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Ana Cortez
§ The Notebooks

Writing

Essays from forty years at the table — where the deck came from, what the courts are really saying, and how a pack of ordinary cards keeps time.

· Symbolism Titanic Symbolism – Explorations into the Unconscious Originally published April 2012. Reposted April 2026 It all began as I sat to compose my regular feature forecast, called “Oracle Speak.” I had Read on →
  1. · Court Cards Court Cards and Decans: The Escape from Reincarnation The Hidden Architecture In my previous article, I demonstrated the fatal flaws in the Golden Dawn and Crowley’s Thoth Tarot decan correspondences—how 56 cards
  2. · History History of Tarot and Playing Cards: Complete Timeline & Origins True history of tarot and playing cards – from Mamluk Egypt to the invention of tarot in Renaissance Italy – Knights Templar reality and
  3. · Cartomancy Tarot vs Playing Cards: Which System Goes Deeper? Tarot vs Playing Cards: Which System Goes Deeper? If you’re exploring card reading and wondering whether to learn tarot vs playing cards, here’s what
  4. · Tarot Crowley Thoth Review: The Fatal Flaw (and How to Fix It) “Mother of Light, and the Gods! Mother of Music, awake! Silence and Speech are at odds; Heaven and Hell are at stake…” –Aleister Crowley
  5. · History The Forgotten Origins of Playing Cards: Decoding Ancient Wisdom For centuries, playing cards have been in our homes, our hands, and our games. But what if these familiar objects hold a deep, ancient
  6. · The Calendar Playing Cards Revealed as Time Machine We are entering an era where there are no hiding places. Long held secrets are coming to the surface in every area of human
  7. · Teaching The Dark Moth: Cartomancy How to in Santa Fe! Event Announcement! New “Dark Moth” Cartomancy Collective is happening in Santa Fe, NM! A brand new monthly gathering hosted with Author Ana Cortez, for
  8. · The Books Doors of Somlipith – What Is It? What Is It? The Doors of Somlipith is a book and card set that brings the 52-card deck to life with a roar. It’s
  9. · The Books Doors of Somlipith – Divination with Playing Cards, Author Interview “It’s a climactic moment in human history, and the Moth knows exactly what he’s doing.” The Doors of Somlipith is the new Book
  10. · Geomancy Geomancy with Cards – The Creation of Figures Playing cards create geomantic figures. Read that statement again. Playing cards CREATE geomantic figures. For centuries, card reading with playing cards and divinatory geomancy
  11. · Layouts “Past Lives Layout” with Playing Cards For those willing to put a little time in for reflection, the “Past Lives Layout” is an effective tool for activating memories of other lifetimes….
  12. · Practice Lock and Key Cards: True Alchemy in Card Reading ALWAYS remember, cards when combined CREATE THINGS. Like castles in the ethers around your cards. It is the magic we must seek in our readings….
  13. · Practice Empowering Alternative to Reading Reversals Reversals is a topic I am passionate about in card reading. To me, the whole idea of “reversals” feels very mental, very theoretical. I
  14. · The Deck Whether to Shoot Him or Invite Him to Christmas Dinner: The Story of the Vintage Playing Card Oracles I want to take this opportunity to tell you a bit of the story behind this rare “Vintage Edition Playing Card Oracles Deck, and
  15. · Symbolism The Mystery of the Moonstone Ring – A Story in Cards So I wrote a story a while back for Meow Wolf’s exhibit in Santa Fe. Known as “The House of Eternal Return,” it is
  16. · C.J. Freeman Revelations of Time and Sex in Art Deck of Cards Now, as the Playing Card Oracle Decks are getting more recognition and exposure than ever (both versions now living in Meow Wolf’s amazing “House of Eternal Return”), there
  17. · C.J. Freeman Charles J. Freeman – Self Taught Artist, Novelist, Scholar, Misfit, Occult Rebel and Originator of The Playing Card Oracles. A Short Biography. Growing up I always adored my dad, C.J. Freeman. He was my hero. But as I got older, I began to slowly understand why
  18. · Practice GHOST HUNTING AND DIVINATION: River Town Ghosts leave traces in Playing Cards Took an absolutely fantastic and chilling ghost tour in the historic river town of Galena, IL over the Labor Day weekend. Took a little
