Reading Playing Cards

I have recently rediscovered Cartomancy, or divination with playing cards. It is a long-lost skill; when I was 16, I was really good at playing card readings and did them for almost everyone I knew.

Unfortunately, life got in the way; I stopped doing the readings and forgot the meanings and spreads. It has been almost 30 years since I last did any readings this way, but I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by my recent results.

Each card has an assigned meaning and some of the cards are significators - the court cards represent a person (usually the questioner). A King represents a man, the Queen a woman, and the Jack represents a child or teen. Hearts represent emotions, diamonds are for money, clubs cover practical matters (travel, risks, business), and spades represent problems and difficulties. The pip cards provide the details of the spread, and the placement of the cards in the spread also help to give context.

I have found that I interact better with ordinary playing cards better than I do with Tarot cards. Maybe it's because I have history with them (although I did also use Tarot when I was a teen), or maybe it just fits my style of witchcraft better. I don't know. What I do know is that I am thoroughly enjoying relearning this skill, and I have gone so far as to order myself a new deck of cards just to use for cartomancy.

This would be a great way for witches who can't be open to learn how to do readings. Playing cards aren't associated with the Occult or witchcraft, and most houses have a deck tucked away somewhere. The meanings of the cards can be found online or you can buy a book. I have even seen some downloadable guides for sale on Etsy.

I hope some of you out there will be intrigued by playing card readings and will give it a try.