MQS
The Fives of the Vera Sibilla
Tag Archives: Five of Spades
Vera Sibilla Reading – Will He Get a Job?
Occasionally I get to do a reading that is worth discussing. This reading was done last November. A friend of ours, a mature woman, was worried that her son, 21, wasn’t going to find a job. The cards were:
The first card, the Merchant, is the theme card for the son’s work. It is reversed, showing the difficult moment. Immediately after comes the Fortune card, which technically should be a stroke of luck in the person’s destiny. Following is the Sighs card, which represents delay and waiting, in its main meanings. It also shows that the card the young woman is looking at is something the querent is worried about or is expecting. The Maiden, the Queen of Clubs, is usually a significator for a young woman. However, it also has the peculiar function of showing where the problem lies: it’s the card she is facing away from and pointing her finger at. Finally, there’s the Death card. Usually it’s not good to end a reading with the Death card, but in this case the reading was clear enough.
The young man will not find a job. The stroke of luck (Fortune) is not real, but merely something he is waiting for (Sighs). To paraphrase, he’s not looking for a job. This is the problem (Maiden) that leads to a dead end (Death). For several months, therefore, the boy won’t find a job, simply because he is passively hoping it will drop in his lap. In July of 2023 I got confirmation that he hasn’t yet found one. Of course, the cards are time-bound. At this point it would be good to do another reading. We shall see.
Cartomancy with Playing Cards | Five of Spades
In cartomancy with playing cards, the Five of Spades (5♠) is the card of imprisonment.
From a graphical standpoint you can see the idea of prison represented by the single pip being hemmed in by Spades all around. From a numerological standpoint, all fives deal with change, and the Five of Spades signifies, usually, either lack of (positive) change or changes in the wrong direction.
Broadly, the card is the opposite of the Five of Hearts, representing lack of opportunities, dearth, dejection and the need to make great sacrifices. At best, it represents that the querent will need to give up something important in order to achieve what he wants.
The Five of Spades ca a card of prison in the more classic sense, and more generally it signals troubles with the law. The idea of prison, however, can apply to all things that we feel imprisoned by, such as guilt or addictions.
When describing a relationship, the Five of Spades signals not feeling well, or even feeling confined. One of the two partners may be jealous (and jealousy is a strong component of this card). More broadly, it can show a relationship that is withering away and is becoming rigid and brittle, and it shows that the querent (or the other person) does not derive any pleasure or fulfillment from it.
In work readings the Five of Spades is equally bad. It can show feeling chained to a job, dead-end jobs and the inability to move on to something better. With very evil cards it can point to mobbing and abusive work environments, if not downright slavery. In money matters it shows a situation of great sacrifice and can point to dejection and poverty. If with positive cards, it can describe a miser.
The Five of Spades represents lack of change or negative change. It can also signify forced change, especially when at the beginning of a sequence.
Psychologically, it is connected to feeling trapped or without the resources you need. On the other hand, it can point to jealousy, envy and codependency.
Some Combinations:
K♠ – 5♠ – 9♠ = a literal prison sentence or verg big trouble with the law
8♦ – 5♠ – A♠ = shutting down a business
Q♥ – 5♠ – K♣ – 8♠ = a woman who is possessive and abusive toward the querent (the fact that she’s a heart card points to her emotional motivation. This can be a mother. If Q♣, it’s more likely the querent’s wife or girlfriend)
5♠ – 5♣ = making great sacrifices to achieve a goal
J♠ – 9♠ – 5♠ – 10♠ = abduction
Vera Sibilla | Five of Spades – Death (Morte)
Name: Death
Italian Name: Morte
Playing Card: 5♠
Polarity when Upright: Neutral but actually negative (see explanation)
Core Meanings: Sharp change | Loss | An imbalance of some kind
Polarity when Reversed: Negative with some exceptions
Reversed Core Meanings: Deep sorrow, Inner devastation
Card Description: an ominous coffin is propped up on two chairs. A long white candle burns, spreading its dim light.
Suit and Number: All fives have to do with transition in some form or another. Spades are THE negative suit, therefore the notion of death is attached to the Five of Spades.