  19. · Cartomancy Why Every Tarot Reader Should Learn Playing Cards Perceptions of Playing Cards For some, learning to read Playing Cards may seem like a frivolous venture. After all, much of what we find
  20. · The Books The Art of Card Reading as a Metaphor for Exceptional Living: Why “Oracle Alchemy” Had to be Written This new book Oracle Alchemy is the result of a very organic and prolonged meditation of sorts. Ironically, I am a Gemini, so at first I
  21. · Interviews Interview: Shaheen and Ana Talk Cards Original Post borrowed from: shaheenmiroinsights.com Shaheen: I had the honor of interviewing Ana Cortez! She is the author and co-creator of The Playing Card
  22. · Court Cards Story Telling and the Magic of Lancelot, Jack of Clubs In order to give more background, history, story, ETC… to these wondrous cards of my father’s, of which there are now over 100 published images
  23. · C.J. Freeman Amazing Self Taught Artist Enlivening Playing Cards – A Tale of Fortuna There is a lot of “hoop-la” right now about the new Alchemy Edition Deck, (most of which being made by me!) which it most
  24. · The Deck Who is the Mysterious “Lainey” from The Playing Card Oracles? “Crow Dance” – an excerpt from the upcoming new book by Ana Cortez, “Oracle Alchemy.” “After high school graduation, I decided it was time
  25. · Numerology Numerology and Cards – A Match Meant to Be Numerology is truly an ancient means for better understanding oneself and the world, but what if there is yet another little known possibility to this tried
  26. · C.J. Freeman New “Alchemy Edition” Playing Cards by CJ Freeman This latest Playing Card Oracles: Alchemy Edition Deck is the third published playing card deck for card reading by my dad, C.J. Freeman (1941
  27. · C.J. Freeman Like So Much Confetti: The Almost Lost Legacy of C.J. Freeman The creation of the newest deck of Oracle Playing Cards feels like one of the most karmic undertakings I have ever experienced. What a journey. In fact, in the 35 years since the art was created, a lot of times it felt like these fantastic and original images would never, ever see the light of…
  28. · Interviews The Importance of Being Childlike, Creepy Basement Things, Playing Cards as a Time Machine: The “Tarot Notes” interview with Ana Cortez Reprinted from Tarot Notes – Major and Minor, a blog by Zanna Starr. To see the original article click HERE. An Interview with Ana Cortez Ana Cortez Ana Cortez, the author of The Playing Card Oracles (A Source Book for Divination), describes the book as “the result of a remarkable journey that…
  29. · Layouts The Ammonite: A Card Layout for Solstice and Equinox [caption id="attachment_1576" align="aligncenter" width="596"] John Alan Elson – http://www.3dham.com/3dammonite2/[/caption] This is a card layout gifted by the ammonite, a crystalized fossil from ancient sea, which forms in the shape of the sacred spiral. This layout was brought to life on the…
  30. · Cartomancy Quietly Screaming: Playing Cards were made for Card Reading (so why is no one using them as they were created?) Playing cards were made for divination. No, REALLY! They were never made for games, unless you consider prediction a game. And the truth is, plain old boring playing cards, no fancy embellishments or pictures for card reading added, are all you really need to give a super kick-ass reading. Why?…
  31. · Symbolism Playing Card Messages at the Indian Musem A recent visit to the New Mexico Museum of Indian Arts and Culture produced a surprising experience with playing cards that i suspect will linger in my heart for a long time to come. To think that playing cards and Indian artifacts could come together in any sort of meaningful way whatsoever is…
  32. · The Calendar UNTIL NOW, no one has used the 52-card deck as the simple, OBVIOUS calendar it is! Until “The Playing Card Oracles” was written, there was NO written material on how to make use of the natural, OBVIOUS, calendar in the
§ Continue the Work

The Whole Grammar of the Deck

These essays circle the system. The Playing Card Oracles: A Source Book for Divination sets it down whole.

The Books Card Meanings