effort, an uphill battle | secrecy
Polarity when Reversed: Neutral to Negative
Reversed Core Meanings: a secret | the night | weakness | controversy

Card Description: a fit young man in a uniform in the act of walking up a slope to conquer a citadel.

Suit and Number: all tens in the Vera Sibilla are associated with the idea of will, willpower and the ability to materialize it. The Soldier card, the Ten of Spades, signifies struggle and the need for toil and stregth to avoid being overwhelmed by obstacles. It is the opposite of the Ten of Hearts, which shows the will conquering reality. The Ten of Spades shows an uphill battle that may end with reality conquering you.

UPRIGHT 10♠

General: this card has two broad strands of meaning, one to do with physical stregth, the other with secrecy. The former tends to appear when the card is upright, the latter when it’s reversed, so I will discuss them as such. However this is not a rule: the Ten of Spades may signify a secret when upright and physical strength when reversed, albeit more rarely.

Love and Relationships: the meaning varies greatly depending on the surrounding cards. With positive cards it shows the ability to solve struggles and arguments. It can also show that a person will fight to the bitter end to help us and protect us. Note that Ten of Spades can be a face card, representing a young man, usually muscular and good-looking. With negative or neutral cards it shows arguments, despotism, violence (this latter never when alone, though) and a relationship that is “difficult” and forces the person to constantly fight and be on their guard to maintain. It can signify lies and being guarded.

Work and Money: the Ten of Spades is associated with works in uniform (broadly) and for the armed forces. It can signify a difficult, tense work environment and implies the need to constantly fight. With cards pointing to financial difficulties it shows the struggle to survive. Conditions are usually not ideal in any field of material realization and they require a lot of effort.

Other: the card is associated with difficult environments, especially mountains and woods. Psychologically it points to being guarded and diffident and somewhat gruff. It also represents sports (especially physically taxing ones). Spiritually it is connected to the material plane, so its meanings can vary from manifestation to materialism and being diffident toward ideas or belief. It can signify atheism. The card is also associated with the concept of “abroad”, “foreign” and “unknown”, both when upright and reversed.

Important Combinations:
10♠ + K♠ = a policeman, the armed forces
10♠ + A♥ = lies, arguments, being guarded in what you say depending on the context
10♠ + A♠ = possible violence (especially with other cards)
10♠ + 10♥ = winning after much struggle
9♠ + 10♦ + 10♠ = the arrest of a thief

REVERSED 10♠R

General: reversed, the Ten of Spades becomes primarily the card of secrets, of the unknown and of the night (meanings which it has also when upright, but which are less prominent in that position). Just as the Ten of Hearts represents the sun of personal victory after the darkness of the night, the Ten of Spades is the darkness. In some contexts, the card can signify the opposite of the strength of the upright version, thus giving weakness.

Love and Relationships: it often shows hidden relationships and hidden practices in general. It is an almost sure symbol of cheating. However, always look at what is being hidden, as it may be something other than a lover. Since the card is connected to the night, it can simply show an evening out, depending on the combinations. It can also show, quite simply, that a person is not yet known. It retains the connotation of hostility if accompanied by cards of struggle and arguments.

Work and Money: it can show works done by night and is connected to all professions to do with secrecy (secret services etc). It can also imply hidden schemes and tactics, and it often points to less than loyal colleagues.

Other: psychologically it can signify that a person is a weakling or a coward. It can also simply mean that one is lost or feels lost and doesn’t what direction to take anymore.

Important Combinations:
10♠R + A♦ = a secret meeting
10♠R + K♦ = working by night
10♠R + J♠ = a private detective
10♠R + 3♥ = spying
7♠R + 10♠R + 4♠ = physical collapse

Card combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Tens

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Fortune-telling, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla | Ten of Diamonds – Thief (Ladro)

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Name: Thief
Italian Name: Ladro
Playing Card: 10♦
Polarity when Upright: Negative
Core Meanings: Loss | Theft, Robbery | Betrayal | Enmity, Ill will, Interference by third parties
Polarity when Reversed: Negative
Reversed Core Meanings: Obstacles too great to overcome | The end | heavy losses | places you’d rather not be

Card Description: a barefoot man breaking into someone else’s home to steal something valuable.

Suit and Number: all tens in the Sibilla deal with the notion of will. The Ten of Diamonds, the Thief, is a card of ill will, the will to do something bad or illegal, to take away, to interfere.

