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)

Special Note 1: often it’s indifferent whether the Face card comes upright together with a reversed card or it comes reversed with an upright card, the meaning is sometimes the same, especially when the reversed meaning of the card is the opposite of it’s upright meaning (like with the 9♥)

Special Note 2: I can’t stess enough that these are just examples and that every spread must be judged as its own thing. The context of the question and the other cards must be taken into account when choosing the right interpretation.

Face + A♥ = person talks, expresses himself/herself, is open, other-oriented, belongs to the closer circle of people around the querent
Face + A♥R = person doesn’t talk, inexpressive, cannot express himself or herself well, there is a sense of incompleteness in the relationship with him/her, there are arguments, the person is changing
Face + 2♥ = person belongs to the house or family or the house belong to them
Face + 2♥R = person lives in a house he or she hates, or must visit a “negative” place, or causes the atmosphere at home to be difficult

Face + 3♥* = person is looking, searching, things are coming for that person
3♥ + Face* = person is arriving
Face + 3♥R = person is choleric and animalistic
Face + 4♥ = in love
Face + 4♥R = not in love, gay (usually hiding it), not emotionally fulfilled
Face + 5♥ = is a relative, is engaged, is helpful to the querent in getting his or her wish
Face + 5♥R = cheater, a negative relative, stands between the querent and his or her wish

Face + 6♥ = wealthy or has married money (especially if a queen, traditionally), a person belonging to the past
Face + 6♥R = person has problems with money, won’t give you money, is stingy, is not known yet (belongs to the future) or only known vaguely
Face + 7♥ = person is gifted, talented, serious, bookish, has an intellectual job, is deskbound, achieves recognition within the context, with other cards may be a sexual deviant
Face + 7♥R = person is machiavellian, calculating, untalented or not good for the task, lacking recognition
Face + 8♥* = person is hopeful, positive, nurturing, has hopes (see following cards), spiritual
8♥ + Face* = hopes concern this person
Face + 8♥R = person is sad, pessimistic, godless, an atheist, has lost hope or faith, is promiscuous, hopes concerning that person fall through

Face + 9♥ = person is a friend, loyal, attached, affectionate, faithful, transparent, as on the outside as on the inside, patriotic, idealistic, has strong values
Face + 9♥R = person is disloyal, anarchic, untrustworthy, has an axe to grind, a cheater, not sweet, a dog biting the hand that feeds it
Face + 10♥ = person is dependable, stable, a stable presence, even-tempered, from the same town or country
Face + 10♥R = person is not dependable, unstable, angry, picks fights, without the willpower to go on, is going through a rough patch

Face + A♣ = person is married, a partner of any kind
Face + A♣R = person is unmarried or separated/divorced, is wealthy
Face + 2♣ = person is beautiful or talented, helpful, solves the problem, is honorable, high-minded
Face + 2♣R = person is arrogant, proud, has a somewhat distorted view of reality, easily offended

Face + 3♣* = person is chancing, is going on a journey, things are changing for the person
3♣ + Face* = person comes from afar, is on the way
Face + 3♣R = person is changing, evolving, things are looking up for the person
Face + 4♣ = friendly, a friend (not in love, though)
Face + 4♣R = person helps or recommends, is in a service job or is a nurse
Face + 5♣U/R = person is lucky or brings luck, it’s not the person’s fault

Face + 6♣* = person finds out unexpectedly, receives, gains, thrives, flourishes with little effort
6♣ + Face* = unexpectedly meeting the person (sometimes it’s got the same meaning as the opposite combination, though. Be flexible)
Face + 6♣R = person is ambitious, usually too ambitious, doesn’t thrive, doesn’t receive
Face + 7♣ = person is secure, successful, realized, honored, belongs to the querent’s work environment
Face + 7♣R = person is uncertain, fearful, humiliated

Face + 8♣ = person is well-disposed toward something or someone or the querent, ready to compromise, we meet with him/her, can be a group of people with the Face’s qualities
Face + 8♣R = person is depressed, doesn’t keep promises or appointments, you don’t get along with them, you break up or don’t reconcile
Face + 9♣ = person is happy, cheerful, has achieved something, is part of your wider circle, can be a group of people with the Face’s qualities)

Face + 9♣R = person is causing setbacks or setbacks are caused to them, person is a fake friend, person has an addiction or leads a life of excess
Face + 10♣ = person is unreliable, carefree, not serious or doesn’t pay enough attention, burns through money, is here today and gone tomorrow
Face + 10♣R = person is lucky or comes as a stroke of luck, holds on to money, is capable of saving up

