FORTUNE TELLING.
Whatever the arrangement employed for laying out the tableau in fortune telling, the result of the reading will always be dependent on the person’s ability to string together in a connected story the meanings which are attached to the various cards. According to Eittella, the father of all fortune telling, only 32 cards should be used, and it is essential that they should be single heads, because a court card standing firmly on its feet is a very different thing from one standing on its head. If single-head cards are not at hand, the lower part of the double-head cards must be cancelled in some manner.
The following are the interpretations of the various cards, the initial R meaning that the card is reversed, or standing on its head.
HEARTS. Ace. The house, or home.
King. A benefactor. R. He will not be able to do you much good, although he means well.
Queen. Everything that is lovely in woman. R. You will have to wait awhile for the realization of your hopes.
Jack. A person who may be useful to you. R. He will not prove of much account.
Ten. A pleasant surprise.
Nine. Reconciliation.
Eight. Children.
Seven. A good marriage. R. Fair to middling.
CLUBS. Ace. Profits from business or gambling.
King. A just man, who has taken a fancy to you. R. Something will interfere with his good intentions.
Queen. Your best girl. R. She is jealous.
Jack. A probable marriage. R. It may have to be postponed.
Ten. Success in business. If followed by ♢ 9, the note will not be paid when it is due; if followed by the ♠ 9 you will lose the entire account.
Nine. Success in love.
Eight. Great anticipations.
Seven. Trifling love affairs. R. They will get you into trouble.
DIAMONDS. Ace. A letter, or a written notice.
King. A person to beware of. R. Will annoy you in any case.
Queen. A shrew or gossip. R. She will make you tired.
Jack. A bearer of bad news. R. Worse than you expected.
Ten. An unexpected journey.
Nine. That expected money will not come to hand.
Eight. Some surprising actions on the part of a young man.
Seven. Success in lotteries, gambling or speculation. R. The amount will be very small.
SPADES. Ace. Love affairs.
King. Police or sheriffs. R. Loss of a lawsuit.
Queen. A gay and deceptive widow. R. She’s fooling thee.
Jack. Disagreeable young man. R. He will do you an injury or injustice of some kind.
Ten. Prison.
Nine. Vexatious delays in business matters.
Eight. Bad news. If followed by the ♢ 7, quarrels.
Seven. Quarrels which will be lasting unless the card is followed by some hearts. R. Family rows.
COMBINATIONS. 4 aces, death; 3 aces, dissipation; 2 aces, enmity.
4 Kings, honours; 3 Kings, success in business; 2 Kings, good advice.
4 Queens, scandal; 3 Queens, dissipation; 2 Queens, friendship.
4 Jacks, contagious diseases; 3 Jacks, idleness; 2 Jacks, quarrels.
4 Tens, disagreeable events; 3 Tens, change of residence; 2 Tens, loss.
4 Nines, good actions; 3 Nines, imprudence; 2 Nines, money.
4 Eights, reverses in business or love; 3 Eights, marriage; 2 Eights, trouble.
4 Sevens, intrigues; 3 Sevens, pleasure; 2 Sevens, small affairs and gossip.
THE CONSULTATION. There are several ways of telling fortunes, but one example will suffice. The most important thing is to know what your client wants to be told, and the next is to be sure that she cuts the cards with her left hand.
The cards are shuffled, presented to be cut, and then counted off into sevens, every seventh card being laid face up on the table, the six intermediates being placed on the bottom of the pack each time. When twelve cards have been obtained in this manner, they are laid out in a row, and examined to see if the card representing the questioner is among them. If not, they must be gathered, shuffled, cut, and dealt again. A married man with light hair would be the ♢ K, with dark hair, the ♣ K. If he claims to be single, the ♡ J. If your client is a woman, the ♡ Q will do for blondes, the ♣ Q for brunettes. Do not ask if she is married, and take no notice of rings.
Having obtained the necessary twelve cards, the more you know about the consultant’s history, hopes, and prospects, and the better you can judge her character, the less attention you need pay to the cards, and the more satisfactory the result of the consultation will be. It is not necessary to stick too closely to the meanings of the cards, nor to their combinations; the great thing is to tell your client what she wants to hear.
In order to confirm the truth of the pleasing story you have built upon the twelve cards, they must be gathered together, shuffled, presented to be cut with the left hand, and then divided into four packets of three cards each. The first packet is for the Person, the second for the House, the third for the Future, and the fourth for the Surprise. Each packet is successively turned up, and its contents interpreted in connection with the part of the questioner’s life which it represents. In case there should be nothing very surprising in the last pack, it is well to have a few generalities on hand, which will be true of a person’s future six times out of ten. The expert at fortune telling has a stock of vague suggestions, supposed to be given by the cards, which are so framed as to draw from the client the drift of her hopes and fears. The scent once found, most of the fortune telling is in the nature of confirming the client’s own views of the situation. Nevertheless, when well done, by a good talker, fortune telling is very amusing, especially in a small company.