UPRIGHT 10♦

General: the Ten of Diamonds represents loss, theft, enmity and ill will. It’s a very negative card in almost all circumstances. When it closes a row positive cards, it shows that the things signified by those cards will be taken away from us. It represents all that is taken away from us, broadly. When surrounded by positive cards, it can mean that the querent will be forced to change their plans or adopt other means of getting what they want, often because of unforseen difficulties.

Love and Relationships: in love, the Thief card heralds interference by third parties, the presence of other people in the shadow playing to the querent’s disadvantage. More broadly, it can foretell a relationship that is hidden, where the people involved are usually already taken. When it describes a person, the Ten of Diamonds shows them as egoist and ready to betray, cheat etc. More in general it is a card of enmity and it mean ill will or even the desire to drain people of their emotional resources.

Work and Money: the Ten of Diamonds can stand for a literal theft, but almost never when alone. Usually it requires the presence of other cards of dubious moral quality. It can stand for scams and swindles, contracts you’d better not sign and in general the presence of hidden detrimental factors in any enterprise. More generally it’s a card of loss, and it brings taxing situations that chip away at your resources. It is only good for people planning something untoward.

Other: psychologically, the card shows negative desires, especially connected to other people’s belongings (broadly construed). It also represents all those practices that drag the soul down, loading it with negativity. The card is associated with West as a cardinal point.

Important Combinations:
10♦ + Q♠ or J♠ = thief (especially with 4♦)
2♦ + 10♦ = loss of correspondence
J♠ + K♦ + 10♦ = man stealing your job
10♦ + 9♦ = group of thieves or of ill-intentioned individuals
6♦ + 10♦ = planning to interfere or rob | psychologically it can be intrusive thoughts

REVERSED 10♦R

General: a very negative card. Its general meaning is that of insurmountable problems. It is disastrous for the economy and extremely bad in all other areas.

Love and Relationships: it can still represent betrayal, but more in general it signifies situations that have run their course and can no longer move forward. It implies definite endings and the inner emptiness that results from having lost that person.

Work and Money: it can still represent theft, but more rarely. It is usually a card of big loss, it represents losing the money you loaned, making wrong investments and gambling away your money. It is a card of unemployment and dire financial situations, and career-wise it brings ruin. If followed by positive cards, of course, it shows that a bad situation will improve and that new opportunities will arise. The presence of the reversed Ten of Diamonds, however, often puts a full stop to the situation as it has been so far, especially when together with other cards of blockage or ending.

Other: it can signify a psychological state of lack of inner resources and feeling like you’ve been robbed of all chances. The card also signifies negative or foreboding places, such as prisons, fortresses, hospital and haunted mansions.

Important Combinations:
6♦ + 10♣ + 10♦R = disastrous speculation
10♦R + 9♠ and/or 4♠ = the end, it’s over | can be a prison
2♥R + 10♦R + 9♦ + 6♦ = haunted house
8♥ + 10♦R = unrepaid loans
10♦R + 8♠ + 9♦ + A♠ + 10♠ = situation of debt leading to a tragic outcome

Other Combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Tens

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Fortune-telling, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla | Ten of Clubs – Levity (Leggerezza)

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Name: Levity
Italian Name: Leggerezza
Playing Card: 10♣
Polarity when Upright: Neutral
Core Meanings: Carefreeness, Recklessness | A little of something | Things of a passing nature
Polarity when Reversed: Positive
Reversed Core Meanings: Lucky moment | Positive Chance

Card Description: a butterfly flying from flower to flower in the lazy afternoon.

Suit and Number: All tens in the Sibilla are connected to the idea of will and its concretization. Here we have a lack of the willpower that allowed the Ten of Hearts to be named Perseverance. We have lack of perseverance, carefreeness, fluttering from flower to flower without trying too much.

UPRIGHT 10♣

General: It’s a card of recklessness, which can lead to mistakes, and disengagement. It represents all things passing and fleeting, things not rooted permanently in reality or in the querent’s destiny. A specific function of this card is that it diminishes the import of the cards around, for better or worse. A disappointment will be small, but also a joy.

Love and Relationships: the Ten of Clubs represents acquaintances, people you know in passing, but relationships that are not serious or strong. It shows flighty people and fleeting bonds that probably won’t last (unless the cards show the relationship evolving). For those who dip their toes into more than one pool, this card can act as a warning of getting caught due to recklessness

Work and Money: the card stands for small amouts of money and very slight improvements. It shows that someone is incapable of saving up money and tends to spend it rather recklessly. The types of employment this card refer to have to do with the element of air (aviation, hostess, etc.) but it also stands for all types hand-to-mouth situations and all those situations where you show up, work for someone without contract and you are gone at the end of the day.

