PCO: Building card castles (or homes, or bridges, or....)

Last week, I was sitting at my usual spot in my favourite Café, doing an exercise from a cartomancy book, when a sudden question filled my mind: if I wanted to represent my workplace in reading, which card would I choose?

Traditionally, the Ace of Hearts stands for the home, and the Ace of Spades may stand for imposing buildings and institutions. But of course, since there is no one-true-method of reading playing cards, you do not have to adopt these meanings.

In the Playing Card Oracles method created by Ana Cortez, all cards number 6 have buildings on them. They usually have very metaphorical meanings, but I suppose that they could mean physical places too. Representing these places could be very useful to determine "where" the facts shown in the reading are happening (especially if it's a general reading, with no specific question). If a conflict shows up – is it at home, or at work? If one of these cards show up, they may provide a hint.

So, I came up with some ideas for each of the 6s. It's by no means a complete list, but maybe it may help others to come up with their own ideas!

 

Six of Diamonds - The Tower
This is one imposing building, and since the diamonds suit is related to money and creativity, I'd chose this cards to represent my your workplace, or the place in which you usually earn their money (even if it's not a formal company). As Ana Cortex says in her book, this also could represent a bank.

I suppose that it could also symbolise any actual towers or skyscrapers. Combined with the 6♥, I would also think of a hospital. With the 8♣ (The Scales), I could easily see a church (the building, not the community).


Six of Clubs - The Bridge
The Bridge brings to my mind roads and, of course, bridges. A place in which you don't "stay" you just pass through. So this is a card of journeys and travel as well.

Also, the Bridge makes me think of temporary positions/conditions. Any places at which you have no intention of staying for too long, like an airport, a hotel or even a temporary job.


Six of Hearts - The Castle
The Castle makes me think immediately of the home. The place in which you feel comfortable, in which you can be yourself, in which your heart is.

Ana says in her book that since the Hearts is the suit of healing, this card could represent a hospital. Like I stated above, I'd only see a hospital is it came with a more imposing card, like the 6♦, because hospitals are hardly comfortable places and this cards always gives me the feeling of a place of comfort and healing that goes beyond the physical. A place for the dolce far niente, or even plain sloth!

Because hearts is a suit of water, I could easily see this card a house near the sea or a river! If you consider the meaning of the reversed Ace of Spades as "distance", they together could symbolise homesickness, or leaving your comfort zone!


Six of Spades - The Ruins
This card may appear sad-looking for many people, or even "bad", but I don't see it this way. Even symbolically it means something from the past, or a past that remains in us (like memories). As physical places, this card could point to actual ruins, an old house or building, or simply a place from the past.

The house in which you lived as a child. The first school you attended. The church in which you got married many years ago. And none of these places need to actually look old or ruined – they just need to be the ones that bring you memories.

PCO: Using the Lost Man Spread for a friend

Although I have done the "Lost Man" spread in the past, ever since I watched Ana Cortez's video about it, I gained a new level of understanding regarding it and they it's supposed to be read. I decide to try it again today, during my lunch break.

I decide to read for a very good friend of mine, who lives abroad. He seemed upset the last time I talked to him, so I decided see what kind of things were surrounding him right now, and was very surprised by the result!

I chose Sol, the King of Clubs, to represent him. I shuffled the deck, and then looked for Sol and the cards that surrounded him.

The first thing that called my attention was the 5♠ (Circle of Crows) – a card of worry, that confirms my suspects that something wasn't right. Looking at the cards that come before the 5♠, I was surprised by the two very contrasting cards! Although diamonds and clubs are suits that complement each other (fire and air), these cards in particular have very opposing ideas to me.

One of them is the 9♣, Galahad, the eternal idealist. The dreamer, the grail seeker. The other is the 7♦, the "Sword or Truth". The sword is between the King of Clubs and the 9♣, so it's as if it's "cutting" Galahad away. I say that something happened that somehow "cut" Sol's dreams away. He has this nice dream or goal of his own, and suddenly harsh reality hit him on the head. And that's what is worrying him.

On his other side, we see Déja, the lovely Queen of Hearts. Notice that Sol is looking at her - she is too part of his worry. Maybe his dreams were related to her, and now he is asking "what do we do, my dear?". But... she has her eyes closed. It is as if she didn't see the problem, or refused to see it. Déja and Sol make a beautiful pairing, but one that tends to focus on their mutual feelings and mental connection – I do not sense a lot of physicality here.

Beside Déja we see the Ace of Clubs (Ethra), a card that indicates dreams and wishes from the mind, and also a huge potential for communication. So he is seeking to communicate with this woman, but in a new way – not in the idealistic manner suggested by the 9♣ anymore. The 6♦ (The Tower), complements well this card, as it is a card of security, and also one that indicates a vantage point (you can see far from the top of a tower). Sol now wants to think his dreams in a more strategical manner, one that can set the foundations to make them come true.

Of future, fate and divination

I see the pattern of life as a spider web – many different futures can be constructed from the same choice. It's not one thread that goes on and on in the same direction until we die, but rather a web with interconnected threads radiating in all directions, criss-crossing each other. And the threads of our lives are also connected to those of other people, influencing each other.

I do, however, believe in fate. But for me fate is not a power that predetermines your whole life from the beginning to the end of it. It's like "knots" that tie together the many threads of "life's web". Situations that must be faces, lessons that must be learnt, a task that must be accomplished in this lifetime, people that you must meet in order to grow. It's like a call beyond your personal will and intentions.

I believe that many people hear the call but either never follow it or insistently deny it, and these are the ones that have the vague impression they missed "something" in their lives... or that they did not fulfil something they were supposed to... And unless they wake up, they risk remaining stuck in that particular knot for a long time.

Although fate can sometimes come as a tidal wave that cuts the ground from under your feet, it can also work very subtly. That means we have to stay alert and open-minded, in order to notice and seize the opportunities fate the throwing our way.

And that's where divination comes it - it helps us to make more informed choices, in order to build the future we want for ourselves, and it also offers us guidance when dealing with those "knots of fate". It makes us aware of them, and shows us how to surf on the sudden waves of destiny instead of being drowned by them! It helps us to be prepared for the moments in which fate intervenes.

PCO: The North Wind says... the lazy days are over!

I did abandon my poor blog to the vultures, but now I'm back. Enough of being lazy!

I pulled a card to see what should I do about my blog, to keep it going and I got the 4 of Spades.

I like how the PCO is always challenging me - this is certainly not an obvious answer for my question, and being a one-card reading, it makes the meaning harder to grasp because there is no observable dynamic, like you see with 2 cards or more.

First of all, I think it relates to my sudden impulse to come back to the blog – the 4 of Spades often relates to unsettling energies that makes us act! As for what I should do, this card tells me to prepare for a challenge: probably the challenge of doing it even when I'm not inspired, the Spades suit talks about hard-work that's not always prompted by a creative energy.

