The Tarocco Bolognese is famous in Italy for relying heavily on combinations of cards. Rather than each card being a full picture, the cards are like small tiles in a mosaic, and need to be interpreted as a whole. No individual card can tell us much of anything. Let’s take the most favorable card in the deck, the Angel. In itself a wonderful card of protection and solution. Yet, alone, the Angel merely says “protection” or “solution” or “friendship” or any other keyword. We still don’t know if this protection exists, is longed for, is missing, is crumbling, or what effects it will have.
In this, the Bolognese tarot is much closer to the Sibilla or Playing Cards or other traditional oracles than to how tarot is often read nowadays (but regular tarot did use to be read in a combinatory manner in the past, before the Waite deck became popular and people started focusing on illustrations).
Since each individual card doesn’t say much by itself, the spreads tend to rely on a larger number of cards. The smallest traditional spread done with the Bolognese tarot is the thirteen card spread, which I have already shown, and which I will cover again. This is a small tableau of three columns of four cards (or four rows of three cards) plus one at the end. In this small tableau, the cards are interpreted in their interaction with one another.
Often, therefore, it is necessary to be able to see the big picture when interpreting the Bolognese Tarot. Occasionally, all cards are important and need to be considered. At other times, one or two cards come up in the spread that we don’t know how to interpret and don’t make sense to us, and there is no point in banging our head against them, trying to fit them into the interpretation at all costs: we should be able to see where the answer to our question lies, where the cards that are clearly forming a message are clustering, and go from there.
Look at the spread as if it were a bunch of people in central square. Some are there to meet other people and discuss something important or go somewhere interesting together. Others are simply sitting there because their wife kicked them out so she can finish waxing the floor in peace, so they just sit alone. They don’t have much to add. They are just there. Or, if you prefer the image of the mosaic I used earlier, some tiles go together to show the cool angel warding off the horde of demons, while other tiles are just vaguely blue and form the sky in the background.
This sounds complicated but it isn’t necessarily, once we have developed an eye for which cards tend to go together. Don’t fixate on rigid 1+ 1 + 1 + 1 +1 = 5 kind of combinations. In cartomancy, 1 + 1 +1 + 1 +1 often equals a bunch of crap if you are not careful. Who says that it’s 1 + 1 +1 +1 +1, and not 1 + 1 on one hand and then 1 +1 +1 on the other? Or 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 and then one left over? Who says the cards add up, instead of detracting from each other? The Angel is good, but followed by the Hermit and the Tower it is diminished. Strength makes you strong, but Strength followed by the Moon? Not so much.
Look at the flow and apply logic to it. See how the small meanings of the cards cluster together to form one coherent bit of mosaic. That coherent bit of mosaic may be next to another bit that is coherent in itself, without the two going together: in one corner you may have the scene with the angel warding off the demons, but right next to it you could have God creating Adam and Eve. Mix them the wrong way and you’ll have the angel warding off God, while the demons create Adam and Eve. Not good on the angel’s resume.
Also, don’t fixate rigidly on methods like “the first card is the noun and the second is the adjective” that were popular some time ago in the Lenormand community. I don’t use Lenormand, don’t know if that’s how they work, but it certainly doesn’t help with the Bolognese tarot. Again, the big picture is essential. Once we have that down, we can carefully add the details.
Finally, go for concrete life. The cards can talk about many things, from the most mundane to the most deep, including spirituality, psychology and so on. Do keep in mind, though, that the card readers of yore didn’t ponder too many questions we (often deludedly) consider deep. Not because they were dumb (they weren’t) but because they had other priorities: they were too occupied seeing if they could put away enough food for the winter or if the doctor would be able to come in time from two towns over on his rickety buggy to see what was wrong with little Guido.
Ordinary life is our starting point. It is in it that more spiritual or introspective topics are nestled. Without real life, spirituality falls into the void, failing to manifest, and it therefore remains an abstract collection of feel-good statements. But just because we start from real life doesn’t mean the tarot can’t talk about it in sometimes strikingly deep or metaphorical ways.
The tarot is highly metaphorical. Never forget that the old card readers had entire poems, folk songs, stories and even Bible books committed to memory. They were often capable of seing meaning in things we consider bland. Again, they were practical, not dumb. Life is highly metaphorical and symbolic if you know how to look at it, and the tarot is a good lens. Of course Truth (Queen of Coins) and Love can mean a true love, but what does it mean that your job is true? Think about it.
While the number of Minor Arcana differs from system to system, being usually comprised of the aces, court cards and a variable number of pips, the Major Arcana of Bolognese Tarot the are always the same: eighteen classically recognizable trumps (the regular ones, minus the Emperor, Empress, Pope/Hierophant and Popess/High Priestess), plus any number of Moors (from zero to all four, depending on the school of thought). For more information on the peculiarities of this deck read here. NOTE: when I was kindly taught the 45-card system, the person who taught it to me considered the Moor card to be part of the suit of swords, possibly due to the spear. I include it in the Major Arcana simply because the four Moors are replacements for the four missing trumps. NOTE 2: The Bolognese major arcana sequence is older than the one we are used to, and quite different. I stick to the sequence we know just to avoid confusion. It has no divinatory implications either way.
The Fool, The Juggler, The Moor, Love in the Bolognese Tarot
The Fool A neutral card, with both positive and negative implications. It represents oddity and strangeness, but also carefreeness and thoughtlessness, and possibly confusion, uncertainty, mental trouble, lack of restraint, etc. Its meaning is very sensible to how the cards surrounding it modify it. It is always a bit of a question mark in many spreads, so much so that a teacher and friend said that there is a tradition, when the cards are unclear and the Fool is among them, to put the deck back together and knock on it, asking the Fool to be more clear. It is also a card of creativity and inspiration, if it makes sense within the context. For instance, it can show a line of work where one needs to follow their own sensibility, vision or intuition.
