Playing Card Divination for Beginners

When I was a teenager I met a young man who made his living reading cards in an old, gloomy garage. Despite the modest surroundings, he was kept extremely busy, and I became fascinated at the way his entire personality changed when he was explaining to his clients what the cards meant. Normally, he was quiet and shy, but became animated, confident and outgoing when reading the cards. One day I saw him in the street and asked him if he would teach me how to read cards. Away from the safety of his garage, he could not look me in the eye and mumbled an answer. "I can't teach you," he said. "The cards talk to me."

Several years later, while living in Cornwall, England, I was fortunate enough to observe Gypsy women reading cards. Their readings were quite different. They were more structured, and each card had a distinct meaning. Although they were reasonably friendly, they were not prepared to discuss their dukkerin (fortune telling) with me.

These two experiences, twelve thousand miles and several years apart, started me on a quest to learn more about the gentle art of reading playing cards. Playing Card Divination for Beginners is the result.

Card readers have been in demand for hundreds of years, and the popularity of this form of divination has never diminished. You probably already own a deck of playing cards, and may have wondered how to read them. Fortunately, the basics of card reading are easy to learn, and your skills will develop every time you give a reading.

The deck of cards has four suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. Each of these represent an area of life. The hearts represent love, romance, friendship and close relationships. The diamonds represent business and money matters. The clubs represent creativity, energy, hard work and reward. The spades represent change, unexpected happenings, warnings and the unknown.

We can add this information to some basic numerology to determine the meanings of each card.

One (the ace) relates to independence, attainment and new starts.

Two relates to co-operation, tact and diplomacy. It is also intuitive, caring and kind.

Three relates to self expression and communication. It is light-hearted, frivolous and enjoys life.

Four relates to hard work, discipline and system and order. It is serious and rigid in outlook.

Five relates to freedom and variety. It does not want to be hemmed in, and craves excitement.

Six relates to home and family matters. It is hard-working, loyal, loving and responsible.

Seven relates to analysis, wisdom, spirituality and learning. It has a unique, unconventional approach.

Eight relates to money, finance and large-scale undertakings. It is stubborn, single-minded and determined.

Nine relates to humanitarianism. It is selfless and enjoys serving and giving to others.

Ten is a more mature version of number one. It represents new beginnings, but is less brash than a one.

The Jack represents a young person of either sex. He or she is naïve, eager and keen to learn about the ways of the world.

The Queen represents a strong woman who is close to the person receiving the reading. If this is a woman, the queen could represent her. In a man’s reading, this card represents the dominant female influence in his life.

The King represents a mature man who has influence, and can offer good advice. It can sometimes represent a man who is receiving a reading. The king can also be a strong male influence in the life of a woman receiving the reading.

You can combine these to determine the meaning of every card. The three of hearts, for instance, means communication (the three) about love or friendship (hearts). The seven of clubs means learning (seven) about some form of creativity, in which there will be a reward (clubs). However, it could also mean an unconventional approach to hard work. You always need to think about the interpretation, as the correct meaning depends on the client’s situation at the time.

You can now give readings based on what you have learned. The simplest reading of all is to ask a question and then pull out one card from the deck. This should answer the question. Two more cards can be selected at random if the first does not give a complete answer.

Would you like to know what influences will be around you during the next three months? Mix the cards thoroughly, and then deal three cards in a row in front of you. The card on the left side represents the current month, the center card represents next month, and the right-hand card depicts the month after that. Suppose you chose the eight of diamonds, the queen of hearts, and the ten of spades.

This means that you will be involved in financial matters in the first month. You will have dealings with a strong woman who will offer advice on love or friendship in the following month. The final month reveals an unexpected new start, which could involve change. It is an indication to proceed cautiously.

Can you see how useful it can be to have this information ahead of time? You can use your card-reading skills to help yourself, and others. Like everything worthwhile, it takes practice, but the results can be amazing. This is just a small taste of the information you will find in my book.

Playing Card Divination for Beginners is the only book available that includes techniques on memorizing the meanings of the cards. It also includes original spreads that are not available anywhere else. It includes the poetry card reading "Six Path to Happiness". With the help of this book you will be able to help yourself and others with advance knowledge of opportunities, problems, relationships, money, career, and sudden changes. Card reading is not only useful, relevant and informative - it is also great fun.

Playing Card Divination for Beginners has been translated into Czech, Estonian, French, Latvian, Polish, Russian and Spanish. An English language edition has also been published in India.