But most of all, Spades is a "doer" suit, and the number four is about completing things in an organized manner, so above all I believe this card is telling me "Holiday's over! Time to get up and get going, m'dear".

Yessir!

The Lost Man Spread

I'm sharing this here because, in my humble opinion, the spread below is one of the most useful ones taught by Ana Cortez in her Playing Card Oracles book. It is designed for the PCO method, but I suppose it can be used with any tarot or oracle deck.

This layout is useful when you need to understand what are the influences surrounding a person or situation in the present.

“The Lost Man Spread is a good layout when you want to get a feel for surrounding influences, for the ambient environment of a particular person or concern. […] After deciding who or what your question is about, simply assign it a card in your own mind, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, then spread the deck out and find it. Once you have found your ‘lost’ card, look to see where it put itself, that is to say, observe which cards it likes for company. With the Lost Man, you get a candid camera picture of your concern in its natural habitat. Cards closest to the card assigned represent the strongest influences. Cards further away have a correspondingly weaker influence.”

(From: The Playing Card Oracles, p. 171-174)

 

Interesting, isn't it? I use this spread a lot, and I also enjoy using it to practise card combinations.

I will try to post more reading using it here from now on! Let me know what you think!

The 16 Geomantic Figures

Because Geomancy is such an important part of the practice with the Playing Card Oracles, but it's not a widely known system, I think it's helpful to have the 16 figures here as a reference. It'll also help me to memorise them!

PCO: The elusive Two of Clubs

The Two of Clubs is called "The Friends", but it shows a man, all alone, staring at the horizon. You will notice that the stars on the sky make the shape of the geomantic image Conjunctio (Latin for "the Conjunction") - this image is considered neutral (not positive, nor negative), and it tends to reflect the "atmosphere" around it.

That says a lot about the Two of Clubs. This is a peaceful encounter, a "light" relationship. No obsessions, no fights, no excessive feeling – only that mutual understanding. It may stand for a superficial relationship, in a bad layout, or for a comfortable relationship in which the individuality and freedom of the people involved is respected. The man is alone, but it doesn't make him sad, because he knows that he has a friend - and maybe his friend is far away - and he trusts the endurance of their connection.

In a more negative context, this card represents someone who is distant and feeling lonely. He looks to the horizon, looking for a way to connect with the person/people he misses, but he's unsure if the other party still remembers him. But I believe that this card is 'soft' even when expressing its darkest side.

Since clubs is the suit of ideas and communication, this card may stand for a relationship in which there is a strong exchange of ideas, knowledge and thought. A strong mental link is also indicated by this card.

PCO: The scary Nine of Hearts

The Nine of Hearts is a card that tends to scare most of people who start using the Playing Card Oracles, because of the "bleeding hearts" and the scary face in the middle of the card. Also, in traditional cartomancy this is the "wish card", but in the PCO, it apparently has a more negative connotation.

Personally, I believe the Nine of Hearts presents a huge challenge: allowing yourself to be filled with positive emotions. At it's best, this card stands for humanitarianism, the need to serve the others, the ability to love and feel compassion without letting your personal judgements interfere. And no, this isn't easy – none of the Nines are easy.

In a more "down to earth" level, it could mean not letting your feelings suffocate you or turn into poison inside you. This can be achieved by cultivating altruism and other noble emotions.

At it's worst... it's very bad. Extreme emotions and mood changes, obsessions, feelings that "drown" you, paranoia, inability to control your impulses, distress, decadence, excessiveness... Like all in Nines, it may mean surrendering yourself completely to one "element" only (water/emotions, in this case), and forgetting all others. The necessary balance is lost.

Of course, the "meaning" of the card will be determined by the whole spread, the position in which it appears, the question asked etc. There's not need to be afraid whenever this card shows up - it looks ugly, but it has a beautiful potential. Try to figure out where the excess is, how it may be hindering you (or your sitter) and what can be done to restore balance.

PCO: Crossing the bridge of the elusive heart...

I did a reading about a relationship. I used a layout called "The Bridge", taught by Ana Cortez in her book The Playing Card Oracles.

Let's see.

~*~

............... 6♠ ..................

.......................................

2♦.......... 6♣ .......... 12♣

........................................

............... 5♥ ..................

In the past polarities met. The 2♦ is called The Rivals, but it's not necessarily about enmity – it's more about a clash between two people have opposite characteristics. Since this is a love relationship reading, I do not see competition here... for me this is how they started. A sudden and unexpected bump created a spark between two people that would have never even talked otherwise. Their differences were attractive, and they somehow made the game more interesting.

I also believe they were distant – like night and day, completing each other but never touching. A bit like the eagle and the wolf in Ladyhawke.

The gift of the present is a scary gift – the 6♠, also known as The Ruins. It cannot be seen separately from the obstacle of the present, the 5♥ (Fata Morgana). First, because the two suits complement each other, making this difficult present better. The obstacle is the illusion - emotions here are lacking any depth. Still, they make the heart restless! But how can ruins be a gift? I believe this shows that the querent already had a similar experience in the past, regarding the same sort of illusion... now it's time to recall is and learn from it. It also reinforces the essentially "empty" nature of this relationship. Like Ana Cortez says in her book "a form without substance of life". To realise that is truly a gift – an important advice to avoid the trap.

The future card shows Leah, Queen of Clubs. She looks like she's about to fly, her eyes seeing beyond... she is flying away from this reading, and facing the future. The blackness of this suit (and the overall reading) makes me believe the querent will go through a moment of retreat... she'll turn her inner eyes towards something else in order to leave this all behind.  I sense here something like going through a "dark night of the soul". In this process, she'll mature, and then open her eyes to new dreams...

PCO: Never trust the fire!

I did this reading for a friend, let's call her A, and I am sharing it here with her permission. It's about relationship that is not quite a relationship yet.... just that initial arousal of the emotions. Her question was: "What should I expect of this relationship with T?"

Head (♦/Fire): 4 ♦ (South Wind)

.

Throat (♣/Air): 12 ♣ (Leah)

.

Torso (♥/Water): 6 ♦ (The Tower)

.

Feet (♠/Earth): 5 ♦ (The Peddler's Ace)

This is not a balanced reading – all fire, fire and fire, and a bit of air, to feed it. No water, which for a relationship that intends to be more than a heated night of passion, is not good. There's much attraction, much fire, but no deep emotions involved yet.

The South Wind is the impish wind that brings confusion and chaos. This is very significant in this reading. This attraction began unexpectedly, and became hot very quickly. It is making the querent confused and restless. Leah, Queen of Clubs, is the air that feeds this fire, thanks to her tendency to nurture illusion and fantasise. The South Wind carries her higher, and the higher she gets, the more filled with fantasies her mind becomes, making the passionate emotions even stronger (even though they are not necessarily based on real feelings).

