Tag Archives: Four of Clubs
Cartomancy with Playing Cards | Four of Clubs
In cartomancy with playing cards, the Four of Clubs (4♣) is the card of talks and conversations.
Fours in cartomancy are connected with stability, but they also represent the social side of stability, which is the reaching of agreements. But the suit of Clubs is an ambiguous suit, dealing with toil and labor and hardship rather than with results, though labor is often the precondition for results. Thus, the agreement that number four talks about has not yet been reached here, so that talks and conversations are necessary.
This card represents everything concerning negotiations, discussions and all those things that people do to try to reach a common vision. But the act itself of trying to achieve it imply its absence, so that the Four of Clubs, though not a bad card, it is ambiguous and easily spoiled by the presence of negative cards.
By itself, especially if followed by Hearts or positive Diamonds, it usually signifies talks that go well, i.e., talks where the querent’s aim is achieved. On the other hand, with negative cards it will point to arguments, friction and difficulty finding a common ground.
In love, the Four of Clubs can herald a declaration of love or simply a conversation to be had with the significant other. If the person is single, they will meet someone whom they will chat with, and whether the talk will go well or not will be shown by the following cards.
In material affairs, the Four of Clubs represents interviews and business talks. It can also signify bargaining over something.
Because the card is cannected with words, another broad meaning that can be assigned to the card is that of the elaboration of progects and plans in any area of life.
As it is a four, the Four of Clubs tends to keep things stable instead of breaking them apart, so if, for instance, the querent and his partner are having issues and the Four of Clubs is the last card, it can be a sign that the couple will not break up. However, as the card points to the need for talking, it would also underline that tensions will remain present. Here is the great difference with the Four of Hearts, which shows agreement and harmony.
Psychologically, the Four of Clubs represents someone who is open and talkative, but with negative cards it points to difficulties expressing oneself or even difficulties finding agreements. The card can therefore hint at a difficult character.
Some Combinations:
4♣ – 8♣ = job interview (if 8♦ instead, it could still be a job interview or a business meeting)
4♣ – 2♠ = an argument
4♣ – K♠ = a court case or talking with someone in authority
4♣ – 6♣ = a long and difficult debate or negotiation
4♣ – 6♦ = stammering | more generally, worry over a discussion
Playing Cards and Numerology – The Fives
In cartomancy with playing cards, fives have an affinity with the idea of change, just as fours are related to stability.
The Five of Hearts shows positive change coming our way without effort. It is a card of evolution, good opportunities, gifts, offers (it is somewhat similar to the Three) and in general it shows that the querent thrives. Its general meaning is that of abundance and flourishing, freedom and being in a positive environment.
The Five of Clubs also signifies change, but change that is enacted by the querent. It implies effort, even physical effort. Nothing is free in the realm of Clubs, and therefore the card implies combativeness and even competition and the need to fight for what you want. While the Five of Hearts shows abundance, this card has an inherent sense of scarcity to it and the need to make the best of your chances.
The Five of Diamonds is the card that I thought exemplifies this number best, because in my system it just means change in a neutral sense. Generally it’s a positive card and it can bring some dynamic energy to a static spread. Of course it is also connected to the movement of money, information and energy, all of which are themes of the suit of Diamonds.
The Five of Spades is a bad card. The main meaning is that of prison, but of course it needs to be interpreted figuratively most of the times. It signifies the inability to move or to act, and it is symbolic of all things that keep us fenced in (like the pip in the middle) and chained, unable to change, be it guilt or an addiction. In general it signifies lack of opportunities, scarcity, dejection, the need for great sacrifice or, if followed by negative cards, a definite turn for the worse.
Playing Cards and Numerology – The Fours
In most systems of cartomancy with playing cards, the fours are cards of stability. However, a further connotation that I think attaches to them is that of pact or agreement between parts. Possibly this is due to the four pips resembling the legs of a table where people sit to talk.
The Four of Hearts is the card of reunions, gatherings and positive social occasions. It is also a symbol of agreements that come easy or are easily restored (Hearts): harmony and affinity all play into the meaning of the card. Because of the emotional connotation of the suit, the card can signify sex.
The Four of Clubs represents talks, and it is mainly the conversation card. However, it is not splendid. Because of the neutral nature of the suit of Clubs, which implies struggle and the need for action, the Four can go either way: toward agreement or toward breakup. It implies a degree of difference that needs to be reconciled, which is why talks are necessary. It’s not a bad card, but it is open-ended.
The Four of Diamonds is the card of formal agreements. It represents all things to do with papers, documents, offices, etc. Because the suit is more material than that of Hearts, the agreement can be interpreted as a transaction, and therefore the card represents buying and selling, and, by extension, all objects. In general, it signifies economic activity and has an affinity with the more material side of life.
