I found some "Rocks"!

Back in my Random Reading #111 post, I noted the inclusion on the Hand in Hand card of a reference to a Rocks card that didn't actually appear in that deck. I suggested that perhaps the 12-card deck was an abridged version of a larger one.

But the title "Rocks" was a puzzle. There are Mountains in Lenormand and its off-shoots, but I wasn't aware of a deck with a Rocks card. Actually, I felt I had seen a Rocks card but I couldn't recall where and was prepared to accept that I was making it up.

Ta da!

From Jozefa Seaqueen's post "Gypsy Bijou fortune telling cards – N & F method"

“The Gypsy Bijou Fortune Telling Cards” with a guide by Minetta 

(Foulsham & Co, 1910; republished 1969)

I even "Liked" the post sometime in the past apparently, so this must have been what I was vaguely remembering.

The Rock card is numbered 21, the same as the Lenormand Mountain card, and the meanings are very similar. Its verse reads "The rock announces a false friend. Be prudent, for he is powerful." The Philippe LeNormand sheet says "The Mountains, near the Person, warn you against a mighty enemy; if distant, you may rely on powerful friends."

If the 12-card deck Rocks is in some way related to the Mountain card, only its positive aspect was applied to its relationship with the Hand in Hand card - "Hand in Hand means friendship, which will grow to love; if near rocks, staunch friendship".

Apart from the two cards shown, the "Gypsy Bijou" is in all other respects a standard Lenormand, so it's still not the "mother" deck of my little 12-carder. Maybe one day I'll spot her somewhere.  

But now, here's another little mystery. In Jozefa's deck, card #8 is Broken Mirror rather than the usual Coffin. And yet, in all the images I've been able to find online (not many) where card #8 is present, it's clearly a coffin. Maybe at the time of reprinting the deck (1969) the publishers felt the image of a coffin was too "grim" for the public sensibilities of the day. If anyone knows of a pre-1969 Gypsy Bijou with a Broken Mirror card I'd love to hear about it.

Random Reading - #113

A day late; hopefully not a dollar short. 😉

Actually, I'm several dollars short after purchasing this little lovely, but I think she's worth it. Details after the reading, for those interested.

Illness – Unexpected money – Invitation to the country – Departure

– Loss, Threats of financial worries

⁘  Don't spend your sick pay/stimulus check/compensation on a holiday. That money will be needed for something else.  ⁘

Le Devin, "The Soothsayer", by J P Broche, published by Heron France c1988. A fortune telling deck of 54 cards, including His & Hers consultant cards, with upright and reversed meanings. 

It has a lot of the usual meanings, but also a few physical descriptions of individuals - dark man, fair woman, that sort of thing. And some quite specific situations – bank or administration problem, invitation to the country, tense atmosphere, etc.

One card I was surprised (appropriate!) and delighted to see was Le chien de pique, "The dog of spades". Coming from playing card tradition (see Random Reading - #110 for an example), this card usually represents a surprise or something that happens suddenly or rapidly.

What's perhaps not so delightful, but rather endearing, are all the spelling mistakes in the English translations. Judging by the two cards on top, it seems they had a particular problem with mistaking "Fs" for "Ss". 😂
(Click photo to see a larger image)

Random Reading - #111

As part of a discussion over on the Tarot Forum the other day, about reading majors-only Tarots, I happened to mention that I had a deck that consisted of only 12 cards. One thing led to another, and here we are. 🙂

Because this tiny layout is so Near/Far dependent, I decided ahead of time that I'd read for whichever significator was the least centrally-located. And the Lady obligingly appeared in the very first position.

⁘  The main cards in play are Snake, Letter, and Gentleman. The Lady has received a Letter (communication) from the Gentleman (a person she has a connection with; with so few cards and no context, I have to allow for any gender) that will cause trouble – Snake touching Clouds.

The Gentleman is under Snake – not to be trusted, and over Book – they're hiding something.

Even though the Heart is next to the Gentleman, it's under Clouds' influence. And the "saving grace" card, Flames, is the furthest from the Lady it can be.

Summary – Don't believe everything you hear. You're not getting all the facts.  ⁘

I could go deeper, with rows, columns, diagonals…, but that would be the whole spread. So I'll stick with those immediately Near the Significator, Clouds (always look for where the Clouds are), and those around the other "person" card only if it's near the Significator.