The Torso position is very important here, because this is the main position for relationship readings. Here we see a lonely tower, standing strong... but alone. A has been feeling lonely inside. The 6 of Diamonds also means boredom, monotony – her love life has been unexciting. It inspired her to look for excitement in the dangerous – and marvellous – fires of passion.

The feet, which shows the base of the relationship, shows another card that is not known for it's dependability. The 5 of Diamonds is called the Peddler's Ace, because what you see here is never quite what you get. I have the feeling that this "relationship" is based on nothing more than conversations and meaningless promises – things that sound pretty under the moonlight, but disappear when the sun rises. The peddler offers A something beautiful, exactly what she needs, but it's not what she expects. The base of this relationship is weak - there's nothing "real" here.

The geomancy confirms what the reading says: Tristitia + Puella = Amissio 

 

Tristitia shows the sadness and emptiness that she felt before all this started. Then her femininity is awakened in Puella – a pleasant sensation, but lacking in depth. The result of it will be Amissio – loss. This entanglement might leave her even more empty then she was when it started.

Not the best love reading I ever did, but not all relationships are meant to be...

PCO: Watching as a reading unfolds...

Last weekend I did a playing cards reading regarding my job, because I thought my boss was coming back from her holidays. Monday came round but she didn't return, for reasons I couldn't understand... until now.

This was the reading:

Head (♦/Fire):7♥ (Sword of Healing)

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Throat (♣/Air): 12♠ (Morgana)

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Torso (♥/Water): A♠ (Terra Incognita)

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Feet (♠/Earth): 11♥ (La Hire)

I'll not post my full interpretation because, frankly, I didn't understand the cards when I first got them. The two first cards puzzled me the most – Swords of Healing and Morgana? Somehow I immediately knew that Morgana was my boss, but had no idea what the 7 of Hearts was trying to tell me.

I knew it couldn't be too bad, because these cards complement each other – earth and water. But the Swords of Healing in the head position puzzled me. I wondered if it meant the prejudices I had about my boss (which I only met once, during the interview before they hired me) would be healed – I'd be able to see her in a better light.

It was not that. The week began and my boss never showed up. I forgot about the reading, but I overheard my colleagues talking one of the company's owners yesterday and I learnt that my boss got an extra week away due to a sudden health problem. She is doing fine, but apparently it was something scary... I don't know what though.

And now the Sword of Healing + Morgana combo make sense: my boss was dealing with health issues, and would not return, thus affecting my job. I did find it strange that the one week she was supposed to stay away suddenly turned into three, but what do I know, right? No one told me anything. The secrecy of the situation could be represented by the Ace of Spades, a card that means hidden things. Also, it stands for the physical body, and like Morgana, it has the blade of the Sword of Healing turned towards it.

Most of the reading is making sense now, except for one card: La Hire. What is that Jack of Hearts doing in my reading again? He showed up in every reading I did about my job in the last few days, and I still can't figure out who is he or  what is he trying to tell me. The fact he is a man doesn't help either, since I work mostly with other girls! No young boys around! And in this particular case, he is in a very important position – the feet, which represents all things physical and material, such as work. He is someone who may influence my work, but he isn't completely reliable, or honest.

I guess I'll have to wait until the next chapters. Who is the Jack of Hearts? And what does he have to do with me? Hum... It's interesting to watch how the readings unfold in the real life, sometimes in the most unexpected ways!

PCO: Got hired. What should I expect from my first month in this job?

After a couple of months sending resumes and going to interviews and tests, I finally got an opportunity at a local book publisher. They'll hire me for three months as a trainee and, if they like my work, they might keep me. I start there on the 10th of May.

So, I did a playing cards reading asking what should I expect during my first month there. I removed the first three cards from the top of the deck (as they represent the three weeks from here to the day I start working) and read the four following cards, according to Ana Cortez's method.

Head (♦/Fire): 5♦

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Throat (♣/Air): 9♣

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Torso (♥/Water): 2♠

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Feet (♠/Earth): 7♥

Well, the reading is very balanced... all suits present, and the same amount of red and black cards. I think the experience will be complete... it'll touch me in all aspects, emotional, mental, physical etc. Each card represents not only an area of our lives, but also a week in a month. In this reading I'm considering each position both things.

The first card in Head position is the 5 of Diamonds, The Peddler's Ace. Because it's in such a good position (the position of it's own suit), this card loses its most negative meanings, and stands for exchanges in transitions in general. I believe that it captures well the feeling of the reading, since I'll be giving and receiving in this moment, and especially during the first week, in which I'll have lots to learn. This position is also related to self-esteem and creativity issues, and the card... it gives me a feeling of instability. I'll not be at my best concerning my self-esteem, I'll probably be feeling a bit insecure (but nothing serious).

The card in the Throat position is 9 of Clubs (Galahad) - again, the card is in it's own suit place so it's dignified. This card has such a quietness about it... make me think that I'll not be much communicative during this first month, but rather concentrated (not to say devoted) to my tasks. As the second week of the month, it gives me a feeling or introspection, but also looking at the final goal with a more positive view. Things will be calm.

The third card is the 2 of Spades, The Enemies (uh-oh!), is in the Torso position. This card is not in it's suit position, but Spades and Hearts are good partners, so it's no completely bad here, although it does point to the possibility of a conflict. I see some inner struggles about this job, like two voices inside my heart debating whether it's worth it or not. It may also mean some fights in the job itself, during the third week... not a huge thing, because the card is well-placed, but enough to sting. I think the third week will be the one of my first mistake, the moment in which I'll give them the reason to chide me.

Last, but not lest, the fourth card 7 of Hearts (Sword of Healing) in the Foot position... like the 2 of Spades, it's not ill-dignified here. This card somehow cures the conflict of the card above, soothing the wounds. I believe it means that this job will help me to heal some of my inner conflicts during this first month. As for the fourth week, I think it might be a more peaceful one, though I'm not safe from some eventually "cutting" situations (my fault, because I tend to be frail around others). I believe this card is telling to take care of myself & my body, because there might be some illness lurking during that time (and the new routine may mess with my immune system).

Now a bit of Geomancy to finish: Puer + Conjunctio = Puella. The geomancy complements the reading, saying that the month will start aggressively because I'll be the odd man out (and this usually makes people a bit aggravated), but eventually I'll be able to mingle more and thus feel more peaceful, more connected. The peace will turn hostile Puer into friendly Puella, making the environment more pleasant.

PCO: 3 of Diamonds - A wish? A luck charm? Or things that are still being created?

Traditionally, the 9♥ is the card known as "the wish card". But in the Playing Card Oracles, the 9♥ (Gilles de Rais) is a kinda creepy character, showing an excess of emotions - good and bad ones. So I was wondering... if I had to pick one card to be the "wish card" of the deck, which would it be? The first one that came to my mind was the 3♦ (The Necklace).

