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Cartomancy with Playing Cards | Nine of Diamonds

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In cartomancy with playing cards, the Nine of Diamonds (9♦) is the card of advancement.

Nine Diamonds (red), from the Playing Cards series (N84) for Duke brand cigarettes by W. Duke, Sons & Co. is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

All nines in playing cards relate to the idea of wishes and hopes. While the Nine of Hearts represents a wish fulfilled and the Nine of Clubs a wish delayed, the Nine of Diamonds represents advancement toward the fulfillment of the wish.

The card is symbolic of all things connected with progress and forward movement. It is one of the best cards to get in a material reading, as it signifies increase and growth (though, if followed by bad cards, the growth can be stalled or denied). It is connected with the amelioration of difficult economic situations and with climbing the social (or corporate) ladder.

The Nine of Diamonds is also the card of promotion and, by extension, recognition. If the querent wants to know if he is going to make a name for himself, that’s the card you want. It shows the querent’s reputation and good name, and in itself it shows a positive reputation. However, if bad cards follow it might be a negative one.

In love readings, the Nine of Diamonds does not speak of feelings. However, it strengthens the couple, showing that they can get past most obstacles and have common goals. It can also give us insight into how other people view the couple, or even how one partner views the other, what they expect from one another, etc.

Psychologically, the Nine of Diamonds indicates self-confidence, or rather the level of self-confidence the querent has, based on the other cards. It can also indicate the querent does things to please others or to gain some kind of recognition or material advantage (usually other than money).

Some Combinations:

9♦ – 9♥ – 7♦ = recognition of some kind (not necessarily world fame. If with 7♥ also, recognition of one’s talent)
8♣ – 9♦ = career advancement, promotion
9♦ – A♣ = advancing toward one’s goals, broadly
9♦ – 3♠ or 8♠ – J♠ = slander
9♦ – 4♠ – 5♠ = loss of status, demotion

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Numerology, Playing Cards

Playing Cards and Numerology – The Nines

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The nines in cartomancy with playing cards are associated with the idea of wishes and hopes.

The Nine of Hearts is, as in many other systems, the wish card. It represents realization, fulfillment, sincerity of heart and, in general, things going as we wish them to go. It’s a positive card in most instances, as it has the power to alleviate the negative import of other cards that precede it.

The Nine of Clubs represents distance. It is a neutral card that represents things of long duration, long waits and delays, matters slowing down. It can also relate to physical distance. Generally, it shows the separation between what what we want and us. It’s the long road ahead.

If the Nine of Clubs is the road, the Nine of Diamonds is making progress on that road, and advancement in general. It is an extremely positive card, showing improvement, recognition, increase, fame, even. It represents other people’s views and expectations concerning the querent, if he has a good name or not, etc. By itself, it shows a good name. It is symbolic of career.

The Nine of Spades is notoriously the worst card in the deck, and some call it the wish denied card. If the Nine of Hearts shows things going as we wish them to go, the Nine of Spades mean things going against our wish. As a further consequence, it signifies things happening that we don’t want to happen, and against which we are relatively powerless.

Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Divination, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Fortune-telling, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla | Nine of Diamonds – The Fools (Deliranti)

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Name: the Fools
Italian Name: Deliranti
Playing Card: 9♦
Polarity when Upright: Negative
Core Meanings: Bad company, the wrong crowd, negative people, Mob mentality | Setbacks, Obstacles, Chaos, Disorder, Lack of planning | Unwarranted  exhalation, Delirium | Addiction, Excess, Lack of moderation
Polarity when Reversed: Negative
Reversed Core Meanings: Blunder | Involution, Worsening | Hesitation

Card Description: three drunken hobos causing chaos on the street. The two men on the sides are leading the one in the middle down the wrong path in life.

Suit and Number: all nines in the Vera Sibilla depict the idea of bond. In the suit of Diamonds, this bond is a negative social bond. The other meanings follow

UPRIGHT 9♦

General: a card depicting negative social ties, an idea which must be interpeted broadly. It also shows negative ties to someone or something, such as substance abuse.

