AUTHOR’S NOTE: According to Wiccan author Roger Horne, the Threes, Sixes and Nines in playing-card divination are the “three harmonies” of the deck in that their influence is typically agreeable (except in the suit of Spades). Conversely, the Fives and Sevens are the two “discords” (the latter more debilitating than the former), bringing disarray into the picture.

These assumptions echo both ancient Greek philosophy, which considered Three, Six and Nine to be the “Three Perfections,” and Qabalistic (i.e. Hermetic or Neo-platonic) number theory, in which the Fives disrupt the stability and eventual stagnation of the Fours, while the Sevens overthrow the settled equilibrium and growing complacency of the Sixes to open a new chapter, with the attendant risk of making a misstep. Bringing in suit interpretation provides a complete “toolbox” for applying these theories in practical divination, with the red suits normally favorable and the black suits less fortunate. (In “yes-or-no” readings, Hearts signify “Yes;” Diamonds are probably “Yes;” Clubs are most likely “No;” and Spades are “No.”)

This leaves the “unitary” One – the Ace – at the beginning of the series and the complementary Ten (1+0=1) at the far end, with the remaining binary “root” and its multiples – Two, Four and Eight – in the middle falling between “neutral” and “positive” in complexion. In a recent post, I matched a traditional cartomantic poem to the Pythagorean and Hermetic numbers, which presented a comprehensive way to ascribe the numerology. Below is the poem in its entirety, unadorned by my comments; in each line the key thought or phrase captures the essence of the associated card, which can be to transformed into pragmatic, suit-and-number-inflected language to fit the context of the reading.

“Ace to start the journey
Two to make a pair
Three, a sapling growing
Four, a stable chair
Five to throw the carriage
Six to gather grain
Seven spelling wickedness
Eight to take the reins
Nine, a cornucopia
Ten, completion’s crown”

In his Art of Cartomancy material, Kapherus (J. David Arcuri) gives a slightly different summary of numerical meanings based on his own experience (some of which depart significantly from the historical cartomantic and occult models) that offers both positive and negative variations on each theme, thus accommodating both red and black suit qualities. (It has the added advantage of addressing the “face” cards as Eleven through Thirteen.)

Basic Number Meanings:

1 – beginning or ending

2 – cooperation or conflict

3 – expansion or loss

4 – foundation or instability

5 – activity or restlessness

6 – communication or ignorance

7 – improvement or stagnation

8 – health or illness (balance/imbalance)

9 – wish or disappointment

10 – success or failure

11 (Jack) – thoughts/message, also young helpful person, or troubled youth

12 (Queen) – receptivity/intuition, also female friend or rival

13 (King) – action/force/mastery, also male friend or rival

Horne, in his book Cartomancy in Folk Witchcraft, mentions two older methods of assigning numerical meaning to the cards that diverge according to whether the querent is male or female. This approach resembles the assumptions applied to Etteilla’s work in the later writing of his students and acolytes, and is also reminiscent of Waite’s cartomantic suppositions in his volume (written as “Grand Orient”) A Manual of Cartomancy, Fortune-Telling and Occult Divination published around the same time as The PIctorial Key to the Tarot, and the two share a signature divinatory style.

I have always found these more folkloric interpretations to be too systemically diffuse as a group, presenting a disjointed overview when gathered into a situation-specific narrative. But they are also too peculiarly singular on a case-by-case basis for anything other than the particular scope they envision, and therefore difficult to adjust to other scenarios in which the cards might appear. I decided long ago to stick with my own understanding of esoteric number theory, which is perfectly suitable for playing-card divination since Pythagorean philosophy preceded all forms of Western cartomancy (although purists in the craft will almost certainly disagree).