Playing Card Divination

Numerology

Numerology can be used in a card reading to determine the theme of the entire reading. In order to figure out the theme, add all the numbers of the cards together (Ace =1, 2-10 = their representative numbers, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13) until you arrive at a single digit. For example, if your numbers add up to 56, add 5 + 6 = 11, then 1 + 1 = 2. 2 would be your theme number.

Theme Number Meanings

One

One's primarily deal with strong will, positivity, pure energy. The number One reflects new beginnings, and purity. When the symbolic meaning of the number One is further clarified when we understand that One represents both kinds of action, physical and mental. This combined with the One's urgency for new beginnings, we begin to see that when One's recur in our lives it is time to exert our natural forces, take action, and start a new venture. One encourages us that our action will be rewarded in kind.

Two

The symbolic meaning of number Two is kindness, balance, tact, equalization, and duality. The number Two reflects a quiet power of judgment, and the need for planning. Two beckons us to choose. The spiritual meaning of number Two also deals with exchanges made with others, partnerships (both in harmony and rivalry), and communication. Two's urge us our of our indecision, calls us to unite with like-minds, and like-ideals, as well as exert our natural flow of judgment to do what is best for our souls.

Three

The spiritual meaning of number Three deals with magic, intuition, fecundity, and advantage. The number Three invokes expression, versatility, and pure joy of creativity. Three is also a time identifier as it represents Past, Present and future. Consecutive Three's in your life may symbolize the need to express yourself creatively, or consider your present directional path in relation to your past events and future goals. Three's may also represent promising new ventures, assurance of cooperation from others you may require help from, and Threes typically symbolize reward and success in most undertakings.

Four

The symbolic meaning of number Four deals with stability, and invokes the grounded nature of all things. Consider the four seasons, four directions, four elements all these amazingly powerful essences wrapped up in the nice square package of Four. Four's represent solidity, calmness, and home. A recurrence of Four's in your life by signify the need to get back to your roots, center yourself, or even "plant" yourself. Four's also indicate a need for persistence and endurance.

Five

The spiritual meaning of number Five deals with travel, adventure, and motion. With the high's that come with these attributes, Five's also carry instability and unpredictability, and radical changes with them. The spiritual meaning of Five's draw our attention to the wonder of life, and beckon us to appreciate the perception of chaos all around us. Five's have wild vibrations: primitive, and erratic. When Five's continue to pop up in your life, be prepared for some shaking up in your life, or get ready to go on a trip of some sort. Remember, trips aren't all necessarily taken physically. Some of the best journey's are taken in the mind and spirit.

Six

The symbolism behind number Six is legend. With Venus as it's ruler, Six represents harmony, balance, sincerity, love, and truth. Sixes naturally reveal solutions for us in a calm, unfolding manner. We invoke the Six when we need delicate diplomacy when dealing with sensitive matters. The spiritual meaning of number Six also deals with enlightenment; specifically "lighting" our path in areas where we require spiritual and mental balance. Sixes beckon us to administer compassion, and consciously choose forgiveness in a situation.

Seven

Seven's like Three's deal with magical forces. However, unlike Three's, Seven's deal with esoteric, scholarly aspects of magic. Representative of scholarly activities, mystery, and active seeking of esoteric knowledge. Seven's deal with the activation of imagination, and manifesting results in our lives through the use of conscious thought and awareness. Ruled by Saturn, Seven's can represent impractical dreaming, but with a deeper understanding of the aspects of Seven, you can quite deftly utilize it's magic vibration to your own benefit.

Eight

The symbolism backing number Eight deals largely with business, success, and wealth. This is Largely due to the fact that Eight represents continuation, repetition, and cycles. Such elements are seen in arenas where success is obtained simply because of dogged determination and repetition by the practitioner. Also, matters of business and wealth largely depend on cycles to fulfill their manifestation. It's like the snowball analogy: As it continues to roll, in gets bigger and bigger with each revolution.

Nine

The spiritual meaning of number Nine bring us to the very height of vibrational frequencies in this number sequence. Nine's represent attainment, satisfaction, accomplishment, and our success to achieve an influence on our circumstances. The spiritual meaning of number Nine deals with intellectual power, inventiveness, influence over situations and things. Nine beseeches you to recognize your own internal attributes, and extend these abilities out into the world to make a positive, influential difference.

Choosing a Significator

In some spreads it may be necessary to choose a significator (a card to represent a person) or you may want to choose a significator to help clarify the results of a reading. You can choose a signifactor three ways, through the person's personality, concerns, or zodiac sign. When choosing a card, choose a face card from the desired suit. Jacks represent someone young (usually a boy), queen represent women, and kings represent men.

Clubs

Personality: lively, energetic, enthusiastic, leadership potential
Concerns: business, career, goals, ambitions
Zodiac: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Hearts

Personality: warm, friendly, compassionate, creative, loving
Concerns: love, relationships, celebrations
Zodiac: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Diamonds

Personality: methodical, materialistic, practical, down-to-earth
Concerns: money, possessions, home and family, security
Zodiac: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Spades

Personality: powerful, intelligent, crafty, melancholy
Concerns: decisions, deceit, worries, health problems
Zodiac: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Timing

Timing is also an important part of a reading. Many spreads have a time card, and it is important to know when a certain situation or effect will occur. The 52 cards in a deck coincide with 52 weeks in a year. The two colors represents the two halves or a year, winter & summer (equinox & solstice). 13 cards in a suit represent the 13 weeks in a season. 4 suits represent the 4 seasons. 12 face cards coincide with 12 months (and zodiacs) in a year.

There are many ways to assign cards to times of the year. The following is a suggestion (my preference). Whatever works best for you is of course the best route to go. Note that a joker can be used to represent a leap day or year.

Clubs

Season: Fall
Weeks: 35 - 47
Months: September - November

Hearts

Season: Spring
Weeks: 9 - 21
Months: March - May

Diamonds

Season: Summer
Weeks: 22 - 34
Months: June - August

Spades

Season: Winter
Weeks: 48 - 8
Months: December - February

Zodiac (can be used for timing or a signifactor)

King of Clubs - Leo (July 23 - August 22)
Queen of Clubs - Aries (March 21 - April 19)
Jack of Clubs - Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)

King of Hearts - Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)
Queen of Hearts - Cancer (June 21 - July 22)
Jack of Hearts - Pisces (February 19 - March 20)

King of Spades - Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)
Queen of Spades - Libra (September 23 - October 22)
Jack of Spades - Gemini (May 21 - June 20)

King of Diamonds - Capricorn (December 22 - January19)
Queen of Diamonds - Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
Jack of Diamonds - Virgo (August 23 - September 22)

Aces and Timing

Another Method for figuring timing: If you assign each ace to its appropriate season, you can go through the shuffled deck until you come to an Ace.  The Ace that appears reflects the season during which the event will happen. 

The Joker

The joker can either be left out of the deck or used in the deck to represent the equivalent of The Fool. The joker is a wild card. When the joker appears in a reading, it represents the unknown; something unexpected and unpredictable will occur. You only need one joker in your deck; however, you can use 2 jokers and allow them to represent some sort of duality (such as life or death, good & evil).

Another thing to consider

(A tip from my friend who runs Card Craeft) Check the red verse black and high cards vs. low cards, before you even look into what the cards mean. R vs. B = self esteem. The more red you have the better your (or a person you're reading's) self-esteem. High cards vs. low tells you if the person is an introvert or extrovert