Love and Relationships: often this card heralds arguments and bickerings and the inability to get along or see eye to eye. It represents chaos and disorder in social affairs. It can signify negative groups of people, running with the wrong crowd, mob mentality etc. It can show people leading the querent astray.

Work and Money: the Nine of Diamonds speaks of setbacks and unforeseen misfortune and obstacles. It shows lack of self-discipline and follow-through. It can point to misguided enterprises that inevitably end up in failure and people the querent should not listen to.

Other: psychologically it’s a card of confusion, derangement, lack of discipline, not listening to reason and being proud of it (the “empowered and unapologetic” type comes to mind, being especially common in the alternative spirituality milieu). Because the Nine of Diamonds signifies irregularity, it is also connected with disasters and acts of God, i.e., all those rare situations that seem to defy logic.

Important Combinations:
9♦ + 10♣ = complete lunacy
9♦ + 7♠ = traditionally, danger from deranged individuals | miscalculation leading to disaster | bad arguments
9♦ + 9♠ = a vicious cycle of any kind
7♦ + 9♠ + 9♦ = being pregnant with twins, traditionally
9♦ + 2♥ = arguments with family members

REVERSED 9♦R

General: the classical meaning, and the prevalent one, is that of involution, of moving backward instead of going forward (look at the card). It also shows blunders and indecisions.

Love and Relationships: often this card shows a relationship unraveling, becoming worse. Sometimes it can mean that a partner is beginning to act out of character for no particular reason. Furthermore, it can show that the querent doesn’t know what do to about their social and romantic life. It can also signify flashes in the pan, or being with the wrong person.

Work and Money: aside from the meaning of worsening finances, the reversed Nine of Diamonds can herald blunders that could end up costing the querent dearly. When followed by positive cards, it signifies that a total blunder leads to unexpected good consequences.

Other: both psychologically and spiritually, the reversed Fools signify hesitancy, not knowing what to do, and feeling like you have no one or nothing guiding you.

Important Combinations:
10♠ + 7♣R + 9♦ = traditionally, a soldier being demoted
9♦R + 10♣ = momentary recklessness
9♦R + 6♥ + 8♠ = the unraveling of personal finances
4♠ + 9♦R + positive cards = an illness receding, retreating, going away
9♦R + 2♥U/R = in real estate issues, a property depreciating

Other combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Nines

Card Combinations, Cartomancy, Divination Master Post, Everyday Oracle, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Nines

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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)

Nine of Hearts (9♥) – Faithfulness (Fedeltà)

A♥ + 9♥ = declaration of love | being honest or transparent in what you say, what you say is what is inside of you | it’s a symbol of harmony in a couple or among people
4♥ + 9♥ = love and faithfulness, but on a deeper layer, the 9♥ stabilizes the 4♥, which is a more erratic and mercurial card
8♥ + 9♥ = realization of romantic hopes
9♥ + 10♥ = faithfulness over time | attachment to your land, patriotism (in a positive sense. No negative connotation here.)
9♥ + A♣ = faithful and fulfilling marriage or contract | trustworthy partner in any field of enquiry


9♥ + 2♣ or 5♣ = success in love, generally
9♥ + 10♣ = it’s a symbol of fickleness and openness to cheating
9♥ + A♦ = deep intimacy, in love it points to truly being naked in front of the other and truly giving yourself to him or her
9♥ + 9♦ = untrustworthy person
9♥ + 10♦ = betrayal


J♦ + 9♥ = a trustworthy intermediary | in a spiritual reading, an angel or positive spirit (confirmed by 6♦R)
3♠ + 9♥* = distant from friends or affections | having a lot to give and no one to give it to
9♥ + 4♠ = a morbid sense of faithfulness, excessive loyalty
9♥ + 10♠U/R = cheating | we don’t know where the person’s loyalty lies
9♥ + K♠ = in the appropriate context, marriage | faithfulness in an established couple where passion has waned | obedience to authority
9♥ + Person = a positive, loyal person