As for Clouds, I choose to ignore "when near… means luck". Clouds are never lucky, sorry. And because the image is pretty evenly dark, I've designated left as the "dark" side.

The deck itself is just labelled "Fortune Telling Cards" and, although in English, was made in Germany. No date, no publisher info. The card titles suggest it was based on a "Gypsy Witch" type deck. The 'cards' are in fact pieces of construction paper, as is the wrapper, and measure only 4.5 cm x 6.5 cm / 1¾" x 2½". 

One small clue, spotted by someone more observant than myself (thank you, M) is that the Hand in Hand card refers to Rocks. As there is no Rocks card, it would seem to imply that this deck is actually an abridged version of a larger one. I know decks with Mountain cards, but not Rocks. So...?   

As ever, if you know more about this deck, or you recognise the images from somewhere else, or you know the source of a Rocks card, please tell all!

Random Reading - #104

Here's another newish addition I've been wanting to showcase. I bought this one because I recognised it as a "younger sister" of the oldest deck in my collection (details below).

Glück – Dieb – Reichthum – Richter – Unbeständigkeit
Fortune – Thief – Wealth – Judge - Inconstancy

⁛ You may be tempted to take advantage of a "golden opportunity" coming your way. Be careful – its legally and/or ethically dubious. ⁛

The above deck, the "younger sister", is Oracolo del Danubio, "Danube Oracle", produced by the Spanish division of Lo Scarabeo, Orbis Fabbri, in 2002. It's a reprint of a deck published by Wilhelm Hegenauer, Vienna, circa 1890. 

Die Sybille Wahrsagekarten

Prior to this, I'd spotted my deck's "older sister", Die Sibylle Wahrsagekarten, "The Sibyl Fortune-Telling Cards", published by Silberschnur Verlag. This one is a reprint of a deck published by Johann Conrad Jegel, Nuremberg, circa 1870.

Aufschlag Karten, published by W Hendl

My original deck, in both senses, is a dog-eared but remarkably tidy copy of a deck simply named Aufschlag Karten, designed by Josef Neumayer and published by Wilhelm Hendl, Vienna, circa 1880 – the "middle sister". 

Aufschlag can be translated as "service" or "surcharge", but I think the meanings that apply here are "serve" (in the sense of hitting a tennis ball), "impact" and "crash". It strikes me (no pun intended) that this is the idea – Slap Upside the Head Cards. 😉 

And how's this for synchronicity? The Glück and Dieb cards were together, in that order, in all three decks.

Random Reading - #103

I've had the blahs for the past few days. Wasn't sure I wanted to do this today. Looked around my desk for inspiration and saw the Gypsy Tattoo Mongrel deck (by Paris Debono, sadly not currently listed in his shop).

Asked it if I should do the thing. Wheel + Ring*. I should do the thing. 

⁛ Something is weighing heavily on the woman's heart.

She's heard gossip that her man has feelings for someone else, but it's all lies. She is his queen. ⁛

We've got the Man and Woman Hearts in this reading, so basically, the feelings of  'a couple'. Feel free to ignore gender and decide for yourself who's who.

*Movement/opportunity + commitment.

Random Reading - #95

A recent conversation in the Cult of Tarot forum had me pulling out my German reprint of an old Russian pasyans, or patience/solitaire fortune telling deck*. Variations on the theme have been around since the early 19th century, but this design is from the Soviet era. You can see an original set in my friend Dmitry’s Instagram post, as well as a bit more history. 

On the first pass there were three matching symbols – Lightning, Candle and Comb. 

But there was a 4th symbol – Horseshoe – that could be formed by turning the two cards that had previously made Lightning and Comb, thereby "breaking" those symbols. 

⁛ Something unexpected will happen that will disrupt your sense of calm and balance, and cause you to lose hope. But a successful solution will be found, and happiness will be restored. ⁛

One can go even deeper by looking for half-symbols that would match were they not separated by another card, and interpret them based on the "brokenness" of the symbol, with details provided by the symbols on the separating card. 

*Das russische Patience-Orakel, “The Russian Patience Oracle”, published by Ayfaar-Buchverlag. The company has a website with a “Buy Now” button which takes you to eBay, but no product is found. 😕 My copy was purchased from a private seller three years ago.

