I’m sure you’ve heard people use the expression "Play your cards right". Or, "Play the cards you've been delt". But where do these sayings come from?
The answer is Cartomancy. 
So what is Cartomancy? Well, according to Wikipedia.org, Cartomancy is fortune telling or divination using a deck of cards. Forms of Cartomancy appeared soon after playing cards were first introduced into Europe in the 14th century. Even further, the word “Cartomancy” comes from the French word "card" which means cards and the French word "mancy" witch means the act f divining. Diving means to find our m=by inspiration divination or magic. in others words to "foresee". So Cartomancy is really a fancy word for fortunetelling with playing cards. Practitioners of Cartomancy are generally known as Cartomancers, card readers, or simply readers.
To put it simply, Cartomancy is one of the oldest of the more common forms of fortune-telling. It is similar to tarot card reading in that various card spreads are used, such as single card, 3 card spread, or more complicated spreads like Divination or Destiny.
You may be familiar with some other card reading systems like the tarot or Madame Lenormands Cards - Madame Lenormand was probably the most famous fortuneteller in history.
And the Tarot can be highly accurate; Tarot readers often profess to see whole pictures/stories through the cards, as if each card is a character in a painting about the clients’ life. The two systems DO relate to eachother. In my own practice, I can do this with non illustrated cards and prefer playing cards.
So what does it mean when I say I “read” Playing Cards? (Yes, yes… you read correctly – I read playing cards!).
In my case, I learned to read playing cards from my mother and she learned from her grandmother. My mother read for people when I was growing up; I used to hear her mumbling to people on the phone with her cards around the table. I remember asking her what she was doing but she was always very secretive about it. Basically I got the jest from eavesdropping! Later, as my intuition became a central part of my life, I began to become fascinated with Tarot, but it wasn’t until I picked up the playing cards that it all made sense.
I, too, was born with a natural “knowing”. I have been giving advice, receiving messages, and being offered images all my life. My guides were with me as a child and they are with me now. I use the cards when I talk with people over the phone because generally they are in a super rush and the cards give me quick insight. Its neat and it works for me, and I am really grateful for them.
But, what is so special about playing cards?
Well, for one, an ordinary deck of playing cards is nothing but ordinary.
Alexander Hamilton Dunlop states it best: The playing “cards” represent 52 archetypes or symbols of consciousness (plus the Joker). These patterns are played out in this lifetime in these three dimensions of reality.
- The number 52, you may realize is the number of weeks in a year. Adding 5 + 2 = 7. So, the number 52 reduces to the number 7. There are 7 days / week.
- There are 4 suits — Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, and Spades, and there are 4 Seasons in the year.
- There are 13 “cards” in each suit from Ace – King and there are 13 weeks in each of the 4 seasons.
- There are also 13 lunar cycles each year of 4 weeks long.
- If you add all the values of the “cards” together — Kings are worth 13, Queens 12, Jacks 11 and Aces 1 — then you get the 4 suits multiplied by (1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12+13) = 364.
- All of the cards of all 4 suits add up to 364. There are 365 1/4 days each year.
- And, the Joker is the anomaly that makes up the remainder. The Joker is worth 1 1/4 or himself plus all 4 suits together divided by the 4 suits he represents.
So, the deck of “cards” is really an abstract representation of our calendar year. It symbolically depicts the cycles the Earth makes around the Sun each year. It shows the life cycles of the Earth and our place upon it.
Now, imagine for a moment that the deck as a binding on one side. It is a little book of symbols and numbers that represents the cycles of our life. If you take the binding off, as we have it, then we have the loose leaves of a book. It is an open book that symbolically depicts our life on Earth. It is the Book of Life.
Now lets take the binding off the book and move around the days weeks, numbers cycles and deeper meanings of the cards. As I shuffle I am tuning into your energy and the cards that are spread out represent your specific story, outcome, and timing. YOUR SPECIFIC LIFE.
My mother says it and its always true… THE CARDS ARE ALWAYS RIGHT! They will tell you
- A persons true feelings for you.
- What your challenges are in relationships, how to have a happier relationship.
- What your abundance will be.
- What’s coming up next.
Its all laid out in the cards.
Some people believe the playing card deck first originated in ancient Egypt or ancient China, but nobody really knows.
Oh, and here’s a funny – When I finally got the nerve to admit to my mom I was reading for people over the phone, she said “oh yeah, I did that, too; that’s what the playing cards are for!” – LOL;v)
Call me if you need me,
-Hope Beyondkarma