Other: psychologically it’s a card of carefreeness. It can mean that the person does not concentrate or try hard. It can signify that the querent leaves anything (a relationship, a job, a religion) as soon as things become too serious and require them to make a commitment and to persevere. It can also point to stepping into situations without forethought. The card symbolizes the element of air and the direction north. With positive cards and preceded by negative ones it can signify that something that had been thought to be a tragedy will be less serious. If followed by negative cards and preceded by positive ones, it’s the opposite.

Important Combinations:
10♣ + J♥ or Q♥ = not the most reliable lover
10♣ + 6♥ = small amount of money
10♣ + A♠ = a passing disappointment
K♣R + 6♦ + 10♣ = the doctor is wrong in downplaying the symptoms

REVERSED 10♣R

General: it becomes a positive card. If the upright card is chancy and risky, the reversed card is a chance, and favorable opportunity.

Love and Relationships: the reversed Ten of Clubs does not have many specific meanings connecting it to relationships. However it can show a change for the better especially for single people. It could imply a chance meeting. It is also a card that signifies a person can be relied on.

Work and Money: the reversed Ten of Clubs is very positive. For one it implies the ability to save money. Secondarily, it shows investments and speculations, mostly in a positive sense (but pay attention to the following cards). Furthermore, this is an excellent card for gamblers, though in itself it does not represent a huge about of money, being akin to the Fortuna Minor of the Geomancers.

Other: the card is connected with electronics and technology and all sciency things. Psychologically it shows someone who is capable looking at his own actions with enough detachment to see where improvements are to be made.

Important Combinations:
10♣R + 6♥ = a financial opportunity
10♣R + A♥ + 4♥ = meeting a new love
10♣R + 2♦ = a web page | receiving positive messages
10♣R + 7♠ + 9♦ = squandered chance
4♠ + 10♣R + 8♣ = unexpected chance to heal (e.g. new treatment available etc)

Other combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Tens

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Fortune-telling, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla | Ten of Hearts – Perseverance (Costanza)

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Name: Perseverance
Italian Name: Costanza
Playing Card: 10♥
Polarity when Upright: Positive
Core Meanings: Success of an effort | Stable situations for better or ill | Willpower, Persistence | the querent’s hometown or country
Polarity when Reversed: Negative
Reversed Core Meanings: Instability, Disruption, Failure of enterprises | Anger, Wrath | Lack of willpower

Card Description: on the background of the ruins of an ancient Greek or Roman city, a young woman leans confidently on a broken column as the sun rises after a long night. This card, like the Hope card, is a traditional allegory.

Suit and Number: all tens in the Sibilla represent the idea of will. In the Ten of Hearts this is seen as positive, giving willpower, perseverance, realization through toil and hard work.

UPRIGHT 10♥

General: the Ten of Hearts is mostly a positive card. It signifies success, but earned. It never falls on the querent’s lap. It’s neutral meaning is that it shows things lasting a long time, whether for good or ill. Due to its connection with willpower and the materialization of plans through it, the Perseverance card activates the Six of Diamonds, the Thought card.

Love and Relationships: it shows security in one’s relationships. It represents the presence of reliable people whom the querent can depend on. It often signifies long-term commitment such as marriage, and a bond that is deeply rooted in the querent’s life. Relationships of this kind resist through all adversity just as the woman resisted through the harsh night to see the light of day.

Work and Money: the Ten of Hearts can mean attainment through hard work and perseverance, and it signifies working a long time in one sector or for one company. It can mean a long-term or perm job. With negative cards it can point to long-term unemployment. Traditionally the card is associated to the sea and to mariners. It is also very good for merchants and sellers.

Other: psychologically it gives endurance, self-reliance, resourcefulness. It shows a stable character. The person is capable of resisting to adversities. The Ten of Hearts is connected to the querent’s hometown, country or surroundings, depending on the scope of the reading, because it shows where the querent is rooted. It is also connected to south as a cardinal point, to warmth and to daylight. Spiritually it shows rooted convictions and a harmonious relationship with the divine.

Important Combinations:
A♣ + 10♥ = lasting marriage or job
4♥ + 10♥ = lasting love
A♠ + 10♥ + 9♦ = lasting difficulties
10♥ + 7♣ = great realization
3♣ + 10♥ + 3♠ = leaving your hometown or country

REVERSED 10♥R

General: more negative. It signifies things falling apart, instability and wrath, the opposite of a stable character.

Love and Relationships: relationships go south when this card is reversed. It is a card of arguments, anger and resentment. It shows people not to be depended on, and an unwillingness to carry on the relationship

Work and Money: it shows loss due to unpredictable events or due to the querent’s own instability. With cards of sadness it can show the querent feels defeated and may not even be looking for a job.