The Juggler Again a neutral card that heavily depends on the others. It is mainly the significator of children. For this reason, it is important when we talk about pregnancies or the family, or when we explore someone’s childhood. It also has the implication of childishness or of things that are small and of little literal or moral value, or something that hasn’t found its footing or stability. For this reason, depending on the combinations, it can represent someone who is not to be trusted. It can also signify situations where we are like children, that is, powerless or passive. According to others it can also sometimes depict a beginning. According to most, it is also the card of pets.
The Moor or The Stranger In the 45-card system I know, only one of these cards is used, namely the one with the earring and the spear. It represents a stranger, and therefore things that disrupt regular life, hence the ideas of surprise, unexpected events or meetings, hiccups along the way, etc. The other cards will tell us if the unexpected situation is good or bad. In itself it can be mildly annoying, as we tend not to like disruptions to our routine. It is also traditionally associated with a priest (oddly enough) and therefore with all kinds of ceremonies.1
Love It means mostly what it says on the tin: love. It is possibly the single most important card in the single most requested type of consultation, i.e., about relationships. Whether the love is strong or weak, childish or mature, increasing or declining depends on the cards surrounding this one. It also represents one’s emotional world, emotions in general, and it is a card of good heart and good feelings. When not talking about love, it can show something that involves your heart (you are emotionally invested for good or ill), or something you love. In itself it is positive, signifying joy.
The Chariot, Justice, The Hermit and the Wheel of Fortune in the Bolognese Tarot
Chariot or The Bed This is where the Bolognese Tarot is at its oddest. In the card’s design, the Chariot appears to be still, with the horses resting on each side, and the man looks unhappy. For this reason, the Chariot has been called the Bed card. This led to interpreting it exactly the opposite way as most would: instead of movement, stasis. In itself it is a negative card of tribulation, illness, static situations, tiredness, exhaustion. It can also signify nooky time with other cards (like the Ace of Wands). Mostly, though, it signifies illness, either literal or figurative (e.g., an unhealthy love, an unhealthy way of expressing anger, etc.) Still, some card readers retain the traditional idea of moving toward a goal quickly, and attribute it to the card when surrounded by good cards.2
Justice Mainly this is the card of everything legal and justice-related. When talking about wills, fines, trials, bureaucracy and similar things, Justice is an important card, as the cards surrounding it can tell us if the situation is going to go well or not. It is also the card of fairness or of things that are just or ok, or equilibrated. It represents control, controlling, testing, etc. (including in a medical or academic sense). Justice next to a person can mean a just person, the person’s sense of justice, or someone wearing a uniform.
The Hermit The Bolognese variant of this card has none of the introspective undertones that it has been attributed in other traditions. This is a bad card: it is called blockage (in italian Blocco or Incaglio, the latter word indicating a ship that has run aground). It shows big obstacles that delay a situation, whether indefinitely or momentarily depends on the rest of the spread. It is also the card of small ailments, either seasonal (cold, flu), obnoxious but not life-threatening (like toothache) or age-related. Obviously it can also indicate a character that is reserved or tending to isolation, as the blockage can be inner as well as outer.
The Wheel This is the only card in the Bolognese tarot whose reversal is discernible and is read accordingly. Look to the left: if the crowned figure is ascending, the card is upright. If the young boy is ascending, it is reversed. According to some, when upright the Wheel represents good luck, when reversed bad luck. According to others, the Wheel represents movement and evolution of circumstances in general, but when upright it brings stability (stable good luck, decisive chances, etc) while when reversed it shows instability (unstable luck, with ups and downs, requiring effort). I have been taught according to the second school. Much also depends on the surrounding cards. Still, unstable luck is always more likely to turn into bad luck when surrounded by bad cards.
Strength, the Hanged Man, Death and Temperance in the Bolognese Tarot
Strength or Fortitude Considered a very good card, Strength brings energy, decisiveness, steadfastness, focus in meeting obstacles and taking action. The cards following it, however, can block it or diminish it, so it is important to pay attention to them as well. In itself, when coming up at the end of a sequence or with positive cards, it shows a situation that is reliable (“strong”) or a person (if next to a court card) who is strong in a positive sense, usually to help us. When following negative cards it can indicate the ability to pick yourselfup or stand your ground. It always indicates an active stance in the matter.
The Hanged Man or The Traitor Here we enter the realm of history. In spite of the many mystical interpretations of the Hanged Man that started popping up during the occult revival, traditionally the card was inserted in the oldest packs to represent how traitors were punished in the Middle Ages (namely, by being hanged by a foot), and thus served as a cautionary tale to those playing tarot games never to betray the church or the government: “Know your place and stay there. Don’t try to overreach, or we’ll hang you upside down, so instead of moving upward in life, you’ll be going downward to hell.” That’s the message. The Bolognese tarot retains this old tradition, as the Hanged Man is mainly the card of treason. The treason can be literal (cheating, betrayal, etc.) or it can be metaphorical (a situation that betrays you, stabs you in the back when you are heading for the finish line, that makes you feel cheated on or sorely disappoints you). It is one of the worst cards in the pack, and it can show situations that end badly (like traitors in the past), or that are being upended. Even when no one is betraying anyone in particular, it can still symbolize life kicking you in the nuts, so you feel betrayed by it, as if you’ve ended up in a bad place or situation. Sometimes, in my experience, the upending can be good, but only when the querent’s expectations are negative and the cards following the Hanged Man are positive. In this case, the negative expectations are betrayed. In itself, though, the upending tends to be of the negative kind.
Death or Thirteen This card is never actually called by its name, but by its number (tredici, i.e., thirteen). Different schools of thought interpret it slightly differently. It largely depends on the context though. Its first meaning is that of physical death, but this is rare and never by itself. In itself it shows the end of something. It can also indicate an inner sense of loss or death (“mortificazione”, which has the same root as the Italian “morte”, death, but indicates inner devastation and mortification). When, however, Death cannot be interpreted as ending, it can act as confirmation: “tredici conferma”, “the thirteenth card confirms”, or, if you will, “as sure as the fact we all die”. For instance, when it is surrounded by positive cards, it acts as a highlighter, confirming them. Same with negative cards: it makes them stronger and more important in the querent’s destiny. It can also indicate a situation that changes radically. Suppose, for instance, the cards preceding it are bad and those following it good: in this case it shows the end of the bad situation.
