Chapter One

History and New Ideas

Playing cards have been loved by people all over the world for centuries and have been used in divination for most of that time. Cards for playing games were known in Europe by 1375, and the first English packs were made around 1450. They are usually associated today with the glamor and risk of Poker or a spy playing in a luxurious casino, but there is also a long tradition where exactly the same playing cards were used to tell the future.

I love creating new divination systems. I’ve done it a lot over the years, and you can discover a rich source of new ideas from almost anything: string, coloured beads, cities, autumn leaves. The two objects I think are the easiest and cheapest to buy today—but which also have very important histories in divination—are playing cards and dice.

I previously wrote a book which introduced readers to the ancient use of dice for foretelling the future (Elemental Divination: A Dice Oracle, Llewellyn 2018). The other I felt I had to write was this one, because the playing card deck is a unique experience that continues to fascinate and entertain us in a way few others have over the centuries. It’s a survivor, an unbroken connection to both the past and the ways in which people play with chance and luck.

The following pages will give you a complete system of divination using only a standard playing card deck. You will discover personalities within the cards: Mythic Roles such as the Hunter, the Trickster, and the Healer, and learn how they form a path of wisdom for us to follow.

A Modern Deck

Some of the traditional meanings of playing cards in divination are not very useful for today’s readers. They are usually focused on three things: marriage, illness, and tall dark strangers. Back when the systems were developed, those were the most important topics!

Unfortunately, they’re just not satisfying to us now. For example, a book of “Kentucky Superstitions” in the 1920s lists the court cards as “A blond man, A rather dark-haired man, an extremely dark-haired man …” and so on, leaving a quarter of the deck as only that. Other lists obsess over whether you will be successful in business, or they give different definitions of each card depending on whether the client is a man or a woman, often in a sexist way that simply doesn’t apply to our lives anymore.

This new modern system was created to give readers a full set of answers and hidden wisdom without needing to ignore half of the results from historical lists. The popularity of tarot, Lenormand, and other decks today means that we are used to seeing a much wider set of ideas and themes. It’s time that playing cards delivered the same deep experience.

There is no fixed set of playing card meanings for divination. Some have been written down over the years but either use a smaller number of cards or have the disappointing meanings mentioned above. More importantly, there is no history of everyone using those few fixed ideas anyway. Playing cards have always been invented and reinvented. For example, two hundred years ago the King of Clubs represented an evil man—until Mlle. Lenormand, one of the most famous card readers whose name was later applied to an entire deck, thought that the King of Clubs was a generous and helpful man instead. Many authors today use their own style which was developed from something they were taught (by someone who also changed what they were originally taught). There is not, and never has been, one “true” set of definitions for playing cards.

This flexibility is an exciting opportunity for card readers to create, to improve and to share. The more techniques and stories we give to each other, the more wisdom we will all find in this brilliant deck.

Gambit, Folly, and the Roles Within the Cards

Playing card divination usually gives a theme to all cards of the same number, as well as to all cards in the same suit. In this book, each number represents a Mythic Role, one of the archetypes who walk within the deck. For example, all the number five cards are The Warrior and the sevens are The Noble. Each suit then gives an action for that Role: “Promise,” “Gambit,” “Folly,” or “Triumph.” Every Role has one of each, producing a combination such as “Trickster’s Gambit” or “Hermit’s Folly.” The full list of these names is shown here.

Ace = The Hunter	Eight = The Hermit
Two = The Lover	Nine = The Dancer
Three = The Healer	Ten = The Magician
Four = The Smith	Jack = The Trickster
Five = The Warrior	Queen = The Lady
Six = The Singer	King = The Sovereign
Seven = The Noble
Clubs = Promise	Spades = Folly
Diamonds = Gambit	Hearts = Triumph

An Important Note on Gender

While some readers might think of Roles such as the Warrior or the Blacksmith as being male, they are not. Warriors and smiths have always been female, male, and neither; in this deck, they are very specifically available to any gender. Even the Queen cards as “the Lady” represent a figure of pure luck and chance with no gender, and the King as “the Sovereign” can be a ruler who is female, male, or other. Please read all of these Roles as whichever gender you wish.