A♥ + 9♥R = lies, confessing to cheating (especially with 6♠R or 9♠R which show unburdening yourself and regret. A♦R may be there)
9♥R + 6♥ = past unfaithfulness, but it can also mean you can’t be trusted around money
9♥R + 8♥ = cheating, but possibly just a one off thing (especially with 10♣)
9♥R + 10♥ = cheating, but it’s more consistent | disloyalty to your country, but in specific contexts it could mean a country gaining independence, literally or figuratively
9♥R + A♣ = a marriaged marred by cheating, in general not respecting pacts


8♣ + 9♥R* = an adulterous meeting or unsuccessful reconciliation
9♥R + 8♦R = the cheap floozy (man or woman)
A♠ and/or A♦R + 9♥R = discovering someone has cheated or, in the best case scenario, that they no longer love you
9♥R + 2♠* = a rapidly declining affection (if 2♠R, it’s even quicker)


9♥R + 8♠ = irreversible crisis in your love life | complete failure in general
9♥R + K♠ = rebellion against authority, among other readings (in a court case, it might be that the authority/judge is unfair and is out to get you)
J♣U/R + 9♥R + K♠ = son rebelling against authority

Nine of Clubs (9♣) – Cheerfulness (Allegria)

9♣ + A♥ = positive interaction, positive talks, can be a party
2♥ + 9♣ = positive home environment or positive situation at home | also a party
8♥ + 9♣ = a positive and carefree moment in life | can be a beach party
3♣ + 9♣ = a pleasant trip or a journey that will bear fruit
3♣R + 9♣ = going through a lucky streak, possibly career advancement


5♣ + 6♣ or 7♣ + 9♣ = excellent combination for gamblers and lottery players
5♣ + 9♣ = in love, after a breakup, this combination usually precludes a reconciliation but shows luck in the next relationship
8♣ + 9♣ = could be a get together with friends or old buddies, among other things
10♣ + 9♣ = carefreeness, sometimes to a fault, but not a negative combination | traditionally, this is the combination for a practical joke
9♣ + K♣ = positive health-related news or positive news from a professional


2♦ + A♣ + 2♥ + 9♣ = invitation to a marriage
3♦ + 9♣ = positive proposal or the right gift
4♦ + 9♣ = a negative group | pretending to be happy, among other possibilities
9♣ + 3♠ = social isolation
9♣ + J♠ or Q♠ = a man or woman in your extended circle of friends or acquaintances is not to be trusted

9♣R + 4♥R or 7♥R = sexual perversion
9♣R + 6♥U/R = inability to manage money
9♣R + 10♥R = prone to anger when he or she hits the bottle
9♣R + 2♣ = changing behavior for the better
9♣R + 10♣ = also a practical joke, but this time not a nice one, it borders on bullying


9♣R + J♣R = a junkie
2♦ + 9♣R + 10♠R + J♠ or Q♠ = anonymous calls, harassment, smear campaigns (4♦ may be present, accentuating defamation)
9♣R + 6♦R (+7♥R + 3♠R) = serious mental problems (3♠R would show mental alienation and possibly substance abuse, depending on the other cards)
9♣R + K♦= traditionally, fake banknotes | loss of employment
9♣R + 6♠R + J♠ + Q♠ + 7♠ = a dangerous individual who will go to any length to hurt another (6♠R represents that one does not worry too much, so with negative cards it points to lack of scruples)


9♣R + 9♠ and/or 7♠R = being enslaved to an addiction (if both are present, the person is unlikely to ever recover)
9♣R + 9♠ + 9♦ = the traditional full combination of addictions
A♠R + 9♣R + 9♠ = relapsing into an addiction
9♣R + 9♠ + 3♣R or 2♣ or A♥R or 5♣ = breaking free of an addiction

Nine of Diamonds (9♦) – Fools (Deliranti)

A♥ + 9♦ = incoherence, contradiction, lies, untrustworthy reports, fights
4♥ + 9♦ = fights in love, or inconsistency of a lover
4♥R + 9♦ + A♣R + Q♥R or J♥R = orgies (+A♠ or 10♠, an element of violence is implied)
9♦ + 9♥ = better not trust someone
9♦ + Person = also better not trust someone