Other: psychologically it can show either lack of willpower (and therefore defeatism) or an excess of it (anger, wrath, an overbearing character). Spiritually it can mean falling out of love with the divine, resenting it even.

Important Combinations:
10♥R between two face cards = arguments
10♥R + 3♥R = overbearing, wrathful individual
10♥R + 7♣R = failure of dreams
10♥R + 10♠ + A♠ = violence (+8♠ against oneself)
10♥R + 4♠U/R = feeling defeated

Other combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Tens

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Fortune-telling, Playing Cards, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla | Nine of Spades – Prison (Prigione)

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Name: Prison
Italian Name: Prigione
Playing Card: 9♠
Polarity when Upright: Negative
Core Meanings: Blockage, Bondage, Imprisonment, Lack of freedom | Legal trouble | Pregnancy | Unpleasant environment
Polarity when Reversed: Neutral
Reversed Core Meanings: Liberation | Removal of obstacles | Expiation, Regret, Regretting something in general, Guilt

Card Description: in a dark dungeon, a man with his hands bound by a heavy chain reflects on his condition.

Suit and Number: all the nines in the Vera Sibilla signify bonds. The Nine of Spades is the card of heavy bonds, signifying all those situations that enslave us.

UPRIGHT 9♠

General: mostly a negative card of blockage, negative bonds and long delays. It has the peculiar secondary meaning of pregnancy. Sometimes when the cards falls at the beginning of a sequence, it shows that the querent is being forced into a situation, while when it falls last it shows that the querent feels chained to a situation.

Love and Relationships: relationships tend to be suffocating and limiting for the querent. The Prison card can signify being a slave to the partner, being forced to submit (or forcing them) but with positive cards it can show a very close, almost symbiotic relationship. When describing a relationship it describes it as a heavy bond, something that the querent would like to shake off. It heralds the loss of friends and loneliness. Often it can mean long periods spent without company, usually not willingly.

Work and Money: it is a card of unemployment, but it can also show being bound to a job you don’t like, whatever the reason might be (for instance, you can’t afford to leave). With negative cards it can bring poverty and debts, and it often comes up when the querent signs contracts and then regrets it.

Other: the card can show legal trouble. Psychologically and spiritually the card shows lack of evolution and the inability to let go of ideas. It also points to dejection. Needless to say it’s a card of addiction and black magic, in the appropriate context. It also represents places where the querent would rather not be

Important Combinations:
9♠ + 7♦ = the classical combination for pregnancy (the 8♥ might be present as confirmation)
A♥ or 8♣ + 9♠ = can be social isolation
7♣ + 9♠ = lack of recognition
9♠ + 5♣ or 2♣ = liberation
10♦ + 9♠ + 7♠R = can mean a kidnapping

REVERSED 9♠R

General: a neutral card whose meaning varies greatly depending on the surrounding cards. It mainly signifies liberation from bondage, but if with negative cards it shows, once again, loss of freedom. When this card is preceded by negative cards and followed by positive ones, it is a definite sign of liberation.

Love and Relationships: it can herald freedom from an unwanted relationship, maybe an abusive one. If with negative cards, though, it has the same meaning as the upright counterpart, and it can show mental obstacles to leaving. Often it signifies time spent alone willingly. It can also mean giving in to the temptation of doing something “wrong” like cheating, with the appropriate cards, as it can imply lack of restraint.

Work and Money: again, very similar to the upright card. When it is followed by positive cards, it shows the overturning of limiting conditions. With cards that point to swindles, it cautions the querent to be careful of what he signs or what businees he gets into.

Other: psychologically it shows someone who has no bonds, one who is a loner, a strange character, possibly on the spectrum. The card can signify regret for what you do, either because it was bad and you have come to your senses or because now you are stuck with the results of acting without restraint.

Important Combinations:
Q♣ + 10♣ + A♣ + 9♠R = marrying young, regretting it
9♠R + J♠ = a person who will try to rob you of your freedom (e.g. a scammer)
A♥R + 9♠R + 3♠ = a social outcast
9♠R + positive cards = liberation
9♠R + negative cards = enslavement

Other combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Nines

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Fortune-telling, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla | Nine of Diamonds – The Fools (Deliranti)

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Name: the Fools
Italian Name: Deliranti
Playing Card: 9♦
Polarity when Upright: Negative
Core Meanings: Bad company, the wrong crowd, negative people, Mob mentality | Setbacks, Obstacles, Chaos, Disorder, Lack of planning | Unwarranted  exhalation, Delirium | Addiction, Excess, Lack of moderation
Polarity when Reversed: Negative
Reversed Core Meanings: Blunder | Involution, Worsening | Hesitation

Card Description: three drunken hobos causing chaos on the street. The two men on the sides are leading the one in the middle down the wrong path in life.

