Níblia Elisângela

While tarot always gives three possibilities, Lenormand provides just one. But in many cases, it will be a date range instead of a specific day like tarot can.

STEP 1: Remember these values.

SEASONS

Winter – Lily

Spring – Bouquet

Summer – Sun

Fall – Scythe

MONTHS

January – Fish

February – Snake

March – Stork

April – Paths

May – Woman

June – Ring

July – Man

August – Child

September – Rod

October – Heart

November – Clouds

December – House

WEEKS

First week of the month – Rider

Second week of the month – Clover

Third week of the month – Ship

Fourth week of the month – House

Fifth week of the month – Tree

DAYS

1st – Rider (could also mean first week)

2nd – Clover (could also mean second week)

3rd – Ship (could also mean third week)

4th – House (could also mean fourth week)

5th – Tree (could also mean fifth week)

6th – Clouds

7th – Snake

8th – Coffin

9th – Bouquet

10th – Scythe… and so on, with each day of the month matching the number of the card, until: 31st – Sun.

STEP 2: Perform a three-card spread.

“When will I meet my soulmate?”

Sun – Summer; Day 31

Lily – Winter; Day 30

Man – July; Day 28

Many cultures believe the number 13 to be unlucky, which dates back to the middle ages, in which individuals associated the number 13 with the idea that, at the “Last Supper,” Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th to sit at the table. Aside from that, it is said that there were 13 individuals present (Jesus, included) at the Last Supper which took place the day before “Good Friday,” or the day that Jesus was crucified. Other biblical references cite Friday as being unlucky because Friday was the day Jesus was crucified, Friday was the day Eve gave Adam a poisoned apple, and Friday was the day that Cain slew his brother, Abel. 

In other lore, a similar story occurs in Norse mythology where Loki interrupts a dinner at Valhalla that was comprised of 12 Gods, Loki being the 13th God to arrive. 

Succinctly, the number 12 is seen as a number of completion, and the number 13 in succession is a number of chaos, imbalance, and irregularity. 

In modern day mysticism, the number 13 actually has some positive attributes. 

In numerology, the number 13 is equal to the number 4 (1 + 3 = 4) which is associated with independence, freedom, pragmatism, creativity, and a firm foundation for the future. 

In terms of tarot cards, the 13th card in the Major Arcana is the Death card, which signifies transformation, metamorphosis, change, rebirth, and renewal, despite the unnerving first impressions that the Death card may give. 

According to the I Ching (an ancient Chinese divinatory text), the number 13 represents unity and bonding with mankind. 

So, what is significant about this particular full moon occuring on Friday the 13th? 

This particular moon is called the “Harvest Moon” which is the name of the full moon occuring closest to the Autumn or Fall equinox. 

It also happens to coincide with the moon’s apogee, meaning it is at its greatest distance from the Earth. 

This full moon can be considered a “micro moon” - because of its distance from the Earth, it will appear to be about 14% smaller to the naked eye. 

There will not be another full moon that takes place on Friday the 13th until August 13th, 2049.

With all that being said, what does this moon mean for your magickal and spiritual practice? 

Micromoons are good for works having to do with extreme focus and productivity. 

Full moons are associated with power, cleansing, charging, healing, divination, emotions, psychic awareness, enlightenment, and banishing.

The Harvest Moon can be associated with reaping what you have sown this past year - this includes collecting debts and embracing the fruits of your labor in order to create a clean slate for the rest of the year. 

This moon is also going to be in the sign of Pisces - in general, a full moon in Pisces is associated with all things emotional, creative, and psychic. 

Friday is the day of Venus, which is associated with cooperation, unity, companionship, and creativity. 

As I mentioned above, the number 13 in modern day mysticism is associated with independence, freedom, pragmatism, creativity, unity, transformation, and rebirth. 

Ever wondered how to read playing cards? Here’s how!

Playing cards can be read according to their court, number, and suit. Below I will list their meanings.