Temperance The old diviners must have taken a look at this card and thought it looked like an hourglass, because the main meaning is that of time, the passage or flow of time. It is usually a slow card, which slows down the reading. It is connected with such concepts as waiting, patience, stagnation, but also of things that last a long time, take a long time or happen after a lot of time has passed. For instance, if it is followed by cards that show falling in love, it might mean that we will fall in love after a long time, while if it is preceded by cards of love it indicates that the love will last a long time. Use your commonsense. I have also found that, when it falls in the first few lines of a spread, the cards surrounding it, and especially those preceding it, tend to either talk about the past (a long time ago) or have started a long time ago and still drag on. Finally, some card readers connect it with the flow of water, and therefore water in general. I haven’t verified this connection but it does make sense.
The Devil, The Tower, The Star in the Bolognese Tarot
The Devil In Italian “Diavolerie”, i.e., things that bedevil you. It is a deeply negative card, but with some redeeming qualities. In the main it is connected, traditionally, with anger, which depending on the context can range from annoyance to rage, due to things, people or circumstances bedeviling you. In general, though, it can indicate all passions that seize us and we fail to control. When falling with a person card, it is usually a sign the person is negative for us (depending on the context it can show jealousy or envy as well). When it describes a situation, it is bad for us. It is a card of excess all around, but it can indicate sexy energy, when with cards that talk about it, and it can also represent a strong energy when surrounded by very positive cards. Finally, it is one of the cards connected with magic.
The Tower The image shows a burning building, and the main meaning is consequently that of places we’d rather not find ourselves in, mostly prison or hospital (or, if next to the Ace of Cups, our home). However, it can also signify a metaphorical prison, that is, a situation that is strongly limiting for us and prevents us from fleeing or moving freely, where we must sacrifice our hopes and aspirationsor resources at least in part (“sacrificio” is one of the main Italian keywords for this card). Whether this card can indicate neutral or positive places is up for debate, as it depends on the school of thought. I guess in the appropriate context and with the appropriate cards it might, but generally, in my experience, it mostly shows negative places or negative situations. It can, however, show neutral places of authority (like a city hall, where there is an authority above us) or very large or foreboding buildings.
The Star Another peculiar card. The main keyword is “roba”, i.e., stuff, especially referred to one’s objects, belongings and possessions. This is because the image shows three people holding some unspecified object. Some say they are the three Wise Men bringing gifts to Jesus, others say they are merchants. Either way, the emphasis is on objects and materiality. This is the card of business, belongings, objects, work (either one’s work life or working on something). It can represent study (which is the student’s work). In health readings it shows the objects used in medicine, that is, meds (and therefore therapy in general). This card can represent gifts when coupled with other specific cards. To summarize: business, work, stuff (material/practical life), study, gifts.
The Moon, The Sun, The Angel / Judgement and the World in the Bolognese Tarot
The Moon and the Sun The reason I talk about these two cards together is that they complement each other. They are also called “le due rosse”, “the two red (cards)”. Their main meaning is temporal: the Moon shows things happening by night or in the evening, the Sun shows things happening by day. But they are also two polar opposites. The Sun indicates positivity, life, energy, clarity, success, happiness, vitality. When coupled with other cards it slants them positively. The Moon indicates negativity, death, lethargy, secrets, falsity, dissatisfaction, sadness. When coupled with other cards, it slants them negatively.
The Angel or Judgement The best card in the deck, the Angel is the card of goodness, peace, friendship, protection. It brings solutions to difficult situations. However, if followed by cards indicating obstacles or impossibility, it can show the solution is delayed or impossible. When coupled with a person card, it can signify the person is an angel for us, helping and protecting us, or that they are good. It is also the main card connected with spirituality.
The World “Around the world“, “the world outside“. It is the card of travel and journeys, as well as of distance. It signifies movement, whether literal or metaphorical. Often it shows actual journeys, relocations and removals. The journey doesn’t have to be very long, however traditionally, when falling next to a court card it can show a person we don’t yet know (the person comes from the outer world, i.e., is not part of our daily life), although, depending on the context, it can also show someone who travels or someone who lives distant from us. It can indicate a stranger, though again, how much of a stranger depends on the context. It shows situations that are open, in motion, and it gives the sense of something big or large or important (as opposed to the Juggler, which is something small). It can be symbolic of life (the great journey). Finally, some attach the idea of something recurring to it (like recurring thoughts, etc.)
MQS
In other reading systems with more cards, where more Moors are used, the priest is often associated with the Moor with the hat, who is also the doctor. ↩︎
How positive or negative (or neutral) the card is depends on the system as well. In systems with more cards, where there is a specific illness card (the Moor with the hat) the Chariot is more neutral. In the 45-card system, it is more negative. ↩︎
I don’t often pick three cards for the day, and usually when I do they show very minor situations, for the very good reason that most days are very minor in themselves. The day before yesterday I shuffled the Bolognese Tarot and this came up for the following day:
Three cards for the day
The Sun and Moon, in the Bolognese Tarot tradition, indicate sorrow or tribulation. Usually, when the Moon falls last, the sorrow is serious or lasting, while if the Sun falls last it eventually overcomes the Moon, so the sorrow is shorter or less impactful. Still, what we have here, is sorrow knocking at the door, even though it’s passing. Curious, I decided to deal out some other cards, even though I wasn’t sure the cards would keep talking about the same thing. This came up:
The rest of the deck
Clearly this is not a happy string of cards, and it seems to be dealing with a young woman (the Page of Cups). I wasn’t sure if the young woman had anything to do with me or was experiencing something herself, so I left it at that.