Stories and Transformation

The card meanings are written in a specific way. The first page of each number is an overview of the Mythic Role, such as “the Hunter” or “the Healer.” The four cards for that Role will then be listed in the order of: Clubs (Promise), Diamonds (Gambit), Spades (Folly), and Hearts (Triumph).

Each individual card then starts with a title, keywords, and a short story. This story does something very important: traditional playing card divination has only brief definitions, so by including these tales the pack is instead transformed into a book in your hand that has many characters, struggles, and colourful places. When readers pick up the cards they could meet masked street heroes and their deadly enemies in Venice, students of science choosing their prize, or a phoenix made of stars finding its way home. The plain pip designs remind us of richer adventures.

This isn’t an unusual idea! “Transformation” playing card decks (popular throughout America and Europe in the 1800s) took the pips on a card, for example six red hearts, and drew a picture around them that turned them into the angry faces of six enemy warriors. By illustrating the whole deck this way, artists created a scenario on each card. The short stories in this book are there to do the same thing but in words. Though optional, they will add a lot of fun and adventure to the experience of reading with the deck.

After the story section the divinatory meaning of the card is given in detail and the differences that “Promise,” “Gambit,” and the other suits bring to the Roles are explained. We then look at how the meaning often relates to real life, as well as how it might change in combination with other cards.

While the meanings are modern and useful, the stories and Mythic Roles are deliberately separate from our daily reality. Cards have been with us since the 1300s and there was a big resurgence of both gambling and divination in the medieval period using cards, dice, and other forms. The stories in this book are historical, magical, fantastic, and mundane. In order to bring to light the centuries of legend and storytelling over card tables (and help us speak to our own subconscious and intuition as we use them) they feature warriors and generals, dragons and elemental spirits, schoolteachers and young thieves. The essential lessons of people exploring their place in the world have not changed since the time of nobles and blacksmiths (both roles are still with us today, in fact) and so the themes are deliberately set outside the scientific modern world.

That final section of the page also talks about the wisdom that each card brings to a journey which runs all the way through the deck, Aces to Tens.

The Journey Through the Roles

In some systems of divination there is a path of discovery the reader can take from the first card to the last. In tarot this has become known as “the Fool’s Journey” through the major arcana. The Fool begins in innocence, encounters the challenges of the World, and grows to master all aspects of life.

The playing card deck also has a journey and lessons to be learned. In it, the Hunter starts alone before meeting others in society as the Lover and the Healer, acts in the world as the Smith and the Warrior, wrestles with fame and power as the Singer and the Noble, looks within to find a new way of being as the Hermit and the Dancer, and brings together everything learned along the way as the Magician.

This path is called the Magician’s Journey, because every lesson makes the Hunter (and also the reader) more capable at meeting the challenges of life. These are also exactly the same as the skills which make a magician better at magic: strength of character, knowledge of the self, exploring how we interact with the world—all these things go into making a person truly capable and powerful.

The wisdom of each Role will be covered in the section just before the definitions of the four cards of that number as well as in the pages for each card. Following the Journey can help you to better understand the energy of each card during divination and to bring their power into your own life.

Buying Your Own Decks of Cards

There is a huge variety of playing card designs available today. Just as tarot decks are created in all the themes you can imagine, so too are playing cards: with art featuring gold leaf, fine paintings, nature, old-fashioned parchment, animals, modern computer graphics—there are thousands of versions available.

They can also be extremely cheap to buy, which is an important part of why this system was written. My previous book gave readers a full experience of divination with the magical correspondences of the elements using only normal dice. Just like dice, playing cards are cheap and easy to find, convenient to carry with you, and do not look like occult objects if you wish to use them in public. These fifty-two cards with their centuries of history and lore are available much more cheaply and easily than other decks, and you may be delighted at just how many designs there are to choose from.

