About The Art of Reading Playing cards

Cartomancy is the art of “reading” regular playing cards in the same way one would “read” the Tarot, Runes or other similar divination tools.

The origins of the regular playing deck was an ancient book used for timekeeping and divination.

The deck aligns perfectly with our yearly calendar and because it does, each card relates to us individually via our birthdays.
Both Astrology and Numerology is utilized in the interpretation of the cards. And, unlike Astrology, one doesn’t need to know where the person was born or at what time. You don’t even need to know what year–only the day of birth.
The original cards were thought to be carved into ivory and used to determine planetary movements and cycles.
With 52 cards (plus the Joker makes 53), it’s easy to see how it fits with our calendar:
There are twelve Court cards ( Jack’s, Queen’s and King’s) representing the twelve months of the year.
There are four suits (hearts, clubs, spades, diamonds) representing the four seasons. Each suit contains thirteen cards (Ace through King) which symbolizes the thirteen weeks per season and the thirteen lunar cycles per year. There are 52 cards and 52 weeks.
When you add the spot value of all the cards, it equals 364. Add the Joker and you have 365.

Every day of the year is associated with a specific playing card. Some cards govern only one day, while others are associated with as many as twelve.
Each card has a specific meaning, determined by the numeric value (Numerology) and it’s associated planetary influences (Astrology)

Go here to look at the Birth Chart to see what card is your “birth card.”

Beyond the card revealing your personality traits, they can be used for guidance, since each card has a particular meaning and “energy”.

What I enjoy using the cards for (besides for any personal aha’s!) is to aid my creative work. As a writer, I’ve discovered the cards as a fun, informative, block busting way to come up with story ideas, character development, setting ideas and writing prompts.

Whether you feel blocked and need something to nudge you to the reason for your block, or you need “prompts” to stir your creative juices, the cards are also great to draw for yourself while you are creating..

Each card is a character– a multi-faceted character– and each card can represent a place, a thing or a conflict, which makes them great to use for creative writing. You can develop an entire story based on a simple four card draw.