Yesterday, aside from being a mentally taxing day for me, a friend of mine was assaulted by a junkie while walking the dogs, but she managed to make it out of it with nothing more than a big scare and a broken fingernail. She alerted the police, and she asked me what I thought would come of it. This time I whipped out the playing cards.
What will be the consequences of the assault?
The Jack of Spades immediately calls attention to himself, showing a criminal in this case. It is surrounded by two Spades, so trouble or inconvenience for him. The Four is also a card of violence, but I don’t think it has anything to do with it: they are describing what happens to him. Then the spread takes a sharp turn for the better (for the criminal, that is): things change (Five of Diamonds) and he walks (Two of Clubs). I doubted there would be serious consequences. Note also the absence of the law (the King of Spades) or of the prison card (the Five of Spades).
The man was stopped, since he is known around town for being a weirdo, but my friend is probably not going to press charges since she was told there were no witnesses and it would turn into an endless battle of he-says-she-says for what, in the eyes of the law, was a minor scuffle on the streets between two adults. I’ll update the post if anything new happens.
It wouldn’t make sense, at this point, to talk about each single card individually, but I think the cards do warrant a bit more discussion. I am referring to the 45-card system, even though most considerations will apply to the other systems as well.
The Aces
The four Aces in the Bolognese Tarot
Ace of Cups. This is the card of the home environment and of the family, as in many fortune-telling and divination traditions. Its presence usually indicates that the issue somehow relates to the family or the house. However, the card can also occasionally function as a sort of adjective, in that it can indicate a situation or environment is like family. Broadly speaking, the cards surrounding it generally show us whether the family is positive or negative, or is going through a rough patch, etc. I have found that sometimes, when the home or familiar situations simply cannot be part of the interpretation, the Ace of Cups can hint at the intimate life of a person, their inner side, or the intimate relationship between two people.
Ace of Wands. This is a somewhat more complex card. In the main it is a card of sex and sexual interest (or interest in general). However, it represents anything done by two people together, especially marriage (or a strong relationship) or partnership. It portends great vigor, energy, creativity. Another important meaning of this card is that of achievement, personal triumph or personal success, i.e., the ability to reach one’s aims and fulfill one’s aspirations. It is a powerful, active card.
Ace of Coins. In the most ancient set of meanings, this is the card of the table, and it therefore represents sitting together for whatever reason. This meaning has been retained, as well as its metaphorical extensions (conviviality, etc.) It represents daylight. Its most frequent meaning, however, is that of representing finances. Compared to the other money card, i.e., the Ten of Coins, the Ace represents a bigger amount. Whether the amount is coming or going depends on the question and cards surrounding it. Metaphorically it can sometimes portend great satisfaction or a prize.
Ace of Swords. The most common meaning found attached to this card is that of symbolizing the door knockers (see design). The image of the door knockers is widespread in Italian cartomancy and is found in many traditional Italian card reading systems. It symbolizes something about to happen, because it is knocking at the door. However, the card symbolism has also been interpreted as representing two wedding bands being exchanged or a pair of handcuffs. Broadly speaking, therefore, it can show a commitment or a binding situation for better or worse, from marriage to prison, from a contract to an obligation, from an oath to an addiction. The emphasis here is on the binding aspect of it, which limits us, whereas in the Ace of Wands the emphasis is more on doing or achieving something together with someone else.
The Sevens
The two Sevens in the Bolognese Tarot
Seven of Cups. Called the card of the roof or the rooftops. Like all cups, it is strongly connected to the home environment. It is still a card of familiarity and closeness, but in a more extended sense than the Ace of Cups. Therefore, it also symbolizes the city or homeland (depending on the scope of the question). Due to its connection to the roof, it carries a certain connotation of protection with it. It is also another card that can show a quick timeframe.
Seven of Coins. The Seven of Coins is the card of tears. It shows melancholy, sadness, dissatisfaction. In itself it is not a tragic card, but it does indicate loss of heart, feeling down or blue, etc. When it falls together with other difficult cards, though, it compounds their effect, making it worse and showing that it affects the querent emotionally. On rare occasion, when with very positive cards (like the Sun and the Angel) it can show tears or joy, emotional relief in general. This is rare though. Note: some diviners use the Six of Coins instead of the Seven to symbolize tears.
The Eights
The two Eights in the Bolognese Tarot
Eight of Wands. The Eight of Wands is the card of the road or path. The road can be literal, representing a short journey (as opposed to the World), even just going out to meet or visit someone, or it can be metaphorical, indicating something that is moving or requires movement or evolution (e.g., a professional path, a study course, the trajectory of a relationship, etc.) In itself, the card tends to be positive, indicating a situation that is ‘open‘ (like a road) and still developing, but with negative cards it can show the opposite. It can also represent something that is on the way, and therefore, like the Ace of Swords, is about to happen. Note that some diviners use the Six of Wands instead of the Eight.
Eight of Swords. This card is traditionally called ‘passione’, i.e., passion, but more in the sense of the passion of the Christ. It represents torment, suffering and similar fun concepts. It is connected to pain in all its manifestations, whether physical, mental, psychophysical or of different kind. It is also connected with addictions, again literal or metaphorical (as when you make yourself dependent on what your ex thinks or does). Some diviners use the Six of Swords instead of the Eight.
The Tens
The two Tens in the Bolognese Tarot
Ten of Cups. As the image suggests, this is the card of all things that bloom and flourish. It shows rebirth and increase in all fields of life, and situations that metaphorically sprout, bringing mirth. It is the card of fun, of jollity, of parties and of drinking, so with cards showing excess it can indicate alcoholism. It is also the card of blood, so if the other cards seem to point to a stay at the hospital, it doesn’t mean the querent is having the time of his life, only that he is being cut open and blood is coming out.