 
Curiously, this is one of the most confusing cards for me... I never know exactly what is it supposed to mean, but then I decided to think more about it... and it began to show in the readings. Forcing me to think about it even when I didn't want to. Oh well - cards can be demanding sometimes, in a 'decipher me or I will devour you' sort of way... In Ana Cortez's book she says:

"The 3 of Diamonds suggests an alignment of energies that creates something new, something vibrant and transformational. People possessing "The Necklace" have a calling, so to speak. They are messengers of light." (p. 39) 

That's the first thing that lead me to think that this could be the wish card of the deck. This alignment of energies, this calling... these are actually the sort of thing that help our desires to come true. To be ready at the right moment. This card is about the right moment knocking on your door - answer it now or miss it.

I don't really buy that notion of wish card that means your desires are coming true without you moving a finger. Nonsense. Even Cinderella had shed some tears to get her Fairy Godmother to show her face. And in real life, not always crying will do it... you have to keep working and stay alert until the right opportunity shows. The 3♦ is this opportunity.

But this card has a whole plethora of interesting meanings, that until now didn't make much sense to me. Ana Cortez also says that this three can be "a string of events"... facts that are connected. I always liked this meanings, but truth be told, I don't think I understood how it worked... until yesterday.

So, I turned the telly on and the film The Other Boleyn Girl was coming on. I had a couple of decks with me, because I like to shuffling them while watching television in order to "break" the stiff cards and make them more comfortable to handle. Also, I enjoy doing readings about the films and series I am watching, to practise.

As I shuffled my playing cards deck, I watched the Duke of Norfolk plot and scheme to get the king's attention by using the Boleyn girls. Their destiny was about to change, and so I did two readings, one for Mary and the other for Anne. Both had the 3♦ in the "head" position of the spread, the position that usually determines the general "feeling" of the reading.

Before you ask, yes, I did shuffle it well.

I barely had time to raise an eyebrow at this, when it hit me... this card had shown up because these girl's destinies were still being shaped. Both had received opportunities to change their lives forever, and all would depend on how they used them. This was the right moment that would connect their uneventful past with their dramatic futures, the one choice that made all the difference.

I kinda had a ta-da moment, because I could watch how this card really worked. The 3♦ is about opportunities, about the right moment, about the spark of inspiration that can change our lives. But it's also about the dots that connect mysteriously and unseen by us... only when we look back we see how everything ended up like a necklace, with many moments strung together.

Like Steve Jobs once said: "You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.". 

The 3♦ is a card that tells us that dots are being connected right now, even though we can't see, even though it doesn't make sense to us for the time being.

The Horoscope Spread

 This is a very nice, and rather popular spread. Many readers dislike it because it is big, and appears to be rather mind-boggling, but I have seen many readers using it to answer direct and objective questions with great success.

This spread requires 12 (or 13, if you want an Outcome card) cards, and it is based on the Zodiac wheel and the 12 Sun Signs. So if you know a bit of astrology and the 12 Houses, that should add even more depth to your interpretations.

The good side of this spread is that it can answer many questions using only one spread. It helps you to see a certain issue form the point of view of more than one person. Each house is related to one area of the sitter's life (finances, love, self-esteem, family, career etc.), so you can see all possible factors that can support or hinder the querent and how they connect.

Below I give short descriptions of what each position means. If you like this spread, it is advised that you study a bit about the Twelve Houses and what they symbolise, because this will help you to understand the dynamics of the layout better. And it'll help you to find where the answer to your question is.

1st House: the Self, identity, physical characteristics, attitude, something that is beginning. It also gives you the general "feeling"of the reading.

2nd House: wealth, belongings, properties money, resources.

3rd House: communication, siblings, neighbours, short-term studies, short/local travels.

4th House: family, parents, house, heritage, foundations, the maternal parental figure.

5th House: creation, self-expression, fun, children, pleasure, sex, games.

6th House: health, well-being, routine, duties, jobs (less long-term than a career), care-taking, services you do.

7th House: partnership, marriage, close relationships, agreements and contracts, open enemies and rivals.

8th House: sexuality, taboo matters, occultism, hidden resources, joint funds, gifts, death & rebirth, fight between the ego and the soul, transformation.

9th House: higher education, long travels, religion, knowledge, learning, expansion, goals.

10th House: career, ambitions, motivation, social status, authority, the dominant parental figure.

11th House: friends, acquaintances, groups, clubs, social connections, benefits generated by the career, hopes & wishes.

12th House: the unconscious, hidden influences, hidden enemies, difficulties, addictions, mysticism, places of seclusion, regret, dissolution of the ego.

13th Card - the Central Card: I consider this card to be an optional position in this spread. Some people use it for the card the represents the sitter, other consider it an advice card, and others use it to see the most likely outcome of the situation being analysed. It is not a part of the real zodiac wheel, so you should only use if you feel comfortable, and if you believe that the extra information is important.

Divination à la Samuel Hart & Co.

Chocolate eggs were not the best gift I received this Easter. Nope. In fact, I daresay they were pretty much forgotten after I got a historical reproduction of a 1840 playing cards deck by Samuel Hart & Co. The replica was made by Fournier.

I have been looking for a plain playing card deck to read with. I use the Playing Card Oracles deck, and as much as I love it, I wanted to challenge myself by using a deck without any illustrations whatsoever. Just the pips. The problem is that I failed to find a deck that spoke to me... until now. I'm surprised at how this old-looking reproduction is... talkative. I had lots of fun with it over the weekend.

The deck is small (8.8 cm x 6.2 cm), and has very simple images. The pip cards don't have numbers, but it doesn't make much difference in the end. The background colour of the deck is not that stark white, but a lovely beige that makes it even more old-fashioned. And the corners are not rounded, which I love. The deck has only four colours: yellow, red, dark blue and the light beige of the background. The back of the cards is light blue filled with tiny stars... no, it has absolutely nothing to do with the deck, but it does look cute and mystical!

It comes with the 52 playing cards plus 2 Jokers that don't look like they belong in this deck, because they are rather modern-looking. So I just leave them out, since I don't use them for divination anyway. The court cards are amazing... they are not the usual reversible court cards. The Kings and the Jacks have feet, and the Queens, long exquisite dresses. They all are staring somewhere with the corner of their eyes, as if searching for something... I just love this!

To get more acquainted with the cards, I made up a little game. I'd draw two cards from the top of the deck and read them as a pair... It was meant to help me read without the usual imagery of the Playing Card Oracles, and also to practise card combinations. Below are three examples:

South Wind + Gawain = and unexpected help that arrives just in time.

 

The Necklace + The Enemies = a good development of business hindered by fights and conflicts.

 

Mardoc the Heartless + The East Wind = a practical and serious man thinking something over very carefully... he has no hurry to act at all.

1840 Samuel Hart Reproduction Playing Cards © Naipes Heraclio Fournier

PCO: A career reading

This was a career reading done for another person, in one of the AT reading exchanges. I'm posting it here, along with the feedback, with the querent's permission. She is a hairstylist and runs her own business – a fact I only learnt after the reading.

