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Vera Sibilla | Basics of Card Interpretation

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I start now a series of posts on card interactions in the Vera Sibilla. I should point out that this is a very hard topic to cover from a theoretical standpoint and that it’s best to discover it by practice. Still, some guidelines may be given. We are going to start simple by looking at some interactions between two cards.

The cards of the Vera Sibilla are generally read in more or less linear spreads. While you are at liberty to make up positional spreads for it, it is far more interesting to see them interact, especially because you don’t spend a great deal of time rambling on about a card. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t situations in which more than one meaning applies (in fact, it happens quite often) but you do not try to come up with artful and soulful interpretations that take you away from the querent’s concrete life.
As a general rule, neutral cards are influenced for better or worse by positive and negative cards. Note that a card can have both positive and neutral, or both negative and neutral, nuances. What we are interested in is not the theoretical polarity of the card, but how it behaves concretely. So, for instance, the A♥, the Conversation, is a slightly positive card when it comes to personal relationships, but when it represents an interview or date it is neutral. Similarly, the 7♠, the Disaster, is mostly negative, but when it represents something happening quickly, soon and all of a sudden it is neutral.

The second general notion is that cards taking on a similar polarity tend to be indifferent as to their placement in the spread, because they strengthen each other. For instance, 7♠ + 5♠ is mostly the same as 5♠ + 7♠: a disruptive and rather traumatic ending. Conversely, 4♥ + A♥ is often the same as A♥ + 4♥, showing lovers’ sweet talk or a date.

The third general notion you should become familiar with is that when two cards have starkly different polarities (in the context) the card that falls last between the two tends to influence the previous one more than the other way around.
So, for instance, A♥ + 7♠ is usually a disagreement, i.e., a conversation with anger and disruption in it.
If we swap the cards, 7♠ + A♥, it can mean that all of a sudden there will be a meeting or someone will speak to you. It can also mean (depending on the context of the question and the other cards) that a disruption or argument is followed by a clarifying talk.

This second possibility is rarer, because of a fourth general consideration: red cards tend to be influenced more by black cards than the other way around. Therefore, in the previous example of 7♠ + A♥, if the 7♠ assumed its negative meaning of disruption and anger, the A♥ would usually not be powerful enough to resolve the issue, unless supported by other cards. On the other hand, if it were 7♠ + 8♣, then the breakup would be followed by a reconciliation.

A fifth basic consideration is that when cards take on opposite meanings, the cards falling last tends to influence those before. So, for instance, 2♠ is what is old or getting old, and 7♦ is what is young or still growing. They are neutral cards in themselves, but the 2♠ is black so that it is not greatly influenced. What matters is the meaning. If we had 2♠ + 7♦, the end of a phase would be followed by the beginning of a new cycle. If we had 7♦ + 2♠, a new cycle would soon die off.

On the other hand, if we had 4♦ and 9♥, the situation would be different. The cards are opposite not just in meaning (truthfulness vs falseness) but also in polarity (negative vs positive) but they are both red. So even if the 9♥ fell last, it would not overcome the 4♦, and we would still have an idea of lack of sincerity at least.

All these considerations are preliminary and somewhat abstract, as they are based on only two cards (usually you’ll have at least three), but they will hold you in good stead. Also, the more you practice, the more you’ll see that they are not really rules so much as a general description of how the cards tend to concretely interact with each other. You will see, also, that you have plenty of latitude for interpretation.

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

Vera Sibilla | The Kings – Gentleman, Doctor, Merchant, Priest (Gran Signore, Dottore, Mercante, Sacerdote)

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King of Hearts – The Gentleman (Gran Signore)

Design: a protective lord, his hand resting confidently at his hip

UPRIGHT K♥

The card tends to be positive, unless surrounded by cards that taint its meaning. In the main, it depicts a married man, often the querent, or a father, brother, grandfather, friend etc. The person is usually a positive influence in the querent’s life. He is the archetype of the philanthropist. All kings are connected with power, and the King of hearts is power wielded to do good, in general or in the specific context. It represent someone who protects or furthers the querent’s aims. Because it represents positive power, in spiritual readings he represents God (just as the Queen of Clubs represents the Virgin Mary or other figures of virginity). When a person who has power over the querent is represented by the King of Hearts, it’s a good sign.

REVERSED K♥

The card becomes negative, showing someone who is either troubled or the cause of trouble. When the man is a source of trouble, then he tends to be overbearing, manipulative, motivated only by the furthering of his own aims and often addicted to something. The notion of addiction attaches to the card as a general meaning even when it doesn’t stand for a man. It’s the archetype of the misanthrope or the apparent helper.