Suit and Number: all nines in the Vera Sibilla depict the idea of bond. In the suit of Diamonds, this bond is a negative social bond. The other meanings follow

UPRIGHT 9♦

General: a card depicting negative social ties, an idea which must be interpeted broadly. It also shows negative ties to someone or something, such as substance abuse.

Love and Relationships: often this card heralds arguments and bickerings and the inability to get along or see eye to eye. It represents chaos and disorder in social affairs. It can signify negative groups of people, running with the wrong crowd, mob mentality etc. It can show people leading the querent astray.

Work and Money: the Nine of Diamonds speaks of setbacks and unforeseen misfortune and obstacles. It shows lack of self-discipline and follow-through. It can point to misguided enterprises that inevitably end up in failure and people the querent should not listen to.

Other: psychologically it’s a card of confusion, derangement, lack of discipline, not listening to reason and being proud of it (the “empowered and unapologetic” type comes to mind, being especially common in the alternative spirituality milieu). Because the Nine of Diamonds signifies irregularity, it is also connected with disasters and acts of God, i.e., all those rare situations that seem to defy logic.

Important Combinations:
9♦ + 10♣ = complete lunacy
9♦ + 7♠ = traditionally, danger from deranged individuals | miscalculation leading to disaster | bad arguments
9♦ + 9♠ = a vicious cycle of any kind
7♦ + 9♠ + 9♦ = being pregnant with twins, traditionally
9♦ + 2♥ = arguments with family members

REVERSED 9♦R

General: the classical meaning, and the prevalent one, is that of involution, of moving backward instead of going forward (look at the card). It also shows blunders and indecisions.

Love and Relationships: often this card shows a relationship unraveling, becoming worse. Sometimes it can mean that a partner is beginning to act out of character for no particular reason. Furthermore, it can show that the querent doesn’t know what do to about their social and romantic life. It can also signify flashes in the pan, or being with the wrong person.

Work and Money: aside from the meaning of worsening finances, the reversed Nine of Diamonds can herald blunders that could end up costing the querent dearly. When followed by positive cards, it signifies that a total blunder leads to unexpected good consequences.

Other: both psychologically and spiritually, the reversed Fools signify hesitancy, not knowing what to do, and feeling like you have no one or nothing guiding you.

Important Combinations:
10♠ + 7♣R + 9♦ = traditionally, a soldier being demoted
9♦R + 10♣ = momentary recklessness
9♦R + 6♥ + 8♠ = the unraveling of personal finances
4♠ + 9♦R + positive cards = an illness receding, retreating, going away
9♦R + 2♥U/R = in real estate issues, a property depreciating

Other combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Nines

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Fortune-telling, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla | Nine of Clubs – Cheerfulness (Allegria)

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Name: Cheerfulness
Italian Name: Allegria
Playing Card: 9♣
Polarity when Upright: Positive
Core Meanings: Satisfaction, Cheerfulness, Positivity, Celebration | Social groups | Material well-being | Entertainment, Eating and drinking, Bottoms up
Polarity when Reversed: Negative
Reversed Core Meanings: Excess, Addiction | Sadness, Dejection | Setbacks, Unforeseen obstacles

Card Description: three men celebrating with wine outside a tavern.

Suit and Number: Nines represent the idea of bonding. The suit of Clubs interprets the basic idea as social bonding, signifying one’s social circle, and bonding over happy events.

UPRIGHT 9♣

General: an extremely positive card which represents the idea of celebration and all those circumstances that bring people together to celebrate. There is a strong social component to this card.

Love and Relationships: it often shows that hard times are over and that it’s time to relax and enjoy the ride. It heralds smooth periods where nothing troubles the couple particularly. When a breakup has happened in the near past, the card shows reconciliation, while if it’s been a while it shows satisfaction in love, presumably with someone else. It can show dates and taking part in mundane events together. It’s a card of friendship, but not a deep friendship as that shown by the Nine of Hearts. The Nine of Clubs always has a sense of carefreeness about it, implying that the bond may not survive if the going gets tough.

Work and Money: extremely positive, the Nine of Clubs is a card of material satisfaction. It means not having to worry about money and making ends meet, advancement and positive ties leading to success. It shows lines of work having to do with eating, drinking and entertaining the public. It is also a positive card for those playing the lottery and other games of chance.