Ten of Coins. This is again a money card, but its amount is smaller than the Ace. Still, by itself it is a positive card, showing satisfaction and well-being. It represents a positive flow of things, a situation that is calm, tranquil, without major ups and downs (unless the surrounding cards are negative, in which case the calmness is denied, as it were.) With negative cards it can show the querent has little money or little satisfaction.
The Pages
The four Pages in the Bolognese Tarot
Page of Cups. The Page of Cups has the traditional name of ‘coppina‘, i.e., little/young female cup-bearer. It signifies a young, younger or youthful woman, usually belonging to the family or to the querent’s everyday life. With negative cards confirming it, it can represent a rival in love (the fresh young thing snatching hubby from you) or an immature woman. When exploring a woman’s past, it can show “when she was young”. This is one of the hardest cards for me to read, as sometimes it shows up seemingly for no reason, even though there is no young woman involved. I have figured that in these situations she is still a small cup-bearer, cups being joyful, so it can represent the arriving or giving of small joys or satisfactions.
Page of Wands. In the Tarocchino Bolognese, we have not only cards for the male and female querents, but also for their thoughts. The Page of Wands represents the female querent’s thoughts, beliefs, plans, memories, character and inner side.
Page of Coins. This is the card of words, talks, conversations, dialogues. It heralds the arrival of meetings where situations are talked over, agreed on, clarified, etc. Cards surrounding the Page will show either the nature of the words (angry, loving, etc.) their content (work, love, money) or their outcome (agreement, disagreement and so on).
Page of Swords. Traditionally the letter card. Like the Page of Coins, it is a card of communication, but usually written or, nowadays, in the form of messages. It can symbolize documents and things made of paper. It also embodies the broader notion of contacts, developing contacts, coming into contact with others. This is especially relavant when we are not talking about a single specific letter or message.
The Knights
The four Knights in the Bolognese Tarot
Knight of Cups. In Italian, ‘accomodamento’, literally adjustment, compromise, agreement or even repair. This card’s main meaning is simple, but its applications are many: it shows situations that bring conciliation (or reconciliation), healing and the solution of trouble, or at least a way of dealing with it positively. It heralds harmonious interpersonal relationships, smooth sailing ahead, the ironing out of disagreements or difficulties, positive developments.
Knight of Wands. This is the male counterpart to the Page of Wands: the Knight represents the thoughts of the male querent or of a male figure that is involved in the situation. It is the thoughts, beliefs, character, memories and inner side of this male figure. Note, however, that sometimes, when it doesn’t make sense for this (and the Page) to represent thoughts, it can be taken as a secondary significator for the querent: if I show up not as a physical person (King) but as my thoughts (Knight) I am still there, the spread still talks about me.
Knight of Coins. This is the card of the ambassador, as it brings news, developments and similar things connected with the situation we are exploring. It can indicate knowledge of facts from third parties or other sources, but in general it is the card of news. In itself the news is implied to be good news (one of its traditional names is ‘cavallo di buona nuova’, ‘the horse(man) of good news’), because it brings a coin, and coins were considered good in traditionally poor Italian society. However, if the cards surrounding it are bad, the news may be less than positive, or the good news may be blocked or delayed. Sometimes this card can be ‘christened‘ as a young man, if you’ve run out of court cards.
Knight of Swords. The Knight of Swords is the opposite of the Knight of Cups. Where the Knight of Cups adjusts and irons out, the Knight of Swords complicates, twists, brings trouble, difficult situations that are not linear nor smooth (note the curved sword). Where the Knight of Cups conciliates, the Knight of Swords attacks. In interpersonal relationships it brings disagreements, misunderstandings and hurtful words (one of its names is ‘malalingua’, literally evil tongue). If the Knight of Cups brings healing and goodness, the Knight of Swords brings suffering and evil. One of its main symbolic connections is with cuts, either literal (cutting yourself, getting hurt, being cut open by a surgeon, wounds, breaking something) or figurative (cutting words, situations that hurt, etc.)
The Queens
The four Queens in the Bolognese Tarot
Queen of Cups. A mother or a woman in your family, usually. If not in your family, then a friend or someone who acts in your interest. Or should. Always look at the cards surrounding her, as she can be a bad mother or friend if they confirm it, but one who is emotionally invested in you somehow. Mostly, though, it represents the figure of someone who holds you (look how she holds the cup) and has your back. Traditionally she is dark-haired or of dark complexion. Others say she is of medium complexion. Either way, we obviously need to be very careful with descriptions. The Queen of Cups can indicate femininity.
Queen of Wands. If the querent is female, then the Queen of Wands is going to represent her, and the Page of Wands her thoughts. If the querent is male, the Queen can be his partner, or it can be a woman who is somehow important in the situation. Note that when we are talking about triangles, the Queen of Wands is the person who is in the male querent’s heart, regardless of whether she is the official partner.
Queen of Coins. Traditionally ‘the truth‘. This is rarely a physical person. More often than not, it represents truth, reality, authenticity, wisdom, knowledge, education, exactitude, clarity, understanding and the like. It can also say that a situation is as it seems. Or isn’t, if it is surrounded by cards of deceit, indicating the truth is hidden. According to some, it can also sometimes stand for a blonde woman or a wise woman. A traditional phrase attached to this card is ‘di verità conferma’, meaning ‘confirming the truth’ or ‘and that’s the truth’: sometimes this card comes up at the end of a spread or of a group of cards, and acts like a sort of period, as if saying “and that’s exactly it.”
Queen of Swords. Its traditional name is ‘affliction.’ When this card doesn’t represent a woman, it indicates a situation that brings affliction, either physical or psychological. More often than not, though, it does indicate a woman. Tradition says she is gray-haired or a redhead. Others say she is dark. Again, I would advise caution. The Queen of Swords isn’t necessarily evil: she is another woman, usually less accomodating than the Queen of Cups, but not bad. She can be rigid, or she can be a competent but stern professional. With bad cards then she is a rival, the other woman, or a woman who is out to get you.
