How To Read A Regular Deck Of Playing Cards As Tarot Cards

Before we get started with today's blog post, at the end of this blog are helpful links where I got some of this information from and even a video. So, let's get started...

If you can't afford tarot cards or you have parents that are religious, then this blog post is perfect for you.

Cartomancy is known as Gypsy playing cards (fortune-telling). Gypsy's would use a regular deck of playing cards as tarot cards and they would use this as a form of divination.

Forms of cartomancy appeared soon after playing cards were first introduced into Europe in the 14th century. Practitioners of cartomancy are generally known as cartomancers, card readers, or simply readers.

Cartomancy is one of the oldest of the more common forms of fortune-telling. In English-speaking countries the most common form of cartomancy is generally tarot card reading. Tarot cards are almost exclusively used for this purpose in these places.

Cartomancy using standard playing cards was the most popular form of providing fortune-telling card readings in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

In English-speaking countries, Tarot cards are more commonly used, however, a standard deck of Anglo-American bridge/poker playing cards (i.e., 52-card, four-suit set) can also be used; the deck is often augmented with jokers, and even with the blank card found in many packaged decks.

In France, the 32-card piquet playing-card deck is most typically used in cartomancy readings, although, the 52 card deck can also be used. (A piquet deck can be a 52-card deck with all of the 2's through the 6's removed. This leaves all of the 7's through the 10's, the face cards, and the aces.)

NOTE:

There are no major Arcana cards in this deck. They were invented in the 15th century. However, they only began to emerge in the 18th century. In the major Arcana cards, Strength is traditionally the 11th card and Justice is the 8th card. However, the influential Ryder-Waite-Smith deck switched the position of these cards in order to make them a better fit with the astrological correspondences worked out by the Hermetic-Order of The Golden Dawn, under which the 8th card is associated with Leo and the 11th card is associated with Libra. Today, many decks use this numbering particularly in the English-Speaking world. Both placements are considered valid.

Methods:
The most popular method of cartomancy using a standard playing deck is referred to as the Wheel of Fortune. Here, the reader removes cards at random and assigns significance to them based on the order they were chose. Though the interpretation of various cards varies by region, the common significators for the future are as follows:

Most Common Interpretations in Cartomancy
Card	Significance
King of Hearts	A man over 35, with sandy, dark blond, or light brown hair, with brown, blue or hazel eyes. Usually a family member or other loved one. Paternal and family-oriented. [Fair-haired young man. Auburn or Grey Hair with Hazel or Green Eyes.]
King of Diamonds	A man over 35, with red or light blond hair with blue, green or gray eyes, Usually a wealthy man in an authority position. [Fair or grey-haired man over 40. Fair to Red or Gold Hair and Blue or Grey Eyes.]
King of Clubs	A man over 35, with medium or dark brown hair, with brown, blue or hazel eyes. Usually a married business man (although business could have a sexual, rather than commercial, interpretation.) [Dark-haired young man. Brown Hair and Light Brown Eyes.]
King of Spades	A man over 35, with dark brown to black hair, and dark brown eyes. Usually a widower or divorced man, or a man from a foreign country. Ambitious and powerful, can be arrogant and deceptive. [Dark-haired man over 40. Dark Hair and Eyes, Dark Complexion.]
Queen of Hearts	A woman over 18, with sandy, dark blond, or light brown hair, with brown, blue or hazel eyes. Usually a family member or other loved one. Maternal and family-oriented. [Fair-haired young woman. Auburn or Grey Hair with Hazel or Green Eyes.]
Queen of Diamonds	A woman over 18, with red or light blond hair with blue, green or gray eyes, Usually a wealthy woman in an authority position. [Fair or grey haired woman over 40. Fair to Red or Gold Hair and Blue or Grey Eyes.]
Queen of Clubs	A woman over 18, with medium or dark brown hair, with brown, blue or hazel eyes. Usually a business woman or social butterfly. [Dark-haired young woman. Brown Hair and Light Brown Eyes.]
Queen of Spades	A woman over 18, with dark brown to black hair, and dark brown eyes. Usually a widow or divorced woman, or a woman from a foreign country. Ambitious and intelligent, can be cold, calculating, or spiteful. [Dark-haired woman over 40. Dark Hair and Eyes, Dark Complexion.]

Again, reading playing cards is known as cartomancy.

Did you realize that each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history? Spades = King David; Clubs = Alexander the Great; Hearts = Charlemagne; and Diamonds = Julius Caesar.

Reading with playing cards is easy because the tarot layouts and divinatory meanings are easy to adapt to reading regular playing cards. Clubs = Wands, Hearts = Cups, Diamonds = Coins, and Spades = Swords. To do a reading, simply shuffle and cut in your usual method, and deal the spread of your choice.

Here is one method:

Begin by separating the Kings or the Queens from the deck. Lay them side by side in this order: Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, and Spades. Assign a name of someone you are involved with or interested in to each card. You can choose Unknown for the leftover cards. Put the cards back in the deck, shuffle, and ask a question.

