Playing cards for readings?

themagicwand

Le Fanu said:
And I think of Lenormand as fundamentally a playing card method too.
I love Lenormand cards (and also oracle decks). Never used them for readings for other people though (I only really feel totally comfortable with tarot), but I do like to lay them out in spreads in almost an absent-minded fashion just to see what "turns up". I love the imagery on Lenormand. They almost seem like a missing link between playing cards and tarot. Not sure if there's any truth in that?!

Anyway, here I am rambling away on a thread in the wrong section. I will have to pop over to the oracle section and resume there! Thanks for all your input folks. You've been very welcoming.
 

sillyputty

I have tried it and I believe they do work. At first, I was totally confused interpreting the meaning behind each card. But once I started getting interested in Tarot, it makes understanding reading playing cards much easier because the interpretation is just the same. You just need to know the meaing of each suit, etc.
 

Bernice

Some of the best card readers I have come across use Playing Cards.

However, they do not use RWS tarot-pip meanings! :) :) :)

Bee
 

Aerin

Regarding Lenormand cards, the lady herself did allegedly read with playing cards I believe? There's an echo of this in some decks where the playing card is an insert. So you don't actually need a Lenormand deck to read with that method, just to know the playing card associations. The 36 card deck is used in its playing card format for some games esp. in continental Europe. Italian Sybilla decks use all 52 playing cards.

But yes, lots of info in Oracle Decks section.

Aerin

ps I believe that the joker/ Fool connecton is a myth - I read that Jokers came into the playing card deck in the 1850's in America for a specific card game.
 

balenciaga

Lenormand decks - the old French ones - are impossible to get, right? :( I love the little blurbs with poems, sayings on them, but I have only seen them online.
I used to read with playing cards - someone taught me - but I haven't looked at them in years and years - there are more traditional combination meanings like 5 spades + 10 spades = bronchitis; 9 hearts + 7 hearts = your wish will be granted soon:)
 

Bernice

I love the little blurbs with poems, sayings on them, but I have only seen them online.
Yes you can get them. I think you're referring the the Blue Owl and Red Owl decks - there's a White Owl one now. Go to esoterikshopping to see the pics and what's available to buy. Then go to Amazon.de to see if they have any, easier to buy from.

Bee
 

themagicwand

Aerin said:
I believe that the joker/ Fool connecton is a myth - I read that Jokers came into the playing card deck in the 1850's in America for a specific card game.
Absolutely. Sadly there is no link between the joker and the fool. I understood (but may very well be wrong) that the joker was introduced in the 1930's - something to do with poker, though I've forgotten exactly what. Shall have to find out and report back!
 

missycab

Yes, I have used playing cards for readings, when I'm at a friend's house and she wants a reading and I don't have my decks around. Here we have the Spanish playing cards, so the suits are the same.
 

celticnoodle

Bernice said:
Some of the best card readers I have come across use Playing Cards.

However, they do not use RWS tarot-pip meanings! :) :) :)

Bee
same here, Bernice. And, I started out with playing cards at first, too. but, now primarily use tarot or another oracle that I've purchased, instead of the playing cards.

There are probably as many variations as far as the meanings to each of the playing cards, as there are readers with this oracle deck! :laugh: in some ways, I do prefer the playing card readings, as they seem to be more 'mystical', however, I started using tarot cards because my clients preferred them. I have not touched the playing cards in a long time.

and, welcome to AT-themagicwand! hope to see more posts from you.
 

Cerulean

There's some nice reproduction Tarot/Playing card crossovers...

The Alan Tarot deck used to come with English instructions.

It has French-suited pips, four courts of each suit, double ended majors that can be read positive or negative. The instructions also give 'standard' meanings and a few layouts.

It was commissioned by a steamship line in 1910.

http://www.houseoftarot.com/Artists+and+Styles/Tarocchi+di+Alan+by+Modiano.html
review:

http://pasteboardmasquerade.com/Reviews/orell.html

Discusion:
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=79495&highlight=argio+orell

Gorgeous deck...kind of elegant and slightly longer than the 'patience' and 'picquet' (sp?) cards...I also adore the transformation cards popular from 1900s through 1920s that I have in reproduction...they suggest pictures on the pips that could have been inspiration to some folk for more pictorial pips.

http://www.gamesetal.net/transformation-cards/html/transformations.html

And there are Etteilla and Papus (Divinatory Tarot) versions from 1890 through the early 20th century that have pictorial motifs in the pip arrangements. Also some of the theme Latin suited cards seem to have more decorative pips...here's a link to some good reading of divinatory parallel development compared with Ettella, etc., deck history.

http://www.villarevak.org/td/td_1.htm

Hope it is helpful

Best,

Cerulean
in the Ace through Four...