Playing Card Divination: Every Card Tells a Story

Cartomancy, or the use of playing cards for fortune telling and divination, emerged almost simultaneously with playing cards themselves, sometime during the 14th century. Ball (Elemental Divination: A Dice Oracle) honors the traditional meaning of the cards while recognizing that those same meanings have morphed over the centuries. Ball codifies the interpretations of the playing card deck using his own system. While the Tarot’s 21 cards of the major arcana is known as the Fool’s Journey, the 52-card playing deck becomes the Magician’s Journey. Each number is assigned a mythic role, such as Hunter, Lover, Dancer, or Noble; the suits represent action, whimsically called Promise, Gambit, Folly, and Triumph. A handy chart of card meanings precedes the more extensive interpretations that begin with charming vignettes intended to deepen one’s understanding of the cards and their relationship to one another. The author emphasizes that the cards are gender neutral and never display as “reversed.”