9♦ + A♣ = an unhappy marriage or a partnership full of fights
5♣ + 9♦* = it’s an invitation to prudence, as you may end up squandering a lucky moment (same with 10♣R)
6♣ + 7♠ + 9♦ = can be a brawl (6♣ represents an unforeseeable and therefore unexpected situation)
9♦ + 6♣R = excessive enthusiasm will cost you dearly
9♦ + 10♣ = a nutcase (unless with other cards, not mentally ill, just bonkers)


9♦ + 2♦ = delays the arrival of news or incoherent news
6♦ + 9♦ = irrationality, foolish ideas
7♦ + 9♦ = it can mean a childish tantrum
5♠ + 9♦ = in esoteric readings, ghosts and unruly spirits, otherwise it points to deep instability in an area


7♠ + 9♦ = traditionally, a cataclysm, if 7♠R can be a fire (+2♥R, burning down the house), if 10♣, a hurricane, if 6♠ or 8♥R, a tsunami. But this is usually only if the question is specific, otherwise other negative cards must be present. In itself, it can point to sudden disruption or violent fights
7♠ + 9♦ + 10♠ + J♠ = a violent gang
9♦ + J♠ or Q♠ = groups of enemies
K♠ + 9♦ = trouble with the law or government

A♥ + 9♦R = going back on your word, taking back what you said
A♥ or 9♣ or 8♣ + 9♦R (+3♠) = a deterioration of one’s social life
4♥ + 9♦R = a deterioration of your love life
10♥ + 9♦R = a steady deterioration
7♣R + 9♦R = a worsening of your social status | demotion


K♣ or 4♠ + 9♦R + 8♣* = an illness getting better and better (the 9♦R shows something that goes backward and recedes instead of going forward. Also, any very positive card can come up instead of 8♣)
10♣ + 9♦R = a major blunder
3♦ + 9♦R = among many possible readings, an electronic appliance jamming, the recalling of a product or sending back something
6♦ + 9♦R = mental decline (e.g. with 2♠) | can also be a blunder in a project or a fatal hesitation

Nine of Spades (9♠) – Prison (Prigione)

A♥ + 9♠ = it can mean the inability to express yourself, lack of communication or communication of some kind of failure
4♥ + 9♠ + 9♥ = powerful attachment in love (but the 9♠ needs to fall between the two heart cards)
9♠ + 10♥ = a lasting blockage
A♣ + 9♠ = among other interpretations, a binding agreement that the querent won’t get out of easily (but in itself not a bad combo, u less with bad cards)
A♣R + 7♥R + 9♠ = can point to impotence

10♣R + 9♠ + 3♥R or J♦R = among many possible readings, being blocked by someone on social media
2♣R + 3♠R + 9♠ = a binding hex, a magical blockage
A♦ + 9♠ = strong intimacy (a neutral combination, but if A♦R, the intimacy is sacrificed or stifling)
2♦ + 9♠ + 8♠ = if it’s a contract, don’t sign
5♦ + 9♠ = depression
6♦ + 9♠ = among other possible interpretations, a plan that can’t be executed,  or the inability to let go of a thought, or someone who is strongly introverted and unable to reach out for help


9♠ + 7♦ = traditional combination of pregnancy (confirmed by 8♥, which is strongly connected with maternity, or even by the 3♥ which shows positive developments. + J♣ or J♥, a boy, + Q♣ or Q♥, a girl, + 9♦, twins; +10♠R, secret pregnancy)
10♣ + 9♠ + 7♦ = accidental pregnancy (+6♦ or 7♥ it’s planned)
9♠ + 7♦ + 7♠ + 5♠ or 7♠ + A♠ or A♠ + 5♠ = miscarriage (if also K♣ or K♠, abortion)


9♠ + 9♦ = traditional combination of a vicious cycle
9♠ + 9♦ + 3♣R or A♥R or 2♣ or 5♣ = end of a vicious cycle
9♠ + cards showing a situation = a situation the querent is forced into
Cards showing a situation + 9♠ = a situation the querent can’t get out of

A♥ + 9♠R = it can mean asking for forgiveness or regretting saying something, among other possibilities
10♥ + 9♠R = the end of a blockage (or a prison sentence) that lasted a while, especially if positive cards follow
10♣ + 7♥ + 9♠R = regretting signing a contract
J♠ or Q♠ + 9♠R + 2♣ and/or 8♣ = an enemy is sorry and will come clean


