Last Updated: August 5, 2010
I think of Cartomancy like a chart. Along the top are the suits, and along the side are the pips (numbers). The way that those suits and numbers interact create the essential meanings of the cards. This list may change over time.
Suits
I define the suits of the cards as follows:
Diamonds: Money, communication, financial or thought-related matters. Also: the near future, youth, or Spring. Element of Fire.
Hearts: Home, family, emotional matters. Also: the present, the prime of life, or Summer. Element of Water.
Clubs: Work, effort, goal-related matters. Also: the relative future, middle-age, or Autumn. Element of Air.
Spades: Challenges, troubles, worry-related matters. Also: the past, old age, or Winter. Element of Earth.
Pips
The numbers of the cards also have a basic meaning.
Aces: Beginnings; new things; the archetype or essence of the suit.
Twos: An exchange of some kind.
Threes: Growth, interference, and triangles of any kind.
Fours: Foundations, solidity, steadfastness, or stagnation.
Fives: Things which have to do with the self or the body – Two arms, two legs, one head.
Sixes: Paths, the space between, time cards.
Sevens: The unexpected, fate (some will define 7s as “troubles” but I find that too limiting.)
Eights: Groups of thoughts or people.
Nines: The essence of wishes, goals, etc.
Tens: Endings and destinations.
Jack (or knave): Youth of either gender, or rites of passage.
Queen: Woman, or truth.
Kings: Man, or power.
Combining the above, below is a basic list of keywords which I have assigned to each of the cards.
A? A letter, a ring, money in general, an idea
2? Communication, payment, exchange for value
3? Small money, scattered thoughts, dreams
4? Documents, regular expenses
5? Things purchased or consumed; food, fire, shopping
6? Distance in general, a car, a large investment, the Internet
7? Recognition, inspiration, clairvoyance, or with negative cards, falling short
8? Thoughts in general, money coming and going, budget, financial firms
9? Big and sudden change: of mind, of plans, of finances
10? Much, plenty; destinations, travel, independence
J? The optimist, the athlete, a relative by marriage
Q? The socialite, the other woman, a relative by marriage
K? The entrepreneur, the salesman, a relative by marriage
A? The home or at home, emotional beginnings, emotions in general
2? Relationships in general
3? The small wish card, fertility, growing feelings
4? Fairness, comfort, peace, home-away-from-home
5? Enjoyment, pleasure, sex, good health
6? Lasting friendship, progress, the Present
7? Faith, second chances, happy surprises
8? Celebration, existing relationships
9? The wish card, the heart’s desire
10? Happiness, stability, a body of water
J? The dreamer, the lover, a family member, a child
Q? The mother, the homemaker, the nurturer, a female blood relative
K? The father, the family man, the protector, a male blood relative
A? An opportunity, an institution
2? Helping hand, partnership, duplication
3? Things that grow
4? Buildings, solid foundations, common sense, or with negative cards, stagnation
5? Physical effort, responsibility
6? Education or study, teaching, business trips, the Relative Future
7? Chance, willpower, resourcefulness
8? Work, co-workers, one’s daily routine, conversation, and with negative cards, stress
9? Goals, achievements
10? Success, completion of a project, or with negative cards a mountain of work
J? The student, the trusted friend, apprentice or volunteer
Q? The trusted friend, the business woman
K? The mentor, the business man, the lawyer
A? A decision, a death, a worry
2? Separation, conflict
3? Something lost, a point of contention, a bad day (mounting frustrations)
4? Exhaustion, stubbornness, injustice
5? Illness, cutting something away
6? Walking away, the wrong path, the Past
7? Misfortune, the hidden, a mystery, sudden trouble
8? Infection, poisoned atmospheres, negative or dangerous groups
9? Karmic debts, a wish not coming true, injury, disappointment
10? Warnings, nightmares, grief, and with positive cards, “this too shall pass”
J? The charmer, the solider, an untrustworthy youth, a spirit, a familiar
Q? The widow, the divorcee, a rival, a spirit, a witch, a lie
K? The controller, the man of authority, a foreign man, a spirit, a witch, a politician
My notes on the Court Cards
Occasionally the reader will be inclined to read the court cards as something other than people. I have adopted the below interpretations in these cases.
The Jacks/Knaves as Rites of Passage
Over time I have come to view the Jacks as representative of rites of passage if they are not people. The Jack of Hearts might represent a first boyfriend or girlfriend, the Jack of Clubs a first job, etc.
The Queens as Truth
If not people, the queens can be read as “truth”. The queens are a gossipy bunch. The reader might weigh the information gleaned from the queens based on its source. The Queen of Hearts tells the truth, while the Queen of Spades tells a lie. The other two would fall in between: Diamonds might be more self-serving, and clubs would always keep in mind the greater good.
The Kings as Power
If not people, the kings are indicators of where the power in a situation lies. The King of Hearts may have the power of forgiveness. The King of Clubs may have the power to teach the querent something. The King of Diamonds would have the power to give something, and the King of Spades to power to give comeuppance, or perhaps to take something away.
The Joker
The Joker in my deck usually foretells a shock, something unknown by the querent, or something the querent is ill-prepared for. Events rarely turn out as anticipated, whether for better or worse, when the Joker is involved. Some readers use both Jokers in their decks, reading the red one as positive and the black one as negative, some readers use only one for both, and some readers decline to use the Joker at all.
Card suit images are from Artvex.com.
Copyright: Lis Kean 2010 -
Tigerlily Cottage: Cartomancy Definitions by Lis of Tigerlily Cottage is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada License