Face + A♦ = person has intimate relationship with the querent (not necessarily sex), or tells querent a secret
Face + A♦R = person reveals something unpleasant
Face + 2♦* = usually, person receives communication (but he or she may send it)
2♦ + Face* = usually, person sends communication (but may receive it)
(The 2♦ may come up upright or reversed)
Face + 3♦ = person is wealthy or, more seldom, gifted, person receives or sends object, gift, proposal
Face + 3♦R = person is instrumental in resolving an issue, much more rarely, and usually with other cards, person is unwilling to part with his stuff or money or person is not gifted or wasting his or her gift. But don’t get too attached to these interpretations, they are very rare

Face + 4♦ = person is unreliable, lying, not transparent, wrong, mistaken, a relative by marriage or adopted
Face + 4♦R = person is unmasked, person provides relief to the querent
Face + 5♦ = person is sad or is the object of the querent’s sadness
Face + 5♦R = person is very dejected, in debt or is a dangerous influence coming from the querent’s past

Face + 6♦* = person thinks, makes projects, or his or her character is being described
6♦ + Face* = querent thinks about the person or is making plans about him or her
Face + 7♦ = person has a kid or is young, person is naive, honest, inexperienced, easy to dupe, childish
Face + 7♦R = person is uncertain, can’t seem to take further steps, person is very naive ot very childish
Face + 8♦ = person is well-bred, polite, noble, high-minded, honest, is offering something or being offered something, is expanding or evolving, is noble (really or metaphorically), is dutiful, has a strong work ethic
Face + 8♦R = person is a cheap slut, a back-stabbing gossip, a two-timing Jezebel (of either sex), has no moral, is of no value, is not offered something or doesn’t give something

Face + 9♦ = person is unreliable, mistaken, not to be believed, cause of trouble, it can refer to a negative group of people with the Face card’s qualities
Face + 9♦R = person is sorely mistaken, is worsening, is taking back something, is hesitant, is blundering
Face + 10♦ = person is a thief, real or within the context, a cheat, interfering, a bad person, a betrayer
Face + 10♦R = person is ruined, is the cause of unsurmountable problems, doesn’t give back what has taken

Face + A♠ = person is sad, receives or sends bad news, is violent or suffers violence
Face + A♠R = person is returning, is conceiving (if a woman, duh), is toiling hard, does something many times, is sexy
Face + 2♠ = person is old, stagnant, an ex (usually if a woman), old-fashioned, declining, reaching the end of something, experienced, wise
Face + 2♠R = person is false, a spreader of discord, hopelessly obsolete, hasn’t learned a thing in life, is avaricious, doesn’t share
Face + 3♠ = person is alone, is going away, querent is deprived of the person in some way, suffers a loss, is lost
Face + 3♠R = person has suffered a trauma, is entirely broken, is following a dangerous path, is making or has made a mistake, has a wrong conduct, is abused or has abused

Face + 4♠ = person is sick, is feeling down, is alone or unemployed, has morbid behavior, must take a break from regular life
Face + 4♠R = person is blocked, can’t move, won’t move or budge, is unwilling to help, is good at managing resources (with positive cards), is hokey smokey poor (with bad cards), is religious
Face + 5♠ = person is dead, is causing or going through a break or huge change, is causing a lack of balance in the situation, is dangerous, is in danger
Face + 5♠R = person is deeply sorry, is devastated, is mortified, is mortally afraid, with positive cards, though, the person has the resources to go on in life

Face + 6♠* = querent is worried about the person
6♠ + Face* = person is worried about something, is unable to let go of something, is deeply anxious about something
Face + 6♠R = person is moving on, is seeing the light, listening to reason, looking for advice or giving it, is finally able to accept something, is given the facts about a situation, is going through instability or causing it, with deeply negative cards the person is without scruples
Face + 7♠ = person is dangerous, negative, aggressive, is disruptive of the querent’s wishes or their wish is being disrupted
Face + 7♠R = person is crushed and unable to get back to his or her feet, is oppressed, a prisoner, person is an oppressor, with negative cards even a  psychopath
Face + 8♠= person is in a crisis, is losing money, is in a bad way, is subtly evil, jealous, envious, bears ill-will toward the querent
Face + 8♠R = person is an egoist, has a huge ego, is easy to offend, is mortally offended, is a loose cannon, is ready to go to any length

Face + 9♠ = person is blocked, alone, jobless, has a commitment that he or she can’t get away from
Face + 9♠R = person is being freed, person is sorry, regrets his or her behavior, with negative cards the person is trying to rob the querent of his freedom, person is morally or sexually ambiguous
Face + 10♠ = person wears a uniform, person is a fighter, person has a difficult character, a bear, person is violent, person is not completely trustworthy
Face + 10♠R = person is unknown, person doesn’t know, has a secret, is secretive, is spineless or a coward