~*~

A few things before we go.

First of all, there are three 7s here. The 7s are all swords, because they indicate a great amount of personal power. I wonder if you are the boss where you work, or someone of great influence. It also made me think that maybe you are some sort of freelancer, and that your working place depends a lot on you to keep going. Maybe you don't have a fixed team, and work in a more lonely fashion, with the occasional help of other people.

Secondly, This reading is pretty much balanced. We have the four suits, but there are more red cards than black. It makes me think that you work in a creative area... a place that doesn't have many rules, so you depend a lot on your personal discipline to keep things in order. This job help you to be disciplined, and you help the place you work to maintain it as well.

Half of the cards belong to the Heart suit. Whatever is your job, you have an emotional attachment to it.

Now, onto the cards!

C-reative expression: what you bring to this job/career ~ Ace of Cups (Agana)
What you bring to your job is something that goes from your heart. It's your love, your passion - your creative expression comes more strongly from your emotional side than your rational one. Your creative expression does not come necessarily as an explosion... it comes in more subtle manners, like concentration and silent devotion. You concentrate deeply on what you want to achieve and work diligently to do your best.

Feedback: Yes it is true, I'm very caring and do concentrate to make sure everyone is looked after.


A-ction: how this helps you reach your goals ~ 7 of Spades (Sword of Destruction)
This job helps you to reach your goals by forcing you to reevaluate and determine your priorities. It helps you to cut away what isn't necessary and give room for the real important things. Also, it helps you to maintain discipline, and use better your time which is important to achieve any goals.

Feedback: Yes I'm always cutting away everything that creates stress. I want everything to work smoothly.


R-esponsibility: be aware of ~ 7 of Clubs (Sword of Enchantment)
Be aware of the power of your thoughts and ideas. This job requires you to use and express your ideas carefully, for they attract things - both wanted and unwanted. Your words have significance, they affect the people around you - they affect you working environment. Be careful of the things you say, and to whom you say them.

Feedback: Yes "words" are the key here. We are in a small town, so there is no negative talking about any person or business because someone always knows someone here.


E-nergy: what drives/motivates you here ~ 4 of Diamonds (South Wind)
There's something about your job that is... agitated. Of course, all jobs have their boring days, but yours having something excited about it, that you find motivating. Maybe it's creative energy around you... maybe it's that small doses of chaos that make things more interesting. Whatever it is, it energies you and give you the verve to keep going.

Feedback: What motivates me is everybody's stories of their everyday living. The staff I work with also are motivating, we all get along.


E-arnings: what this career/job gives you ~ 6 of Hearts (The Home)
This jobs gives you a good, caring environment to develop your abilities. You feel safe in there. Despite the little chaos that exists there, it's not a vicious working environment, and you have good friends there. It gives you a good place to be, and helps you to make your life more comfortable.

Feedback: Yes, this is definitely correct!


R-elationships: co-worker influences, new interpersonal relations ~ 7 of Swords (Sword of Healing)
Your relationship with the people that work with you is usually a peaceful one. There's comradeship and people help each other. But the fact this card is a sword makes me think if you are some sort of boss or manager of this people, because it indicates that you have some sort of power in your hand. This power can be used both to help and to hurt, hurt badly. The environment of this reading leads me to think that you use it carefully.

Feedback: Yes, I'm the boss, but some people don't know it, I joke about it and say we are all the boss, I'm just the one that has to pay the bills. :)

PCO reading using the Little Medicine Wheel

This reading was done for a fellow AT, during one of the oracle reading exchanges. We used a spread called "The Little Medicine Wheel". I believe it was created for the AGMüller deck Vision Quest Tarot. It was slightly adapted for this exchange.

I'm posting here the reading plus the feedback. The feedback was posted with the permission of the querent. There was no specific question because of the nature of the spread, that allows a more general reading.

1. Messages from your mind ~ 8 of Hearts (The Garden)
This is a lovely card... beautiful flowers of all kind grow in a garden that is nourished with love. The Heart is the suit of water, and in the mind position, it indicated a tendency to act by emotional impulse, because your emotional side is so close to your rational side right now. But it also shows that, lately, your mind have been filled with things that bring you pleasure. Your family, your personal projects... whatever it is, the thoughts and ideas it brings are pleasing.
But, even in a garden as beautiful as this, there's a snake. She reminds us of our temptations... here, i think it related to fact your mind is a good place to be right now. Filled with good thoughts and great ideas... and dreams... be careful not to become trapped in them.

Feedback: I love it when a reading speaks to me. This truly does. I am truly an emotional person. I allow myself to be ruled by my emotions -for the most part. And yes, I have a tendency to daydream and get stuck in my head. This weekend I have happily wiled away the hours - in between loads of laundry - by sewing tarot bags. Its new for me, and I am no seamstress, but its loads of fun.

2. Message from your body ~ Jack of Diamonds (Dango)
Dearest Dango, our little attention seeker performer. Like Dango, your body is asking for attention - preferably something that makes it move, burn lots of energy and feel good. It does not means just going to the gym - your body wants something fun to do. Dancing. Running. Acting. Things that move it and show it at the same time. It does not want to be hidden or forgotten. Believe me, you have the energy to do this.
Be careful with stress, though. The energy of the Diamonds suit (Fire) in the position of the body (Earth) indicated a "stressed" sort of energy that might be trapped inside your body. Find a physical way to release it.

Feedback: Poor body of mine. It has been wanting/needing me to be more active for years. I am a sedentary person. I am active at work, but once home, I have very little physically that I do. I've thought alot about taking a yoga class, but I don't know how to fit it into my schedule and I am not sure I could afford it. When it warms up this spring, I would very much like to make the time to go walking on a more regular schedule.

3. Message from your emotions ~ 3 of Hearts (The Clutch)
Ouch. The Clutch is a complicated card when it comes to the matters of the heart, even if it belongs to the Heart suit, the suit of emotions. I see three hearts connected here - could it be your family? - and one broken heart. For some reason, i don't think it's broken because someone did something bad. Nops. It broke because someone was holding too hard. You know, like when you grab a glass so tightly it breaks. That's what happens here.
Love doesn't mean clutching. See the people that you love - are you sure you are putting pressure on one of them? Of course, you love them, you want the best... but too much protection, too much fear of letting go, holding too tightly... makes the glass break. It tires the heart.
This card is a small advice: unclench. Trust your loved ones. Let them go - they'll return to you, like birds return to their comfy nests once they are done flying around. But they need to fly.

Feedback: Hmm. I see this in a few different ways. In my interests, I tend to go hot and heavy at first. I smother myself with it, obsessing on whatever it is, til I don't want to deal with it at all.
With my family, I think of my son and how I want so very much to be able to help him, but my fear of my own inadequacy to do anything has pretty much left me paralysed to do anything. I am clutched, in this case, by my fear.