UPRIGHT 5♠R
General: Technically a neutral card. It merely represents change, usually sharp and, at least to some degree, painful. It is never minor change. When it is followed by positive cards, it indicates a transition toward better times, but because it’s the 5♠, it is implied that some suffering will attend the change. On the other hand, when negative cards follow, it shows that the querent is entering a dark tunnel of pain. Also, this card, similarly to the 3♠, can cut whatever the previous card shows off from our life, for better or worse.
Love and Relationships: the most immediate meaning of the Death card in this field of life is that of breakup. This is especially the case if cards of union and love come before it. It is also part of some combinations showing bereavement. However, the Five of Spades can also signify imbalance, and therefore that one partner loves more than the other, or that the relationship is irremediably broken. A partner showing up in the spread with this card next to him or her and cards representing psychological issues or violence is best kept at arm’s length.
Work and Money: a difficult card in all circumstances. In points to loss of employment, regrets over career choice, and situations that are iffy at best, total ripoffs at worse. When attended by positive cards, it shows positive changes which, however, will take a toll on the querent in some way. Rarely this card signifies jobs to do with the dead or with poisons
Other: psychologically this card points to bitterness, regret and lack of inner balance. Therefore it can hint at self-harm and practices that cause self-damage. It is also a card of atheism and of very dark beliefs. It is one of the cards signifying dark magic and especially necromancy and working with the dead (or with dead bodies).
Important Combinations:
5♠ + 7♠ = nope | radical, irremediable ending
5♠ + 7♠ + 3♠U/R (but more reversed) = death (with skull and crossbones)
8♦ + 5♠ = traditionally the end of bereavement or a difficult period
5♠ + 4♥ + 4♠ = a sick, imbalanced love life
8♥ + 2♦ + 5♠ = the communication you were hoping for won’t arrive
REVERSED 5♠R
General: in general, when reversed this card expresses its meaning on a more psychological level, indicating grief, sorrow, upset. If followed by positive cards, though, it can signify that the querent is resistant and, even though the situation may be somewhat taxing, he will get through it thanks to his inner resolve. If it’s preceded by negative cards and followed by positive cards, it can mean that the querent is going to turn their life around. The inner death, in this case, is symbolic of a deep change in one’s attitude.
Love and Relationships: in general, the reversed Death card stands for deep upset due to a relationship not going how one wants. Look around for the reason. A breakup may be indicated, or the discovery of someone’s infidelity. In general, there is a sense of inability to accept how things have become or what we have discovered, for it is too upsetting.
Work and Money: the same apply here. Something deeply upset the querent, making them die inside somehow. The card hits heavy, so look for signs of mobbing or hard situations in general. If positive cards follow the reversed Five of Spades, then the situation will turn for the better.
Other: psychologically this is a card of profoundly negative emotions. It can signify depression with other cards, implying that a light has gone out inside of the person. With positive cards, the difficulties are still present but resilience is shown. Spiritually, the light that has gone out is that of faith.
Important Combinations:
A♦R + 5♠R = upset due to an unpleasant revelation
5♠R + 8♣ + 7♠ = sorrow due to a breakup
7♦ + 7♠ + 3♠ + 5♠R = devastated by the loss of a child
8♥R + 5♠R = it can mean loss of faith
5♠R + 5♣ or 2♣ + 10♥ = personal renewal
Other Combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Fives
Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Fives
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)
Five of Hearts (5♥) – Happiness (Allegrezza al Cuore)
A♥ + 5♥ = an engagement proposal | a job interview that goes well
5♥ + 2♥ = the house of relatives
5♥ + 6♥ = can be a down payment
5♥ + 8♣ = reconciliation among relatives or a second engagement after the first one didn’t work out | Can mean meeting at a party
5♥ + 9♣ = an engagement party
2♦ + 5♥ = announcement of engagement | a booking
