Cutting the Deck — Spreads

When looking back at what I have learned about card reading over the years, so many things remain unexplained.  Usually when I would ask, “Why do we do it this way, or that way?”  It was generally met with, “Because it has always been done that way!”  I think that it’s sad that some of the old traditions that once meant so much are lost to the sands of time.

One of these established practices that I’ve wondered about but never knew the origin of was the cutting of the deck with your left hand.  Never-mind which hand is your dominate hand, I was taught that you always cut the deck your left hand.  After that, I would then select cards with my right hand and continue with the reading.  Well after thumbing through an ancient copy of Professor P.R.S. Foli’s “Fortune Telling by Cards” I found the answer on page 22 of Chapter IV,

       “It is always essential to cut cards with the left hand, there being a long-established idea
       that it is more intimately connected with the heart than the right. A round table is
       generally preferred by those who are in the habit of practising cartomancy. It is a matter
       of opinion as to whether the cards speak with the same clearness and accuracy when
       consulted by the inquirer without an intermediary. The services of an adept are generally
       supposed to be of great advantage, even when people have mastered the rudiments of
       cartomancy themselves.”

I admit, the round table is new to me but I’m glad that I’ve found out about why I as taught to cut the deck with my left hand.  Do you have any cartomancy traditions that you practice but can’t explain?  I’d love to hear about them!

The Lovers Spread — Spreads

I am not sure where this spread originates from, I believe it is an oldie as I learned it from my Mom a lifetime ago… I still go back to it because it is really good with reading in three card pulls, as I do for the “wee daily three”, and works much the same way.

Shuffle and cut the cards as you normally would.  Have the Querent (or you yourself) select 10 cards and lay them out in three rows across in this order:

1   2   3

       4   5   6   10

7   8   9

The cards are then read down in this order:

Cards 1, 4, and 7 represent the Querent.

Cards 3, 6, and 9 represent the other person in the relationship.

Cards 2, 5 , and 8 represent the relationship.

Finally, card 10 is the “gypsy advice” card.  Really, that’s how I wrote it down… 🙂

The Italian Answer — Spreads

I’m not sure where this comes from, the Italians maybe?  My Mom learned this from her Grandmother, who was Bavarian, go figure! Anyway, she always called it the Italian Answer and it’s a fun and quick little spread for which the answer is either a “Yes” or a “No”.

The individual thinks of his or her question whilst shuffling the deck. They then cut the deck in three, and lay each pile face down on the table.  The piles are then turned over so that the bottom most card of each pile is visible.  The colors are interpreted as such:

3 black cards – Most certainly no!
2 black cards – No.
3 red cards – Most certainly yes!
2 red cards – Yes.

A charming little spread that will have all of your friends laughing at the outcome!