4. Message from your spirit ~ 8 of Clubs (The Scales)
Your spiritual side is in a moment of peace right now. It has found a momentary balance... there are no clouds covering the sky. All is clear to see. I daresay that, spiritually, you may be living a moment of transcendence... not, not necessarily a Buddha kind of thing. But it is as suddenly things made sense... they connect. You are free from the needing to understand the universe rationally - you can just believe. And it suffices for now.

Feedback: I AM in a lull right now. A peaceful break in the chaos. Not through any enlightenment or act of will, but just a down cycle. I revel in it, for I know these quiet moments are generally just that...brief momentary breaks in the cycle and the chaos will resume soon enough.

5. Next phase in your life ~ 10 of Diamonds (Lady Tendra)
Oops... more clutching here. Tendra, the young lady of the Diamonds suit, is certainly a fiery woman, with a strong personality and will. What she wants, she gets. But, she has this little problem - she clings to things, and sometimes, smothers them with the strength of her love, or her desire. In this card, she kisses the severed head of the man she loves... he's dead, but she won't let go...
In the next phase of your life, your perseverance and the power of you desire you'll help you to get what you want. Be obstinate, if needed - if it's worth it. Wake up the little Scarlett O'Hara in you!
However, be aware - Tendra's fire consumes what she loves. It takes us back to the 3 of Hearts, and even to the 8 of Hearts. There's something you love very much, and it's in you head right now. It's in you heart. It's been really getting your undiluted attention, probably because you love it so much. But time will come in which you'll need to let it go - it needs freedom. If you hold too tightly, you may break it.
Learning to release is you challenge in the next phase.

Feedback: Funny that, again this makes me think of tarot, more than my family. I'd tried to IDS a while ago. I think I lasted 2 1/2 months before giving it up. I immersed myself, forsaking all other. I was determined. then it became so much that I cannot bear to look at the deck I was once so fond of.
For now, I am learning to love again, handling many decks and loving every minute of it.



Afterthoughts: I did not know the querent had just been through a difficult time, tarot-wise. The amount of Diamond and Heart cards, plus the fact that we have two court cards here, made me think of family or other kind of close relationships. In any case, I completely understand that tarot and divination can really become a passion, which explain both suits, especially if the person is too involved, not only with the mind, but with the soul and the heart. Which seems the case here.

I also totally missed the fact we have a quite powerful partnership here. Dango and Tendra! It should have told me that her closest relationship (husband or son) is very strong, and thus allow me to think of another reason behind those clutching passionate cards.

Overall, it was great reading. I enjoyed doing it, and the querent is a lovely person, very kind about my mistakes!

PCO: I want love, pero ni tanto.

A few days ago I did a relationship reading for a divorced woman near her fifties. Actually, I did two. One of them was about their love life in the present (and the reading showed with poignant clarity that right now she was more concerned about taking care of her business than looking for love. So I did another, using the Cat Spread taught by Ana Cortez in the book of the Playing Card Oracles.

The point of this spread is to use the deck as the calendar that it, in fact, is. The deck has 52 cards – a lunar year has 52 weeks. It also has 4 suits, just like the year has 4 seasons, Each suit has 13 cards – each season, 13 weeks. Therefore, each card of the deck represents one week. These are some of the many correspondences between the calendar and a deck of playing cards.

The purpose of the Cat Spread is to find, within a one-year period, when something of significance (related to the sitter's question) will happen. And the cards show how it'll (or won't) happen. Why one year only? Because the deck is a one year calendar, so it cannot see beyond that. It can only see up to 52 weeks from the present.

So, I did this reading to know if she would find a partner within the next year.

The timing was seven lunar months and two weeks from the date of the reading (which happened last weekend). So the reading is indicating, approximately, the second week of September.

"September???", my sitter cried. "That's almost an year from now!"

I told her that she's welcome to challenge this reading, for not everything is written on stone. What most of readings show is a tendency, change your present path and you may also change the outcome of the situation.

These were the card for her reading:

Head (♦/Fire): 4♦

.

Throat (♣/Air): 11♣

.

Torso (♥/Water): 6♠

.

Feet (♠/Earth): 13♥

First of all – wow, what a balanced reading. One card from each suit and two of them in their assigned positions – Diamond in the Head, Clubs in the Throat - only the Spades and Hearts have exchanged places, but that's okay because their elements (earth and water, respectively) do get along together. I think her life will be organised than it is now (and now it's pretty chaotic). She'll be feeling more balanced, with everything (or almost) where it should be.

Since this is a love-life reading, the position I looked at was the Torso – the third card in the column. Six of Spades – The Ruin. It does not look pretty here, although we have a Heart card just underneath it. The fact that it is in a position ruled by the element Water, it's meaning is softened – it loses a bit of it's Earthy harshness. Still, isn't the best card for this question - the name "ruin" says it all, but let me describe it for you: a snowy landscape, a cloudy sky and rising towards it, an abandoned, ruined castle. The horizon is clearer – Spring will come. Things will be reborn. But, for now, it's winter, in all it's glorious dormant beauty.

Now, look, this card here in important: because it shows that, although there two men in this spread (one Jack and one King), the sitter's heart lies dormant. It does not look ready yet to receive love. It's still covered in snow, maybe feeling empty and abandoned thanks to past deceptions. It does not mean it's dead, it's just... hibernating.

Lets move on from here. The Head of the spread is another important position, for it usually gives the "atmosphere" of the reading. And here's our dear trickster wind, the South Wind (4♦). It blows and tries to lift our skirts... it tells us of something unexpected coming, something that will disturb our sitter. I think this disturbance is directly related to the two men in the reading - Lancelot (11♣) and Nicomiah (13♥). Suddenly, new people will appear in her life – or superficial acquaintances will come closer. In any case, it'll surprise her, disturb her, and maybe she won't even really like them at first – like "is fate playing a joke on me?". Here, it might.

I won't dwell too much on the two guys – I think Nicomiah (13♥) here is probably a man of her age, not exactly what she loves in a man (she told me that when I described him) but, being him in a position ruled by Earth, he is a bit strengthened here – maybe not as soft and as compliant as he could be in other positions. The earth gives shapeless Nicomiah a form.

As for Lancelot (11♣), it's not the first time I see him in a reading done for this sitter. He is in the throat position, in which his already impressive characteristics are enhanced – personally, I think he becomes too "dream-like" here. Too perfect. I am not so sure here, but I think Lancelot is her dream man – the man that she talks about when she says she wants a partner. Young, intelligent, sensitive and constantly moving around. When I described him, she said: "That's it – that's the guy I want". She doesn't want a new husband, she wants a guy she can have fun with... but, as we can see, her idea of a "good enough man" can be daunting for some guys.

I never posted a Geomantic analysis here before, so here it is: Acquisitio + Carcer = Fortuna Minor. The Geomancy here confirms what we saw in the cards – the opportunity will come, but because the sitter is still feeling "locked", unable to open up and accept it fully, the result may not be as good as it could.