NUMBERS & COURTS

ACE - individual, solitude, beginnings, new

TWO - partnership, balance, waiting, delay, opposing forces

THREE - connection, groups, teamwork, society, power, conflict

FOUR - stability, feeling stuck, stubbornness, firmness, structure, support

FIVE - disturbance, challenging authority, human nature

SIX - stability, harmony, togetherness, relationships

SEVEN - mystery, indecisiveness, imbalance, division

EIGHT - movement, stagnation, plateau, choice to be made

NINE - growth, safety, near end, content

TEN - satisfaction, completion, new endings, new beginnings

KING - master, authority, paternal, control

QUEEN - maternal, care, power, independence

JACKS - free spirit, creativity

TIP: When trying to remember/interpret the numbers, think about how they function in our universe. For example, a balance scale normally has two sides. A house normally has four walls for structure. Odd numbers tend to be less stable than even numbers as well, so keep that in mind. Also remember that the meanings of the number are able to be tweaked in order to fit into its suit!

SUITS

HEARTS - water element, emotions, feelings, relationships

SPADES - air element, thinking, thoughts, communication

DIAMONDS - earth element, practicalities, material world

CLUBS - fire element, creativity, passion, action

INTERPRETING SINGLE CARDS

This is where the actual thinking part comes in. When trying to interpret a card’s meaning, think about how the meaning of the number/court and the meaning of the suit connect, all in relation to the question being asked. Here’s an example to show what I mean by this:

Say you have a Six of Clubs as a result of asking a question about your current state in your relationship with a significant other that you’re worried no longer has feelings for you (oddly specific, I know, it’s just for the sake of the lesson). 

The number six typically relates to stability, harmony, togetherness, and relationships.

The suit clubs relates to the fire element, creativity, passion, and action. Overall, it’s a very energetic suit.

When we put the six and the clubs’ meanings together in general, we can generate a lot of different interpretations, but in terms of the question being asked, it can be interpreted as such:

You and your significant other are in a very positive point in your relationship right now. You’re working in sync with each other, and any obstacles you’ve had or will have will be easily overcome due to your teamwork and understanding of each other. There is no worry for you to be afraid of losing your partner at this time, as your relationship is steady and stable and will most likely remain so unless things are altered along the way.

How did I arrive at this? Well, first of all, the meaning of the number and the meaning of the suit were very, very similar and often go hand in hand when a positive situation is in question. The high energy of the clubs boost the affirmation of the six that all is well in the relationship, signaling that the stability mentioned within the number six is sure-fire at the moment.

INTERPRETING MULTIPLE CARDS

OR: HOW I STOPPED WORRYING AND LEARNED TO LOVE PRACTICING TAROT

This is a simple exercise I’ve done really to hone my intuition while divining. I like to pull a three card spread (past, present, future) but you can really use whichever spread you’d like.

Major Arcana:

Most trump cards can be self explanatory if you’re good at word association.

The Fool card starts a story that follows a journey through to the World, the end. Everything in between is character development.

Death does not mean death. Unlike most horror films, its appearance can actually signal a new beginning or change.

Minor Arcana: Know what each suit means or symbolizes in general.

Cups: Water, focuses on your emotional self, creativity and romance, following your heart over your head.

Pentacles: Earth, focuses on your physical self, material ideas like business or wealth, manifestation.

Swords: Air, focuses on your mental self, action and concentration, intelligence and conflict.

Wands: Fire, focuses on your spiritual self, intuition and inspiration, values and flaws.

All in All: 

Use the context clues in the imagery of your cards to guide your intuition.

Don’t worry about misreading a card or getting anything wrong. This is really about trusting yourself and your gut instincts.

Don’t be afraid to take the surface value of the card during this exercise. It’s just an exercise. 

I hope this helped you if you’re just starting out, want to try a different method to divining with tarot, or just want to generally work on trusting your gut.

Like any other school of Magick, Divination uses many different methods in order to divine esoteric knowledge, including the past, present, and possible future. 

Important note: It is important to remember that, no matter the type of divinatory practices used, no single person is able to tell the future. There are always variables at play that may change your future and your destiny. Divination simple says that, should things continue as they are, this is the most likely outcome of the situation.

How does divination work? 

In and around all things is a flow of energy. You can think of this flow of energy as the circle of life type of thing from Lion King. “The circle of life flows through us all”, or, like water: Water particles are everywhere, even in the air we breath, and is thus constantly in motion. Same with energy. Energy makes up the very fabric of our existence, making us connected to everything around us.

Here’s a witchy secret they don’t often bother to tell you: We are connected to this energy, and this energy is connected to all things. Energy, at its base, is information.

When we tap into this energy, we are able to see the information that the energy has to give us. Different diviners use different methods of tapping into this energy, but it’s all the same.

Kinds of Divination:

By no means is this list exhaustive. As mentioned before, there are many ways in which diviners practice divination. None is better than the other, and all accomplish basically the same thing. There are a few that I have dabbled in, and a lot that I have not.

Cartomancy

The most common and well known form of divination is divining using a deck of cards, most commonly tarot. Among the cards are different sets of titles and imagery that is meant to invoke some sort of reaction from your intuition. The best way to work with the tarot, oracle, or any other deck of cards is allow the cards to speak to you, and not you for it. In other words, allow there to be a natural progression as you read the tarot, instead of forcing meanings where there may be none.

Runes (Futhark)

Runes are another form of divination that use ancient symbols housing esoteric wisdom to divine. According to the legends which I’ve read, the runes are Norse in origin, but the exact details of how they came to be is a mystery. It is said that they were sacred to the Norse goddess Freya, and were possibly even discovered by her. She then introduced then to Odin, the Allfather, god of war, and the greater mysteries. Odin, who became fascinated by them, hung himself in a tree to die a shamanic death, and was then reborn as Odin the Runemaster. At some point, it is rumored that Odin then gifted the runes to man. 

Whatever the legends, the runes do have an energy all their own, but are not quite as easy as the tarot to read. They are symbols, ancient and unknown in origin, not pretty little colored images on a deck of cards. The best way to work with runes is to learn their general meaning, and allow them to expand their knowledge to you over time. 

Scrying

Scrying is another popular form of divination that uses a smooth, reflective surface in order to “See” images within the depths. Most commonly, crystal balls, black mirrors, and bowls of water are used. 

This form of divination is difficult to master, and takes tremendous patience. Thus, I will not be able to go into further detail about this at present.

Osteomancy

“Throwing bones” as it were. I’ve had more time to learn a little bit more about this, and I have a very basic understanding of how this form of divination works. 

Osteomancy uses bones, preferably from small animals, as well as other shells, beads, and curios collective known as the “bones” thrown out onto a cloth to divine the future. Depending on where the bones land, the diviner is then able to use their meaning to paint a picture of the quarents future, past, and present. 

I’ve read a few blog posts about this form, and it seems that, most commonly, osteomancers use what is known as “animism” the idea that everything has a spirit and is alive, in order to divine. While this may or may not be true, I believe that bone throwing employs the use to psychometry in order to decipher the bones.

Which brings me to my last point…

Psychometry

Psychometry is a powerful way to exercise your “Psychic muscles”, but it also takes a lot of patience to learn. Psychometry refers to the latent or inherent or learned ability to perceive residual information off of objects and/or people, usually by touch. 

Psychometry is best practiced in one of two ways. 

Collect various, preferably older items, such as necklaces, pocket watches, other small antiques, wood, shells, etc. Place all of the items under a cloth or under a bowl and then shuffle them around, making sure that you shuffle long enough for you to have no way of knowing where each item is. You then place your hand over the object, fell its energy, and try and divine what the object is. It’ll take time, but your accuracy will vastly improve, and you’ll find that other esoteric things come to you easily.

Find random objects such as old building bricks, signs, lampposts, antiques, etc. and place your hand on them. Close your eyes, and try to sense the object. See all of the memories that it houses within. Who did it belong to? What has it witnessed? Where did it come from? Eventually, you’ll begin to gain an understanding of the objects around you even without needing to touch them and close your eyes. Then, eventually, you’ll be able to divine a person’s past, present, and future using the same exact method, giving you yet another tool in your divinatory arsenal.