Pick-a-Pair Reading - #1

And now for something completely different. At least from me. 🙂

Pick a card from the top row – 1, 2, or 3

and a card from the bottom row – A, B, or C

and then click on the link of your chosen pair below for your reading:

1 + A            1 + B            1 + C

2 + A            2 + B            2 + C

3 + A            3 + B            3 + C

Decks used: Golden Tarot by Kat Black, US Games Systems (2003), and The Answer Deck by Nicky Zann, Running Press Miniature Edition (1998)

Random Reading - #81

With all the 'stuff' going on at the moment, I wanted to do a truly random reading this week that just touched on someone's every day life. For that reason, I chose one of my "chatty" Italian sibillas - La Facile Sibilla Regionale, "The Easy Regional Sibilla", published by Dal Negro (1995).

Because Il Consultante/The (Male) Consultant was at the end of the initial line of five cards, with Donna di Casa/Woman of the House at his back, it seemed he was being affected by a situation outside of his control, so I pulled the next two cards as advice on how to handle it.

⁘ You (a male-identifying person) are being pushed by your mother (or equivalent) to better yourself. She feels you’re not reaching your full potential. She’d most likely be happier if you earned more money. This is probably getting you down, but the advice is to just be patient with her. Don’t get snappy. She doesn’t mean to criticise, she just wants the best for you. ⁘

(not so) Random Reading - #75

Honestly, I'm feeling lazy. Is it worth doing a RR today? 😏

The Answer Deck came to mind for the deck du jour, with a "Small Pyramid" spread as described by Andy Boroveshengra.

The Lesson flew out as I started shuffling, so maybe just sharing this spread is justification enough.

Power + Growth: strong increase
Growth + Fair/Gray Haired Man: as this question doesn't involve another person, I'll go with developing maturity and wisdom.

Power + Growth influencing Hidden Enemy: giving into laziness will just increase its strength.
Growth + Fair/Gray Haired Man influencing Wealth: there's more profit in keeping up with my practice.

Hidden Enemy + Wealth: it's easy to get distracted by all the other time-killing options available to me.

Hidden Enemy + Wealth influencing Faith: misuse of my (suddenly abundant*) free time will snuff the candle of my Faith.

Faith: Stay strong and carry on carrying on. It will be worth it.

And now that the reading is complete, a look at the bottom card of the deck –
Spiritual: … yeah.


*In case you're reading this long after the event, this was during the time of COVID-19. #stayhome

The Answer Deck, by Nicky Zann, published by Running Press (1998).

Creative Cartomancy

“When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.” (and variants thereof)

There’s a divinatory corollary –
When you’re a card reader, every pack of cards looks like a fortune teller. 😏

Which is why, when I saw this on eBay, I knew I had to buy it.

Cheers and Tear game cards, published by Waddingtons, © 1963.

It consists of 52 cards – 18 pairs of Cheers cards: “the things you like to do”, and 18 opposing Tears cards: “the things that stop you”.

Does that not sound like the makings of a great will I/won’t I, should I/shouldn’t I deck?!

My first thought was, “Should I remove the duplicate Cheers cards in order to have a 50/50 balance?” It seemed sensible but I was concerned that in practice the results would end up being too Teary.

I know, let’s ask the cards!

This first triplet is for “Leave in all the cards”, and it uses all the cards.

Two Cheers – I’ve happily created a new concept with this adorable deck I’ve just gotten. One Tears – Even with twice the “happy” cards, it’s still got a kick to it.

This line is for “Strip out the duplicates”, and has them removed.

And we have the same distribution – two Cheers and one Tears, and in the same order. This way is more challenging but sheds more light, just don’t overuse it. And in this line I’ve got the happy counterpart to the unhappy card which ended the previous triplet. This makes me view the previous line in more of a “You’re smiling now, but it’ll blow up in your face” sort of way.

On balance, stripping out the duplicates appears to be the way to go. I think I'm going to have fun with this. Not too much, though. 😉

Random Reading - #51

Zolar’s Astrological Tarot Fortune-Telling Cards is a weird little number.

Advertised as an “Amazing and Amusing 4-in-1 Game”, it consists of just 56 cards. One side of the deck shows the 56 minor arcana of the Tarot. Turn the cards over, and on the other side you have the 22 major arcana, 32 astrological fortune-telling cards, and two blanks. Plus the minors are marked with playing cards suits, so you can use the deck for playing card readings. I wouldn't recommend it for card games because your opponent only has to memorise the backs and you've had it. 😉

On top of this, all the tarot cards display upright and reversed “meanings” that kind of give a nod to the standard meanings of the cards while giving them a very fortune-telling-ish spin. Similar to the meanings printed on the old Nile and Ramses fortune-telling playing cards.