Other: psychologically it’s a card of mirth, letting go of hurt and assuming a more positive, self-confident attitude. It signifies groups of people, traditionally living in the countryside, but this is no longer necessarily the case nowadays. The card is also a significator for well-meaning jokes.

Important Combinations:
9♣ + 10♣ = a joke or prank | a social butterfly
9♣ + 5♣ + 6♣ = winning money
9♣ + K♦ = realization at work
9♣ + 2♥ = a house party | a pub or restaurant
9♣ + 8♣ = a reunion with friends

REVERSED 9♣R

General: if upright it meant cheerfulness, luck and celebration, when reversed, the Nine of Clubs is connected with all forms of excess, with sorrow and with setbacks and misfortunes marring all initiatives.

Love and Relationships: relationships tend to dissolve or be problematic. It shows people who are not ready to celebrate the querent, or if they do, they don’t really mean it. It is a card of bullying, mobbing and all those negative behaviors that can be misconstrued as “just kidding”, but they are really malicious. Partners may be overbearing and caustic.

Work and Money: setbacks and bad luck are the chief meanings of this card. It can also imply foolish mistakes that may end up costing the querent dearly. More broadly, it points to material loss and difficulties with money.

Other: psychologically it represents an unstable character. It points to either sorrow and depression or an unhinged loose cannon.

Important Combinations:
9♣R + J♠ or Q♠ + 10♣ = malicious practical jokes and pranks
9♣R + 9♦ + 9♠ = addiction
9♣R + K♦ = traditionally, false banknotes, but many other possibilites apply depending on the context
9♣R + 2♣ = kicking and addiction
9♣R + 7♠ = material loss

Other combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Nines

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Fortune-telling, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla | Nine of Hearts – Faithfulness (Fedeltà)

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Name: Faithfulness
Italian Name: Fedeltà
Playing Card: 9♥
Polarity when Upright: Positive
Core Meanings: Triumph in love | Deep attachment, Strong feelings and commitment | Loyalty in all its forms | Friendship, Help
Polarity when Reversed: Negative
Reversed Core Meanings: Unfaithfulness | Rebellion, Audacity, Unruly person | all is not as it seems

Card Description: a dog guards its master’s tent while he is away.

Suit and Number: All nines in the Vera Sibilla are connected to the idea of, well, connection, linkage, bond. In the Nine of Hearts the idea of bond is a positive one.

UPRIGHT 9♥

General: this card is the polar opposite of the Four of Diamonds, Falsehood. It represents all things that truly are as they seem, appearances corresponding to reality. It’s the card of loving commitment, success, support and deep attachment.

Love and Relationships: in relationship readings this is one of the most positive cards. It indicates people who are loyal, transparent, supportive, genuinely caring. In itself this is a card of friendship, but in love it shows an unshakable bond. When it describes a couple’s life, the Nine of Hearts signifies strong commitment and mutual dependability and synergy. When found among negative cards that show the dying off of feelings, it can represent that the people involved still deeply respect each other and their commitment, and probably remain together out of loyalty. When with cards that show ill will, lying, etc. The Nine of Hearts becomes negative, its meaning negated by the influence of the cards around.

Work and Money: it shows trustworthy colleagues and advisors. Offers are usually good or at least honest, unless other cards contradict this point. The Faithfulness card signifies strong commitment and a positive work environment, as well as the presence of help in time of need. It can imply recognition and having people who look up to you.

Other: psychologically it’s a card of loyalty to something, whether it be a person, an institution, an ideal, etc. It also indicates having a sixth sense for something, however it may apply. Spiritually, in addition to devotion and devotional work, it shows spiritual protectors, otherwise known as angels or spirit guides.

Important Combinations:
9♥ + A♣ = marriage of love
9♥ + 4♣R = a friend’s help
6♦R + 9♥ + J♦ = spiritually, messages from your angel
9♥ + 4♦ = lies
A♥ + 9♥ = truthfulness | spilling your guts | saying I love you | a united group

REVERSED 9♥

General: when reversed, the Nine of Hearts signifies disloyalty, cheating, an untrustworthy character and rebellion, or one who is not tame

Love and Relationships: it is mostly a card of unfaithfulness, and it’s meaning is very similar to when the upright card is surrounded by negative cards. Even when it doesn’s show cheating, it points to lack of respect, having lost the other person’s esteem, and in general all those situations where two people can’t stand each other anymore. It often points lack of success in all endeavors connected with love, it can bring about a separation and it shows that people’s true motives are to be questioned.

Work and Money: it is one of those cards that signify lack of support at best, at worst people whose judgment the querent should not trust, for they are only following their self-interest.