J♠ or Q♠ + 9♠R + 4♦ or 10♦ or 8♠ = someone trying to swindle you or imprison you (be careful about the 9♠R. It’s a very mercurial card that becomes easily negative despite being slightly positive in itself. With negative cards, or if negative cards follow it, it is bad 4 times out of 5)
K♣ or K♠ + 7♠ + 5♠ or A♥R + Q♥ + 9♠R = transitioning to woman. If to man, K♥ instead. Other figure cards may appear instead of Q♥ or K♥ depending on age. The 9♠R represents leaving the “wrong” body
9♠R + Person = if the question is specific, someone who’s had a sex change or is not sure about his or her sexual identity
Good cards + 9♠R + bad cards = beginning of blockage, loss of freedom
Bad cards + 9♠R + good cards = end of blockage

Card Reading, Cartomancy, Everyday Oracle, Reading Example, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Reading – Will the University Go Bust?

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Here’s a reading from some time ago, which I recreated using my new Sibilla Originale 1850. The querent’s problem was: Will the university I work for go bust?

A pyramid spread on the question “Will the University I work for go bust?”

The first line is pretty interesting, as we get a chance to see the power of the Peacock card in action. The Two of Clubs is the best card in the deck, capable of lessening the blow of any negative card. And boy do we need it, as right before it we have the worst card in the deck, the Seven of Spades Reversed. Aside from being the card of tyranny and overbearing power, the reverse Seven of Spades talks about ruination and utter and final capitulation.

Why is the university going toward ruination? We have the Ace of Clubs, Marriage, and the Ten of Clubs, Levity. The Ten of Clubs is the card of “just a little”, while the Marriage card is about contracts and legal agreements. So, the university is at risk of going bust because there’s not enough students signing up, but the worst will be avoided thanks to the Two of Clubs, which can be visualized as a sort of divine hand grabbing the debris falling from a collapsing building and putting them back in place before they manage to fall on someone’s head.

The second line tells us something a bit more specific about what is going to save the university from the worst. The Seven of Diamonds, the Child, is about new things, and the Jack of Clubs, the Servant, is, among other things, the card of students, an interpretation which is confirmed by the Two of Diamonds, the Letter, which is one of the cards of studying and books, and when near the Servant it can identify a student. Here we are not talking about a specific student, but about students in general. There will be new (Child) students. At least enough to keep the whole thing going.

In this instance, we may also see the Child as falling between the Ace of Clubs, Marriage, and the Two of Hearts, House. Ace of Clubs + Two of Hearts is the card combo that, in job-related issues, represents a firm or a business. Here we are talking about a university, but the meaning still applies: universities don’t pay their employees in wisdom. They, too, need to make money, just like a business.

The presence of the Child inside this combination of business tells us that the university is preparing something new, perhaps new courses or maybe some new marketing ploy. The querent confirmed that they are looking to concoct some new study course that will make the university he works for more alluring.

The final three cards tell us that, although the university will manage to stay alive, it probably won’t be thriving, at least not in the next period. We need to understand “the next period” in the context of the question: we all know how public institutions tend to suck as much money as they can for as many years as they can without profit before actually being left to their fate, so in the context of a public institution, which this university is, the next period means the next few years, or at least that’s what I think.

The Two of Hearts, the House, shows the place itself, while the Nine of Diamonds, The Fools, and the reversed Three of Hearts, the Balcony, tell us something that seems to contradict the presence of the Peacock in the first line. It would be easy to interpret this combination as one pertaining to violent groups, but this wouldn’t mean anything in the context.

Aside from its usual connotations, the Nine of Diamonds talks about things proceeding irregularly, or without really looking where they are going, while the Three of Hearts is connected with sight, whether literal or figurative. Reversed, it becomes a lack of insight, so whatever it is that the university is coming up with is not going to be that good of a product for potential students to buy into.