5♥ + 5♦ = dissatisfaction between boyfriend and girlfriend or among relatives
5♥ + 7♦ = traditional combination for petting and sweat talk
5♥ + 7♦R = traditionally, an engagement that is leading nowhere due to an unwillingness to take the next step | it can mean having second thoughts about any kind of commitment
5♥ + 4♠R = also an engagement that doesn’t seem to lead to the next step
5♥ + 7♠ = engagement broken off
5♥ + Person = usually a relative (but in specific contexts, someone who is engaged or not sentimentally free)
5♥ + Person + 5♠ + 7♥ + cards of money or wealth = an inheritance from a dead relative
A♥ + 5♥R = a meeting or talk or discussion that doesn’t reach its goal
5♥R + 2♥ = unstable family relationships
5♥R + 4♦ or 10♦ or 10♠U/R = cheating and lies
5♥R + K♦ = unstable relationships among colleagues
5♥R + 2♠R = incompatibility among relatives, possibly due to lies and a negative behavior
5♥R + 3♠ = a very unsupportive (extended) family (the querent is left alone)
5♥R + Person = a relative to keep at arm’s length
Five of Clubs (5♣) – Fortune (Fortuna)
5♣ + 6♥ = good luck in money matters
5♣ + 10♥ = lasting good luck
5♣ + A♣ = a fortunate marriage or contract
5♣ + 6♣ + 7♣ = the traditional combination of great good fortune
5♣ + 2♦ = it can be a winning ticket
5♣ + 3♦ = a lucky charm, among other possible interpretations | A combination of wealth
5♣ + 5♦ = it can be a lucky situation that the querent is dissatisfied with because it doesn’t match their preconceptions of what luck is
5♣R + 3♣R = a positive transformation that will happen over a longish period
5♣R + 7♦R = the 7♦R delays the 5♣R even more
5♣R + 4♠ = the illness will be overcome over time (+6♠R, with ups and downs)
5♣R + 10♠U/R = the good luck will be delayed and the querent will need to fight
Five of Diamonds (5♦) – Melancholy (Malinconia)
4♥ + 7♠ + 5♦ = a traditional combination showing disappointment over a breakup (if also 5♠, a definitive breakup, but if +2♦ + 8♣, there will be reconciliation)
9♥ or 4♥ + 5♦ = dissatisfaction in one’s love life (if it’s 9♥, an added nuance might be that one doesn’t feel completely connected to the partner)
5♦ + 10♥ = the 10♥ stabilizes the disappointment of the 5♦, which in itself would be transitory
6♥ + 5♦* = an open wound from the past | dissatisfaction with one’s economic situation (in this case the order is not important)
2♣R + 5♦ = a brat who plays the victim or always feels like one (the 8♠R might be present or replace the 2♣R)
7♣ + K♦ + 10♦ + 5♦ = disappointment over a lost promotion (if it were the 6♣ instead, over a lost pay raise)
10♣ + 7♦ + 9♠ + 5♦ = disappointment over finding out you’re pregnant (10♣ shows it wasn’t planned)
7♦ + 9♠ + 7♠ + 5♦ = sadness due to a miscarriage
9♦ + 5♦* = a traditional combination signaling the possibility of an ambush (but only with a specific question or with other cards) | sadness due to interpersonal contrasts
A♠R + 10♥ + 7♦ + 5♦ = some baby blues might be the issue (if also 9♠, it becomes full blown depression)
5♠ + 5♦ = a change that causes sadness, generally
5♦ + 6♠R = mood swings
5♦ + 9♠ = depression (+4♠, it becomes serious and shouldn’t be underestimated)
5♦R + 6♥U/R = debts
5♦R + K♠U/R = legal issues
K♦U/R + 5♦R = can be a stressful job (usually a poorly paid one) or work-related stress, a burn-out
5♦R + A♠R + positive cards = working hard to pay off debts
5♦R + 8♠ + 5♠ + 9♦ + 10♥R = suicide for debts (the 10♥R represents the person’s will turned against itself, that is, violence against oneself)
5♦R + 2♣ = end of a situation of debt or of economic hardships
Five of Spades (5♠) – Death (Morte)
7♥ + 5♠ = it can mean a contract you shouldn’t sign | the end of a contract
7♥ + 5♠ + 6♣ = can be a life insurance | an inheritance
5♠ + 2♣R + 4♦ = can be a negative aura about the person, attracting them negative situations (if also 3♠R and/or 10♠R it’s more clearly due to a hex)
5♠ + 2♣ or 5♣ = traditionally, a change in the querent’s destiny that may even look like a bad thing at first, but will prove beneficial
5♠ + 6♣ = traditionally, the end of a difficult period
10♣ + 5♠ (+7♠) = recklessness with heavy consequences
10♣R + 5♠ = wasting a precious chance
5♠ + 3♦ = can be an object you should’t buy (look around for why, normally it’s becaue it’s a bauble or a fake)
Q♠ or J♠ + 6♦R + 5♠ = a nefarious plan
5♠ + 7♦* = a rebirth, a totally new period
5♠ + 8♦ = traditionally, also the end of a negative period