Other: psychologically it is a card of rebellion, anarchy, desertion, the desire for independence (in the context of mundane affairs, it can even represent a country’s independence from another country). Spiritually it shows failure, lack of respect for traditions and lack of contact with one’s guide.

Important Combinations:
9♥R + 3♦ + 9♠R = an offer better avoided
9♥R + 4♥R = cheating
9♥R + K♠ = divorce
9♥R + 7♠ = breakup
9♥R + J♣ or Q♣ + 7♦R = can be a teenager going through a rebellious phase

Other combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Nines

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Fortune-telling, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla | Eight of Spades – Desperation and Jealousy (Disperato per Gelosia)

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Name: Desperation and Jealousy
Italian Name: Disperato per Gelosia*
Playing Card: 8♠
Polarity when Upright: Negative
Core Meanings: Desperation, Crisis, Hopes falling through | Jealousy, Envy, Possessiveness | Loss | Ill-will, Toxicity
Polarity when Reversed: Negative
Reversed Core Meanings: Egotism | Pride | Imbalanced Character | Disruption, Accident | Imbalanced behavior

Card Description: a man leans against a rock as he is about do something from which there is no return. He seems to have r eached a point of no return.

Suit and Number: all eights have to do with balance. In the Suit of Spades, which is negative, this translates as a crisis of a state of affairs, loss of balance, scraping the bottom, etc. All other eights show the realization of hopes, the creation (or re-creation) of a balanced state of affairs and good perspectives. Here we have the opposite: life stands still on the brink of destruction, all balance lost (notice how the man leans on a rock for support).

UPRIGHT 8♠

General: one of the most NSFW cards in the deck, especially in our world pampered by trigger warnings. It is also one of the most mysterious and ominous-looking. It signifies what it says on the tin: hopelessness, desperation, a crisis, loss and jealousy. It shows all those situations where you find yourself face to face with the ugly truth that sometimes life is shit even if we call it fertilizer.

Love and Relationships: often this card represents jealousy. If it comes up alone, it is lousy, normal jealousy, nothing to get too worked up about. However the Eight of Spades also covers morbid jealousy, envy and all toxic environments where ill will prevails. Thus it is also a significator for gossip and slander. Relationships will devolve into a situation of crisis and hang on the brink of dissolution.

Work and Money: debts, loss and money troubles all around all form the core meaning of this card. Investments are likely to prove disastrous and if the querent is hoping to receive money for whatever reason, he won’t. Anything that is hoped for falls through as a rule, unless cards such as Fortune and the Peacock follow, in which case the hope will be realized when the person had given up on it.

Other: psychologically it represents a very dark period of dejection and loss of hope. It shows the inability to envision a bright future, and living in a state of inner crisis. Spiritually it shows loss of faith and esoterically it points to oppression by evil energies. It goes without saying that the Eight of Spades is connected to self-harm and its extreme forms, if with the appropriate cards.

Important Combinations:
6♥U/R + 8♠ = financial crisis
A♣ + 8♠ = a marriage in a critical moment
8♠ + Q♠ and/or J♠ + 9♦ = ill will from a group of people, mobbing if at work
4♥ + 8♠ = Jealousy
6♦U/R + 8♠ + A♠ + 9♦ = very dark thoughts toward oneself

REVERSED 8♠R

General: Also negative. It can have a similar meaning to the upright counterpart. It also shows accidents, disruptive events (think of the man actually firing the gun) and serious character flaws. Only when the reversed Eight of Spades is followed by positive cards it can signify the end of a crisis.

Love and Relationships: it is one of the cards that can show a breakup. It also represents people you’d be advised to stay away from, because they know no limit in their actions and will go to any length to get what they want, selfish and possibly unhinged, depending on the gravity of the other cards. Groups of people are also likely to harbor ill will toward the querent.

Work and Money: It still brings trouble, crisis and disruption. It can also signifiy that the person cannot be trusted to manage their own money or to make good on their promises.

Other: The reversed Jealousy card is connected with accidents. It is also a card of deep immaturity on a psychological level, showing someone who is proud, selfish and arrogant and thinks only about themselves. It signifies a loose cannon. Because it shows lack of restraint, it is associated eith excesses of all kind and it can point to an unbalanced aura due to a hex.