Deal out the remaining cards face up, laying them out one at a time. Proceed across four stacks and return to the beginning if required. Your question is answered when you deal a matching suit on one of the Kings or Queens.

Ask another question and start laying down cards from the beginning of the row again, stopping again when a suit matches a King or Queen. After all of the cards have been dealt, pick up each stack and count the number of cards of each suit. Hearts denote love, clubs indicate vitality and liveliness, diamonds indicate money, and spades show contemplation and thought. The more you have of one suit indicates the predominant influence or the potential of that relationship. Look up the meanings of the cards on the reference chart for a deeper understanding.

Wheel Of Fortune pt.1:
Gender:
Male - King
Female - Queen
Youth of either gender - Jack

RANKS:
Aces: Week at the beginning of the season.
Kings: The matter was completed last year at this time.
Queens: The matter was completed last season.
e.g. - Ace of diamonds would be the first week of the Spring Equinox

STAGES METHOD:
Aces: The beginning of a situation.
Twos: Direction the matter will take. May be a 1st meeting point.
Threes: The point at which details grow and the matter solidifies.
Fours: Foundation has begun. Roots are put down in order to build.
Fives: The first challenge or glitch in the situation.
Sixes: Issue changes & grows. If it stagnates, it will not continue.
Sevens: Variety added, Scope of the idea/project may be expanded.
Eights: Evaluation period. People & ideas may be put to the test.
Nines: Moving forward. The issue is nearly completed.
Tens: Completion of the cycle, project, or issue.
Pages: Signify risks and messages.
Knights: Indicate movement and direction.

Wheel of Fortune pt.2:
Minor Arcana: Ace through ten
Court Cards: King, Queen and Joker. The Joker could represent as a Paige or Knight.

Clubs (Wands):
Clubs - Alexander the Great.

Element- Fire (Aries- Ram, Leo- Lion, Sagittarius- Archer).
Color- Red.
Season- Summer or Autumn.
Time Frame- Weeks.
Personality Factor for Club- Instinctive or Intuitive, cheerful and friendly.
Predominant Clubs - Concern is for achievement and recognition.
Physical Appearance- Fair skin with blond hair & blue eyes.
Tools- Candle or Twig.

Idea's, work, mental activity, the other (outer) world, career, creative forces. Enterprise, money, accomplishment in the next year.

Ace: The beginning of achievements, professional success, the power to make things happen. Wealth, health, love and happiness. A letter concerning money.

King: A dark haired man, honest, open, generous, faithful and affectionate.

Queen: A dark haired woman, strong, helpful, attractive self-confident, nice woman, inclined to be temperamental.

Jack: A dark-haired youth. A reliable friend, sincere but impatient.

10: unexpected good fortune with bad loss, imprisonment. Money from an unexpected source, good luck or gift. Travel abroad.

9: A new romance or admirer. Disputes with friends, endurance and strength. Achievements. Don't be stubborn.

8: Fast or sudden occurrence of the matter at hand. Opposition, danger or recklessness. Trouble in relationships, business and personal. Jealousy and greed.

7: Honor, uphill battle, prosperity in opposition, chance of romantic interference. Prosperity and success. Be careful of trouble coming from a person of the opposite sex.

6: Business success, profitable business in partnership. Business success. Getting financial help.

5: Opposition from friends or associates, quarreling, strife, failure of project due to friends. Help from a friend or spouse. New friends and a successful marriage.

4: Fulfillment, solidification, crystallization, completion. Changes for the worse. Lies and betrayal.

3: Good marriage or partnership, long engagement, and then a fast wedding. Marriage to a wealthy partner. Money coming from the partner.

2: Ownership and territory, the desire to possess. Disappointment and opposition. Gossip.

Joker: (Optional) New developments, fresh starts, taking a risk.

Hearts (Cups)
Hearts - Charlemagne.

Element- Water (Pisces- Fish, Cancer- Crab, Scorpio- Scorpion).
Color- Orange and/or Gold.
Season- Summer or Autumn.
Time Frame- Days.
Personality Factors for Hearts- Shy & helpful. An emotional, creative person.
Predominant Hearts - Concern is emotional.
Physical Appearance- Light (Fair) to medium skin with light-brown hair & blue eyes.
Tools- Chalice or Glass of Water.

Happy forecast for the year. Shy and helpful. Emotions, love, romance, the unconscious, mirrors of the emotions.

Ace: The beginning of love, friendship, the home and distinct happiness. Happiness, the home, love, friendship, joy the start of a romance. A love letter.

King: Good-natured, affectionate, generous, but impetuous, honest man, hasty in decisions, not to be relied upon for advice. Good advice.

Queen: Trustworthy, faithful loving woman, gentle & pleasing.

Jack: A young person, good friend, a close (or long lost) friend or a good-natured.

10: Instability of extreme brooding passion, an overfilled heart spilling over. Good fortune, happiness.

9: The ‘wish card’, dreams and desires will come true, good fortune, happiness, Good news.