Using This System with a Deck of Tarot Cards

If you already own a tarot deck, you can use it with this system as well. Simply put some of the tarot cards to one side so that the remainder fit the playing card order. To do this, remove all of the major arcana and the four Pages. This will leave you with Aces to Tens, Knight (Jack), Queen, and King. The suit of Swords are Spades (from the Italian for “sword,” spada), Wands are Clubs, Coins are Diamonds, and Cups are Hearts. Using tarot cards works even more easily with Marseille-type decks, where the minor arcana already show playing card pips instead of a fully illustrated scene on each card.

But of course, the original feel of this system comes from a plain set of normal Poker-style cards, not tarot. Playing cards are cheap, easy to buy, and have their own history of excitement, chance, and conflict. Even if you already own tarot, try using a deck of modern playing cards and note the differences.

A Summary Table of Card Meanings

You can use this table to find the basic keywords that each card represents, for quick readings. For more developed answers you can go to the main page for that card. (They are in this order in the book, and page numbers are also available on the Contents page and in the Indices).

Card	Title	Story	Keywords
Ace of Clubs	Hunter’s Promise	Alanna Hunts the Dragon	A New Beginning, Personal Goals, Focus
Ace of Diamonds	Hunter’s Gambit	Sev Sees the Target	An Opportunity, Test of Skill, Going All In
Ace of Spades	Hunter’s Folly	Nikolai Finds Only Death	Disaster, Ruthlessness, Sudden Change
Ace of Hearts	Hunter’s Triumph	Sophia Claims the Silver Arrow	Joy, Gaining Your Heart’s Desire, Strong Success
Two of Clubs	Lover’s Promise	Aisling Walks in Autumn Leaves	Hope, Romance and Fantasy; Comfort
Two of Diamonds	Lover’s Gambit	Lela Steals a Kiss	Emotional Risk, Agreements, Contracts
Two of Spades	Lover’s Folly	Rickard Floats Downstream	Heartbreak, Argument, Angry Words
Two of Hearts	Lover’s Triumph	Yelen Looks to the Stars	Love, Partners, Intimacy
Card	Title	Story	Keywords
Three of Clubs	Healer’s Promise	Hanna and the Soldier	Moral Decisions, Compassion, Principles
Three of Diamonds	Healer’s Gambit	Angelique Receives a Gift	Gift, Good Deeds, Assistance
Three of Spades	Healer’s Folly	Peter’s Poor Excuses	Exhaustion, Undeserved Guilt, Overwork
Three of Hearts	Healer’s Triumph	Hazel Brought to Judgement	Gratitude, Recognition, Teamwork
Four of Clubs	Smith’s Promise	Dinri and the Shining City	Long-term Work, Planning, Patience
Four of Diamonds	Smith’s Gambit	Fiona’s Masterpiece	Creation, Skilled Work, Planned Change
Four of Spades	Smith’s Folly	Nell Clings to the Window	Greed, Inertia, Obsession
Four of Hearts	Smith’s Triumph	Old Fu Eats a Pear	Harvest, Order, Fairness
Five of Clubs	Warrior’s Promise	Temir of the Three Chiefs	Conflict, Necessary Opposition, Resistance
Five of Diamonds	Warrior’s Gambit	Elena on the Burning Sands	Courage, Overcoming Fear, Taking Action
Five of Spades	Warrior’s Folly	Ferghus, Shunned And Alone	Acting Rashly, Dishonorable Actions, Shame
Five of Hearts	Warrior’s Triumph	Ambassador Levan’s Game	Victory, Beating Stronger Opponents, Safety