The Kings
The four Kings in the Bolognese Tarot
King of Cups. The King of Cups is the male counterpart to the Queen of the same suit. He is typically the father or a man in your family. If not in your family, a friend, a wise male influence, someone who has a good word for you, who will help you (like the Queen, he can be a good boss or coworker). It can embody masculinity in general.
King of Wands. As with the Queen so with the King. This is the male querent, or the female querent’s partner, or another man that is important in the question at hand. The Knight of Wands indicates his thoughts. Again, in a triangle this is the man in the querent’s heart, regardless of whether he is the official partner.
King of Coins. It has several titles in the tradition: ‘uomo/vecchio da soldi’ (man/old man bringing money), doctor, important person, a good lord etc. More than a particular person, it represents a role: that of a professional, of someone who has an important job and/or money. Traditionally it shows someone with a degree, from back when degrees were something special. Being called the doctor, it indicates situations that bring healing and care for the querent’s needs. It can indicate a boss or superior. It can also indicate a situation, whether a job or a relationship or something else, which is helpful or nourishing or ‘important’. Traditionally the King is a man for obvious socio-historical reasons, but nowadays it can indicate a woman as well, especially if next to a female court card.
King of Swords. The male counterpart to the Queen, his traditional name is ‘spadino’, i.e., little/young sword-bearer. It can represent a man who is young and/or immature, like the Page of Cups, such as a son or nephew. When exploring a man’s past, it can indicate ‘when he was younger’. It can show a new entry in the querent’s love life, someone who hasn’t yet been promoted to King of Wands. He can be a rival or a problematic man, if with negative cards, or a problematic or immature situation in general. More often than not, it is a literal male figure. Whether positive or negative, it is shown by the other cards. In some traditions it can show a military man, a soldier, a policeman or similar. Look at the other cards for confirmation.
(Note: this is a collection of the meanings attributed to the cards by some occultists in the past centuries. It does not reflect my own study or opinion of the cards. It is only meant as a quick comparative reference as I develop my own take.)
The Six of Pentacles from the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) tarot deck
Paul Foster Case (and Ann Davies)
The time period is the second decanate of Taurus, under the rulership of Mercury, from April 30 to May 10. Meanings: Well-Dignified: practicality and determination; discretion and diplomacy; gain by letters, writing, travel, speaking, teaching, commissions and through advertising, study, books and all things ruled b Mercury. Ill-Dignified: Loss through the same things. Keyword: Prosperity. (From the Oracle of Tarot course)
A. E. Waite
A person in the guise of a merchant weighs money in a pair of scales and distributes it to the needy and distressed. It is a testimony to his own success in life, as well as to his goodness of heart. Divinatory Meanings: Presents, gifts, gratification another account says attention, vigilance now is the accepted time, present prosperity, etc. Reversed: Desire, cupidity, envy, jealousy, illusion. (From The Pictorial Key to the Tarot)
The Six of Pentacles from the Rider Waite Smith Deck
Aleister Crowley
The Six of Disks is called Success; the ruler is the Moon. This is a card of settling down; it is very heavy, wholly lacking in imagination, yet somewhat dreamy. Change is soon coming upon it; the weight of earth will ultimately drag the current down to a mere eventuation of material things. Yet the Moon, being in Taurus, the sign of her exaltation, the best of the Lunar qualities are inherent. Moreover, being a Six, the solar Energy has fertilized her, creating a balanced system for the time being. The card is worthy of the name Success. Remember only that all success is temporary; how brief a halt upon the Path of Labour.
[…]
The Number Six, Tiphareth, as before, represents the full harmonious establishment of the Energy of the Element. The Moon in Taurus rules the card; and this, while increasing the approach to perfection (for the Moon is exalted in Taurus and therefore in her highest form) marks that the condition is transient.
The disks are arranged in the form of the Hexagram, which is shown in skeleton. In the centre blushes and glows the light rose-madder of dawn, and without are three concentric circles, golden yellow, salmon-pink, and amber. These colours show Tiphareth fully realized on Earth; it reaffirms in form what was mathematically set forth in describing the Ace.
The planets are arranged in accordance with their usual attribution; but they are only shown as disks irradiated by the Sun in their centre. This Sun is idolized as the Rose and Cross; the Rose has forty-nine petals, the interplay of the Seven with the Seven. (From The Book of Thoth)
The Six of Disks from the Thoth Tarot deck
Golden Dawn’s Book T
A WHITE Radiant Angelic Hand holding a rose branch with white roses and buds, each of which touches a Pentacle. Pentacles are arranged in two columns of three each:
* * * * * * Above and below are the symbols Taurus and Moon of the Decan. Success and gain in material undertakings. Power, influence, rank, nobility, rule over the people. Fortunate, successful, liberal and just. If ill dignified, may be purse-proud, insolent from excess, or prodigal.
Tiphareth of HB:H (Success in material things, prosperity in business). Herein rule the Angels HB:NMMYH and HB:YYLAL.
Etteilla
The present Upright. This card, as far as the medicine of the spirit is concerned, means, in its natural position: Present, Presently, Now, Immediately, At the instant, At this time, Today, Attending, Witnessing, Contemporary. – Attentive, Careful, Vigilant. Reversed. Desire, Vow, Ardor, Haste, Passion, Searches, Cupidity, Want, Jealousy, Illusion.
Those who read my Sibilla and Playing Cards sections are probably familiar with the cross spread I use with those decks. Turns out, the same spread can be used with the Bolognese tarot.
This querent is the same I read for here and had a crush on a colleague. The cross spread I present here is a prequel to that spread.