Take, for example, the 5 of Cups - upright: Disappointment in marriage or an inheritance; reversed: News from an old friend. A new business proposition. Or the 4 of Swords - upright: Recovery from an illness. Improvement in personal affairs; reversed: Avoid arguments with associates. Economize on your daily expenditures.

So let’s read with it.

I’m going to go with minors for the main reading, and then reshuffle and pull a major for a commentary.

Apologies for the blurriness - click for a clear picture

Luckily, the major wasn’t on the reverse of one of the minors, so they all made it into the one photo. The Knight of Swords was a jumper. I don’t normally use reversals, but this deck calls for them.

» Watch out for the advances of a forceful young man with a “cunning plan”. He’s up to no good. Justice as the commentary indicates this is most likely in relation to a business or legal matter. Use good judgement. «

Random Reading - #50

I spend a whole week thinking I’m going to use a certain deck for this week’s RR, and then the day comes and I pick a different deck. Anyone would think I was fickle.

Clow Cards, a re-envisioning by Daniel of the magical cards from the anime series “Cardcaptor Sakura”.

Read from bottom to top -

Be sensitive in your relations with others this week, particularly those with whom you’ve had difficulties in the past. Pay attention to what they say, and respond appropriately and kindly. It will be to your benefit to take a chance on them.

Allow yourself to be flexible and generous. Set your emotions aside and deal fairly with them.

By changing your attitude, you can make a fresh start and enjoy more peaceful relations.

Random Reading - #46

I’m in a mood to start pulling out random decks for the weekly RRs. (This could take some time. 😉)

First up, Paris Debono’s “Black Cat Fortune Telling Cards”.
I think I was drawn to the orange by the pot of Calendula I planted out this week.

Be cautious in your dealings with another person this week. They’re suspicious of your motives, so you’ll need to be patient and gently persuasive to gain their trust.

Bottom card “Angry Cat” reinforces the idea that this person is feeling defensive. Be careful what you say and how you say it.

Random Reading - #45

This week I’m using the new deck I mentioned last week. As they’re essentially the same deck illustrated by different artists (more on that after the RR), I thought I’d use the same “spread” for comparison.

Our “subject” is the Widower: a married, widowed or divorced man.

Favourable – Jealousy and Money:
Do not believe the negative gossip about your work situation…

Unfavourable – Game* and Judge:
Your colleagues are envious of your relationship with the boss

If you’re your own boss, it’s just a case of your success getting up other people’s noses. Don’t let it get to you. This could even point to your own negative self-talk when you compare your efforts to those you look up to. It has no foundation in truth.


*Notice the use of the “German” playing card suits – acorn, leaf, heart and bell – in the Game card. Their use spread to all areas that were once under German or Austrian control.

This deck, again just called “Vykládací Karty”, Reading Cards, was illustrated by Jiří Běhounek, a Czech illustrator and painter, and appears to have been published in 1960 (a good year 🙄). Both this and the Tesař deck I used last week were published by Obchodní tiskárny Kolin (now OTK Group) of Prague. Both decks contain 36 cards, all but six of which match those of the, also Central European, “Zigeuner” decks.

Interestingly, the titles on the Tesař deck are in Czech (as well as German, French and English), whereas on this deck they're in Slovak.

Běhounek was mainly known for his book illustrations, and his style here is gentler and more whimsical than the gritty “cubist linocut” approach of Tesař the graphic designer.

And I love them both. 💕

Random Reading - #44

I’m waiting in breathless anticipation for the arrival of another 1960s Czech fortune-telling deck (woot!), so in the meantime I’m giving this one an airing – simply called “Vykládací Karty” or Reading Cards, with artwork by Czech painter and graphic designer Vladimír Tesař*.

The instructions say to read the deck as a tableau, but for this RR I’ve chosen to use a 'fragment' in the manner described – the centre card is the “person”, the top and left-hand cards are favourable, the right-hand and bottom cards, unfavourable.

Our “person” is the Judge: someone concerned about their career.

Favourable - Trouble (a better translation would be Annoyance; the leaflet calls it Quarrel) and Luck:
Be patient, outstanding employment results are coming

Unfavourable -Temptation and Fidelity (Faithfulness in the leaflet):
You may be out of pocket due to misplaced trust


*The original printing, with titles in Czech only, was published in 1967, but I believe my four-language copy is from 1970.