King of Clubs – The Doctor (Dottore)

Design: a well-meaning doctor taking a patient’s pulse

UPRIGHT K♣

A card with a plethora of meanings. All kings represent power, and the King of Clubs represents someone in a position of power in society, often with a degree (it can signify the degree itself, and university studies). He can be a boss or a professional of some kind, whose help will be required. It’s a more neutral power than that of the King of Hearts. Figuratively, the card often signifies that a situation requires someone’s authoritative help, because something is not right. Sometimes it means that there is a health issue, so he becomes a real doctor (a GP), at other times the sickness is figurative. Rarely, the card indicates a man in the querent’s life who is not violent, but certainly controlling, such as a father or husband. This is rare though. Broadly, it signifies that health will play a role in the querent’s life.

REVERSED K♣

It becomes an extremely negative card. When it does not represent a person, its most traditional meaning is that of wrong diagnosis or wrong help. Figuratively this can mean the querent is receiving help but it’s the wrong type of help and some mistakes are being made. Broadly it signifies the wrong path, strategy or choice. When it represents a person it reperesents an untrustworthy man who abuses their position. He can even be a criminal, a boss in the mafia sense. It signifies a man with a double life.

King of Diamonds – The Merchant (Mercante)

Design: a man with a turban waiting for his cargo to ship or to arrive

UPRIGHT K♦

One of the most important cards in the deck, it very rarely represents a person. It represents financial power, and where it comes from. It is connected to money, banks, buying and selling, calculating, maths etc., but its chief role is that of significator for the querent’s job. 4/5 of the times this will be the interpretation. Even in love it usually represents the fact that work and career have something to do with the question. Rarely, the King of Diamonds can stand for selfishness and a calculating character, and a man who is completely absorbed by his own interest and doesn’t do anything for nothing.

REVERSED K♦

The chief intepretation is that of trouble at work. It may be that the querent is unemployed, or doesn’t like their job, or is not good at it, or is not paid enough. The reason will be explained by the other cards. Just as, when upright, the Merchant is connected to maths and calculating exactly what you want to achieve, when reversed it represents incompetence and lack of good old common sense. It stands for wrong financial decisions. Rarely, it represents a man who is corrupt, sleazy, and potentially connected to crime, or at least to the gray area between what’s lawful and what isn’t.

King of Spades – The Priest (Sacerdote)

Design: a priest in a wintry courtyard.

UPRIGHT K♠

A neutral card whose meaning depends greatly on the context and on the other cards. It can stand for religion (not necessarily for faith, which is signified by the Eight of Hearts) but this is rare and usually only in the context of the question. Usually it represents authority. As all Kings are connected to power, the Priest, the King of Spades, has the power to punish or reward the querent. It represents the law and all lawful authority. It signifies all those rigid structures that layer themselves on society, beating it into shape (religion, politics, mores, institutions, bureaucracy, etc). More broadly it signifies the concept of justice, equilibrium, the right way. It can stand for a person with a degree, but its status is more prestigious than that of the Doctor card, and often signifies a specialist doctor. It signifies people who are strict and perfectionistic, but just and not evil. In love it stands for faithfulness, but it lacks passion. It can be a significator card for an older man. Sometimes the card behaves peculiarly. The cards the Priest shields himself from represent a problem or issue, something wrong or something that could get the querent into trouble. The cards the Priest points toward can represent the right way or what will be done. They represent the sentence, especially in a legal framework. This behavior of the card is rare.

REVERSED K♠

It often signifies legal trouble, a decision that is made against the querent, and injustice. It can signify lack of morality and bigotry, sometimes together. It can represent a dangerous individual who will not let what’s right stop them. Broadly, it implies having the law or the bureaucracy or the system against you.

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Vera Sibilla | The Queens – Girlfriend, Maiden, Wife, Rival (Amatrice, Giovane Fanciulla, Donna Maritata, Nemica)

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Queen of Hearts – The Girlfriend (Amatrice)

Design: a young woman is waiting for her boyfriend to arrive.

UPRIGHT Q♥

She is, generally speaking, the female variant of the Jack of Hearts. She represents a woman who is moved by positive feelings, usually single, or at least as in love with her husband (or wife) as she was when they were still dating. She can also be a member of the family, a dear friend, a positive female influence, etc. Rarely, when the Queen of Hearts does not represent a person  she represents fulfillment, acceptance, feeling nurtured, since all Queens represent receptivity and nurturing qualities.