Six of Clubs	Singer’s Promise	Claire Reads a Secret	Communication, Written Messages, Being Understood
Six of Diamonds	Singer’s Gambit	The Lady of the Forest	Performance, Outward Appearances, Being Seen
Six of Spades	Singer’s Folly	Jenny Buys Another Round	Celebration, Holiday, Carefree Enjoyment
Six of Hearts	Singer’s Triumph	Lissa Sings of Love and Sorrow	Persuasion, Fame, Glamor
Card	Title	Story	Keywords
Seven of Clubs	Noble’s Promise	Lady Mapenzi Faces the Storm	Home, Fair Dealing, Contentment
Seven of Diamonds	Noble’s Gambit	Omorede is Not Alone	Friendship, Loyalty, Recognising Debts
Seven of Spades	Noble’s Folly	Tatiana, Queen of the World	Ego, Prejudice, Injustice
Seven of Hearts	Noble’s Triumph	Dalton’s Empty Advice	Searching for Answers, Continuing Responsibility, Restlessness
Eight of Clubs	Hermit’s Promise	Sara Reaches the Empty Sky	Travel, Peace, Escape
Eight of Diamonds	Hermit’s Gambit	Hedda Speaks to The Ancestors	Mental Effort, Clarity, Ignoring Interruptions
Eight of Spades	Hermit’s Folly	The Emerald Mask Repaid	Isolation, Overthinking, Prioritizing Thoughts over Deeds
Eight of Hearts	Hermit’s Triumph	The Phoenix and the Stars	Reconciliation, New Knowledge, Returning
Nine of Clubs	Dancer’s Promise	Adelise Listens Within	Intuition, Connection, Avoiding Danger
Nine of Diamonds	Dancer’s Gambit	Anja Enters the Cave	Cycles, Habits, Burdens
Nine of Spades	Dancer’s Folly	Mara, Lost in Beauty	Illusion, Self-Deception, Imbalance
Nine of Hearts	Dancer’s Triumph	Hyun-Ki Chases His Master	Paths, Easy Progress, Harmony
Ten of Clubs	Magician’s Promise	Jess Throws an Acorn	Balance, Self-Discipline Fairness
Ten of Diamonds	Magician’s Gambit	Isla and the Four Spirits	Juggling, Reducing Chaos, Applying Knowledge
Ten of Spades	Magician’s Folly	Mother Olivia’s Magic	Simple Tasks, Avoiding Arrogance, Routine Work
Ten of Hearts	Magician’s Triumph	Alanna Faces the Dragon	Mastery, Completion, Success Through Learning
Card	Title	Story	Keywords
Jack of Clubs	Trickster’s Promise	Sabina Betrayed	Lies, Betrayal, Worthless Assurances
Jack of Diamonds	Trickster’s Gambit	Beth Meets a Good Dog	Unexpected Lessons, Risks for Large Gains
Jake of Spades	Trickster’s Folly	Harry’s Run Cut Short	Honesty, Justice, Exposing Liars
Jake of Hearts	Trickster’s Triumph	Leo Plays in the Woods	Jackpot, Great Assistance, Unconventional Routes
Queen of Clubs	Lady’s Promise	Agnetha and the Firefly	Temptation, Excitement, Future Possibilities
Queen of Diamonds	Lady’s Gambit	Francois Flips a Coin	Pure Chance
Queen of Spades	Lady’s Folly	Elin Climbs the Tower	Bad Luck
Queen of Hearts	Lady’s Triumph	Sawyer and the Faery	Good Luck
King of Clubs	Sovereign’s Promise	Xavier’s Prison	Security, Benevolent Institutions, Fulfilling Promises
King of Diamonds	Sovereign’s Gambit	Matthew And the Baker	Money, Diplomacy, Professional Services
King of Spades	Sovereign’s Folly	Calum Breaks the Old Rules	Authority, Tradition, Inflexibility
King of Hearts	Sovereign’s Triumph	Vettorio’s Canvas	Help from a Master, Allies, Success in Traditional Ways

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