Finally, let us look at the angles of the pyramid: Marriage, Peacock and Balcony Reversed. The business (Marriage) will stay open for the foreseeable future (Peacock), but this will not necessarily be a good thing, as the Balcony Reversed is also the card that points to a lack of positive developments.

Card Reading, Cartomancy, Everyday Oracle, Numerology, Sibilla della Zingara, Vera Sibilla

Vera Sibilla and Numerology – The Nines

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In the Vera Sibilla, the common thread that connect the nines is, perhaps, a little more obvious than the one shown in other numbers. Each of them represents how the energy of the suit interacts with the concepts of bond, ties and linkage. As usual, the Nine of Hearts and the Nine of Spades represent the polar opposites between which the other two cards, the Nines of Clubs and Diamonds, fluctuate.

The Nines in the Vera Sibilla: The Nine of Hearts (Faithfulness or the Dog), The Nine of Clubs (Cheerfulness), The Nine of Diamonds (The Fools) and the Nine of Spades (Prison)

The Faithfulness card or Dog is, at first, very similar to the Four of Hearts, Love. There is, however, an added dimension. Whereas Love is shown as an ungraspable, blind force, Faithfulness places restrictions on people’s behavior. If you are loyal to a person, even to an ideal, you will not betray it. Just as a loyal dog will follow you around even without a leash, simply out of a sense of affection and belonging to your “pack”, so the type of love depicted in the Nine of Hearts is a more disciplined version of the impetuous passion represented by the blindfolded cupid in the other card.

The symbolism of the loyal dog lends itself to the representation of various situations and states of being, including love, deep friendship or a sense of camaraderie, patriotism (when reversed, this card may show an anarchist), commitment to an ideal or group. In general, this card symbolizes the immediate coincidence between appearance and reality: what is shown is what is real. This is the opposite of the Four of Diamonds, Falsehood, represented by the Cat, which represents the divergence between appearance and reality. Be it as it may, Faithfulness interprets the idea of bond in a more positive way.

Its counterpart, the Prison, shows a very different kind of tie. Gone is the idea that we are where we are because an inner sense of belonging guides us: a physical chain now binds us to a certain place or situation. The Nine of Spades represents all those contexts that we are forced into against our will, or that we are prevented from leaving regardless of what we might think about them.

Depending on the context, more benign interpretations may emerge, but, in general, the Prison shows a state of affairs that we are unable to move away from even if we really want to. One of the classical meanings of this card, pregnancy, is derived from the fact that the chain tying the prisoner to the wall is reminiscent of an umbilical cord keeping the fetus securely tied to the mother’s womb. Needless to say, the baby doesn’t remain there because it roots for mommy (Faithfulness) but because it kind of has to (Prison).

The other two Nines take an interesting angle. They interpret the notion of bond socially. The Nine of Clubs, Cheerfulness, depicts a group of friends raising their glasses. Whatever happened, it is cause enough for everyone to get a little tipsy, which means that they all share at least some objectives. That being said, the bond that ties the three guys together is much lighter than the one of utter devotion displayed by the dog in the Nine of Hearts. This is a way more frivolous card, one that shows groups of people in a positive way, but not necessarily life-long companions.

The Nine of Diamonds, the Fools, similarly depicts three people, who have similarly been at the sherry. The suit of Diamonds, however, is less fortunate than that of Clubs, and in this case the darker side of mob mentality is depicted. Running with the wrong crowd is certainly one interpretation. Additionally, the Fools show unbalanced group behavior, or interpersonal problems.

By analogy, this is the card of unwarranted exaltation, foolishness, fights, arguments and of everything that is irregular, i.e. that defies the rules of what is “normal”, always in a negative sense. This goes from incoherent clauses in contracts to meaningless words to mental illness to natural disasters and cataclysms (which, in a sense, defy the laws of nature or disrupt the usual flow of life).

As a concluding remark, curiously, the Nine of Diamonds has a connection with excess and substance abuse (especially alcohol or meds), which is a very important meaning of the Nine of Clubs when it comes up reversed in a reading. When the situation is bad enough, i.e. when the bond with the substance seems unbreakable, the Nine of Spades will show up to add a sense of inability, on the part of the querent, to get out of the addiction.