New to Using playing cards

I am a new Aeclectic member, as well as a beginner in terms of actual readings, and have started out by simply using a standard playing card deck until I can afford something special. I am just curious as to whether anyone could offer any insight into the various interpretations of the suits and cards themselves that might be of assistance to someone just starting out. I am currently favouring the Celtic Cross spread, and have settled on the following card positions:

1 - Current Self: what's going on - the "here and now"; all that you are
2 - Opposition/Influence: potential obstacles; what's opposing/influencing the above
3 (to the left of the cross) - Near Past: immediate
4 (to the right of the cross) - Near Future: within weeks of the present situation
5 (above the cross) - Immediate Conscious: what's true in the present moment
6 (below the cross) - Subconscious: the root of the issue; what it may have grown out of
7 - Emotional Self/Attitude: ideology; can be linked to family
8 - External/Environmental Factors: to be aware of
9 - Hopes/Dreams/Fears: can be linked to one another; also may indicate self-sabotage
10 - Final Outcome: not written in stone, but indicates a potential destination the particular reading's path

This has resulted in some fairly accurate readings thus far—for myself, and as I've been told by the few people for whom I've read. I can't say for sure when I'll be able to purchase my own deck, but I am actually quite content using the playing cards for the interim. As I expressed above, if anyone has any insight towards the various interpretations of the cards themselves, I am always interested in hearing about different ways to read. Thanks in advance, and I look forward to hearing any thoughts or opinions. God bless.

Welcome to the forum, Erbestera

Intriguing use of playing cards! Might I suggest that you take another pack of playing cards, and choose 22 of them to be your Major Arcana? You need only a bold permanent Sharpie marker to turn a playing card into a substitute for a Major Arcana card. This will give added depth and dimension to your readings, as well as get you to learn the meanings of these cards (as you state you are a beginner...? )

While you are at it, you can also add Pages since you just have the Knight (Jack) Queen and King sequence of court cards. Then shuffle them all together with your average 52 card pack.

In regard to offering advice about the interpretations of various suites and cards themselves, I am afraid that would take a very long post, and is always subject to how people personally perceive things! Have you checked out Thirteen's guide to Tarot meanings? That is a great place to start

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/learn/meanings/

The basic guide is that Spades are Swords, and are Air element; Clubs associate to Wands, and are Fire element; Diamonds are associated with Pentacles, or Discs, in the Tarot, and are Earth element; and Hearts go with Cups in the Tarot, and are associated with Water.

Moderator Note

Welcome to Aeclectic, Erbestera!

Aeclectic is a learning forum and we prefer that the learning happen in the forums and not through PMs.

When you say you're using playing cards, are you using 52 cards or combining a deck and a half to make 78 cards? If you're only using 52 cards, then that's not tarot, but cartomancy and the Oracles forum would be the correct place to discuss use of playing cards.

rwcarter, co-Moderator of Using Tarot Cards

Padma said:

Welcome to the forum, Erbestera

Intriguing use of playing cards! Might I suggest that you take another pack of playing cards, and choose 22 of them to be your Major Arcana? You need only a bold permanent Sharpie marker to turn a playing card into a substitute for a Major Arcana card. This will give added depth and dimension to your readings, as well as get you to learn the meanings of these cards (as you state you are a beginner...? )

While you are at it, you can also add Pages since you just have the Knight (Jack) Queen and King sequence of court cards. Then shuffle them all together with your average 52 card pack.

In regard to offering advice about the interpretations of various suites and cards themselves, I am afraid that would take a very long post, and is always subject to how people personally perceive things! Have you checked out Thirteen's guide to Tarot meanings? That is a great place to start

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/learn/meanings/

The basic guide is that Spades are Swords, and are Air element; Clubs associate to Wands, and are Fire element; Diamonds are associated with Pentacles, or Discs, in the Tarot, and are Earth element; and Hearts go with Cups in the Tarot, and are associated with Water.

Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply, Padma!

I never thought to use another deck for the Major Arcana; they are obviously a crucial factor in any spread, but I just like the notion of being able to read accurately with a standard 52-card deck, with a Joker (Fool) thrown in for good measure. Something about the accessibility of anyone being able to read, or be read regardless of whether there is a tarot deck around—everyone has a deck of playing cards! I know the Rider-Waite goes pretty cheap (less than $20) these days at various bookstores.. so I suppose that would be my logical (affordable) next step in terms of practicing with a legitimate deck. I'm still curious as to whether there is something comprehensive in regards to the regular 52-card deck that might compliment the aforementioned Celtic Card spread I've grown accustomed to. I think it's neat to regard a deck of playing cards as a sort of gateway into tarot interest; I came across a chart on hubpages.com that I'm loosely using as my template for card values, and I'm fairly pleased with the results.. I just wonder whether the lack of detail in some of my readings is more attributed to being limited to the 52-card deck, or if the card values just aren't as focused as they can be. Maybe I will settle on my own card interpretations in time. Thanks again for your input, it is greatly appreciated!!

Edit: another thing I didn't take into consideration was the dual meaning of upright/reversed cards.. which is something else that can limit the detail of a true reading. Still, I like the idea of playing cards as an introductory divining tool. I hope I can settle on something I'm comfortable with for general readings, regardless of whether, or when I buy an actual deck

Erbestera, you will find the iconography of the Tarot cards to be very much more useful to you than your playing cards when reading, as the images tweak your intuition and provide a huge strata of sub-divination, beneath the usual meanings for the card itself. - And, if you are truly interested in learning the tarot, the I urge you to buy a deck at your earliest convenience. It will be so much more interesting and pleasurable than a 2 dimensional pack of playing cards

ETA and the Moderator, R.W. Carter is correct - if all you are doing is divining with cartomancy (in the purest sense) of playing cards, then this is not exactly the correct forum...apologies!

PS you cannot read tarot with 52 cards, unless you are working with a spread that only uses the Minors. (and even then there are 4 more, the missing Pages). This is rare, and usually all cards are used. The omission of the Majors will truly blunt your abilities to really read - and a playing card deck can never be a Tarot, alas!

rwcarter said:

Welcome to Aeclectic, Erbestera!

Aeclectic is a learning forum and we prefer that the learning happen in the forums and not through PMs.

When you say you're using playing cards, are you using 52 cards or combining a deck and a half to make 78 cards? If you're only using 52 cards, then that's not tarot, but cartomancy and the Oracles forum would be the correct place to discuss use of playing cards.

rwcarter, co-Moderator of Using Tarot Cards

Click to expand...

Thank you so much for your reply!

Point taken about the PM's; very sorry that I didn't make sure I was clear on the rules, and I will edit my original post. Also, thanks for drawing the distinction between tarot and cartomancy; I just assumed that due to the parallels between a regular playing card deck and a standard tarot deck that using playing cards could offer what could be considered a limited tarot reading. I am still interested in eventually reading with an actual tarot deck, but do you suppose this thread should be moved to the Oracles forum to see if I might gain any further insight there, or am ok to continue posting here? Thanks in advance.

Padma said:

Erbestera, you will find the iconography of the Tarot cards to be very much more useful to you than your playing cards when reading, as the images tweak your intuition and provide a huge strata of sub-divination, beneath the usual meanings for the card itself. - And, if you are truly interested in learning the tarot, the I urge you to buy a deck at your earliest convenience. It will be so much more interesting and pleasurable than a 2 dimensional pack of playing cards

ETA and the Moderator, R.W. Carter is correct - if all you are doing is divining with cartomancy (in the purest sense) of playing cards, then this is not exactly the correct forum...apologies!

PS you cannot read tarot with 52 cards, unless you are working with a spread that only uses the Minors. (and even then there are 4 more, the missing Pages). This is rare, and usually all cards are used. The omission of the Majors will truly blunt your abilities to really read - and a playing card deck can never be a Tarot, alas!

Click to expand...

All terrific points about the iconography, Padma; as I made mention in my other post, I just assumed that due to the parallels between the (minor arcana) Tarot and the 52-card deck, that playing cards might offer what could be considered a limited reading. Looks like I will be picking up that Rider-Waite after all, even if I decide to continue on with my interest in cartomancy.

Speaking of which: if a rwcarter or another mod would prefer this to be discussed in the Oracles forum, would it possible to move the thread instead of having to re-create it? Thanks once again for the insight, and your patience with a new forum member

Just send a pm to rwcarter and he will move the thread in its entirely for you ... with a forwarding link ....

tarotbear said:

Just send a pm to rwcarter and he will move the thread in its entirely for you ... with a forwarding link ....

Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks tarotbear.. muchly appreciated