There are, of course, many MANY other methods that I missed. The ones I mentioned above are simply the ones that I personally have, so far, dabbled in. The tarot, of course, is my strongest practice, but others are working their way up there as well.

Short list of other divination practices:

Tesseomancy- Tea leaf reading

Pyromancy- Fire scrying

Lithomancy- Stone throwing

Pendulum- Divining with a heavy, pointed object on a chain

Numerology- Divining with numbers

Astrology- Divining using the stars and their alignments

What is Cartomancy?

Cartomancy is divining with playing cards.  Each card has a meaning and are interpreted by the reader who organizes them into certain spreads.  Spreads are the way that the playing cards are set onto the table and I’ll be talking about them more later.  Some readers integrate their spirituality into their readings, calling upon deities or spirit guides or connecting with their higher self.  Others may use their beliefs to explain how cartomancy works.

Card Meanings

Hearts

Regarding emotions and home

Ace: New friendship or romance

Two: Deepening attractions

Three: Joy in company, friendship, or celebration

Four: Turning inwards, apathy

Five: Despair, loss

Six: Childhood, nostalgia, good memories, old frienship

Seven: Daydreaming, wishful thinking, choices

Eight: Emotional detachment, leaving love behind, making a hard choice

Nine: Satisfaction, sensual pleasure, spiritual growth

Ten: Contentment, fulfillment, joy, family

Jack: Falls in love easily, romantic, talkative

Queen: Emotionally dependent, empathetic

King: Wise, tolerant, diplomatic, feeling, patient

Diamonds

Regarding work and out-of-house affairs

Ace: New projects, home, or success

Two: Juggling resources, waiting for results

Three: Teamwork, improving skills

Four: Possessiveness

Five: Loss of items, job, or money

Six: Giving or receiving money, a pay raise, obtaining resources

Seven: Reassessment, turning point, mild dissatisfaction

Eight: Paying attention to details, focus, practice

Nine: Independence, self-reliance, increasing wealth

Ten: Great wealth, family, property, or inheritance

Jack: Reliable, hard working, quiet, hidden depth

Queen: Practical, warm, dependent, motherhood

King: Self-made, business, encouraging

Clubs

Regarding finances

Ace: New ideas, business action

Two: Planning, preparation

Three: Leadership, exploration

Four: A goal achieved, rest from action

Five: Competition, disagreement, irritation

Six: Victory, achievements, passing exams

Seven: Defense, conviction, strong belief

Eight: Organization, moving quickly, pregnancy

Nine: Continuing a balance, endurance

Ten: Carrying burdens, doubt

Jack: Unreliable, hot headed, risk taker, athletic

Queen: Energetic, career minded, untidy

King: Creative, forceful, hot-tempered

Spades

Regarding road blocks and difficulties

Ace: New insights, realizations

Two: Failure to communicate

Three: Miscommunication, misunderstanding

Four: Recuperation, recovery, contemplation

Five: Discord, dishonor, hollow victory

Six: Moving on, travel, mentally getting to a better place

Seven: Lying, deceit, theft, irresponsibility

Eight: Illusion of being trapped, powerlessness

Nine: Nightmares, problems, worry, guilt

Ten: Giving up, victim, martyrdom

Jack: Rebel, fights for a cause, intellectual, political

Queen: sharp intelligence, ruthless, insight, organization

King: Introspective, ethical, communication, stern

I use the joker to represent unlimited potential but I’ve seen various meanings.

Spreads

Here’s an example of a cartomancy spread:

A reader places a card on every rectangle pictured above.  They would then apply the meaning of the card to the situation it stands for.  A spread sets up the situation you are looking to divine about.   Here is a spread focusing on a person’s whole life but a reader could lay out a spread that’s centered on a person’s love, job opportunities, or present struggles.  

Cartomancy tips

If doing a face-to-face reading, it’s a good idea to ask the receiver to shuffle the cards.  This allows them to connect to the cards and engage in the reading.  

When you draw the cards, you can choose from the top of the deck or spread them out and choose whichever call to you. 

There is more to consider in cartomancy than the set card meanings.  A group of certain colored cards can be significant as can a group of court cards (kings, queens, jacks)