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

Vera Sibilla | Three of Clubs – Journey (Viaggio)

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Name: Journey
Italian Name: Viaggio
Playing Card: 3♣
Polarity when Upright: Neutral to Positive
Core Meanings: Journey, Travel | Change, Change of Mind, Change of Phase | A means of transport
Polarity when Reversed: Positive
Reversed Core Meanings: Positive transformation, Evolution | Positive Change of Phase, Coming out of stagnant situations

Card Description: A man is riding his horse through the countryside. In the distance we can still see the city he has just left behind.

Suit and Number: threes are all cards of movement. Nowhere does this connotation come to the fore more than in the Three of Clubs, the Journey card, which means travel three times out of four. Occasionally, it can mean a change, especially a change of outlook.

UPRIGHT 3♣

General: a very simple card, mostly self-evident in its signification: a change of place and everything connected to it, from distant places to means of transport. Sometimes it takes on more psychological shades of meaning. There are, however, two fundamental things to keep in mind with this card.
One is the direction in which the horseman is looking. This usually shows where we are directed, whether it be a person, a place or a situation. Be flexible, though.
The second thing to keep in mind is a specific function this card has of bringing movement to the spread. Often this quality of the card is activated when it comes up after a slew of difficult, slow or static cards, and it will show the arrival of a new phase. This is usually positive.

Love and Relationships: the obvious meaning this card often takes on is that of needing to travel in order to meet someone. In more general terms, it can show long-distance relationships. When we are studying the dynamic among a group of people (or within a couple), the card signifies a change in how the relationship works. This is usually for the better, as it also signifies that the people involved are capable of assessing the situation and making adjustments. This is a flexible card, after all. With negative cards, however, it can signify changing one’s mind on something, going back on your word, etc. This is usually rare, though.

Work and Money: again, the most common signification will be that of a business trip or a work-related journey. Whether the trip is good or bad, it will be shown by the cards around it.
The card is especially connected with commerce and with importation and exportation, as well as with travel and physical activity. It signifies also the ability to innovate.
The meaning of change can also apply to the  the subject of work and finances. Often this card pops up in a reading when the querent is in a difficult situation but things are about to improve. I remember once doing a reading for a rather unlucky young man. His cards were 6♣ + 4♠R + 5♦ + 3♣ + 7♣. The first three cards showed a difficult period of unemployment (6♣ + 4♠U/R is typical of unemployed people). The 3♣ showed that the static period was coming to an end and he would finally see the light at the end of the tunnel (7♣).

Other: the Three of Clubs is connected with the action of sending, just as the Three of Hearts is connected to that of receiving. Psychologically, the Journey card is a card represents a psychological change, often a positive one. It heralds processes of transformation, not necessarily conscious or  deliberate, that make a person change their outlook on life or on a specific situation.
The 3♣ is connected with distant places and with cars and motorcycles, but also with other means of transport. It is also a card of physical movement, of keeping mobile, etc. Spiritually it often shows conversion, but in general it represents a process of transformation of one’s beliefs.

Important Combinations:
3♣ + 2♥ = leaving your home (if they were swapped, moving)
3♥ + 3♣ = arrival
3♣ + 3♠ = removal (often, the place or person that is left is found between these two cards, e.g., 10♥, the town or country, Q♥, the woman you love, etc.)
9♦ + 3♣ = a journey beset by difficulties | leaving on the spur of the moment and without forethought
3♣ + 9♣ + 8♣ = a trip to the country

REVERSED 3♣R

General: on the whole, more positive than when upright. It loses the meaning of journey (except when it signals a delay or setbacks during one) and it becomes a card of positive evolution. It is no longer required to look at where the horse is pointing toward, but the function of heralding new phases is maintained, and this time we are assured that the new phase is positive.

Love and Relationships: usually, it represents the end of a period of difficulties in all types of relationships. It is also especially good as it shows that the people involved are maturing and leaving counterproductive behaviors behind. If the querent is lonely, especially if he or she has been going through a difficult emotional period, this card promises the end of such period. After a difficult break, the presence of the Three of Clubs reversed shows events taking a positive turn. When you meet someone, this person is likely to sweep you off your feet, and new encounters in general are likely to have a follow-up or further evolution. When surrounded by very negative cards, the reversed Journey can signal that someone will in time reveal themselves different than what we think them to be now.

Work and Money: it is in this sector that this card has the best potential, as it mostly represents investments that bear fruits and social advancement. It represents social progress in general, and career advancement which usually comes with recognition. Although, like with the upright card, the 3♣R can show developing new ideas and models, it tends to be a more material than psychological card, and it is generally more likely to show improved material conditions.

Other: this card can also represent a surprise, generally a positive one, but if near very negative cards, it can mean that the negative event will take us by surprise and will pull the rug from under our feet. The only circumstance where this card is mildly negative is when the cards are pulled for a journey. In this case, the fact that the card comes up reversed can foretell breakdowns and delays, or simply journeys that won’t happen. Only near very negative cards can it show an accident. Needless to say, if you are looking to buy a means of transportation, you should avoid it.
Psychologically this card represents renewed hope and the ability to let go of old patterns. Spiritually it represents miracles and healing in a broad sense.
This card has a strong connection with the idea of breaking out of old molds and breaking vicious circles in general. The upright card can have the same meaning, but the subtle difference is that when it is upright, the new phase arrives to us, while with the reversed card we break out of the old phase.

Important Combinations:
A♠R + 3♣R = breaking free of a cycle that keeps repeating
3♣R + 7♥ = advancement, recognition
3♣R + 7♠ + 5♠ = a journey that is best avoided
5♦ + 3♣R = end of a sad period
6♥ + 3♣R = finances looking up

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

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

Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Threes

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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)

Three of Hearts (3♥) – Balcony (Belvedere)

3♥ + 4♥ or 9♥ = arrival of love, usually love at first sight
3♥ + 3♣ = movement toward the querent | can be a distant journey
3♥ + K♦ = arrival of a job or looking for a job
3♥ + 2♦ = the arrival of a letter, check or document (look at the other cards)

3♥ + 7♦ = arrival of a baby or of something new
3♥ + 3♠ = something that will not arrive
Q♠ or J♠ + 3♥* = someone spying maliciously on you (+10♠R, in secret)
3♥ + Person = a visit, someone calling on you | someone coming into your life

3♥R + Person* = the arrival of someone you should keep at arm’s length
Person + 3♥R = a person who is dominated by their basest instincts and possibly a very choleric one, someone who “can’t see” reason
3♥R + 10♠ = a very traditional combination showing that you’ll soon meet a stranger you shouldn’t trust. Stranger danger
3♥R + A♠ + 10♥R = great violence
[Note: if in the combinations showing arrival the 3♥ comes up reversed, the arrival is delayed or will not happen, depending on the other cards]

Three of Clubs (3♣) – Journey (Viaggio)

A♦ + 3♣ + 2♥* = moving from a house into an apartment (if the 2♥ and A♦ are swapped, then moving from an apartment into a house)
3♣ + 7♥ = it can mean buying a car or other vehicle
3♣ + 8♥ = journey by water
3♣ + 8♣ = it can mean having two cars
8♣ + 3♣* = it can mean you need to travel in order to meet someone | a trip to the country

3♣ + 9♣ = a pleasant trip
3♣ + 10♣ = journey by air (+3♥, it adds the idea of distance)
6♦ + 3♣ = thinking about a journey or planning it | changing your mind
3♣ + 9♦ = a trip full of difficulties and problems | it can also mean leaving on the spur of the moment
3♣ + K♦ = travelling for work | working with vehicles

3♣ + 2♠ = a second-hand car
3♣ + 3♠ = moving away from something, someone or somewhere (often, the thing or person is shown by a card falling in the middle, e.g. 10♥, abandoning your city)
3♣ + 7♠ = an accident (but if no negative cards are present, it’s more likely that all of a sudden you’ll need to go somewhere)
10♣ + 3♣ + 2♦ + K♠R or 10♠ = fined for careless driving (the 8♦R would show money being spent)
10♠ + 3♣U/R + K♠R = having your car towed away (the 7♠R would show the fact that it’s something you can’t do anything against. Again, the 8♦R would show money being paid)

3♣R + 5♣ = a traditional combination showing a turn for the better in the querent’s destiny, going through a lucky period | with other cards, it can mean winning the lottery
3♣R + 7♥ = also a traditional combination showing a positive future for a self-employed person | the creation of a good name for oneself
3♣R + 2♣ + 3♠R = a successful white magic ritual
K♦ + 3♣R + 7♣ = rosy career prospects
5♠ + 3♣R = a difficult transformation which will prove beneficial

Three of Diamonds (3♦) – Gift (Omaggio di Preziosi)

3♦ + 2♥ = an opulent house (+ 8♥, a beach house; +8♣, in the country; +10♠, in the mountains or woods) | furniture, household items or appliances
3♥ + 3♦ = arrival of a gift or offer
3♦ + 5♥ = traditionally, an engagement ring, but it can mean other things
3♦ + A♣ = traditionally, a wedding ring, but it can mean other things
3♦ + A♣R = exclusive, luxurious objects that are worth a fortune

3♦ + 2♣ = great opulence (+8♦, nobility)
3♦ + 3♣ = a luxury car
3♦ + 6♣ = finding a lost object | a positive and unexpected gift or proposal
3♦ + 9♣ = an important gift or proposal
3♦ + 4♦ = the wrong gift, or a gift made with ulterior motives (7♥R may also be present instead of the 4♦) | it can mean a broken object or one that malfunctions

3♦ + 7♦ = can be a toy
3♦ + 8♦ = traditionally, a gift of jewels | an important gift | a job offer that will move you upward
3♦ + 8♦R = a completely worthless trinket
3♦ + 9♦ = can also be an object that doesn’t work
3♦ + J♦ = a parcel or package

3♦ + K♦ = job offer
3♦ + 4♠ = also a broken object | an offer that is “sick”, that will bring no good
3♦ + Person = a wealthy person

7♥ + K♣ + 3♦R = some red tape clearing or being overcome
7♦R + 3♦R = in general, a situation that slowly untangles itself
4♠ + K♣ (+4♣R) + 3♦R = a health issue slowly being resolved thanks to a doctor’s help
9♣R + 9♠ + 3♦R = slowly kicking an addiction
8♦ + K♠ + 3♦R = it can be a loan that is granted to you (the combination of 8♦ and K♠ would already be a loan, so the 3♦R would show either that there had been obstacles to the loan being approved before which are being solved, or that the loan will be a life-saver. Look around in the spread)

Three of Spades (3♠) – Widower (Vedovo)

A♥U/R or 9♣U/R or 8♣U/R + 3♠ = solitude, difficulties getting along with others or making friends, not knowing how to reach out to people, solitude
4♥ + 3♠ = feeling lonely emotionally (if instead it’s 9♥, another possible interpretation would be lack of support)
4♥ + 3♠ + 9♥ = traditionally the best combination for love, it shows being “the one”, the romance of the century (the Widower has to come up in the middle)
6♥ + 3♠ = loss of money
6♥ + 9♠ + 3♠ = traditional combination showing the querent’s wish will be denied due to obstacles rooted in the past

8♣ + 3♠ = there won’t be reconciliation
K♠ + A♦ + 3♠ + 8♥ = a hermitage (instead of the A♦ you may find the 10♦R showing a difficult environment or 4♠R)
3♦ + 3♠ = loss of an object
7♦ + 3♠ = a lost child or an orphan | in the appropriate context it can represent the inability to conceive (if K♥U/R, because of him, if Q♦U/R, because of her)
7♦ + A♠ or 5♠ + 3♠ = loss of a child/miscarriage
3♠ + J♥ or K♥ = an ex | a lonely man | losing your man (traditionally this combination showed widowhood for a woman, but that was when people went to a card reader once in their life and had their whole life read for them. In itself this combination is not enough to show widowhood)

K♦ + 3♠ = it can mean loss of emoloyment | someone who works alone | a removal due to work
3♠ + 5♠ + Person = an actual widow or widower
K♠ + 3♠ = it can represent lawlessness or something or someone not in compliance with laws or regulations (the “loss” of justice)

4♥ or 9♥ + 3♠R = a trauma connected with one’s love life
6♥ + 3♠R = traditionally, a traumatic past
6♦ + 3♠R = a heavy miscalculation | wrong conduct (if 6♦R, serious mental issues, aberration from reality)
3♠R + 9♦ = a completely deranged individual (+9♣R, due to substance abuse)
3♠R + K♠ + 8♥ = a religious rite of some kind (not necessarily bad, but if 5♠, a burial)
3♠R + K♠R + 8♥R (+9♦ + 2♣R) = a satanic ritual (the 8♥R is atheism, but also distorted faith)

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

Vera Sibilla and Numerology – The Threes

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The threes in the Vera Sibilla are all connected with the concept of movement. Card Reader and Youtuber Etienne Valancourt, who inspired me to study numerological hints in the Vera Sibilla, noted in one of his videos that threes seem to refer to spacial or metaphorcial movement. If the Ace was the single dot and the Two was the extension of the dot into a line, the Three brings in the idea of moving up and down, left and right, since movement implies at least two directions (where you start from and where you finish) that are connected by the movement itself.

The Threes in the Vera Sibilla Oracle: The Three of Hearts (Balcony), The Three of Clubs (Journey), The Three of Diamonds (Gift of Precious Stones), The Three of Spades (Widower)

The Three of Hearts, The Balcony, and the Three of Spades, The Widower, show, as usual, two opposite interpretations of the concept. The Three of Hearts, as the illustration points at, is a card of arrival. The lady is waiting for something or someone that are on their way to her (or, at least, that are supposed to). It’s a positive card, although, like all red cards, relatively easily influenced by the black cards around it.

The Balcony is also connected with sight, the eyes and looking (either literally or figuratively), which are a natural extension of its primary meaning: when something is coming our way, it becomes easier to spot than if it is parting from us. In general, the arrival, i.e. the notion of “getting closer”, may be interpreted as a general remark that new developments are on the way, that the issue under consideration has not reached its conclusion yet, and that the matter is not yet settled. For all its connection to the concept of “getting closer”, this card is also associated with great distances, especially when with cards that reinforce this meaning.

The Three of Hearts is a generally favorable card. The Three of Spades, on the other hand, is extremely negative. In the Widower we find the idea of separation, of getting away. When it’s not a character card depicting an older man, the Widower is always connected with feeling unwell, not necessarily in a health-related sense. He’s not the type of guy you’d want over for a cup of tea, he’s really gonna bring the mood down.

The main ideas connected with it are those of abandonment, loss (things getting away from us), bereavement, deprivation, and something being generally taken from us. If the Balcony points to new things and people coming our way, the Widower is a card of loneliness and isolation, of no news and no people arriving (it can function as a kind of “minus” sign, showing us what we don’t have). This card is pervaded by a general sense of finality, of matters being ready for burial. How fun, right?

In between, we have the Three of Clubs, The Journey, and the Three of Diamonds, The Gift of Precious Stones. The Journey card speaks for itself: it represents journey and movement in general. It can, however, also show change in general. This card is connected with things not remaining the same, of things going through some kind of change. This can be positive or negative, external or internal (e.g. changing point of view). It’s not a difficult card, aside from the fact that it’s one of those in the Vera Sibilla where directional cues need to be taken into account.

The Three of Diamonds is, in most editions of the Sibilla, assigned to the Gift card, but some newer and easily accessible editions have popularized its connection with the card of the Handmaid, The Eight of Diamonds. While I chose to stick with the traditional numerology, I am going to discuss this issue in a separate blog article to show how both attributions make sense. After all, the Gift and the Handmaid have some astounding similarities in their meanings.

In general, The Gift is a card of gifts (duh!) and proposals, of situations moving in our direction to allow us to jump on board. It represents the movement of objects, i.e. packages being sent or received, and, as an extended meaning, this is the card of objects in general, i.e. moveable goods. Another important connection of this card is with opulence and wealth, and therefore with upward mobility and a higher social status. The Handmaid card can also be appropriate as Three, considering that it, too, represents evolution, things that are given to us and a higher position in society. It also has other traits, however, that make her a good Eight as well.