A general cross spread
The cross spread may be used to look at a person’s life in general or to answer general questions (“tell me about my career”). In this case it was general. I’ll keep it short:
Above the head position (what the querent would like or is thinking about): King of Cups, Juggler/Magician, Ace of Cups. This screams “pucture perfect family” with a husband (King), children (Juggler) and a hearth (Ace of Cups)
Under her feet (what she doesn’t want or what she has trouble with): Love, Ace of Wands and Eight of Wands. Love and Ace of Wands together represent a relationship, and the Eight of Wands is a road or path, so it could indicate a love life. Note that this position could indicate that she doesn’t want a relationship, but considering what the cards on her head are saying, it is more plausible that she wants a relationship but has trouble obtaining it.
To her left (past or present): Star, King of Coins, Death. This position talks about work. After checking with her, I discovered she had lost her job in the months prior to the reading and had found a new one.
To her right (near future): Page of Swords, Fool, Seven of Cups. This speaks generically about confusing messages concerning the home.
Center (in her heart): Angel/Judgement, Devil and King of Wands. Well, Angel and Devil together represent, traditionally, great satisfaction, connected to a man. This seems to be the cards’ polite way of saying she’s turned on by him.
To the side (for her): Ace of Swords, Knight of Coins, Ace of Coins. Speedy positive news about money. Probably connected to the near future position, but we didn’t look further into it.
And the reason we didn’t look further into it is that the most important cards (those comprising the central column, i.e., above, heart and below) are all connected with love. This is how the spread about the colleague was born. Note, however, that this spread, when done in general, can give us brief messages about the most disparate fields of life, and it is up to us then to expand on them by either adding cards or doing other spreads.
This is not the first time I do a reading for someone who has a crush on a colleague. The girl in question asked me if a love story could start with him
A love reading using the Bolognese Tarot (Thirteen Card Spread)
This is one of those spreads that let themselves be interpreted in more than one direction: not just horizontally but vertically as well. The First two things that caught my eye were the first line, with the King of Wands (him) trapped between the Tower (prison) and the Seven of Coins (tears); and the vertical line on the right, with the Ace of Wands and the Ace of Cups together, indicating a family, but the two cards are hemmed in by the tears and the Moon (again, negativity).
So this isan unhappy man we are talking about. In the following line, the Angel card, which would provide happiness and solutions or at least peace, is blocked by the Hermit. Note that the Ace of Wands, which can indicate attraction, is also affected by the blockage, so while he may be somewhat attracted by the querent, he is not gonna act out on it.
The following line was a bit harder to decipher, but I saw it as him having a daughter and being especially attached to her: note the Page of Cups, the girl, of the house (Ace of Cups) brings him jollity or happiness (Ten of Cups). It later turned out he has more than one child but he is more attached to the girl. It is possibly one of the things that keep him in the marriage.
In the end, there is probably going to be no relationship with the man: the relationship card (te Ace of Swords) is negatively affected by the Moon, and the querent will only have a business relationship (Star) with him.
One thing I need to emphasize is that the querent knew the dude is married, but didn’t tell me, not because she wanted to try me, but because in her mind she thought it was somehow “obvious”. It is always interesting to see how querents take our ability to see things for granted (only to be sorely disappointed when we make the most minor mistake).
(Note: this is a collection of the meanings attributed to the cards by some occultists in the past centuries. It does not reflect my own study or opinion of the cards. It is only meant as a quick comparative reference as I develop my own take.)
The Six of Swords from the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) tarot deck
Paul Foster Case (and Ann Davies)
The Six of Swords corresponds to the second decanate of Aquarius under the rulership of Mercury, January 30 to February 8. Well-Dignified: success after a period of trouble or anxiety; difficulties overcome; change of scene, possibly a journey by water; something mysterious effects a change o f circumstances for the better; success earned by the Querent’s laborious efforts. Ill-Dignified: sudden changes; circumstances dominate the Querent; he is in danger of being over-confident or conceited; too much effort expended for small results. Keyword: Patience (From the Oracle of Tarot course)
A.E. Waite
A ferryman carrying passengers in his punt to the further shore. The course is smooth, and seeing that the freight is light, it may be noted that the work is not beyond his strength. Divinatory Meanings: journey by water, route, way, envoy, commissionary, expedient. Reversed: Declaration, confession, publicity; one account says that it is a proposal of love. (From The Pictorial Key to the Tarot)
The Six of Swords from the Rider Waite Smith tarot
Aleister Crowley
The Six of Swords is called Science. Its ruler is Mercury, so that the element of success turns away from the idea of division and quarrel; it is intelligence which has won to the goal.
[…]
Tiphareth shows the full establishment and balance of the idea of the suit. This is particularly the case with this card, as the intellect itself is also referred to the number Six. Mercury, in Aquarius, represents the celestial Energy influencing the Kerub of the Man, thus showing intelligence and humanity.
But there is much more than this in the symbol. The perfect balance of all mental and moral faculties, hardly won, and almost impossible to hold in an ever-changing world, declares the idea of Science in its fullest interpretation.
The hilts of the Swords, which are very ornamental, are in the form of the hexagram. Their points touch the outer petals of a red rose upon a golden cross of six squares, thus showing the Rosy Cross as the central secret of scientific truth. (From The Book of Thoth)
The Six of Swords from the Thoth Tarot deck
Golden Dawn’s Book T
TWO hands, as before, each holding two swords which cross in the centre. Rose re-established thereon. Mercury and Aquarius above and below, supported on the points of two short daggers or swords.
Success after anxiety and trouble; self-esteem, beauty, conceit, but sometimes modesty therewith; dominance, patience, labour, etc.
Tiphareth of HB:V (Labour, work, journey by water). Ruled by the Great Angels HB:RHa’aAL and HB:YYVHL.
Etteilla
Road Upright. This card, as far as the medicine of the spirit is concerned, means, in its natural position: Road, Avenue, Walk, Course, Passage, Path, Way. – Path, Tract, Gait, Origin, Conduct, Means, Manner, Way, Expedient, Run, Career, Walk, Pattern to be followed, Track, Footprint, Sending, Commissary [= Deliveryman]. Reversed. Declaration, Declaratory act, Development, Explanation, Interpretation. – Charter, Constitution, Diploma, Manifest law, Ordinance. – Publication, Proclamation, Ostensibility, Manifesto, Publicity, Authenticity, Notoriety. – Denunciation, Census. – Enumeration. – Knowledge, Discovery, Unveiling, Vision, Revelation, Apparition, Appearance, Admission, Confession, Protest, Approval, Authorization.
