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? Cuz’ they were MADE for card reading! Check this out:
“By their numbers, suits, and pictures, The cards communicate, And begin to tell their story, Each time we shuffle fate.”
—C.J. Freeman (lovingly known as “Dad”)
Illustrator, Genius, and Originator of The Playing Card Oracles, C.J. Freeman
And even though this little ditty was written about the playing cards 40 years ago, it still holds true: You need nothing more than the regular numbers, suits, and pictures (Court figures and suit sign design) ready and waiting for you in cellophane wrap at the convenience store to unlock otherworldly powers.
The thing that gets me is, although there are lots of methods of reading with playing cards on the market today, almost none draw from the powerful intrinsic symbolism playing cards are born with. For instance, the fact that the 4-suits represent the 4 elements of alchemy and nature is now widely recognized, yet when it comes to the actual act of card reading, it goes un-used. Same with the calendar. This is like buying a car and sitting in the garage admiring the upholstery. Maybe it’s because most card reading systems are a carry over from the Victorian “Parlour Game” era, and it was easier to paste nice pictures on cards and leave all that mysterious symbology stuff to curiosity. The thing that kills me is: we are still using these systems!
Come on in, the shoes are fine! http://afeministblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/chinese-foot-binding-versus-european.html
And I’m sorry, but the wildly popular “Cards of Destiny” are also a carry over from the Victorian era (originating as “The Mystic Test Book, by Olney Richmond, circa 1896), and although there is an attempt to use the calendar intrinsic to playing cards, the 13-month lunar calendar encoded there is strangely crammed into the 12 month modern Gregorian abomination. This reminds me of the ancient venerable art of Chinese Foot Binding, taking a lovely, delicate foot and smushing and cramming it into a shoe that is too small, deforming it beyond recognition. ‘Nuff said.
So. My point is: Get The Playing Card Oracles already!!!! It is the stand alone system for actually making use of and honoring the information that has been quietly screaming for recognition in our humble playing cards for centuries. Let’s wake up! And what better time than NOW? And get ready for your readings to go quantum! Why? Because the 52 cards were made for card reading.
Find out more about The Playing Card Oracles, by Ana Cortez and C.J. Freeman, HERE.