J♦R + 5♠ = traditionally a telegram announcing death, but look for other cards, otherwise it might be some other type of ending | if you’ve ordered something by post, you can forget about it
2♠ + 5♠ = the natural end of anything, meaning that whatever it is, it hasn’t been cut short (can be a love that ends because it has run its course, for instance)
5♠ + 3♠R + 7♠ = death (if 4♠, due to illness)
5♠ + 7♠ = no, forget it | definitive breakup or disruption. This combination is the polar opposite of the 2♣ + 5♣ combination
Card + 5♠ = you can forget whatever it is that the card means whether for better or ill
Negative cards + 5♠ + Positive cards = a difficult but positive transition
Positive cards + 5♠ + Negative cards = a difficult and negative transition
9♥R + 5♠R = mortified by someone’s lack of faithfulness or dependability or by one’s lack of success in love
7♣R + 5♠R = profound humiliation
5♠R + A♦R = being mortified by a revelation
5♠R + 6♦U/R = can be deep dejection
5♠R + 3♠ = one who is entirely alone, possibly unable to interact with people
5♠R + positive cards = endurance, the ability to withstand difficulties
Vera Sibilla and Numerology – The Fives
When we hit number Five we discover that here we have one of the most positive cards in the deck, Fortune, and one of the worst, Death. The keyword here is transition, or change, i.e. the end of something and the beginning of something else.
The Five of Hearts, Happiness in the Heart, is the card of engagement, which is the transition between being single and being married. In the context of career, this usually means a temporary job or a trial period. More in general, however, this is the card of the “step toward stability”. It shows events put in motion toward a quick and promising resolution. Once this card is activated, unless other negative cards follow, it leads you rather effortlessly to your mark. It is also the card of relatives, which form a sphere of transition between your close family members, i.e. your most private sphere, and an outside world full of unknown people.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, the Five of Spades, Death, obviously shows a different kind of transition. While the Five of Hearts evokes the jollity and mirth of a family gathering, the Death card marches to a much gloomier rhythm. The former shows the quick, flowing motion of the dance of life, the latter shows the same motion coming to an end as its vital force dries up. This is the card of endings. Yes, when something ends, something else begins, but this isn’t saying much: when I die, I stop existing as a live person and begin to exist as a corpse, but that’s hardly reassuring!
In most scenarios, we want this card out of our spreads, unless it’s about inheritance, retiring (i.e. “killing” your career) or conjuring low spiritual energies. However, this card also has an important function when it divides the spread into two halves. In that case, it means that there is going to be a definite and irrevocable transition from one phase of life to the next. Whether this transition is going to be good or bad will be shown by the cards following it.
Between the two polar opposites we have the Five of Clubs, Fortune, and the Five of Diamonds, Melancholy. Fortune is one of the best cards in the deck, though not as good as the Two of Clubs. It marries the keyword associated to the number 5 to the lucky connotations of the suit of Clubs. Hence the classical meaning associated to this card of undeserved success.
Undeserved doesn’t mean that you are nasty and your success is proof that there is no just God holding the world together. It means that, whatever your personal merit might be, the Universe has decided to supplement it with a stroke of luck. You may need to hold your hand out, but it’s not your merit that pennies are raining down from heaven today.
Finally, we need to deal with the most mixed of the Suits in the Vera Sibilla, that of Diamonds. The compromise, here, seems to be that of passing (transitory) disappointment. While it is definitely not a good card, by itself the Five of Diamonds is not catastrophic, and it shows a sense of sadness or dissatisfaction that will eventually end.
By analogy, it represents all those situations that have left us wounded: we have survived them, the wound will heal, but for now it’s there and it itches. While the Five of Hearts is the “step toward stability”, if followed by mixed to negative cards, Melancholy can be the “step toward instability”.