And this is it, at least for this year – hopefully, in the next, her inner spring will have arrived already.

PCO + The Pentagram Spread

Here's the reading I did for another person, in one of the Aeclectic Tarot reading exchanges, using the PCO with a spread called The Pentagram Spread.

................5♣.............

..................................
....13♠................14♠

..................................
........11♠.......13♣.....

Your reading is full of earth – almost the entire Earth family is there (Morgana, Mardoc and Pampero). Are your an Earth sign, like Taurus, Capricorn or Virgo? That might explain the amount of earth cards! The five cards are black suits - the can mean that you have been feeling more introspective as of late, or more serious. Or even a bit melancholic.

There's a lack of Diamonds and Hearts, which are the more impulsive and spontaneous elements. Maybe you are lacking of spontaneity right now, or energy (real life can be a vampire sometimes). You don't have to become crazy and hyper, not at all. Just look for people and environments that make you feel more comfortable, so you can loosen up a bit when you are more tense.

1. The Place of the Inner Flame: King of Clubs ~ Sol
Sol is the king of the Air realm. Air and Fire are friendly elements, so I say that your intuition receives great support from the side your your mind that is more rational. You enrich the power of your intuition through studying and learning. You don't oppose your intellectuality and your spirituality.
I get the feeling here that learning is an important part of your life, and that future achievements will be the result of your dedication in perfecting one of your skills.

2. The Place of the Well: King of Spades ~ Mardoc
Mardoc, the king of the Earth realm, is a kinda cold and collected guy. You have been keeping your feelings more to yourself. Is not that you don't feel or are heartless – water and earth are friendly, so Mardoc in this position isn't bad –, but maybe you've been trying to protect yourself by holding your feeling at bay. Some people may perceive a certain melancholy in you, even if actually you're just serious, not sad. In the matters of heart, you tend to the pragmatic view.

3. The Place of the Sword: Queen of Spades ~ Morgana
Morgana is the queen of the Earth realm, Mardoc's divorced wife. This is very significant - somehow, you tend to separate your heart from your mind. They are two sides of the same coin, but in you, they are divorced.
Your mind is sharp, and nothing escapes your eyes. When you need to rationalise, you can do it very well. I wonder if you have some interest in magic and in the occult beside the tarot – Morgana, as we all know, is a sorceress. Again, I see a tendency to focus be pragmatic regarding thoughts and ideas. You are not satisfied with wondering how things could be – you want to turn them into something practical.

4. The Place of the Stone: Jack of Spades ~ Pampero
Your body is very, very strong, and so is you health – even when you complain of a pain here, and itch there, that usually isn't serious. our body hardly ever lets you down or keeps you from doing what you want. It's your reliable companion!
Your body can be easily disciplined. If for any reason you are unsatisfied about it, or thinking that you should exercise more, do more healthy things, know that your body will adapt quickly to it. Moving your body will do you good, just like turning over the earth with a shovel aerates the ground and make it better for the plant.  If you already keep a healthy lifestyle, then you must know that already!

5. The Place of the Spirit/Soul: Five of Clubs ~ East Wind
The "East Wind" is a gentle, constant force. It's not the power of the immediate change - it's the water that wears down the rock. Slowly, it changes things. It has no hurry.
Exercise your patience. Learn to be like this wind, that works everyday towards a goal. Set your mind to your dream and go after it, one step at a time. Don't hurry. Think before acting, wait for the facts and the developments of the situations before jumping to conclusions. Give yourself time to meditate.
The life outside might be a marathon; but within yourself, in your spirituality, you have all the time you need.

Feedback: Yes, my sun sign is Taurus :). But these days, I'm also concerned with becoming more grounded/stable, finances, and some minor health issues. [...]  My internship has run into some obstacles that have left me feeling all of the above, in addition to a recent relationship breakup. [...] This was a really good reading, Marina, and gave me a lot to think about. Thank you!

(Note: The feedback was card-per-card but I only posted a part of it. The reading didn't deal with excessively private matters or any sticky subjects, but I didn't feel comfortable with sharing the entire feedback.)

PCO: Seven of Clubs & the power of word-bending

So... today I was watching Law and Order: SVU, one of my favourite TV shows. As usual, while watching TV, I kept shuffling my Playing Card Oracles deck. It's a force of habit. I started doing this to "break" the deck and making the handling easier. And now I just can't stop.

As soon as the episode began, and the victim appeared, I decided to do a "reading" about the criminal. What were the killer's intention, how was he working. I do that with tarot cards too. I found it's a great way to explore the meanings of the cards beyond some boundaries – especially that ones that determine the so-called "bad cards" and "good cards".

I used the Playing Card Oracles present spread: pulled four cards, placed them vertically (one under the other) and assigned to each position one part of the body: head, throat, torso, foot.

The cards I got were:

Head (♦/Fire): 12♦

.

Throat (♣/Air): 7♣

.

Torso (♥/Water): 11♦

.

Feet (♠/Earth): 5♠

First I was a bit nonplussed. None of the cards were really terrible, and we were talking about a serious stalker. The 5 of Spades in the Foot position told me this person wanted to take something from another - probably from perceiving that the victim was taking something from him or her.

I was surprised that Livia, Queen of Diamonds, showed up in the first position. A nurturing woman, who cares for others and support them...the in Head position? First I thought "hum, the stalker must be a woman". But the show didn't give any evidences – all their suspects were males.

But the card that really left me wondering was the 7 of Clubs, the Sword of Enchantment, in the Throat position.  This position is about ideas, communication, agreements (or disagreements)... yeah, I had two huge question marks planted in my eyes,

I knew this Sword wasn't good there, even though the card is usually a good one. You know, one of these cards that mean "phew!" in most readings. Except that, here, it didn't mean phew!...it was more like "what the hell!?". I kept staring at the spread, trying to figure out the criminal's motive. The Sevens are card of great power – that's why they are represented by swords, in the first place. So who is holding the handle?

Livia.

And who is the sword pointing to?

Dango, Jack of Diamond, an immature guy who wants attention but... guess what, is under the thumb of a hierarchically superior woman. But this isn't any sword – it's the Sword of Enchantment, the one that tells us that the mind has the power to turn certain things into reality. The card of magic, enchantment.

But it did not scream "magic" to me. Nor it seemed to be telling me about a synchronicity, or a coincidence... if anything, it told me something was unseen. The way the power of this sword was being used was not obvious. Hidden influence.

The episode went on. They found a guy, it wasn't him – he was a pervert, but not a stalker. Then they found another guy, this one obsessed with the victim... but too silly to seem capable of pulling off this whole master plan of evil. He was, anyway, the prime suspect, and I found myself wondering what the hell was Livia doing there after all. This guy was certainly more a Dango than anything else.

 

Then, all of a sudden, it hit me. The Sword. In the Throat position. It wasn't about magic here at all... but more about the power of some people's words. How they manage to twist and bend reality with the stories they tell, the things they say. Some use it for good - telling stories, creating worlds so convincing it's hard to believe they don't exist. Others use it badly – to manipulate, hurt, lie etc.