Plenty of readings this time of year, and an above average number on health issues. An acquaintance of ours, an elderly man whom we know from theater, had to go under the knife for major surgery, my husband and I decided to see how the situation would evolve. I used the 45-card Bologna tarot system and the 13 card spread.
Recovery from Surgery. Spread with the Bologna
I am immediately reassured by the lack of dramatic sequences. However, the first row is interesting: Death can indicate a major turning point, the Chariot is the bed card in this tradition, and the Tower is a place of suffering, such as a hospital. Death and Tower can be a tragedy or painful situation. Technically you’d need the Knight of Swords together with the Chariot and Tower to predict surgery, but considering I didn’t even need to predict it (I knew it already) the cards are being remarkably specific.
We also find that his thoughts (the Knight of Wands) are not at ease (the Fool and Justice, that is, irrgularities on his idea of what is right). It could simply indicate bewilderment at the question of how he is going to move on from this. Note that the Tower weighs his thoughts down.
In the following row we see that there is love and care around him (Seven of Cups and Love) and that this care is going to have to last quite a while (Temperance). The recovery is going to take its time. Finally, the cards reassure us that the people and doctors taking care of him mean well and know what they are doing (the Queen of Coins is the truth, wisdom and knowledge).
(Note: this is a collection of the meanings attributed to the cards by some occultists in the past centuries. It does not reflect my own study or opinion of the cards. It is only meant as a quick comparative reference as I develop my own take.)
The Six of Cups from the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) tarot deck
Paul Foster Case (and Ann Davies)
Time period is the second decanate of Scorpio, from November 1 to November 10 under the combined influences of Jupiter and Neptune. Well-Dignified: the meanings in specific divinations are based on the influence of Neptune and Jupiter in Scorpio combined with its natural 8th house; deep emotions, ardor, enthusiasm, generosity; money through marriage or business partner, or by inheritance; the beginning of steady gain in business or pleasure, but beginning only; peculiar circumstances. lll-Dignified: deceit in reference to partner’s money; loss of inheritance through some sort of swindle; danger of death on water, or through poisons or anesthetics; some reversal of fortune. Keyword: Betterment (From the Oracle of Tarot course)
A. E. Waite
Children in an old garden, their cups filled with flowers. Divinatory Meanings: A card of the past and of memories, looking back, as–for example–on childhood; happiness, enjoyment, but coming rather from the past; things that have vanished. Another reading reverses this, giving new relations, new knowledge, new environment, and then the children are disporting in an unfamiliar precinct. Reversed: The future, renewal, that which will come to pass presently. (From The Pictorial Key to the Tarot)
Aleister Crowley
The Six of Cups is called Pleasure. This pleasure is a kind of pleasure which is completely harmonized. The zodiacal sign governing the card being Scorpio, pleasure is here rooted in its most convenient soil. This is pre-eminently a fertile card; it is one of the best in the pack.
[…]
This card shows the influence of the number Six, Tiphareth, in the suit of Water. This influence is fortified by that of the Sun, who also represents the Six. The whole image is that of the influence of the Sun on Water. His fierce, but balanced power operates that type of putrefaction-he is in the Sign of Scorpio-which is the basis of all fertility, all life.
The lotus stems are grouped in an elaborate dancing movement. From their blossoms water gushes into the Cups, but they are not yet full to overflowing, as they are in the corresponding card below; the Nine.
Pleasure, in the title of this card, must be understood in its highest sense: it implies well-being, harmony of natural forces without effort or strain, ease, satisfaction. Foreign to the idea of the card is the gratification of natural or artificial desires. Yet it does represent emphatically the fulfilment of the sexual Will, as shown by the ruling Sephira, planet, element, and sign.
In the Yi King, Sol in Scorpio is represented by the 20th Hexagram, Kwan, which is also “Big Earth”, being the Earth Trigram with doubled lines. Kwan means “manifesting”, but also “contemplating”. The Kwan refers directly to an High Priest, ceremonially purified, about to present his offerings. The idea of Pleasure-Putrefaction as a Sacrament is therefore implicit in this Hexagram as in this card; while the comments on the separate lines by the Duke of Chau indicate the analytical value of this Eucharist. It is one of the master-keys to the Gate of Initiation. To realize and to enjoy this fully it is necessary to know, to understand, and to experience, the Secret of the Ninth Degree of the O.T.O. (From The Book of Thoth)
A fairytale-like AI-generated illustration for the Six of Cups
Golden Dawn’s Book T
AN Angelic Hand, as before, holds a group of stems of water-lilies or lotuses, from which six flowers bend, one over each cup. From these flowers a white glistening water flows into the cups as from a fountain, but they are not yet full. Above and below are Sun and Scorpio referring to the Decan.
Commencement of steady increase, gain and pleasure; but commencement only. Also affront, detection, knowledge, and in some instances contention and strife arising from unwarranted self-assertion and vanity. Sometimes thankless and presumptuous; sometimes amiable and patient. According to dignity as usual. Tiphareth of HB:H (Beginning of wish, happiness, success, or enjoyment). Therein rule HB:NLKAL and HB:YYYAL
Etteilla
Past. Upright. This card, as far as the medicine of the spirit is concerned, means, in its natural position: the Past, Formerly, Withered, Formerly. – Formerly, Anteriorly, Of Yore, Once. – Old age, Decrepitude, Antiquity. Reversed. Upcoming, Future. – What comes next, Afterwards, Posteriorly, Further. – Regeneration, Resurrection. – Reproduction, Renewal, Reiteration.