8: Invitations, but also partings, parties or celebrations. Visits and visitors. Invitations out or attending a party, but also partings.

7: Someone is unreliable, lust, debauch, whoredom. An unfaithful or unreliable person. Broken promises.

6: Unexpected good fortune, generosity, imposed upon by untrustworthy people, pleasure. Someone helping you out.

5: Jealousy, inability to make a decision, disappointment. Jealous people around you. Take your time to make any decisions.

4: Overabundance and excess. A change, a journey or a move of house/business. A late marriage or postponements.

3: Fertility, abundance, pregnancy. You need to be cautious. Don't say something you'll regret.

2: Love, fulfilled heart, perfect harmony. Success, and prosperity, friendship. An engagement or partnership.

Spades (Swords)
Spades - King David.

Element- Air (Aquarius- Water Bearer, Gemini- Twins, Libra- The Scales).
Color- Blue.
Season- Winter.
Time Frame- Months.
Personality Factors- Cool and Logical, inner self is important. An intellectual, logical person.
Predominant Spades - Concern is antagonistic or for power without responsibility.
Physical Appearance- Olive skin with dark hair & light eyes.
Tools- Small Knife, Feather or Incense.

Action, strategy, self, obstacles one is facing, spiritual issues, logic and reason. Quarrels, discord ahead. Cool and Logical, inner self is important.

Ace: The beginning of a new way of thinking, a new enlightenment. A difficult love affair. Emotional conflict, obsession, death. Things coming to a head.

King: Ambitious, usually successful, and an authoritative man. His ambition overrides everything else.

Queen: Seductive or unscrupulous, treachery, betrayal, malice, widow.

Jack: A young man, well meaning but immature, lazy person, hindrance in all work, an unreliable youth.

10: Insanity, destruction, despair, rock bottom, restless misery. Worry, misfortune. Imprisonment. Unwelcome news.

9: Orneriness, unhappiness, cruelty, sadism. Bad luck in all things. Depression and low energy. Destruction, deaths. Extreme anxiety. Can mean delays or quarrels.

8: Lies, rumors, scandal, gossip, deceit, opposition, interference, division, jealousy. Trouble and disappointment. Plans go awry. Friends let you down. Cancellations.

7: A warning against a hopeless battle, possible loss of friendship, quarrels with friends. An unexpected burden. A warning against losses and sorrow.

6: Use perseverance to make your plans work, your method is sound. A small improvement in the person's life.

5: Anxiety, setbacks, interference, success in business, harmony in partners. Happy home but interference from other people. Reversals and opposition but eventual success

4: Compromise, making a deal, bartering, reconciliation, warning against a second marriage. Business troubles, worries. Jealousy, illness, broken promises.

3: Partings due to faithlessness, bad things in love or marriage, love gone wrong. Be wary in partnerships.

2: Peacefulness, harmony, friendship, good vibes. Scandal, gossip, danger of deceit, separation. Difficult changes.

Diamonds (Coins/Pentacles)
Diamonds - Julius Caesar.

Element- Earth (Capricorn- Goat, Taurus- Bull, Virgo- Virgin).
Color- Green.
Season- Spring.
Time Frame- Years.
Personality Factors- Ambitious and businesslike, impatient, outgoing. A down-to-earth, practical person.
Predominant Diamonds - Concern is material.
Physical Appearance- Dark skin with dark hair & dark eyes.
Tools- Stone or Bit of Soil.

Manifestations, money, security, the physical world, reveal fiances, resources. Successful practical year ahead. Ambitious and business like, impatient, outgoing.

Ace: News about money, a ring or present of jewelry. Important message, or a valuable symbolic gift. A letter.

King: A man who's stubborn, influential, powerful, vengeful, dangerous when crossed.

Queen: A flirt (flirtatious) woman, sophisticated, witty, loves to party and to gossip, interferes in others’ affairs.

Jack: A youth. A relative, unreliable, selfish or jealous, bad news. Watch out for dishonesty or unreliability.

10: Opportunities and surprises, usually financial, taste for adventure. Journey, fortunate changes, usually bringing wealth.

9: Changes usually bringing wealth, money as objective, maybe not result. Surprise with money. New business opportunities. Restlessness.

8: Late marriage or new relationship, late blooming, waiting for the right time. A marriage and travel late in life. Financial ups and downs. New relationship; unexpected money.

7: An unlucky gambler, criticism, a disappointing failure, fighting and losing. Surprise news or a gift. Problems and losses at work.

6: Success, victory, fruitfulness, good fortune, abundance. A reconciliation; a warning against a possible second marriage or problems in a second marriage.

5: Worry, anxiety, wastefulness, loss of vital energy on trivial concerns. Successful meetings, particularly in business. Happy family.

4: An inheritance, A change for the better, unhappiness from bad friends, betrayal. Improvements in finances.

3: Creation, fruitfulness, building, stockpiling, working towards a goal. Legal problems, domestic arguments. A legal letter.

2: Changes, a great love affair attracting disapproval from others. Strengthening a business partnership. May be opposed by friends.