Cartomancy (Playing Card) Meanings

01AUG
My Cartomancy readings are based on Deborah Leigh’s method. Her system is easy to follow and remember. It
makes us easy to read and interpret the court cards too. I had begun using the Personal Prophecy method, as it was
the only one I seemed to click with. But I found that I needed to adapt the system to suit me better. So I kept some of
the meanings, but changed a lot of the cards to create my own meanings. Since doing so, my readings have been
much more accurate and easy to follow. Anyway if I get stuck I revert back to using the Tarot meanings for some
cards. (Spade=Swords, Hearts=Cups, Pentacles=Diamonds and Clubs=Wands) ;-)
Nevertheless I love the book “The Message: Your Secrets in the Cards” written by Deborah Leigh (This is a newer
version of Personal Prophecy, better written but everything else is the same. So dont waste money like I did (I
thought the newer book had newer things :-( )
Herewith I copy the meanings found in her book:
Heart Suit
ACE – Focuses on the home. Another neutral card. The other cards surrounding the Ace of Hearts will show you the
actual feelings concerning “the home”.
TWO – Signifies ambition and personal fulfillment. Remember the feeling of an accomplished personal dream, the
sense of having “made it.” Excellent aspects
when joined with career and marriage cards.
THREE – Signifies regret and sorrow. The feeling of having broken a friend’s precious possession, of realizing “you”
broke it. Apologies perceived in the cards will be joined with this card. Joy with regret.
FOUR – Signifies jealousy, resentment, and malice. The feeling of anger mixed with pain when someone takes the
person you love away.
FIVE – Signifies a gift or compliment. The feeling of receiving a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
SIX – Signifies great promise, like the yellow brick road. The feeling of a bright and sunny road to the future. It
involves both personal and professional relationships that develop into marriages or partnerships with tremendous
potential for success.
SEVEN – Signifies genuine friendship, pure platonic love. This card will show you who your true friends are, the ones
who will be beside you through thick and thin. It is not as often seen in readings as one might think.Intellectual
emotion.
EIGHT – Signifies celebrating. The feeling of being at a party, having fun, good times. Warmth/Affection
NINE – Signifies a neutral wish card. This card means nothing by itself. It’s the other cards around it they tell whether
your wish will be harmful or helpful to you.
TEN – Signifies true love, unity. The feeling of love that can last through anything and everything. You know with this
person by your side, you can accomplish anything and overcome all obstacles.
JACK – Represents a male, usually with green eyes and dark blond to auborn hair, who is either young in age or
young in maturity (as of “the spirit”).
QUEEN – Represents a woman with green eyes and dark blond to auburn hair.
KING – Represents a man with green eyes and dark blond to auburn hair, who is older in age or older in maturity –
as of the “spirit.”
Face Card: Connected to us in an emotional way – someone whom we love & care about. Or who loves & cares for
us.
Spade Suit
ACE – Holds two distinct meanings: 1) When the Apex or point of the Spade points up in the reading it means a
conclusion…an ending…over. It is the supposed death card, meaning the death of circumstances, not people, 90% of
the time. Always remember, with death, there is always a new beginning. Death in reading cards is a door. It’s up to
you to close the door or walk through the door to a new beginning. 2) When the Apex is pointing down, the card is
telling you about someone or something at a distance, not in this location, usually quite far away. The other cards
with it will tell you “what” is at a distance or what the message is.
TWO – Signifies change. It’s the feeling of walking in one direction then suddenly you take a step in another direction
and continue on from there. This card deals with a definite change of course in readings. Patience.
THREE – Signifies routine matters and unexpected events. The feeling of running into somebody at the store you
haven’t seen for a long time.This is one of the more neutral cards in the deck. It is generally a pleasant card and the
other cards around it provide the emotion.
FOUR – Indicates illness or depression. The card cautions you about health and mental state. It’s a depressing,
gloomy, unhealthy card. Lovesick.
FIVE – Signifies anger. The feeling of red hot anger. Imagine a forest being burned down. Sometimes a good clearing
is needed for new growth. A good clearing of the air needs to happen for new growth to occur. Apart.
SIX – Signifies caustion, most of the time. This card is a warning to proceed slowly, hold back, keep certain emotions
in reserve. Some of the time, it indicates pregnancy. Nervousness/Worries.
SEVEN – Signifies loss. The feeling your dog is gone, purse is gone, lover is gone, that sort of thing. It’s gone and
this card means the object of your affection is not coming back.
EIGHT – Signifies tears. Imagine the feeling of pity, self-pity, sorrow, crying, etc. as in cleansing, comforting, healing
tears. Boundries.
NINE – Signifies grief and anguish. This is the feeling of mourning. The period of longing for what can’t be brought
back. Unresolved heartaches. Karmic/Disruptive/Upheaval.
TEN – Indicates a journey. There are no emotions related to this card, it simply means going out or coming off a
journey. Ending/Transformation.
JACK – Represents a male, young in age or “spirit”, having dark hair and eyes. He is usually intellectual rather than
emotional in how he views the world. He seeks justice and is judgmental by nature.
QUEEN – Represents a female, dark hair and eyes.
KING – Represents a male, older in age or “spirit”, having dark hair and eyes.
Face Card: are those connected to our ideas or even our challenges.

