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Vera Sibilla: Explanation of the Threes
Tag Archives: Three of Diamonds
Cartomancy with Playing Cards | Three of Diamonds
In cartomancy with playing cards, the Three of Diamonds (3♦) is the card of money.
All threes are about getting, receiving etc. as well as interactions. The Three of Diamonds represents the getting of money, and is therefore related to the act of receiving something valuable. In this, the card is similar to the Seven of Diamonds, which, however, usually represents more money. The Three of Diamonds is typically a small money card.
Although usually the card represents the receipt of money, it can also signal that the money will be spent. For instance, if it is followed by the Ace of Hearts, it can show spending money on the home or family, if the Ten of Clubs on a journey or on the car, etc.
The influence of the card is mainly on material affairs, with an emphasis on money. Representing the receipt of money, it can be a job card, usually a part-time job or, with negative cards, one that is not well paid.
In more romantic readings, the card, if in a positive context, can signify having small projects together with the partner. However, with negative cards, it shows a story of little value, maybe a flirt or at any rate something not that serious.
Psychologically, the Three of Diamonds is a card of excitement, but also of little effort or little interest in someone or something. This can be positive, as in, you’ll achieve something with little effort, but often it shows a bit too much carefreeness. It also shows a rather transactional frame of mind, quid pro quo Clarice, etc.
Some Combinations:
6♦ – K♠ – 3♦ = getting social security money (unemployment, etc)
6♠ – 3♦ = sick pay
3♦ – 3♥ – Q♣ or K♣ = spending money on a gift for your sweetheart (if a ♥ Face, on a loved one)
8♣ – 3♦ = can be a small raise or simply signal part-time employment
3♦ – 9♣ – 4♥ = getting back money you’ve been waiting for
Playing Cards and Numerology – The Threes
The threes or treys share their low value with the twos. Once again, we are dealing with small cards. They are, however, stronger than the twos, and tend to form strong or noteworthy combinations when the fall with the two of the same suit.
All threes are connected with the idea of interaction, mediation and that of “getting” or receiving.
The Three of Hearts is the Gift card. This can be a real gift, or it can signify anything that we receive easily and for nothing. Allegorically, it signifies solution, the overcoming of small obstacles, positive development and happiness. It also means positive interactions, small gatherings, good mediation between parts and the positive influence of a third party.
The Three of Clubs represents the binding of people together by common interests that they pursue together. It can signify a small group of people, like all threes, and a union, a contract, a marriage etc. More broadly the card means doing things together. It is also the card of intermediation in a neutral sense. As for “getting”, nothing is free in the world of Clubs, so the card indicates enterprise and getting progressively nearer to your goals, heaping those small steps of the Two on top of each other to get where you want. In general, it signifies situations slowly taking root.
The Three of Diamonds is a small money card. It shows the receiving of money or of profitable offers. It can indicate things appreciating in value, but generally the card is restricted to material affairs. Symbolizing the reception of money, it can indicate a job, but usually part-time. Like the Three of Hearts, it shows positive interactions, but more transactional in nature.
The Three of Spades is the card of Intrigue, but the title is rather dramatic. Unless the cards point specifically to third party interference (which is how this card interprets the idea of interaction and mediation) it can signify other more plausible things. One of the classical meanings is that of “loss”, which is the opposite of getting something. Alternatively, it can point to the receiving of something bad. Broadly, the card symbolizes bumps on the road between you and what you want, but not huge bumps, unless the following cards are horrible. Think intrigue in the sense of complication or tangled affair that needs to be sorted out.
Vera Sibilla | Three of Diamonds – The Gift (Presente di Pietre Preziose)
Name: Gift
Italian Name: Presente di Pietre Preziose
Playing Card: 3♦*
Polarity when Upright: Neutral to Positive
Core Meanings: Movement of goods, Parcels, Objects in General | Offers, Gifts | Opulence, Wealth
Polarity when Reversed: Positive
Reversed Core Meanings: Gradual resolution of difficult situations
Card Description: on a table a small jewel box lies open, revealing its rich contents.
Suit and Number: threes are connected to the idea of movement, while Diamonds are cards connected with money and everyday life. The Three of Diamonds is the card that represents movement of goods and parcels arriving. It represents gifts and proposals in general, and has a connection with wealth and the freedom to do what you want and go where you go.
UPRIGHT 3♦
General: on the whole a positive card, but it has some neutral connotations. It is mainly the card of goods coming and going and, by similitude, of gifts or proposals coming and going. It also represents wealth and being materially free from worry, and it is the significator card for most objects (the exception being means of transport (3♣, 6♠) and books and letters (2♦).
Love and Relationships: this is not a card that speaks of feelings. In the main, it represents people who are wealthy or who makes us gifts or proposals, and in that sense it is positive. However, the validity of the gift must be ascertained by looking at the cards nearby. Metaphorically, it can represents that a person is of great value to the querent, although this usually signified by other cards (such as the Handmaid). It can, however, signify that someone gives us advice, and whether this advice is good, or whether we will follow it or not, will be disclosed by the other cards in the spread.
Because this card has a connection to people’s character (see the section “Other”), with positive cards it can represent a couple getting along fine (it can also represent an engagement ring and therefore signal the consolidation of the couple) while with negative cards it signifies the potential for a breakup due to being too different. Just a month or so ago I pulled some cards for myself and the spread was 10♥ + 3♣ + 5♥ + 2♠R + 3♦ + 8♣ + 9♥. The cards showed a journey to my hometown to visit relatives where there would be some tension due to differing character traits, but in the end things would turn out fine. That’s exactly what happened last week.
Work and Money: an excellent card for financial and career readings. The Gift is the card of jewelry, finery, opulence, etc. It is connected to the idea of freedom from financial worry. It indicates good business sense and good business advice. It is the card of exclusive markets and and social progress. The concept of gift or proposal or opportunity that the Three of Diamonds embodies must be understood as anything that arrives toward the querent that will allow him or her to get where he or she wants. This is often the case with job proposals or being short-listed for a promotion. It can also signify someone’s patronage or being taken under a powerful person’s wing, if near a significator in the right context. Because of the concept of gift, the card can take on the meaning of being gifted at what we do. It represents people who make spectacular career choices, and it represents working with (usually precious) objects.
Other: as we have seen, the Gift card represents the movement of goods. It also represents, therefore, parcels and packages, and any object in general, regardless of it being precious.
The card does have a psychological meaning, signifying one’s gifts and talents, and more in general what someone brings to the table in terms of outlook, and can therefore signify the person’s values and character. This is usally a shade of meaning, as this card tends to be more on the material side most of the times, but as shown by the example above, it is a shade of meaning that can come up in a reading.
Artistically this is a card of talent or fame, and also represents (obviously) artifacts (usually not books, but be flexible). The cards surrounding it may show whether we are using our talent or not, whether our artifacts have a public or not, etc.
Spiritually, other than religious paraphernalia, the card can show someone with high values, someone who has a noble soul, but this is pretty rare. With negative cards it can signify materialism and someone who is not in touch with reality as they only have first world problems.
Important Combinations:
3♦ + J♦ = a parcel | news concerning an offer
3♦ + K♠ = a loan or help from the authority
3♦ + 2♣ = opulence, a great gift
3♦ + 10♣ = a trinket | a misplaced item
3♦ + K♦ = a job offer or a rich job
REVERSED 3♦R
General: there is no rational reason why this card should be positive when reversed. At least, none that I could find. And yet it is positive. Very positive. 90% of the times, its meaning is that of difficult situations slowly sorting themselves out. Everything else is just a minor shade of meaning that rarely comes into play. However, unlike the Two of Clubs and the Five of Clubs, this card is not very strong, meaning that if surrounded by negative cards it will fail to solve all problems.
Love and Relationships: this is a very material card, and does not in the least talk about feelings. Usually, the difficulties that it solves are of a practical or material nature. If the couple has material problems, this card normally heralds a resolution, for instance if they are waiting for an adoption procedure to go through.
With negative cards, or if the question is pertinent, this card can behave, on rare occasion, like its upright counterpart does when surrounded by difficult cards, namely, it points to differences in values and someone who is wrong for you (though not necessarily a bad person). With cards of enmity and shady situations, it can rarely show the presence of a powerful negative person influencing the situation.
Work and Money: excellent card on the whole, as it points to the sorting out of difficult situations. Often, it represents difficult material conditions that slowly lose their grip on the querent. Similarly, if the querent is waiting for a deal to go through or for some bureaucratic red tape to clear, this card is an encouraging sign. With negative cards it shows problems that are only partially or superficially solved. Alternatively, it can point (but rarely) to cheap gifts or cheap proposals, and in general something that has no great value. This include cheap tips and cheap pieces of advice, or even advice given to hurt. Again, though, this is rare.
Other: there are other layers of meaning of this card that come out, albeit seldom, when it is with negative cards. It represents not making full use of your talent (basically, the opposite of the upright card) or even wasting your life. Artistically it can represent damaged objects or lack of talent (or not having developed a latent talent). Psychologically, in addition to someone who is wasting their life, it can signify someone who is cheap and superficial.
Important Combinations:
K♣ + 3♦R = a therapy that slowly cures you of your ailment | in general, a good solution
5♦ + 3♦R = melancholy and dejection slowly coming to an end
4♣R + 3♦R = a recommendation or help that solves the issue
K♥ + 3♦R = a protector or benefactor helping you (Q♦ for a woman, 2♠ for an older woman)
2♦ + J♣ + 6♦ + 7♣ + 3♦R = graduation
Other Combinations: Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Threes
* in some recent versions of the deck, the 3♦ and 8♦ are swapped. I don’t know why this was done, but I’m guessing it was a mistake, especially considering the graphic similarity between the numbers 3 and 8 in the decks where the swap was made. In the 1850s version, the card is the three.
Vera Sibilla | Examples of Combinations – The Threes
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)
Vera Sibilla and Numerology – The Threes
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 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.
