Jacks as "The Man's Thoughts"

Sobekneferu

Hi there,

I'm wondering if anyone else has heard about Jacks as thoughts when using playing cards to do readings -- specifically I read in Sibly's Fortune Teller that they represent the thoughts of men in romantic inqueries, yet no way of reading them further was given.
I think they would line up to Pages in most standard tarot decks.
 

Grizabella

I think they'd be Knights, if I'm understanding what you're asking. :)
 

starrystarrynight

I have read that jacks can represent the thoughts of a king or queen if the higher court card comes up in the spread. But I don't read regular playing cards, and have only studied them briefly (others who do will be able to give you a better answer, I'm sure...though, perhaps this question would do better in a forum other than this one that is more specific to tarot.)

Edited to add:

I thought there was a cartomancy forum here, but I didn't see one right now when I looked...so maybe someone else can guide you better...
 

Sobekneferu

Well, I figure they're okay to ask about in tarot forums because both evolved from a single source and on the whole are identical, just playing cards are a smaller deck, and have no reversals. Clubs are wands, diamonds are pentacles and so on. On the whole, what applies to one type applies equally to the other. (In fact, here and there an oddity in the tarot is usually explained by comparing it against playing cards, as you see in the forums here sometimes.)

If tarot cards had been popular in Sibly's day (the late 1700s) I'm sure his cartomancy section would have spoken about them as well. But as it was, playing cards were the norm, so he used them in his explaining how to read. And he says "Knaves" (Jacks) are the thoughts of men in romantic matters, but I am interested to know how the works. A couple people here so far have mentioned hearing something similar. How are the thoghts determined?
 

Tristram Shandy

Sobekneferu said:
Well, I figure they're okay to ask about in tarot forums because both evolved from a single source and on the whole are identical, just playing cards are a smaller deck, and have no reversals. Clubs are wands, diamonds are pentacles and so on. On the whole, what applies to one type applies equally to the other. (In fact, here and there an oddity in the tarot is usually explained by comparing it against playing cards, as you see in the forums here sometimes.)

The forum called Oracle Decks is a cartomancy forum. It has many threads about divination with playing cards. By the way, there are different systems of playing card and tarot suit correpondences. And some playing cards divination systems have reversals.

Sobekneferu said:
If tarot cards had been popular in Sibly's day (the late 1700s) I'm sure his cartomancy section would have spoken about them as well. But as it was, playing cards were the norm, so he used them in his explaining how to read. And he says "Knaves" (Jacks) are the thoughts of men in romantic matters, but I am interested to know how the works. A couple people here so far have mentioned hearing something similar. How are the thoghts determined?

I have never read with playing cards, but I have read a book on the subject, Fortune-telling by Playing Cards by Nerys Dee. It doesn't interpret jacks as man's thoughts. If you think that the system of playing card meanings that you use is too limited or foggy, you could try some other system.