The Four of Spades takes the basic theme of the number and runs it into the ground. The card represents loneliness and isolation. It shows the inability to get along or reach a positive conclusion. It shows complete disharmony and the impossibility of proceeding in a given direction, thus implying blockage. With other negative cards it means failure and trouble that cannot be overcome.
Vera Sibilla | Four of Clubs – Friend (Amica)
Name: Friend
Italian Name: Amica (which is a female noun)
Playing Card: 4♣
Polarity when Upright: Neutral to Positive
Core Meanings: A female friend or relative | support, a supportive context, a context where the querent is given the tools to move ahead | friendship, moral support | partnerships
Polarity when Reversed: Positive
Reversed Core Meanings: material help, recommendations | networking
Card Description: a young woman offers a chair to the querent, who has probably just arrived for a visit.
Suit and Number: all fours show the querent’s context. Clubs are a lucky, social suit, so obviously this card takes on the meanings of friendship, moral support, etc.
UPRIGHT 4♣
General: This card is less concerned with the querent’s feelings than the Four of Hearts, but it is usally more practical. In general, support and friendships are good keywords for this card. This is also a significator card, signifying a (usually young) woman, often a friend or a relative. As a rule, it is a straightforward card to interpet.
Love and Relationships: obviously, this card can represent the concept of friendship. It is, however, not a card of love. Therefore, in the right context, it can signify being friendzoned. In itself, however, it can also mean harmonious relationships where people help one another and take care of each other. In general, it dignifies the presence of people we can count on, and positive environments, supportive social situations, such as a self-help group or a classroom.
When it signifies a person, it is usually a positive woman we can count on. This, however, is only true when the Four of Clubs is surrounded by positive cards, as face cards always absorb the values of the cards around them. Therefore, the Friend can be shown to have two faces, a liar, a cheater or simply a good but untrustworthy person, a gossip, etc.
Work and Money: when it’s a face card, the Four of Clubs shows a colleague, normally one we can trust (although the caveats above apply here as well). It can also show a friend or relative that will help us economically or lend us money or give us tips. In career readings, it points to jobs in the service field, as well as psychologists, teachers, nun, nurses, union representatives, etc. Look at the surrounding cards for more details. More generally, the 4♣ can signify a partnership or any project involving two or more people
Other: psychologically, the card points to feeling supported, although often it shows the person supporting us. This card can also signify other people’s homes, especially a friend’s or relative’s home, though not necessarily. Spiritually, it can show a religious order, especially for women, but it is also a card of comfort.
Important Combinations:
4♣ + 9♥ or 10♥ = good friend
4♣ + Q♠ = bad friend
4♣ + K♠ + A♣ = a partnership or society
4♣ + J♦ + K♦ = can be a trade union
A♦R + 4♣ + 10♣ = a friend may carelessly divulge a secret
REVERSED 4♣R
General: It’s a very good card, more so than when upright, mostly because its effects are more readily appreciated on the material side of things. In the main, it’s a card of help and recommendation.
Love and Relationships: in love relationships, it represents flourishing and a strengthening of the bond. It may signify a reconciliation, but it needs to be attended by good feeling-oriented cards. As far as friendships are concerned, when the card is surrounded by negative cards, it can signify being without friends or without a social life. On the other hand, when with positive cards, it shows strong bonds and people we can count on.
Work and Money: this card often shows up to signify the presence of someone recommending us to someone else, e.g., for a job or promotion, in which case the results will be shown by the following cards, or to represent material help. This is also the card of networking and of developing business contacts and a clientele.
Other: not much needs to be added, as many of the secondary meanings of the upright card apply here as well. It is not, however, a face card, unless we are asking specifically about a female friend or relative, in which case the 4♣R may show the person is ill-disposed toward us or in trouble. Much will depend on the surrounding cards.