Diamond Suit
ACE – Represents unity. The card signifies marriage and situations like a marraige, such as a partnership, merger,
solid agreement, etc…..a very strong union.
TWO – Signifies secrets. The feeling of suspicion, as if somebody was hiding something from you behind their back.
THREE – Signifies petty, domestic conflicts. The feeling of a tug of war betwwen people. Signals small
disagreements that could escalate into more serious disputes.
FOUR – Signifies untrueness. Lies, deception, infidently, even outright hatred at times are all associated with this
card.
FIVE – Indicates news. This is a neutral card, it has no other meaning when it stands alone. It simply means you are
going to hear some news. The other cards surrounding it will tell you the nature of that news.Change/War in head.
SIX – Indicates that a relationship exists. Another neutral card by itself. Again, the other cards around this Six of
Diamonds will tell you what kind of relationship.
SEVEN – Signifies scandal. This card represents gossip and wild, unresponsible talk that is being circulated.
EIGHT – Identical to the Six of Diamonds in meaning.
NINE – Signifies uncertainty. This card has no negative feelings associated with it. It simply means a decision about
the matter in question has not been made.
TEN – Indicates money and financial matters. A neutral card.
JACK – Represents a male, either younger in age or “spirit”, with blonde, light brown or red hair and blue eyes.
QUEEN – Represents a female, with light brown, blonde or red hair and blue eyes.
KING – Represents a male, older in age or “spirit”, with light brown, blonde or red hair and blue eyes.
Face Card: are those related to things we value or to our health.

Club Suit
ACE – Indicates Communication: Phone calls, letters, online interraction. It is also a neutral card.
TWO – Indicates minor disappointments where expectations are concerned. This card translates into, “The outcome
will not be quite as anticipated.” Scattered.
THREE – Signifies “duration of time”; an event coming right at you. Imagine standing in one place and a hard ball is
soaring through space, coming at you. Your back is turned and it’s going to hit you hard. But if you turn around and
get ready for it, you will be able to catch it. This is the essence of the Three of Clubs. The number “3” is significant
with this card….it can mean 3 hours, 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months, etc…
FOUR – Signifies misfortune, “the devil’s bedpost.” This card warns of a major setback, an unexpected set of
circumstances that must be prepared for.
FIVE – Indicates an agreement. It is a neutral card by itself. It simply means agreement: contracts, commitments,
transactions, etc.
SIX – Represents effort. It focuses on work or the workplace. Faith.
SEVEN – Signifies desire, particularly sexual attraction. This card does not represent any type of affection, simply the
sexual attraction seeking gratification.
EIGHT – Indicates frustration and impatience.
NINE – Signifies indulgence. This card represents drinking, drugs, over-eating, over-socializing at its worst. Having a
good time, enjoying the company of others in a social atmosphere are its more positive aspects.
TEN – Indicates something “official.” This card is neutral and focuses on legalities, government, military matters.
JACK – Represents a male, younger in age or “spirit” who has brown hair and hazel eyes.
QUEEN – Represents a female who has brown hair and hazel eyes.
KING – Represent a male older in age and spirit.
Face Card: are those related to our goals and ambitions. – helpers or hindrances. Who push us to find success.

This is her method of reading court cards, easy and applicable:

There are a number of intricate innuendos when reading face cards in time you will learn these. The direction in
which the face cards are turned, mean a great deal. If the face card is turned left it indicates that this person is turned
“towards you”, as you are always on the left of the spread in a reading, Literally he/she is “looking right at you, he is
focused on the relationship shared with you, to your needs and very receptive in sharing the relationship with you and
moving into the future with you. When the card is turned towards the right it means the person is turned “away from
you” therefore this individuals focus is elsewhere. They are not focused or that much interested in the relationship
share with you, or unreceptive to moving forward with you in the future.

The direction they are turned also indicates how they perceive their emotional views on life at this present moment,
and that a lot of their perceptions are based on what they have learnt from past experiences. Generally the past is
always to the left of us.
The individuals facing right derive their present emotions perceptions on life by concentrating on the future. Generally
the future is to the right of us.

Interesting to note that the 3 spade courts and the Jack of clubs are the only 4 court cards that look toward the future,
therefore indicating that they maybe the only 4 who’s mind focuses elsewhere and not necessarily on you. Another
note, if there is no court card present in the trio, then the message is all about you and your actions, thoughts or
feelings.

Some excerpt taken from the book regarding guidelines on reading in a spread:
The reader is always thought of as being on the left of the spread. You experience the cards from left to right; think of
yourself as being on the receiving end of each spread.

Follow a 1+1+1=____ equation; build up the meanings by feeling each card from left to right. Suppose two of the
cards give “pain” and “loss.”

If they appear in front of a face card, these are felt by yourself in the future. If they appear behind a face card, they
belong to the individual represented by the face card. If there is no face card, all three meanings would belong to you.
A spread of all face cards means a message involving social life or interactions; for work, this could be networking.

If a face card is “bearing,” for example, a negative card, it means to be cautious because that person has the
potential to be untrue to you. I’m not sure what she means by bearing but I assume the card following (to the right of)
the court card.

Finally hope these examples help you to understand reading the Court Cards: