C AR D F O RT U N E TELLIN G A LUCID TREATISE DEALING WITH ALL THE POPULAR AND MORE ABSTRUSE METHODS BY C HARLES P LATT FULLY ILLU S TRATED LON D ON : W . F OU LS HAM CO LTD . , . , 10 8: 11 Re d Lion Cour F l t e et S tre e t E . , , . C 4 C Pé f/c C ONTENTS CHAP TE R K I . A B RIEF H ISTORY OF THE P AC OF CARDS M I I . ETHODS OF GRE AT D IVI NERS III . A TEST TELLI NG OF THE CARDS IV . S OME ENGLISH METHODS OF TELLI NG V . S OME ARTISTIC STAR S VI. SOME S I M P LE B UT EFFEC TIVE TELLI NGS ’ VII N P . A OLEON S CARD METH ODS V III . S OME U N USUAL METHODS OF TELLI NG I% . THE TAROT OR D IVI NATI O N CARDS LIST O F ILLUSTRATIONS FOUR TAROT CARDS S U I T DESIGNS FOR TAROT CARDS ’ MADAME LEN O RMAN D S METHOD A FIFTY -TW O CARD METHOD THE GRAND STAR THE S I M P LE STAR THE THI RTEEN CARD STAR A TEST READ I NG THE S TAR OF FI FTEEN THE TEM P LE OF FORTUN E ’ S E P H ARIAL S METHOD THE FA TEFUL SQUARE OF SEVEN S TAROT O R D IV I NATI ON CARDS THE GREAT FI GURE OF FATE TEN o F A CURNS [HEARTS] FOU R TAROT CA RDS C A RD F ORTU N E TELLING CHAPTER I A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PACK OF CARD S T is a very popular belief that cards were inve nted r e s Charles e in o d r to amu e King VI of Franc , at r h s a time when that mona ch was mentally unstable . T i e e r e leg nd , however , lik so many pretty sto i s of the past , h as e e no foundation in fact , as cards w r known long ’ be fore the mad monarch s days . e r e It is tru that a cou t miniature paint r , named Grin onneur r i e e he g , did paint or o ig nat som cards which i r r e the ntroduced to the King , but ca ds were fi st us d in e e East in v ry anci nt days , and it is a curious fact that - e e the other great world popular indoor gam , Ch ss , also the - e originated in East , and is still played to day by m ans o f a pack of cards . It also seems obvious that cards reache d the West in e e r the same way and by the same rout as Ch ss , p obably r e e e e e th ough the gipsi s , that strang , unconqu rabl East rn e o f er r fl rac wand e s , whose actual origin still baf es our researches . Naturally a race of people with no se ttled home or nationality would fin d much difi culty in moving the ir r r a re pe sonal belongings f om place to place , and would pp ciate any amusem e nt that could be reduced to the form of o f a pack cards . IO CARD FORTUNE TELLING e the e e Ch ss was gr at Eastern gam , and is in many ways characte ristic o f a pe ople to whom Time was of no e . e ee e importanc Cards may hav b n a gam originally , but as known by the n sies they were only used for the e o f or e e purpos s Divination , Fortun T lling , and right up to the present day they still form the most popular and e e e of e wid spr ad m ans t sting the fortune . r Known as Ta occhi , or Tarots , the Divination cards e e e e -e e e —o r numb r d s v nty ight , and w re without numb rs — e e pips , as we call them which w r introduced in Europe f e o ee . for the sak simplicity, in the fourt nth century are of e Such packs still in use in parts the Contin nt , but the e e e e t W st rn pack has gradually tak n its plac , bo h for the o f e —in purpose Divination and for playing gam s fact , e it is usual to sp ak of a pack of Playing cards , a dis r e tinction that is ha dly n cessary nowadays , as it is not e o f r o ne asy to obtain a pack Tarot ca ds , unless knows e e . e e we wher to go for th m The fact , how v r , that still u se this distinctive name , shows that at one time the two kinds were in use side by side . If we compare a complete Tarot pack of cards with the mode rn Playing cards we shall find many interesting o f e n the e e e points res mbla ce , and at sam tim discov r the re ason for the Change s made in the We stern World . — There are twenty one Tarot cards that are used solely e i the e o f r for purpos s of Div nation , and d signs these ca ds vary greatly and have probably neve r had any real signifi e . e e e canc In addition to thes , th r is always a card known — as the Fool and as far as we know the card has always u e o f re maine d the same . For p rpos s Divination it has e e e the e no s parate indication , but s rv s to intensify m an e e ing of the card ne xt to it . Thus it b comes a v ry power e one e e the ful and dominant card wh n is for t lling Future , as the indication supported by the FOO1 is certain to be HISTORY OF THE PACK OF CARDS I I e r fl e e activ , and therefo e must in u nce , or ev n suppress , al l other indications . e the F 0 0 1 e Associat d with a good card , is strong nough to carry you through much e vil ; times may prove th e e e . e troublous , but you will pull cl ar b for long On e the F 0 0 1 r oth r hand , if is attached to a bad ca d , any the e signs of good fortune , shown by oth r cards , will not b e r e the e st ong enough to sav you from thr atened trouble , though the y may modify it to some e xtent . It is a curious fact that in certain card games we still - e e e the e find this all pow rful J st r , who has happy pow r - Ac e of r e e the of over trumping the T umps , what v r suit r e may be . Apa t from this , our mod rn pack of Playing cards has e ntirely abandone d the twenty-two spe cial r the hi e e Divination ca ds of Tarocc , though th s cards were and still are use d for games as well as for Divination purposes in those countrie s where the Tarot pack is still r in e gular use . e e - In addition to thes tw nty two cards , the Tarot pack fift - r e contains y six ca ds , divid d into four suits , just as r r e er our modern packs a e divide d . But the superio W st n mind has destroye d all the original cle ve r significance o f e e e e the Tarot , and has substitut d the s ns l ss jangle e e— e e of Diamond , H art , Club and Spad meaningless , s ns e e e l ss , nons ns u are e In the Tarot , the four s its r presented by other e e —we the e e e mbl ms have Vas , which r pres nts the r e the the r i e P i stly caste of East ; Swo d , which ind cat s the e e e e r Warrior cast ; the Pi ce of Mon y, which cl a ly shows the Merchant caste ; and finally the Baton or Club s give us the Yeoman o r Tiller of the soil . er e we H e th n have four suits of cards , each one re re e e the e p s nting a distinct class of p ople , and in quartett — are covered all classes of the pe ople for in the early 1 2 CARD FORTUNE TELLING Eastern days the Priestly caste were the rulers , and r e e chose the King o nominal ruler . They w r quite cap able % o f removing him pe acefully if he did not follow their our the the bidding . So four suits give us Rulers , Figh ters , t t he e he . M rchants , and Farmers We will now compare these four ancie nt Tarot suits ACORN , S U IT D ESIGNS F OR TAROT CARDS our — r with modern Western nonsense He a ts , Clubs , Diamonds and Spades % The Vase or Cup of the Tarocchi cards has be come of e e the Heart the mod rn pack ; this is an easy chang , as e the bowl remains , while the st m has been thickened to complete the heart shape de sign .