Important Combinations:
4♣R + K♣ = the recommendation of a professional or doctor
4♣R + 4♦ = underhanded recommendation (often political)
4♣R + K♦ = can be a service job
4♣R + A♥ or 8♣ = can be networking
2♦ + 4♣R = a letter of recommendation
Other Combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Fours
Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Fours
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)
Four of Hearts (4♥) – Love (Amore)
4♥ + 2♦ = a love letter
4♥ + 3♦ + 7♠ = a strange (and rather common) traditional combination that shows a breakup due to incompatibility (the 3♦ represents one’s “gift” and therefore what one brings to the table. It also represents values and one’s values)
4♥ + 9♥ = a pure or faithful love (9♥ stabilizes love)
4♥ + 10♥ = stability or dependability in love
4♥ + 10♣ = an easy love that doesn’t mean much, a flirt
4♥ + 4♦ = insincerity in love
10♦ + 4♥ = it’s a symbol of betrayal and cheating
4♥ + 4♠ = a sick way of showing love | loneliness
7♠ + 4♥* = it can mean being struck by love
4♥ + 7♠ = usually, a breakup (in itself it is not irreversible, but if also 5♠, then yes)
4♥ + J♠ or Q♠ = a rival
4♥ + 10♠U/R = cheating | the need to fight for one’s happiness in love, sometimes
4♥R + 5♠ = lack of feelings | a very unbalanced emotional life
4♥R + 7♥R = a distorted sexuality
4♥R + 7♦U/R + 10♠R + PersonR = pedophilia
Four of Clubs (4♣) – Friend (Amica)
4♣ + A♣ = a partnership or a common project (8♣ or K♦ may be present)
4♣ + Q♠ = a friend who is really an enemy, a backstabber
4♣ + 3♠ = loss of friendship
4♠ + 4♣ = a nurse or similar profession
4♣ + J♦ + A♥ (+K♦) = a trade union (the J♦ represents mediation, the 4♣ protection and support)
3♥ + 4♣ = the visit of a friend
10♣ + 4♣ + A♦R = a friend will carelessly reveal a secret
4♥ + 2♠ (+A♥R) + 4♣ = love cooling off and turning into a friendship
K♦ + 4♣ = it can be a friend from work | more broadly, a supportive work environment
A♥ + 4♣ = talking to a friend or meeting her, obviously | it can be a support group
2♦ + 4♣R = a letter of recommendation
K♣ + 4♣R = the help of a doctor or a boss
4♣R + K♣R + 4♦ = a recommendation in exchange for favors (+A♣R, for sex, +6♥ for money, +3♦ for gifts or some kind of advantage in general)
4♣R + 6♦ + K♠U/R = a higher up or politician pulling some strings for you (the 6♦ can represent ideology and the K♠ is the government, so it shows you probably belong to the same party)
4♣R + 4♦R or 3♦R or 2♣ or 5♣ or 8♥ = a help or recommendation that will solve your problem
Four of Diamonds (4♦) – Falseness (Falsità)
4♦ + 2♥ = lies in the family or a negative home environment | a house with hidden issues (especially with 2♥R) don’t buy! | the facade
9♥ + 4♦ = lies, ulterior motives | someone whose transparency and genuineness are just a front
3♣ + 4♦ = a broken car or one with hidden issues | with other cards, it can show the car has been tampered with, don’t drive!
6♦R + 4♦ = very negative plans or one who is completely deluded | with other cards, it can mean sending evil energies toward someone, the “evil eye”
4♦ + 9♦ = a huge blunder | a very negative group | someone who is completely unreliable
4♦ + 10♦ = betrayal, cheating
4♦ + 10♦ + 8♠ = the traditional combination for a fraud, scam or swindle
4♠ + 4♦ + 6♠ = a hypochondriac (the 6♦ may be present, showing thoughts)
4♦ + 10♠R = a well-covered lie
4♦ + K♠ = something not quite right with the authority or judge | it can simply mean that a judge is ill-disposed toward you for no good reason (but if K♠R, it would confirm that something is iffy)
4♦ + 9♣U/R = sometimes it can mean false happiness, pretending to be happy for someone or about something
4♦ + Person = 4 times out of 5, a person not to trust | sometimes, acquired family (like adopted, step-, ecc.)
6♣ + 6♠ + 4♦ = a traditional combination showing that if you’ve lent someone money, you are unlikely to see it again (the 6♣ may be substituted with other money cards or with the 8♣ and 6♥. The 10♦R may also be present, being connected with insolvency, but at that point the cards are speaking of serious economic damage done to the querent)
A♥ + K♦ + 4♦R = a job interview that will go well and will solve the querent’s work problems
9♥R + 4♦R = discovery of a betrayal or of someone cheating
10♦ + 8♠ + 4♦R = discovery of a swindle or scam or fraud (usually, in time to avoid the worst)
4♠ + 7♠ + 4♦R = a surgery that brings relief
J♠ or Q♠ + 4♦R = uncovering an enemy
4♦R + A♠ = the discovery of a lie or a betrayal brings sorrow (however, in the long run it will be for the better, or the 4♦R wouldn’t have come up)
Four of Spades (4♠) – Sickness (Ammalato)
K♦U/R + 4♠ = unemployment | an illness you get from working at your job (e.g. where you manipulate chemicals, etc.)
