Ordinary playing cards can serve for divination as well as Tarot cards. In comparison with the Tarot's pictures and symbolism, however, the meanings are much more simplistic. Cartomancy (the use of playing cards) have been used for many years starting around 1790 France.
Hearts: Ace - Happiness, love, friendship King - A fair haired man, affectionate and generous but impetuous Queen - A fair haired woman, trustworthy Jack - A fair haired young person; a good friend 10 - Good fortune, happiness 9 - The 'wish card'; desires will come ture 8 - Invitations, but also partings 7 - Someone is unreliable 6 - Unexpected good fortune; generosity 5 - Jealousy, indecision 4 - Changes, possibly travel or postponements 3 - Need for caution 2 - Success, friendship
Spades: Ace - Conflicts, a difficult love affair King - Dark haired man, ambitious, usually successful Queen - Dark haired women, can be seductive or unsrupulous Jack - Dark haired young man; a well meaning person 10 - Worry 9 - Bad luck, can mean delays or quarrels 8 - Disappointments and opposition 7 - A warning against possible loss of friendship 6 - An improvement in life 5 - Anxiety, setbacks, interferences 4 - Jealousy, business troubles 3 - Partings, possibly due to faithlessness 2 - Scandal, gossip, danger of deceit
Diamonds: Ace - Money, a ring King - Fair haired man, stubborn and powerful Queen - Fair haired women, flirtatious, sophisticated, witty Jack - A relative, someone not quite reliable 10 - Journey, changes, usually bringing wealth 9 - Opportunities and surprises, usually financial 8 - Late marriage or a new relationship; unexpected money 7 - A gift 6 - A reconciliation; a warning against a possible second marriage 5 - Successful meetings, particularly in business 4 - An inheritance, a change for the better 3 - Legal or domestic battles 2 - A love affair becomes most important thing
Clubs: Ace - Harmony, property, achievement, love King - Dark haired man, honest, open Queen - Dark haired women, strong minded, helpful, attractive Jack - A reliable friend 10 - Money from an unexpected source, good luck or a gift 9 - A new romance 8 - Opposition, danger of recklessness 7 - Prosperity, though a danger of romantic interference 6 - Business success 5 - Help from a friend or spouse 4 - Bad change of fortune
3 - Good marriage or alliance 2 - Disappointment and opposition
To choose the significator card (the card that represents the person you are reading for) use the list below:
King of Diamonds - Fair or grey haired man over 40 Queen of Diamonds - Fair haired women over 40 King of Hearts - Fair haired young man Queen of Hearts - Fair haired young women King of Spades - Dark haired man over 40 Queen of Spades - Dark haired women over 40 King of Clubs - Dark haired young man Queen of Clubs - Dark haired young women
To read the cards you can use most of the spreads dexcribed with tarot decks. One difference: mix the cards yourself and then open them in a fan and ask the person to choose the correct number of cards for the layout. For a traditional layout ask the subject to divide the deck into two halves and then choose one. You would lay out the top twenty one cards in seven groups of three in a semicircle around the significator card. The cards are read starting at the lower left of the significator card
Cards: 1 - 3 Represent the situation and the person's state of mind. 4 - 6 Signify family or relationship. 7 - 9 Shows present desires 10 - 12 Show long term expectations. 13 - 15 Indicate the unexpected 16 - 18 Signify the immediate developments. 19 - 21 The long term results.