REVERSED Q♥

Just like the Jack, she is either in trouble or she is trouble. When she is trouble, she represents a woman who does not love the querent, at best, or who is prone to cheating and lying. Who she is and what she does will be shown by the surrounding cards.

Queen of Clubs – The Maiden (Giovane Fanciulla)

Design: a young girl in a garden.

UPRIGHT Q♣

She is the female counterpart to the Jack of Clubs, the Servant. She represents a young woman, usually under 30, even a teen. She is usually innocent and sensitive and princess-like. She can be a daughter, a friend, a girlfriend, etc. Just like the Jack, when she represents the woman in a relationship it’s a sign that the story is unlikely to last forever, unless confirmed by other cards. She is generally kind, but also dominated by her emotions to make up for lack of experience, which may lead her to trouble. This last aspect can occasionally be signified by the card even when no young woman exists in the querent’s life, in which case the card is a warning. The card is connected to beauty and to virginity, as well as for needing protection, regardless of sex. Sometimes the card acts as a “pointer”, in which case the cards she points toward with her finger (those behind her back) represent a danger the querent isn’t paying enough attention to. All Queens signify receptivity. The Maiden represent receptivity to other people’s influence.

REVERSED Q♣

All face cards are either in trouble or they are trouble. The Queen of Clubs, however, is always more likely to be in trouble. She is going through some rough experience and feels neglected or unloved. Sometimes, when she IS trouble, she represents a woman who is childish and frivolous (regardless of age). In general, when she is not a person, the Queen of Clubs represents feeling overwhelmed and unable to act, and it points to lethargy and to depression and mental instability. She is still connected with inexperience.

Queen of Diamonds – The Wife (Donna Maritata)

Design: a housewife taking care of her children

UPRIGHT Q♦

She represents a mature woman and/or a married woman. Keep in mind that being married was the highest aspiration for a woman back when this deck was designed. More generally today the card represents a woman who is realized in life (can be a boss, for instance). More generally, though, she is married. Keep in mind that in love matters it’s always a bad sign when the significator does not show up as a Heart, so if the querent’s wife comes up as the Queen of Diamonds, she is not driven by feelings toward him. This doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have any positive feelings, but that her main loyalty is more to the marriage itself than to her partner: she stays in the relationship out of habit or out of tradition, although there may be affection. Of course this is not the case if cards such as Love or Faithfulness show up next to her, in which case she is in lovelove. In general, she is honest and practical. When she is not a person, the card represents wealth and good business growth. All Queens represent receptivity and nurturing, so the Queen of Diamonds can represent a positive environment to grow in, especially materially.

REVERSED Q♦

As repetitive as it may sound at this point, she is either trouble or in trouble.  One particular meaning of the card, though, is that it may represent an unmarried woman (or a divorced woman). It can also represent a woman who ends up in trouble to help the querent. Otherwise she is a petty, calculating woman who only thinks of herself.

Queen of Spades – The Rival (Nemica)

Design: a threatening woman with a knife in the act of donning a mask to hide her presence.

UPRIGHT Q♠

She is mainly the female counterpart to the Jack of Spades. Sometimes she represents the mother-in-law, in which case she is a neutral figure. More often, though she is a rival, a woman who loses if the querent wins and vice versa. She is a liar, a bitch or a woman who will try to harm the querent, or who does not see the querent with respect and dislikes him, either generally or in the situation. She is not well-intentioned. I should point out, and this is true for the Jack of Spades as well, that not everyone is constantly chased by a villain trying to tie them to the train tracks. Sometimes she is simply a woman angry at the querent, if the context allows for such interpretation. All Queens refer to receptivity. The Queen of Spades represents lack of acceptance and environments that are negative for the querent, privation, deprivation, lack of nourishment, starvation, hunger, lack of resources etc.

REVERSED Q♠

Just like the Jack, the Queen of Spades reversed is either an inimical woman losing her battle or a very stubborn inimical woman. She can be a woman who is bad because she is stupid.
When the card doesn’t represent a woman, it represents grave danger that is sometimes hard to avoid, feuds, plots, evil gossips etc. It also represents privation and lack of resources, like the upright counterpart, but worse.

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Vera Sibilla | The Jacks – Boyfriend, Servant, Messenger, Villain (Amante, Domestico, Messaggiero, Nemico)

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Jack of Hearts – The Boyfriend (Amante)

Design: a handsome young man serenading under his sweetheart’s balcony.

UPRIGHT J♥

A generally neutral card with a slightly positive polarity. It shows a man (often the querent or the querent’s love interest) who is motivated by (positive) feelings. He is often single or at least not married. Its age range varies depending on what the cards what to emphasize. Traditionally he is between 20 and 40, but if the cards want to refer to the person’s role in the querent’s life (e.g. brother, son, friend, etc) then he may be of any age. He is a man who is capable of committing and has the querent’s best interest at heart. Only rarely this card does not represent a person, in which instance it shows the idea of “courting” something or someone, waiting for something to happen and longing for it. It is also a card of good news (all Jacks can represent news).

REVERSED J♥

All court cards, when reversed, show two types of people: negative or in distress. When it represents a negative person, the type of negativity they represent is based on their suit. The Jack of Hearts reversed is a seductor without scruples in all sectors of life. He is prone to cheating. Sometimes it shows simply a man who is not in love with the querent, but may not necessarily be negative, if with positive cards. In rare instances, when it does not represent a person, the Jack of Hearts reversed shows lusting after someone or something, and excessive desire.

Jack of Clubs – The Servant (Domestico)

Design: a helpful young man bowing to his master or mistress.

UPRIGHT J♣

A neutral card, but more neutral than the Jack of Hearts. In itself it signifies a young man, often younger than 30 or even in his teens. He is usually already part of the querent’s life (son, brother, friend), but other cards may imply otherwise. Its positive characteristics include being helpful and humble. He can be a friend. The card is connected with manual labor, service and employed work, and even when it does not represent a person it signifies the concept of help being given or offered. It can represent a student, a coworker, an apprentice. With negative cards helpfulness becomes servility, or it can turn into an inferiority complex. In love readings the person represented by this card is not necessarily negative, but the fact that he doesn’t come up as a Heart face card is a warning that the story is unlikely last, unless positive love cards make up for it in the spread (note, what I just said is not necessarily true for gay couples). The card signifies help all around, including advice and friendly words.

REVERSED J♣

The reversed Jack of Clubs is a negative card. It shows a man who behaves foolishly and is unruly, doesn’t know his place and is misguided. It signifies the concept of help being denied. The person can be debauched and, insteading of helping, latching on to the querent (a bum, a deadbeat son, etc). Sometimes it signifies a young man who is troubled and needs help. Upright and with positive cards it shows humbleness, reversed it can signified being humbled or forced to submit.

Jack of Diamonds – The Messenger (Messaggiero)

Design: a postman approaching to deliver the mail.

UPRIGHT J♦

This is very rarely a face card. More often than not it acts similarly to the Two of Diamonds, the Letter, showing the arrival of news and communication. In general, the Jack shows more important news or news more focused on the querent’s situation. It can also signify parcels. It is connected to mediation, agencies, go-betweens, ambassasors etc. It is connected with short trips, running errands and commutes. It is a quick card.

REVERSED J♦

The card signifies delay in the receipt of news or packages (which may become permanent delay with negative cards). This needn’t be tragic though. For instance, it once came up in a positive spread that announced a pregnancy in the family. Two months later my sister-in-law told us she was pregnant and that she had taken her time announcing it because she was afraid revealing it too soon would jinx the pregnancy.  The reversed Jack of Diamonds is also a card of gossip and sharp tongues. It can signify a bad mediator or go-between.

Jack of Spades – The Villain (Nemico)

Design: a stereotypical villain holding a snake and moving in the shadows.

UPRIGHT J♠

The card signifies a man who is moved by negative aims. The person doesn’t need to be evil, he just need to be inimical to the querent, even on just in the question at hand (if you break daddy’s card, don’t be surprised to see him come up as the Enemy). More generally, though, it can signify a man who is trying to disrupt the querent’s life. He can be a thief, a competitor, a meddler or a false friend. He is usually malicious and cunning. Whatever he proposes to the querent (a business deal, a contract, an investment, a one night stand) it is best refused. The one time the card is neutral is when it represents the father-in-law. It can show the arrival of unpleasant news.

REVERSED J♠

Near cards that show the querent’s victory, the reversed Jack of Spades signifies the demise of the enemy. When near negative cards it shows open enmity and someone who is hell-bent on destroying the querent, someone who is beyond help or redeption and will go to any length to see their plans through. Sometimes the card refers to a man who behaves badly out of stupidity or cowardice.

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Vera Sibilla | Ten of Spades – Soldier (Militare)

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Name: Soldier
Italian Name: Militare
Playing Card: 10♠
Polarity when Upright: Neutral to Negative
Core Meanings: strength, force | arguments, violence | wearing a uniform | the army | effort, an uphill battle | secrecy
Polarity when Reversed: Neutral to Negative
Reversed Core Meanings: a secret | the night | weakness | controversy

Card Description: a fit young man in a uniform in the act of walking up a slope to conquer a citadel.

Suit and Number: all tens in the Vera Sibilla are associated with the idea of will, willpower and the ability to materialize it. The Soldier card, the Ten of Spades, signifies struggle and the need for toil and stregth to avoid being overwhelmed by obstacles. It is the opposite of the Ten of Hearts, which shows the will conquering reality. The Ten of Spades shows an uphill battle that may end with reality conquering you.

UPRIGHT 10♠

General: this card has two broad strands of meaning, one to do with physical stregth, the other with secrecy. The former tends to appear when the card is upright, the latter when it’s reversed, so I will discuss them as such. However this is not a rule: the Ten of Spades may signify a secret when upright and physical strength when reversed, albeit more rarely.

Love and Relationships: the meaning varies greatly depending on the surrounding cards. With positive cards it shows the ability to solve struggles and arguments. It can also show that a person will fight to the bitter end to help us and protect us. Note that Ten of Spades can be a face card, representing a young man, usually muscular and good-looking. With negative or neutral cards it shows arguments, despotism, violence (this latter never when alone, though) and a relationship that is “difficult” and forces the person to constantly fight and be on their guard to maintain. It can signify lies and being guarded.

Work and Money: the Ten of Spades is associated with works in uniform (broadly) and for the armed forces. It can signify a difficult, tense work environment and implies the need to constantly fight. With cards pointing to financial difficulties it shows the struggle to survive. Conditions are usually not ideal in any field of material realization and they require a lot of effort.

Other: the card is associated with difficult environments, especially mountains and woods. Psychologically it points to being guarded and diffident and somewhat gruff. It also represents sports (especially physically taxing ones). Spiritually it is connected to the material plane, so its meanings can vary from manifestation to materialism and being diffident toward ideas or belief. It can signify atheism. The card is also associated with the concept of “abroad”, “foreign” and “unknown”, both when upright and reversed.

Important Combinations:
10♠ + K♠ = a policeman, the armed forces
10♠ + A♥ = lies, arguments, being guarded in what you say depending on the context
10♠ + A♠ = possible violence (especially with other cards)
10♠ + 10♥ = winning after much struggle
9♠ + 10♦ + 10♠ = the arrest of a thief

REVERSED 10♠R

General: reversed, the Ten of Spades becomes primarily the card of secrets, of the unknown and of the night (meanings which it has also when upright, but which are less prominent in that position). Just as the Ten of Hearts represents the sun of personal victory after the darkness of the night, the Ten of Spades is the darkness. In some contexts, the card can signify the opposite of the strength of the upright version, thus giving weakness.

Love and Relationships: it often shows hidden relationships and hidden practices in general. It is an almost sure symbol of cheating. However, always look at what is being hidden, as it may be something other than a lover. Since the card is connected to the night, it can simply show an evening out, depending on the combinations. It can also show, quite simply, that a person is not yet known. It retains the connotation of hostility if accompanied by cards of struggle and arguments.

Work and Money: it can show works done by night and is connected to all professions to do with secrecy (secret services etc). It can also imply hidden schemes and tactics, and it often points to less than loyal colleagues.

Other: psychologically it can signify that a person is a weakling or a coward. It can also simply mean that one is lost or feels lost and doesn’t what direction to take anymore.

Important Combinations:
10♠R + A♦ = a secret meeting
10♠R + K♦ = working by night
10♠R + J♠ = a private detective
10♠R + 3♥ = spying
7♠R + 10♠R + 4♠ = physical collapse

Card combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Tens

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Vera Sibilla | Ten of Diamonds – Thief (Ladro)

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Name: Thief
Italian Name: Ladro
Playing Card: 10♦
Polarity when Upright: Negative
Core Meanings: Loss | Theft, Robbery | Betrayal | Enmity, Ill will, Interference by third parties
Polarity when Reversed: Negative
Reversed Core Meanings: Obstacles too great to overcome | The end | heavy losses | places you’d rather not be

Card Description: a barefoot man breaking into someone else’s home to steal something valuable.

Suit and Number: all tens in the Sibilla deal with the notion of will. The Ten of Diamonds, the Thief, is a card of ill will, the will to do something bad or illegal, to take away, to interfere.

UPRIGHT 10♦

General: the Ten of Diamonds represents loss, theft, enmity and ill will. It’s a very negative card in almost all circumstances. When it closes a row positive cards, it shows that the things signified by those cards will be taken away from us. It represents all that is taken away from us, broadly. When surrounded by positive cards, it can mean that the querent will be forced to change their plans or adopt other means of getting what they want, often because of unforseen difficulties.

Love and Relationships: in love, the Thief card heralds interference by third parties, the presence of other people in the shadow playing to the querent’s disadvantage. More broadly, it can foretell a relationship that is hidden, where the people involved are usually already taken. When it describes a person, the Ten of Diamonds shows them as egoist and ready to betray, cheat etc. More in general it is a card of enmity and it mean ill will or even the desire to drain people of their emotional resources.

Work and Money: the Ten of Diamonds can stand for a literal theft, but almost never when alone. Usually it requires the presence of other cards of dubious moral quality. It can stand for scams and swindles, contracts you’d better not sign and in general the presence of hidden detrimental factors in any enterprise. More generally it’s a card of loss, and it brings taxing situations that chip away at your resources. It is only good for people planning something untoward.

Other: psychologically, the card shows negative desires, especially connected to other people’s belongings (broadly construed). It also represents all those practices that drag the soul down, loading it with negativity. The card is associated with West as a cardinal point.

Important Combinations:
10♦ + Q♠ or J♠ = thief (especially with 4♦)
2♦ + 10♦ = loss of correspondence
J♠ + K♦ + 10♦ = man stealing your job
10♦ + 9♦ = group of thieves or of ill-intentioned individuals
6♦ + 10♦ = planning to interfere or rob | psychologically it can be intrusive thoughts

REVERSED 10♦R

General: a very negative card. Its general meaning is that of insurmountable problems. It is disastrous for the economy and extremely bad in all other areas.

Love and Relationships: it can still represent betrayal, but more in general it signifies situations that have run their course and can no longer move forward. It implies definite endings and the inner emptiness that results from having lost that person.

Work and Money: it can still represent theft, but more rarely. It is usually a card of big loss, it represents losing the money you loaned, making wrong investments and gambling away your money. It is a card of unemployment and dire financial situations, and career-wise it brings ruin. If followed by positive cards, of course, it shows that a bad situation will improve and that new opportunities will arise. The presence of the reversed Ten of Diamonds, however, often puts a full stop to the situation as it has been so far, especially when together with other cards of blockage or ending.

Other: it can signify a psychological state of lack of inner resources and feeling like you’ve been robbed of all chances. The card also signifies negative or foreboding places, such as prisons, fortresses, hospital and haunted mansions.

Important Combinations:
6♦ + 10♣ + 10♦R = disastrous speculation
10♦R + 9♠ and/or 4♠ = the end, it’s over | can be a prison
2♥R + 10♦R + 9♦ + 6♦ = haunted house
8♥ + 10♦R = unrepaid loans
10♦R + 8♠ + 9♦ + A♠ + 10♠ = situation of debt leading to a tragic outcome

Other Combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Tens

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Vera Sibilla | Ten of Clubs – Levity (Leggerezza)

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Name: Levity
Italian Name: Leggerezza
Playing Card: 10♣
Polarity when Upright: Neutral
Core Meanings: Carefreeness, Recklessness | A little of something | Things of a passing nature
Polarity when Reversed: Positive
Reversed Core Meanings: Lucky moment | Positive Chance

Card Description: a butterfly flying from flower to flower in the lazy afternoon.

Suit and Number: All tens in the Sibilla are connected to the idea of will and its concretization. Here we have a lack of the willpower that allowed the Ten of Hearts to be named Perseverance. We have lack of perseverance, carefreeness, fluttering from flower to flower without trying too much.

UPRIGHT 10♣

General: It’s a card of recklessness, which can lead to mistakes, and disengagement. It represents all things passing and fleeting, things not rooted permanently in reality or in the querent’s destiny. A specific function of this card is that it diminishes the import of the cards around, for better or worse. A disappointment will be small, but also a joy.

Love and Relationships: the Ten of Clubs represents acquaintances, people you know in passing, but relationships that are not serious or strong. It shows flighty people and fleeting bonds that probably won’t last (unless the cards show the relationship evolving). For those who dip their toes into more than one pool, this card can act as a warning of getting caught due to recklessness

Work and Money: the card stands for small amouts of money and very slight improvements. It shows that someone is incapable of saving up money and tends to spend it rather recklessly. The types of employment this card refer to have to do with the element of air (aviation, hostess, etc.) but it also stands for all types hand-to-mouth situations and all those situations where you show up, work for someone without contract and you are gone at the end of the day.

Other: psychologically it’s a card of carefreeness. It can mean that the person does not concentrate or try hard. It can signify that the querent leaves anything (a relationship, a job, a religion) as soon as things become too serious and require them to make a commitment and to persevere. It can also point to stepping into situations without forethought. The card symbolizes the element of air and the direction north. With positive cards and preceded by negative ones it can signify that something that had been thought to be a tragedy will be less serious. If followed by negative cards and preceded by positive ones, it’s the opposite.

Important Combinations:
10♣ + J♥ or Q♥ = not the most reliable lover
10♣ + 6♥ = small amount of money
10♣ + A♠ = a passing disappointment
K♣R + 6♦ + 10♣ = the doctor is wrong in downplaying the symptoms

REVERSED 10♣R

General: it becomes a positive card. If the upright card is chancy and risky, the reversed card is a chance, and favorable opportunity.

Love and Relationships: the reversed Ten of Clubs does not have many specific meanings connecting it to relationships. However it can show a change for the better especially for single people. It could imply a chance meeting. It is also a card that signifies a person can be relied on.

Work and Money: the reversed Ten of Clubs is very positive. For one it implies the ability to save money. Secondarily, it shows investments and speculations, mostly in a positive sense (but pay attention to the following cards). Furthermore, this is an excellent card for gamblers, though in itself it does not represent a huge about of money, being akin to the Fortuna Minor of the Geomancers.

Other: the card is connected with electronics and technology and all sciency things. Psychologically it shows someone who is capable looking at his own actions with enough detachment to see where improvements are to be made.

Important Combinations:
10♣R + 6♥ = a financial opportunity
10♣R + A♥ + 4♥ = meeting a new love
10♣R + 2♦ = a web page | receiving positive messages
10♣R + 7♠ + 9♦ = squandered chance
4♠ + 10♣R + 8♣ = unexpected chance to heal (e.g. new treatment available etc)

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

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

Vera Sibilla | Ten of Hearts – Perseverance (Costanza)

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Name: Perseverance
Italian Name: Costanza
Playing Card: 10♥
Polarity when Upright: Positive
Core Meanings: Success of an effort | Stable situations for better or ill | Willpower, Persistence | the querent’s hometown or country
Polarity when Reversed: Negative
Reversed Core Meanings: Instability, Disruption, Failure of enterprises | Anger, Wrath | Lack of willpower

Card Description: on the background of the ruins of an ancient Greek or Roman city, a young woman leans confidently on a broken column as the sun rises after a long night. This card, like the Hope card, is a traditional allegory.

Suit and Number: all tens in the Sibilla represent the idea of will. In the Ten of Hearts this is seen as positive, giving willpower, perseverance, realization through toil and hard work.

UPRIGHT 10♥

General: the Ten of Hearts is mostly a positive card. It signifies success, but earned. It never falls on the querent’s lap. It’s neutral meaning is that it shows things lasting a long time, whether for good or ill. Due to its connection with willpower and the materialization of plans through it, the Perseverance card activates the Six of Diamonds, the Thought card.

Love and Relationships: it shows security in one’s relationships. It represents the presence of reliable people whom the querent can depend on. It often signifies long-term commitment such as marriage, and a bond that is deeply rooted in the querent’s life. Relationships of this kind resist through all adversity just as the woman resisted through the harsh night to see the light of day.

Work and Money: the Ten of Hearts can mean attainment through hard work and perseverance, and it signifies working a long time in one sector or for one company. It can mean a long-term or perm job. With negative cards it can point to long-term unemployment. Traditionally the card is associated to the sea and to mariners. It is also very good for merchants and sellers.

Other: psychologically it gives endurance, self-reliance, resourcefulness. It shows a stable character. The person is capable of resisting to adversities. The Ten of Hearts is connected to the querent’s hometown, country or surroundings, depending on the scope of the reading, because it shows where the querent is rooted. It is also connected to south as a cardinal point, to warmth and to daylight. Spiritually it shows rooted convictions and a harmonious relationship with the divine.

Important Combinations:
A♣ + 10♥ = lasting marriage or job
4♥ + 10♥ = lasting love
A♠ + 10♥ + 9♦ = lasting difficulties
10♥ + 7♣ = great realization
3♣ + 10♥ + 3♠ = leaving your hometown or country

REVERSED 10♥R

General: more negative. It signifies things falling apart, instability and wrath, the opposite of a stable character.

Love and Relationships: relationships go south when this card is reversed. It is a card of arguments, anger and resentment. It shows people not to be depended on, and an unwillingness to carry on the relationship

Work and Money: it shows loss due to unpredictable events or due to the querent’s own instability. With cards of sadness it can show the querent feels defeated and may not even be looking for a job.

Other: psychologically it can show either lack of willpower (and therefore defeatism) or an excess of it (anger, wrath, an overbearing character). Spiritually it can mean falling out of love with the divine, resenting it even.

Important Combinations:
10♥R between two face cards = arguments
10♥R + 3♥R = overbearing, wrathful individual
10♥R + 7♣R = failure of dreams
10♥R + 10♠ + A♠ = violence (+8♠ against oneself)
10♥R + 4♠U/R = feeling defeated

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

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

Vera Sibilla | Nine of Spades – Prison (Prigione)

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Name: Prison
Italian Name: Prigione
Playing Card: 9♠
Polarity when Upright: Negative
Core Meanings: Blockage, Bondage, Imprisonment, Lack of freedom | Legal trouble | Pregnancy | Unpleasant environment
Polarity when Reversed: Neutral
Reversed Core Meanings: Liberation | Removal of obstacles | Expiation, Regret, Regretting something in general, Guilt

Card Description: in a dark dungeon, a man with his hands bound by a heavy chain reflects on his condition.

Suit and Number: all the nines in the Vera Sibilla signify bonds. The Nine of Spades is the card of heavy bonds, signifying all those situations that enslave us.

UPRIGHT 9♠

General: mostly a negative card of blockage, negative bonds and long delays. It has the peculiar secondary meaning of pregnancy. Sometimes when the cards falls at the beginning of a sequence, it shows that the querent is being forced into a situation, while when it falls last it shows that the querent feels chained to a situation.

Love and Relationships: relationships tend to be suffocating and limiting for the querent. The Prison card can signify being a slave to the partner, being forced to submit (or forcing them) but with positive cards it can show a very close, almost symbiotic relationship. When describing a relationship it describes it as a heavy bond, something that the querent would like to shake off. It heralds the loss of friends and loneliness. Often it can mean long periods spent without company, usually not willingly.

Work and Money: it is a card of unemployment, but it can also show being bound to a job you don’t like, whatever the reason might be (for instance, you can’t afford to leave). With negative cards it can bring poverty and debts, and it often comes up when the querent signs contracts and then regrets it.

Other: the card can show legal trouble. Psychologically and spiritually the card shows lack of evolution and the inability to let go of ideas. It also points to dejection. Needless to say it’s a card of addiction and black magic, in the appropriate context. It also represents places where the querent would rather not be

Important Combinations:
9♠ + 7♦ = the classical combination for pregnancy (the 8♥ might be present as confirmation)
A♥ or 8♣ + 9♠ = can be social isolation
7♣ + 9♠ = lack of recognition
9♠ + 5♣ or 2♣ = liberation
10♦ + 9♠ + 7♠R = can mean a kidnapping

REVERSED 9♠R

General: a neutral card whose meaning varies greatly depending on the surrounding cards. It mainly signifies liberation from bondage, but if with negative cards it shows, once again, loss of freedom. When this card is preceded by negative cards and followed by positive ones, it is a definite sign of liberation.

Love and Relationships: it can herald freedom from an unwanted relationship, maybe an abusive one. If with negative cards, though, it has the same meaning as the upright counterpart, and it can show mental obstacles to leaving. Often it signifies time spent alone willingly. It can also mean giving in to the temptation of doing something “wrong” like cheating, with the appropriate cards, as it can imply lack of restraint.

Work and Money: again, very similar to the upright card. When it is followed by positive cards, it shows the overturning of limiting conditions. With cards that point to swindles, it cautions the querent to be careful of what he signs or what businees he gets into.

Other: psychologically it shows someone who has no bonds, one who is a loner, a strange character, possibly on the spectrum. The card can signify regret for what you do, either because it was bad and you have come to your senses or because now you are stuck with the results of acting without restraint.

Important Combinations:
Q♣ + 10♣ + A♣ + 9♠R = marrying young, regretting it
9♠R + J♠ = a person who will try to rob you of your freedom (e.g. a scammer)
A♥R + 9♠R + 3♠ = a social outcast
9♠R + positive cards = liberation
9♠R + negative cards = enslavement

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

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