Important Combinations:
8♠R + 4♦ = traditionally, an accident that leaves you paralyzed in a chair, but two cards are not enough | being completely out of your mind
8♠R + 3♣ + 7♠ = an accident
8♠R + 2♣R = serious character flaws
8♠R + 4♦ + 3♠R + Q♠ = a hex sent by a woman (if J♠ a man)
8♠R + 5♦ = being whiny and capricious

Other combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Eights

* literally “Desperate due to Jealousy”, it has been shortened to just “Jealousy” in some modern decks, but clearly the image represents more than just jealousy. I believe the inventor of the deck was trying to fit two different strands of meanings into one card, that connected to jealousy and that connected to desperation and crisis which is typical of the Eight of Spades in various traditions of divination.

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Fortune-telling, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla | Eight of Diamonds – The Handmaid (Donna di Servizio)

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Name: The Handmaid
Italian Name: Donna di Servizio
Playing Card: 8♦*
Polarity when Upright: Positive
Core Meanings: Money coming in | Offer, Gift | Evolution | Work, Career | Elevation, Nobility, Politeness | A woman from work | Trip
Polarity when Reversed: Negative
Reversed Core Meanings: Money going out | Things not received or taken away | Low value, cheapness, not trustworthy | Altercations, Gossips

Card Description: a well-dressed young woman is about to climb a flight of stairs after having been to the market for some errands.

Suit and Number: The eights in the Sibilla are cards of balance and the reaching of it. In the Eight of Diamonds we have the idea of balance of money, money coming (upright followed by positive cards) and going (reversed, or upright followed by negative cards). It also represents progess toward a better station in life, one that conforms better to the querent’s idea of success.

UPRIGHT 8♦

General: this card has a plethora a meanings and can be overwhelming. In the main it is connected to money, things that are offered or given, and to work. It is also a card of important psychological import, and it can be a face card representing a woman (traditionally with dark hair and/or from another city).

Love and Relationships: when it represents a woman, it does not represent a partner or someone the querent is involved with romantically. Relationships represented by this card tend to be peaceful and solid. They evolve toward a better state or equilibrium. Where there might be strife, this card brings peace. It signifies people who are trustworthy and dependable. It shows people who help the querent, or, more materialistically, who make the querent a gift (or to whom the querent makes a gift).

Work and Money: the Eight of Diamonds can be a secondary significator for the querent’s work life (the primary being the King of Diamonds). It is also the card that tells us where money comes from and where it’s headed. Mostly it shows money coming, but it is connected to the flow of cash in general, so pay attention, because, as the image shows, it is also the card of shopping and expenses. It represents employment, usually under someone else. The career of the querent, in career readings, usually evolves for the better and promotions are possible. It can represent a woman wearing a uniform.

Other: the Handmaid is a card that can signify a visit. It also shows a transition from one phase to another, usually for the better. Psychologically and in character readings, it shows nobility and high-mindedness, but with less favorable cards it can signify being dependent from other people and having inferiority complexes. The card is connected to cities other than the querent’s.

Important Combinations:
8♦ + K♠ = money from the authority
8♦ + 5♠ = end of a difficult phase in life
8♦ + 10♣ + 7♠ = it can be money down the drain due to carelessness
8♦ + 3♦ = a gift, a precious offer
8♦ + A♠R = money coming in repeatedly | it can show two jobs, especially if another job card is present such as the K♦ | working hard but to good effect

REVERSED 8♦R

General: a negative card that shows money going out, things taken from or not granted to the querent, and disagreements.

Love and Relationships: relationships are usually trashy and with people of no real worth. This card represents the bum or the slut your parents warned you not to date. It is the card of squabbles, often useless and just due to being stupid. Often it heralds difficulties with neighbors or family members. There is the definite possibility of being cheated on (or, as not every querent is a saint, of cheating) usually for no serious reason (the person doesn’t suddenly fall deeply in love with another).

Work and Money: money tends to slip through the querent’s hands for whatever reason, either because he is not good at managing it or because he is forced to spend it. Career-wise it shows very low positions at best, not being paid at all at worst, and it is usually not the querent’s dream job.

Other: gossip and slander are other meanings of the card. Psychologically, the reversed Eight of Diamonds is a card of pettiness, silliness in the worst sense, and of being a lowlife individual.

Important Combinations:
8♦R + K♠ = loans or help not granted by the authority | tax season rolls by
8♦R + Q♥U/R or J♥U/R = cheap slutty character (the same is true to an extent of all face cards)
8♥R + 3♦ = a cheap trinket
2♥ + 8♦R = litigiousness at home
J♦R + 8♦R = gossip, slander (also with the Q♠)

Other combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Eights

* in some recent versions, the card is swapped with the 3♦, the Gift card. This is a recent innovation which, I believe, was probably due to a printing error. The change does not hamper readings, but I have chosen to follow the traditional order