Bachelors and spinsters may choose cards to personate their lovers and friends.
A court card placed between two cards of the same grade—for instance, two nines, two sevens, etc.—shows that the one represented by that card is threatened.
Should a military man consult the cards he must always be represented by the King of Diamonds.
It is always essential to cut cards with the left hand, there being a long-established idea that it is more intimately connected with the heart than the right. A round table is generally preferred by those who are in the habit of practising cartomancy. It is a matter of opinion as to whether the cards speak with the same clearness and accuracy when consulted by the inquirer without a fortune-teller. The services of an expert are generally supposed to be of great advantage, even when people have mastered the rudiments of cartomancy themselves.
Telling One’s Fortune with Twenty-one Cards
The Italian Method.
Thirty-two cards are actually required for this method, altho only 21 of them are used. After shuffling the cards and cutting with the left hand, the fortune-teller counts off the first 11 cards and lays them aside. From the 21 which are left he takes the top card and lays it apart, then he lays out the other 20 on the table before him. One card must represent the inquirer, either a knave or a queen, according to the sex. If this card is not among the 20 cards on the table the pack must be dealt over. The meaning of the cards must then be considered; if any set of 2, 3 or more of a kind occur their meaning should be read also, as it may modify the general interpretation of the rest. The 20 cards should be read from left to right continuously to let each card continue the meaning of the one before. The cards must then be put together again and shuffled and cut as before. The top card is again laid aside and the others divided into 3 packs, of which 2 contain 7 cards each and the last only 6 cards. The inquirer chooses one of the packs, which is next turned with the face up and one after the other the cards are to be read according to their significance. This operation must be repeated 3 times.
The following will give an example of how these cards are to be manipulated:
Let us take the Knave of Clubs as representing the inquirer, and the 21 cards selected are the following in their regular order: King of Spades, Queen of Hearts (reversed), Ace of Hearts, Knave of Clubs, Ace of Spades (reversed), Ace of Clubs, Knave of Hearts, King of Hearts, Queen of Spades (reversed), Nine of Hearts, Knave of Diamonds, Ten of Spades, Ace of Diamonds (reversed), King of Diamonds, Seven of Diamonds, Eight of Diamonds, Eight of Spades (reversed), Seven of Clubs (reversed), Nine of Clubs (reversed), Nine of Diamonds. The Surprise placed apart.
On examining this list carefully we find there are 4 Aces, which indicate danger and financial loss. The fact that one of them is reversed shows that the trouble is somewhat lightened.