4♠ + 4♥ or 9♥ = a sick love | can mean loneliness
4♠ + 3♣ = a “sick” car
7♦ + 4♠ = an illness that is typical of children or a small indisposition
3♦ + 4♠ = a “sick” object | an offer that is “sick”, not to accept
4♠ + 5♠ = a very serious illness
4♠ + 5♠ + positive cards = the end of illness or unemployment or loneliness
4♠ + 8♦ (+6♣) = sick pay or unemployment benefits (K♠ would show the government) | with just the 8♦ it could be a positive evolution of the illness
A♥U/R or 3♥R + 6♣ + 4♠ = it can represent an illness that is “caught”
4♠ + K♣ + 7♠ = a surgical procedure
9♣U/R + 4♠ = it can be food poisoning
4♠ + 6♥R + 8♠ = slipping into (heavy) debt due to illness
4♠ + 2♣ or 5♣ = healing (if 2♣ and then K♥ and maybe 8♥, miracle healing. K♥ is God)
4♠ + 7♥ + 6♣ = it can be a health insurance
5♥R or 6♥ + 4♠ = it can be a hereditary disease
4♠R + 9♠ = traditionally, prison
4♠R + 2♥U/R + 9♠ = house arrest
6♦ + 4♠R = being blocked in the elaboration of something (+2♦, writer’s block) | in love, being on a break to think things over
K♦ + 4♠R = also unemployment, but if the querent is emoloyed, they might garnish his or her wages (look around for cards that explain the story or confirm the money being taken from them)
10♣R + 4♠R + A♥R or J♦R = it can mean being blocked by someone on social media so that communication can’t happen (the 10♣R represents the internet. The 9♠ may be present. Instead of the 10♣R, you may find the 3♥ + 2♦)
4♠R + K♠ = can be a church, in the proper context | the government is “avaricious”, which means if you asked for money you are unlikely to get it
5♦ + 4♠R = being stuck in the past or not letting go of disappointment
4♠R among positive money cards = good handling of one’s finances
4♠R + positive cards = end of a period of blockage
Positive cards + 4♠R + negative cards = beginning of a period of blockage
Vera Sibilla and Numerology – The Fours
The four Fours in the Vera Sibilla appear to be connected with the notions of environment, context or situation. The famous squareness that almost every system of cartomancy ascribes to the number four is still present, but rather than talking about stability or lack of change, it is focused on describing of the type of 3D world that exists around the querent, depending on the suit. The Ace was like a spark, the Two extended it into a line, the Three provided movement, now we have a full-blown situation.
The Four of Hearts, Love, is perhaps the most famous card in the deck. Every traditional source describes it as a card that represents a live, blind force shaping the situation. This idea movement, aliveness and blindness are a consequence of the irrational nature of love, which is impossible to put in chains or define in a limiting way. I like what I like, I am attracted to what I am attracted to. Period.
Hence, the idea here is one of a context that the querent likes: it may be a house, a partner, a job, whatever. With this card, we are in a context we like. The Love card represents a situation that is alive, that has enough of that vital impetus to keep it going, and the vital impetus is, of course, attraction. The whole of the universe is love, and all that good shit.
Conversely, the Four of Spades, the Sickness card, shows a situation or context that is not hot, but cold, not lively and moving, but rotting, ill and decaying, not free, but stuck, not beneficial but noxious. This card represents sickness and illness in the most general sense, whether it’s an ill body, an ill career, a sick way of living a relationship, etc. Whereas the Four of Hearts is the card of a situation that we love, that we are compatible with, the Four of Spades is a card of wrong paths, situations that developed in the wrong way or that have grown stagnant.
In between, the Four of Clubs, the Friend, is a card of positive, helpful contexts. It may represent partnerships and co-operation, pacts etc., but in general it represents a supportive context or people who support the querent. Some of the undertones of this card are similar to those of the Nine of Hearts, Faithfulness, in that in both cases we have someone (or a general situation) that is loyal, caring and helpful, and will do what’s best for the querent.
Jobs and career in the field of service are often represented by the Friend, as well as all supportive roles (e.g. nurses). All this being said, this card sometimes represents a person, in which case it’s going to be neutral.
The Four of Diamonds, Falsehood or the Cat, is one of the most iconic in the deck. In the most general sense, it is the opposite of the Nine of Hearts and, in a way, of the Four of Clubs. While the Friend represents a positive, supportive context, the Four of Diamonds represents negative contexts in general. Under this card fall all those situations and contexts that are wrong, false or bad for the querent.
While the Dog card shows things being as they seem and seeming as they are, Falsehood is about reality being hidden behind a layer of something else which may be anything, but is not real. In this sense, it also covers illusion and self-deception, in addition to cheating and lies. Interestingly, this is also the card of bad weather, likely because bad weather is a passing illusion covering the eternal blue of the sky.
