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♠ ..................

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2♦.......... 6♣ .......... 12♣

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