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Card Combinations, Card Meanings, Divination, Divination Master Post, Fortune-telling, Tarot, Uncategorized

Bolognese Tarot – How to Tackle Combinations

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Life is a recipe, and the art of living consists in large part in detecting the ingredients to know if and how to mix them differently. Divination is a mirror of life, and oracular systems usually have some kind of vocabulary to create descriptions of life.

In traditional divination by cards, each card carries small bits of meaning that must be mixed together to form coherent pictures. If divination mirrors life, then it stands to reason that the recipe for something in real life should be mirrored by a recipe for that same thing in the divinatory language. This is how all card reading systems I know work, and that’s how the Bolognese tarot works, with the exception of a couple of universal combinations with odd meanings (Angel + Devil = Good news or satisfaction; Sun + Moon = sorrow; Angel + Death = yes, confirmed).

Let us make an example. What are the ingredients of an inheritance in real life? I would say the ingredients are: death (no inheritance without someone croaking); family ties (usually we inherit from someone whom we are related to, though not always); the law (inheritances are generally regulated by the law and require a bureaucratic mechanism to be set in motion); material possessions (the things we inherit).

In the language of the Bolognese tarot, these ingredients correspond to the following cards: Death: Death; Family ties: Ace of Cups and/or Seven of Cups; The Law: Justice and/or King of Coins; Material Possessions: The Star and/or a money card.

Do we need all the cards to be present? It much depends on the context. If the question is directly about an inheritance, then we could do without many of these cards, while if it is a general reading then the more cards, the clearer the message. But we might also find other cards to flavor the basic recipe: the Moon is also connected with death (the realm of shadows); tears may sometimes be expected, so the Seven of Coins could come up; the court card of the deceased person could show up, etc.

Let us make another example. Let’s take surgery. What’s the recipe for surgery in real life? I would say: a hospital, a bed, a doctor, a cutting instrument. In the Bolognese tarot these same ingredients are: Hospital: The Tower; Bed: The Chariot; Doctor: King of Coins; Cutting instrument: Knight of Swords.

Again, there can be additions and variations. The doctor or the bed might be absent, while the Ten of Cups (blood) or the Moon (unpleasantness) or the Eight of Swords (suffering) might be present. A King or Queen of Swords may take the doctor’s place to show someone holding the knife. Just like my lasagne recipe might differ from yours, but it would still be recognized as lasagne, so the way the deck mixes the ingredients might vary slightly from time to time, but the broad picture remains the same.

One last example. Let’s take marriage. In many situations, a marriage requires the following ingredients: a commitment; love (let’s assume the best intentions in this case); a celebrant. The same ingredients are, in the language of the Bolognese tarot: Love: Love; Commitment: Ace of Wands or Ace of Swords; Celebrant: The Stranger. This is the basic recipe. But we might also expect the main significators to show up. A marriage is a celebration, so the Ten of Cups (fun) might be expected; the family life is certainly impacted, so some Cup cards could be there.

Once we start recognizing that life is made up of ingredients mixed together, it becomes easy (or at least easier) to see how the tarot might mix its own ingredients, the cards, to match the recipe. In many cases, while it is useful to reason out the combinations handed down by tradition, it is much easier to understand the basic principles and be flexible in our observations.

Ultimately, divination starts with logic, not with psychic powers, even though psychic abilities may occasionally be of help. The more we immerse ourselves in the logic of divination, the easier it becomes to decode its messages.

MQS

Card Combinations, Card Meanings, Cartomancy, Fortune-telling, Tarot

Bolognese Tarot – Some Examples of Combinations

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This is a short selection from a much longer list. Although there are a couple of traditional combinations that are not easy to read unless studied beforehand (like Sun + Moon or Angel + Devil), most of the times the combinations of cards are logical. For this reason I have omitted many obvious combos: Page of Coins (words) and Love is sweet talk or words about love. Thank you very much. The following list is just an example: I will talk more about combining cards in the future. Plus, always remember that much depends on the context of the question and of the other cards. Be flexible. The comments in brackets are my own.

Ace of Cups + Ace of Wands = 1. married life 2. a business (the interpretation depends on the question or on the surrounding cards. For instance, + Love, married life; + Star, business)

Ace of Cups + Seven of Cups = things related to the family, or strong family or family-like relationship

Seven of Cups + Sun or Angel = protection, either from the family/friends or whoever is specified in the spread

Seven of Cups + Juggler = small city or your hometown (where you grew up)

Seven of Cups + World = large city or foreign city (not necessarily in another country though)

Ten of Cups + Love = falling in love, usually being at the stage where love is more fun than hard work (if also + Juggler or + Fool, fun but immature love)

Ten of Cups + Moon = there is no happiness (the Moon covers it)

Ten of Cups + Hermit = traditionally for women it shows their period being blocked, and if the Juggler appears it can show a pregnancy

Ten of Cups + Knight of Swords = 1. Hurting yourself and bleeding (with cards showing hospitalization, an operation) 2. More metaphorically, the fun or joy is cut short

Page of Cups + Ace of Wands = prostitute, according to tradition (it can still be like this nowadays, but look at the context of the question and the other cards. Also, prostitute can sometimes simply indicate a slutty individual, especially if no money card is involved)

Page of Cups + Juggler = son and daughter or a young girl

Knight of Cups + Angel = peace, agreement, reconciliation

Knight of Cups + Person card = the person is gentle, kind or agreeable

Ace of Wands + Love = a love relationship

Ace of Wands + Star = success at work or in business, can be the signing of a contract

Ace of Wands + Fool = “baronate” in Italian/Bolognese dialect, meaning fun sex without much thought

Eight of Wands + World = travel, removal

Eight of Wands + Hanged Man = 1. danger on the road 2. A road or path that ends abruptly

Eight of Wands + Juggler = A trip, but can have other interpretations in context

Ace of Coins + Tower + Hermit = serious money trouble and the need for making sacrifices (I guess instead of the Hermit any other troublesome card would suffice)

Ace of Coins + Ten of Coins = finances (in itself good finances, material well-being)

Ace of Coins + Ten of Cups = 1. prosperous finances 2. Can be a festive table

Ace of Coins + King of Coins = a banker or someone commanding lots of money

Seven of Coins + Fool + Moon = the blues

Seven of Coins + Ten of Coins = having little money

Ten of Coins + Ace of Cups = spending a little money on the family or home (I guess depending on the context it can also be a little money coming from the family or home)

Page of Coins + Queen of Coins = clarification or explanation (words that give you the truth)

Page of Coins + Juggler + Hermit = stuttering (probably mataphorical as well)

Knight of Coins + Page of Swords = 1. Post 2. Good news by message

Knight of Coins + Ace of Coins = good financial developments, money coming easily

Queen of Coins + Moon = hiding the truth, lack of clarity

Queen of Coins + King of Coins = expert

King of Coins + Justice = legal or bureaucratic matters (in itself can be a lawyer, notary, red tape, etc.)

King of Coins + Chariot = a doctor

King of Coins + Angel = 1. powerful protector (the one you’d ask to pull some strings, for instance) 2. A positive entity

Ace of Swords + Page of Swords = letter coming soon

Ace of Swords + Justice + Tower = prison (here the Ace of Swords is the handcuffs)

Eight of Swords + Ace of Swords + Devil = addiction (A bond to the devil for something that torments you. But it can mean being dependent from someone or something in a negative way)

Eight of Swords + Love + Devil = strong jealousy (probably pathological)

Page of Swords + World = message from afar (nowadays also probably messaging with people around the world)

Page of Swords + Moon = 1. secret correspondence 2. Letter whose content displeases us

Queen of Swords + Seven of Coins = affliction (obviously it can also mean a sad woman or a woman who causes sadness, depending on the context)

Queen of Swords + Devil = witch (or, more probably, a negative woman)

King of Swords + Juggler = an immature man or a young boy, or two sons

King of Swords + Justice = law enforcement

Fool + Juggler = bewilderment, disorientation

Fool + Ten of Cups = creativity or levity (in a medical context, since the Fool is the head and the Ten of Cups is blood, if there are negative cards it can indicate blood clots, brain strokes, etc.)

Fool + Hanged Man = estrangement from reality (+ Moon and/or + Seven of Coins, serious mental suffering)

Fool + Devil = excesses (either excessive character or using funky stuff. It can probably also indicate a negative situation that confuses us)

Juggler + Ace of Wands = conception or inception

Juggler + Moon + Devil = untrustworthy character, dangerous individual

Juggler + Page of Cups + King of Swords = children or young people

Juggler + Wheel = gambling (but it can mean other things in context)

Stranger + Fool = overturned expectations (I have experimented this combination as overturning the status quo as well)

Stranger + Moon = disappointment (unexpected bad things)

Stranger + Star = can mean a gift (unexpected object)

Love + Ace of Swords + Stranger = Marriage (the Stranger here is a priest or celebrant, the Ace are the rings. I think the Ace of Wands might be there instead of that of Swords. Without the Stranger it can still show a relationship or, if you’re single, love about to knock at the door)

Stranger + Devil + Moon + Ace of Swords = black magic (here the Stranger is the person celebrating the ritual, the Ace of Swords is the creation of magic bonds. I’m wondering if the Angel and Sun came up instead of the Devil and the Moon if it would indicate white magic)

Love + Hanged Man + Queen of Swords or King of Swords = cheating

Love + Temperance = lasting love

Chariot + Ace of Wands = sex

Chariot + Death = deathbed (but unless the question is specific or there are other cards it probably means something else)

Chariot + Moon = sickness

Justice + Ace of Wands = marriage, partnership or important contract

Justice + Moon = injustice (can probably be interpreted in various ways, such as something being wrong or unfair or mistaken)

Hermit + Person = person is indisposed (or blocked within the context)

Hermit + Temperance = lasting blockage

Hermit + Page of Wands or Knight of Wands = person is shy or solitary (has inner blockage)

Wheel + Stranger = chance meeting (probably with a person card next to it, otherwise maybe also unexpected chance)

Strength + Hermit + Moon = exhaustion, weakness, ill-health

Strength + Ace of Wands = person is very willful (I’ve noticed that the Ace of Wands next to a person card also makes them very willful)

Strength + Devil + Knight of Swords = fights

Hanged Man + Death = paralysis (literal or metaphorical)

Hanged Man + Tower = ending

Death + Wheel = what’s been set in motion cannot be stopped (probably also a change for the better, if the Wheel is upright and/or followed by positive cards)

Death + Tower = 1. Tragedy 2. Disruption

Death + Justice + Ace of Cups + Star = inheritance (the Star here refers to material possessions. I think a money card could be there instead as well.)

Temperance + Hanged Man = end of something (that lasted a while)

Temperance + Ace of Swords = short (short-ish) timeframe (here the Ace of Swords reduces the slowness of Temperance. It can probably also indicate a lasting bond.)

Ace of Coins + Temperance + Ten of Cups = finances slowly flourishing

Page of Coins + Devil = angry words, fights

Devil + Angel = great satisfaction or good news (regardless of the order of the cards)

Devil + Ace of Wands = great passion (primarily sexual but to be adapted to the context)

Tower + Chariot + King of Coins = hospital (other cards like the Moon, the Seven of Coins etc. may be present)

Tower + Chariot + Knight of Swords = surgery (I’ve already experimented this combination. The Queen of Swords was present indicating the female surgeon. Otherwise a King of Swords would be probably a man or the King of Coins would generically indicate the doctor)

Tower + Ace of Coins = financial sacrifice, financial limitations, bankruptcy with other bad cards

Tower + Fool + Moon = mental breakdown

Star + Ace of Coins = a well-paid job

Star + Temperance = stable job (if followed by cards of ending like the Hanged Man, temporary job)

Star + Queen of Coins = intellectual job (but I think it depends on the context)

Chariot + King of Coins + Star = therapy, prescription (here the Star indicates meds)

Moon + Person card = traditionally a dead person (someone who is no longer visible to us. But it needs to make sense in the context. It can probably also mean someone who is sad or is hiding something)

Moon + Eight of Wands + Hanged Man + King of Swords = danger on the road at night (probably due to a man)

Sun + Moon = Sorrow (if the cards are swapped around, with the Sun last, it is still sorrow but it is lessened or it goes away more quickly)

Sun + King of Coins = the doctor’s cure works (probably to be extended to any kind of professional help)

Sun + Devil or Ace of Wands = strong vitality or energy

Angel + Queen of Coins = faith

Angel + Page of Coins = prayer (probably also good/positive words)

Angel + Juggler + World = pregnancy (the World is the belly)

Angel + Death = yes, for sure (either to a question or to the cards preceding them)

World + Person card = person is not yet known or comes from far away (keep in mind that once upon a time even the next town was far away) or travels

World + Star + Ace or Ten of Coins = commerce (but it can probably mean other things too)

Three Aces together = “Tre assi son tralasci”, three aces equal abandonment. Radical change, leaving the old for the new.

Four Aces together = “Quattro assi fan fracassi”, four aces make a lot of noise. Destabilizing situations, chaos, pandemonium

Three Kings together = Success

Four Kings together = Triumph

Three Queens together = Problem*

Four Queens together = Failure*

Three Knights together = Good news, Speed

Four Knights together = Speedy good news, great speed

Three Pages together = gossip, talking

Four Pages together = slander, bad people

*Some (including one of my teachers) see the Queens less unfavourably, as delays (Queens, in this case, are probably seen as taking a long time to deliver the heir/result)