AUTHOR'S NOTE: In developing this essay I borrowed from the way I've always read tarot since, at least in this one instance, the visual integration of both tarot cards and Lenormand cards in large layouts is almost identical, although Lenormand exhibits more formal structure in terms of what I call "sub-routines" or "protocols." Unlike the … Continue reading The “Gestalt Overview” in Cartomancy
Playing-Card Cartomancy
Syncretic Cartomancy: A Threefold Divination*
*Syncretism: The union of different practices whose features may be synchronized to good effect. AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the past I have occasionally dabbled in two-phase readings using cards from different disciplines in a single spread, usually tarot and Lenormand or an oracle deck. As I spend more time and effort looking into traditional cartomancy while … Continue reading Syncretic Cartomancy: A Threefold Divination*
The Romany Cut “Wisdom or Folly” Situational Awareness Spread
I recently came across what was described as an "Italian Romany" method of dealing the playing cards to form a spread. That approach uses 15 cards culled from a larger set of 32 as the result of a preliminary reading. It includes the idea of three "Surprise" cards and a "Consolation" card revealing lessons learned … Continue reading The Romany Cut “Wisdom or Folly” Situational Awareness Spread
A Tale of Five Pips
As promised, here is my first serious attempt at divination with the playing cards. I used the Goldfield Nevada 1864 giant playing card deck, and I also augmented the five-card spread with the Night Sky playing cards to see if there is interpretive syncretism with any astrological fixed stars that may appear in the constellations. … Continue reading A Tale of Five Pips
Cards of Joy and Sorrow
I believe I've reached a tipping point in my growing desire to begin working with playing cards in cartomancy. I've accumulated a number of online sources for reference material (most notably that of Kapherus and "Auntie Tarot"), and I also have a few names to explore (Regina Russell, Cecily Kent, Sepharial) although I own none … Continue reading Cards of Joy and Sorrow
Playing-Card Insets: A Challenge Worth Taking
I've been working with the Lenormand cards going on nine years now, but I've never put a lot of effort into understanding and using the playing-card insets. Concurrently, I've been studying playing-card cartomancy somewhat casually, first through Dawn Jackson's Hedgewytchery material and more recently through the excellent blog of Kapherus (J. David Arcuri), Art of … Continue reading Playing-Card Insets: A Challenge Worth Taking
Stone Soup
I think it's time I start getting serious about bringing cartomantic (that is, playing-card) meanings into my approach to the numbered - or "pip" - cards when reading. The RWS minor cards with their built-in narrative vignettes are like "canned soup," the semi-scenic small cards of the Thoth deck are closer to "home-made soup" that you start with store-bought … Continue reading Stone Soup
Hard and Soft, Red and Black
During my intermittent involvement with the Tarot de Marseille (I'm still waiting for that "one book to rule them all"), I've come across the opinion that Batons and Swords are the "hard" suits, while Cups and Coins are "soft." There is some logic to this: both wooden batons (also called staves) and edged metal blades … Continue reading Hard and Soft, Red and Black
A Cartomantic Adventure
I have a life-long devotion to tarot and astrology that began around 1970, and my fascination with Lenormand goes back to the day I first encountered it in 2011. But I'm always looking for a new challenge, which is why I took on traditional astrology and horary in particular. More recently, I've been eying playing-card … Continue reading A Cartomantic Adventure
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 