Random Reading - #40

I’m in a Horoscope Belline mood today. Probably to counteract our dreary, drizzly weather with a welcome splash of colour.

The cards were very jumpy today. Even before I started shuffling in earnest I had cards flipping out of the deck. I told the deck to knock it off as I began the “tuning in” shuffle. Ha! Out jumped the Devil, followed shortly thereafter by Protection. After that, the deck settled down. Not to be argued with, I guess.

So, the main theme is protection from evil influences.

As the next card is Support, we can assume that, rather than this being a case of protecting yourself, someone will act to protect you (it’s also #40, the same as this post 🤔). Chance tells us there is an opportunity, or perhaps a risk, and Celebrity refers to your “fame” or good name.

In this deck, for me the Devil usually represents internal or personal negative influences, rather than external (which would be the Dragon or the Witch). So I initially read this as protecting yourself from your own bad habits or attitudes. But, having completed my initial assessment of the cards, things weren’t adding up. So I turned the bottom card - and there she was.

»» Expect a family member or friend to have to stand up for you this week to protect your reputation against someone bent on defaming you. The defamer is likely to attempt to keep their identity well hidden. ««

Horoscope Belline - Grimaud

Random Reading - #39

Digging out Madame Dora’s cards last week reminded me of my Madame Endora’s Fortune Cards…

I notice that the central “triangle” of cards all carry circular motifs, and two, The Mystic Circle and The Talisman, belong to the Treasury group - “… mystical treasures that will aid you in the attainment of your goals…”.

Now is the time to focus on your plans. You are safe to follow your heart. Make the necessary changes and push through.

Flanked by Medusa and The Gryphon – Don’t compare your efforts/ ideas/ dreams to others’ or take their criticisms to heart. Just get on with the work at hand and make it your own.


Madame Endora's Fortune Cards - artwork by Christine Filipak and Joseph Vargo, published by Monolith Graphics

Random Reading - #38

I’m feeling a bit fragile at the moment (more on that another time perhaps), so I thought maybe a dose of Madame Dora’s practical advice would do me us some good this week.

I wasn’t sure though, so I pulled one card to check.

“Take time to whine.”

Okaaay...

You have permission to feel all the feels this week. Don't try to explain your emotions to other people. You can’t always explain them to yourself. Be gentle with yourself – it will pass.

Madame Dora’s Fortune-Telling Cards – Lynn Lott, Rick Maynard, Jane Nelsen

Random Reading - #37

Paris Debono gets a fair bit of stick around the cartomancy community. I don't really get why. Yes, he has a somewhat outrageous personality and doesn't mind having a laugh and a joke. And yes, he does rather churn out the decks and isn't shy about promoting them.

But he's a damn good reader, he's very generous with his knowledge and his time, and the decks he produces are generally attractive, unique, and useful.

I mention all this because I was looking around my collection today to see what I wanted to work with and decided on this little number -
Paris Debono's "Gypsy Tattoo Mongrel Deck". 😁
Yep, it is a bit of a hybrid, but it works.

» If you want to improve your health and well-being, stop lying to yourself.
You know what you're doing, I don't need to elaborate. Just get real. «


This is one of the very few decks I read with reversals, because of the differing playing cards suits in the corners and the effect it has on facings. I love this aspect of it, as well as the art, and the fact that it has repeats of some cards with opposing facings and different suit combos.

But I only discovered all of that once I had it.

I bought it because it had this card...

How useful is that, right?! 😂

Cupid has left the building - Random Reading #34

As it was Valentine's this week, I got my Eros Oracle out to do some readings. It's still sitting on my desk, and it's quite fun to read with, so...

Ah. Clearly the hearts-and-flowers atmosphere of this past week has well and truly dissipated now. 🙁

Only orange and red-bordered cards. You are in the throes of a "situation" that is coming to a head.

Give up on trying to control the outcome. It's causing unnecessary aggravation. The support is not there. Don't take chances.

Even the bottom card, which I'd hoped would offer a practical suggestion, just underlined the hopelessness of the situation.

Sorry. We don't always get what we want. Best to accept this and move on.


By the way, if you'd ever like a private reading with one of the decks you've seen me use (okay, maybe not this deck 😉), rather than the tarot/playing card readings I offer, just email me and we can sort something out.


Eros Oracle - Laura Tuan, published by Lo Scarabeo (2007)