Tag Archives: Four of Diamonds
Cartomancy with Playing Cards | Four of Diamonds
In cartomancy with playing cards, the Four of Diamonds (4♦) the card of pacts and agreements.
All fours in cartomancy represent the agreeing of parts, as well as stability. The suit of Diamonds is a suit of material things, money and material values, and therefore the Four of Diamonds represents formal agreements, especially written agreements. By extension, the card has to do with all that is connected with papers, documents, licenses, bureaucracy etc.
Because Diamonds are the suit of money, the Four of Diamonds can represent an agreement about money things, which is also known as a transaction. It represents the buying and selling of things, and, as an extended meaning, it is the significator card for all objects. This includes the package that you are waiting for.
In a love reading, this card is mute. It doesn’t really speak of feelings, and with negative cards it can show ulterior motivea behind a union. With positive cards it can signify common projects and even showing your affection with material gifts.
In a career reading, the Four of Diamonds represents contracts, papers etc. But as an extended meaning it is also connected with desks and with things done at a desk. Broadly, the card can be taken to signify a stable financial situation. Of course, though, the buying and selling of things remains a core meaning when you are doing a reading on the financial side of things. Because of its connection to the bureaucratic side of money, the Four of Diamonds can show a bank account.
Psychologically, the card shows someone who is down to earth and pays attention to concrete things, and is usually ready to compromise, but with negative cards it points to materialism, crassness and one who only thinks about money.
Some Combinations:
4♦ – 9♦ = an increase in your savings (if also 5♥, living in abundance)
4♦ – 5♠ – 7♠ = being destitute
4♦ – 8♦ = a license to practice a business | a business deal
4♦ – 6♦ = psychologically it points to materialism
2♥ – 4♦ = imminent arrival of a package
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 Diamonds – Falsehood (Falsità)
Name: Falsehood
Italian Name: Falsità
Playing Card: 4♦
Polarity when Upright: Negative
Core Meanings: Negativity, Being negative, Not liking | Lies, Deceit | There is a difference between how things are and how they seem | Mistakes, Errors, Wrongness
Polarity when Reversed: Positive
Reversed Core Meanings: Unmasked lies, Unmasked plots and enemies | Relief from trouble, Improvement, Solution
Card Description: a demonic-looking cat sits on a chair, preventing someone from reaching the pantry on the other side.
Suit and Number: Fours show the querent’s context. Diamonds are a mixed suit, especially from a social standpoint. The Four of Diamonds shows the context in which the querent is moving is negative, or uncertain, wrong for him, whether because of his subjective reaction or because something is amiss, it depends on the context and other cards
UPRIGHT 4♦
General: The card is so explicit in its depiction that it’s easy to jump to conclusions and say that someone is lying. As a matter of fact, unless it makes sense within the context of the question, or unless other cards strengthen the idea of actual deceit, you need to be very careful around this card. The concept that best applies is that of “wrongness”. In general, however, it is also the card of negativity.
Love and Relationships: The Four of Diamonds does not automatically represent cheating. It generally shows a lack of sincerity, and the other cards will tell you why. It can also, more broadly, show a relationship that is shaky due to incompatibility, i.e., because two people are wrong for one another. There is a general sense of a relationship not reaching a deep level of “wholeness”. Due to its connection with surfaces as opposed to reality, it can show a superficial bond. It may also show outright dislike. When it represents an environment, it qualifies it as wrong for the querent, and if confirmed by the rest of the spread, rumors and gossip and ill will.
The only time the 4♦ is neutral is when it represents “false” relatives, that is, relatives by law, such as adoptive children, step-mothers as well. In this case, the card shows up next to a face card. It is a rare meaning, however.
Work and Money: Obviously, the meaning of wrongness and negativity carries into the field of finances and career as well. It can represent wrong financial decisions, carelessness, blunders etc. It can show that the querent is working in the wrong field, not following his true passion. Whenever a contract or papers in general need to be signed, this card acts as a warning that the document is, at best, incomplete, at worst, a scam. Either way, it is best to read everything carefully. It is never a good sign, but how bad a sign it is will depend on the rest of the cards.
As this card can also represent having a bad attitude toward someone or something (being “negative” toward them) it can show being refused an offer, or, sometimes, having a bad attitude toward money or the job.
Other: The concept of appearances differing from reality can be applied broadly to most situations. Psychologically it generally points to illusions and being unable to tell what’s truly going on in one’s life. The idea of negativity also has esoteric connotations, as it can show the famous “evil eye”. It does not necessarily show a black magic ritual, more the transmition of negative thoughts toward the querent (or by the querent toward someone else). Spiritually, the Four of Diamonds can show a negative environment or illusions about reality on the part of the querent. Sometimes it can be interpreted as the querent holding on to spiritual illusions. The card is connected to the pantry and kitchen as far as places are concerned, but more the pantry.
Important Combinations:
4♦ + 2♦ = wrong information, or incomplete, or misleading
4♦ + 9♥ = lies, not all is as it seems
4♦ + 10♦ + 8♠ = a swindle
6♦ + 4♦ = a bad idea or a wrong idea (if 6♦R, a negative plan, or even the evil eye)
4♦ + 10♣ = a mistake due to carelessness (same with 7♦, though that could be also a stepson)
REVERSED 4♦R
General: A great card. Although it shows the unmasking of lies and deceits, and therefore points to their existence in our life, the underlying sense is that the discovery is made in time to save the querent a lot of grief, unless the other cards show otherwise. It is also a card of relief, solution, improvement. A function of this card is that it walls negative streaks shown by negative cards preceding it, making them end.
Love and Relationships: The obvious meaning would be the discovery of a lie from the partner, but in general it can show an honest conversation to clear misconceptions. This can have apparently negative outcomes, such as realizing you are not meant to be together, but in the long run this card is always favorable. If, however, a break-up is not shown in the card, it simply signifies improvement in the relationship.
Work and Money: the Falsehood card, when it comes up reversed, is always a good omen. If the querent has been scammed, the scam will come to light and, save with disastrous cards, the worst will be averted. In general, it is a card of economic relief, of things improving after they have been on the wrong track. It can point to being somewhat miserly, as opposed to the wastefulness of the upright card, but this is rarely a problem, and frankly it is a very feeble meaning.
Other: psychologically, the 4♦R can represent the end of a difficult spell or of a period of negativity. Esoterically, it shows either the absence of a hex or that the evil eye is being averted, or that the person responsible is unmasked. Spiritually it broadly shows relief, and piercing through the veil of illusion.
Important Combinations:
Q♠ or J♠ + 4♦R = discovery of enemies
K♣ or 4♠ + 7♠ + 4♦R = surgery providing relief
10♠R + 4♦R = unmasking of secret plots
A♥R + K♠ + 4♦R = winning a legal dispute
9♠ + 4♦R = unblocking of a situation
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.
