Reliability of Playing Cards --

[ShockleyHaynes]

Hello.

I have researched, somewhat, the relationships between the Minor Arcana and the standard deck of 52 playing cards. I notice that the playing card deck lacks the Page, or the Princess (depending on whose nomenclature you go by).

How does the absence of these four cards affect readings, and the overall meaning of the Minor Arcana?

 

[Nina*]

Hi ShockleyHaynes

I am afraid that you can't really compare playing cards and tarot like that; it's two different systems as far as I know.

I am sure playing cards (even without a page/princess) are fine as they are; but the absense of a page/princess is the absense of the earth (the material/physical) of each element (page of wands = earth of fire).

xxx
Nina

 

[MareSaturni]

Nina is right - there's not way to compare both systems. They might have similar origins, but nowadays they mean different things. I am a PC reader and i can tell the absence of one court card doesn't compromise the reading, because the method is complete in itself.

That's why many PC reader also don't use the tarot minor arcana meanings when dealing with normal PC...they are different oracles. PC are not just an uncomplete version or the Tarot, unlike many think.

Hope this has helped.

Yuko

 

[Umbrae]

Accuracy depends on the interpreter.

Toothpicks can be more accurate than Tarot, playing cards, or entrails in the correct hands…

 

[Nina*]

Of course... but this is not about accuracy... it's about comparing tarot and playing cards....

 

[rainwolf]

Have you read a book specifically on playing card divination? If you read it you will find just how different the systems are. They have the same principles of divination as tarot, so i think the reliability is the same, depending on how you feel about tarot.

 

[BobTheViking]

Isn't it the Knight that's missing, not the Page? I would think the Jack or Knave is a lot closer to the Page than to the Knight.

 

[Umbrae]

…as I’ve stated in other threads on reading with playing cards…
I’ve seen over nine different ‘sets’ of ‘meanings’ for playing cards in different books and online resources.

Some are loosely based on Tarot meanings, some represent serious deviations from Tarot meanings…so which set of meanings does one choose? Depends on the ‘book of the day’.

…How does the absence of these four cards affect readings, and the overall meaning of the Minor Arcana?

It doesn’t IMO. Reading with Playing Cards rocks. They are accurate. And based on the title of this thread, and the content of the thesis question – I believe this indeed addresses the content of your question.

 

[Flavio]

Last year in my Tarot course I met a girl who used to read with playing cards, we talked about how that diviniation system is compared with Tarot, she said the main difference was that playing cards were excellent when asking about everyday matters (romance, money, work) but they weren't that good when asking about spiritual matters, actually that is why she decided to learn Tarot after many years reading playing cards. She said playing card meanings used on her readings were completly different when compared with Tarot meaning of minor arcana.

 

[Phoenix Rising]

I have been delving into the playing card system for a while now. there is the basic cartomancy system the gypsys bought forward, and then there is the ancient system, that alot of people have no idea about, it is of Astrology and numerology and very accurate. And it has very spiritual deep meanings. the system, the cards represent certain days of the year as well.
The playing cards is a solar book and calendar, you might want to check out our cartomancy thread in Oracle forum. On the Ancient system itself you might want to look at these sites

Oracle Cards
7 thunders