There it was – the bad side of the 7♣ was the choice of using the sword's magic in a negative way. Being it in the Throat position, it was about communication.

Livia, you naughty girl! Twisting Dango's obsessions – manipulating the poor guy, you know he ain't gonna accuse you. You take care of him, and he probably likes it. Using his dependency against him... tsk tsk. That's not nice.

I immediately knew that the "stalker", as obsessed he was, wasn't the one responsible for hurting the victim. Someone was behind him. Someone stronger than him, who supported him and put up with his crap for some reason. And they found her in the show – the guy's self-proclaimed girlfriend, who was mad because the victim had so many men around her already! Why did she have to go around seducing other guys and robbing them from the girls who had no one? (Hum... is that a 5 of Spades I see here?)

The girl was, of course, completely nuts. The victim hadn't seduced the guy – he suffered from erotomania, and believe that the victim loved him. But it didn't make any difference in the end. If she couldn't fully have him, then no one else would. Not satisfied with attempting against the victim's life, Livia killed our poor Dango in the bath tub.

Tells something about the all-consuming power of the fire, doesn't it?

The Bridge Spread

Some people have asked me about the layout that I used in the last post. It's called "The Bri
dge", and it comes from Ana Cortez book The Playing Card Oracles. I find it to be a very to the point spread, that helps us see the good and the bad we have in the present, and integrate it with the past and the near future developments.

For those interested, I am sharing it below:

"This is a picture layout that gives you a general look at the energies at play in a person's life. Before shuffling, locate the 6 of Clubs ("The Bridge") within your deck and lay it face up on the table. Now have the person you are reading for mix the cards and turn one off the top of the deck for each of the four sides of "The Bridge".  These can be laid out in whichever order feels right intuitively.
The card to the left of "The Bridge" represents the past or what you are leaving behind. The card to the right is what is to come. Above symbolizes what is on The Bridge, for example, what is currently being manifested or carried with you across The Bridge.
The card at the bottom shows what is underneath The Bridge, in other words, what is being transcended. This is the fodder for transformation, the situations which must be overcome in order to change the conditions of the past into the promises of the future."

(From: The Playing Card Oracles, p. 176-177)

An old experiment with the PCO: Reading without a question

I did this reading back in 2007 for my (then) 13 years old sister (she's now 15). Yeah, family has always been my Guinea pig. She didn't want a reading, but I gave her the deck to shuffle and did it anyway. I wasn't being much serious either, but turns out that the reading was fantastically accurate. And my sister isn't a very open person – I knew nothing of this before the reading.

I used the Playing Card Oracles and the method is one taught by the PCO book. Its called "The Bridge Layout". You put the card 6♣ (which is the Bridge card) in the middle, and then draw other four cards and place them around it. The layout for my sister's reading was this one:

...2 ♥.

Jack ♥... 6 ♣...8 ♥...

...6 ♥

First thing I noticed, before I even tried to see what each position meant: too much water. Too much emotion, maybe? It crossed my mind that it might be the hormones... I don't know why, maybe because they 'mess' with out inner waters... and everything else, actually.

Then i saw the numbers...all were even, except for the J♥, that's 11. I saw a that she had a "Jack" (a young boy, probably her age) that was knocking her over. She had been until now protected (maybe by the family – 6♥.), and now something is breaking this protection. Slowly of course, since it's only one card. Then I started interpreting the cards positions. The J♥ is the past – I saw him as the one who started this big emotional storm that's going inside her. But because of the other even numbers, I can see she's still holding it back.

The 2♥ represents the gifts of the present and for me it meant obviously that this 'gift' was a feeling of 'love'...not really Romeo & Juliet undying kind of love, just an initial thing (the number is low), something she had never felt before. It excited her.

The 6♥ was in the obstacles of the present position, and it seemed to me it was very hard for her to move on from the comfortable 'home' feeling of what she already knew to something more instable. Typical from this age, the difficulties of having to face the world and different experiences and feelings.

In the future position I saw the 8♥ as representing that maybe this would become more intense. Not necessarily the 'love' thing, but more the whole 'emotion' thing. The card, that is called "The Garden", has a serpent in it... I thought that it might be related to a awakening sexuality.

I gave her the reading and she didn't say anything. Days later, however, she confirmed that I was right, and that she was very surprised, since she hadn't even asked the question out loud. It was interesting... my first reading without knowing what the other wanted to know. Great for practice!

Review: The Playing Card Oracles

First of all: this is not tarot. Also, this is not your "usual" playing cards system with so-called "traditional" divinatory meanings (as if there even were such a thing). If you expect a book on traditional cartomancy or a tarot-like system, then I'm sad to inform you that The Playing Card Oracles is not for you.

Now... if what you want is a system that is deep, unique, innovative and different from everything you ever saw before, then this is definitely the book to get. Really! The Playing Card Oracles is one of the rare divination decks & books that actually thinks outside the box. It teaches you things you didn't know. It doesn't recycle knowledge from other sources. It gives you something new.

The book is amazing - an interesting and rich mix of images, poetry, fairy tales (all original) and divination. Ana Cortez' writing style makes you feel as if you were talking to her. I must have read this book dozens of times already and I never get tired of it. It always gives me food for thought. Also, the way it teaches you to read common playing card decks, usually used for games, is amazing. The meanings given by Ana Cortez are at the same time intuitive and complex. They bring together numbers, colours and images. And they even include Geomancy, which is a fantastic addition to the system.

This is not 'cartomancy 101 for dummies'. The PCO requires proactivity - it asks you to rise to the challenge of deciphering its many layers. You need to read the book, open yourself to its myth, practise with the cards and see what works for you and what doesn't. Ana is not inflexible or bossy: she gives you the basic meanings, but you are encouraged to come up with your own. This book really explores the world of the playing cards - its legends, its mysterious history and its usage as an oracle. It's a complete system on it's own, and what you cannot learn from the book, you'll learn from the cards themselves.

As for the cards, they are beautiful. Some pictures are, indeed, a bit dark - but that's what they are meant to be! They are evocative. Don't get put off simply because it doesn't conform to the standard definition of beauty, or because it's not yet-another fluffy bunny deck with colourful art. Give it a chance and the deck will certainly grow on you. But if you do not care for C.J. Freeman's art style in particular, keep in mind that you can still use a common deck of poker cards, with the same results. The system is designed to work with any 52-card playing card deck.

It's sad to see that some people have misunderstood the purpose of this book, and rated it badly here. What they see as a problem, I see as being this book's greatest accomplishment: being different from all other playing card books out there. The Playing Card Oracles is not meant to be a pale companion to the tarot. On the contrary, it is a revolutionary system that goes way beyond mere 'card reading', and teaches you a whole new way of understanding divination itself.

Here are some of the cards: