MQS
The Fives of the Vera Sibilla
Tag Archives: Fortuna
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.
Vera Sibilla | Five of Clubs – Fortune (Fortuna)
Name: Fortune
Italian Name: Fortuna
Playing Card: 5♣
Polarity when Upright: Positive
Core Meanings: Good Luck | Solution | Transition to a new phase of life
Polarity when Reversed: Positive
Reversed Core Meanings: Slow, progressive transformation for the better
Card Description: Dame Fortune balances herself on a wheel in the sky, pouring out her riches from a cornucopia. Her gifts will reach mortals regardless of their merit.
Suit and Number: Fives in the Sibilla speak of transition. Clubs are a positive, lucky suit especially in a material context, so the Five of Clubs is the card of good luck par excellence.
UPRIGHT 5♣
General: Extremely positive card in all contexts, being only second to the Two of Clubs upright, which represents not just luck but divine intervention. The Five of Clubs upright has the power to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in most situations.
Love and Relationships: it is important to understand that this card does not speak of feelings per se. It does not represent love. It does, however, represent favorable circumstances, lucky combinations of events, satisfaction dropping in the querent’s lap almost unreservedly. Realize that there is no such thing as a “yes card”. Suppose the querent asks if she will reconcile with her ex, and there is a slew of outrageously bad cards whose general sense is that that story is over. If the Five of Clubs pops up, it may just mean that a new, exciting chapter is about to open for her. Always read the card within the context.
Work and Money: Being a Club, Fortune speaks much more directly to mundane matters. It represents favorable chances, recognition, positive developments, strokes of luck, and quite frankly good money.
Other: there isn’t much else to say. It represents someone who doesn’t need to work much to get what he has. Spiritually it shows the answer to a prayer. It is of course a very favorable card for gamblers and risk-takers.
Important Combinations:
5♣ + 4♥ = luck in love
5♣ + 6♥ = luck in your finances
5♣ + 6♣ + 7♣ = a traditional combination of great good fortune in material things and gambling
10♣R + 9♣ + 5♣ = winning at the lottery or some such activity
5♣ + 5♠ = a decisive change in the querent’s destiny which will prove positive in the long run
REVERSED 5♣R
General: the card’s meaning remains mostly unaltered. It’s positive, but drawn out over time. The situation will improve slowly, possibly in a less obvious manner. Also, this card can more easily represent a change of phase in a neutral sense. When reversed, Fortune does not nullify the negative import of other cards.
Love and Relationships: same as the upright, but slower. The querent is on a positive path, and if the preceding cards are negative, it could represent the end of that phase over time.
Work and Money: again, much the same meaning. However, the querent may have to act in order to facilitate the manifestation of the good luck implied here.
Other: if it is surrounded by positive cards, the Five of Clubs reversed can simply represent that the querent’s destiny is flowing generally positive. If it is surrounded by negative cards, then it shows a negative phase. It still kind of implies that it will end, but it also shows that there is a pattern of negativity. There is the idea of a path to be trodden step by step to this card, as opposed to the suddenness of the upright counterpart
Important Combinations:
5♣R + 4♠ = a slow recovery
5♣R + 7♦R = the good fortune comes even more slowly
5♣R + 6♣R + Positive cards = the querent will need to put in an inordinate amount of effort to reach good results, and it will take time
6♠ + 5♣R + 8♣ = in love, a reconciliation that will happen belatedly
5♣R + 5♠ + 7♠ = a negative change of phase
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”.
