If you’ve been following the blog for a length of time, you may have noticed that there wasn’t an Oracle Outlook posting last week.
I typically work on the video and transcription of the readings for this space over the weekend for that upcoming Monday, but last weekend my schedule got filled with some atypical events, one of which was reading Tarot at a shop in my downtown Charleston area all day Saturday.
By the time the new week started, I still hadn’t been able to get the video transcribed, and when Tuesday came and went, I gave myself permission to skip a week.
That was huge for me, considering the fact that I’ve been posting weekly readings in this space since January of 2015 faithfully.
I could’ve simply posted the video (which did get done in time, and you can check it out here), but I know that many of my readers actually like reading the text version (thank you, dear readers, for being people after my own heart).
Not wanting that to become a habit, I’m back in the saddle with this week’s reading, both in video and written form.
This week I wanted to work with a playing card deck. I had the intention of working with a deck I backed on Kickstarter, which recently came in the mail.
But another deck began calling out to me, subtly, ever so subtly. The deck? The Hermes Playing Card Oracle by Robert M. Place (published by Hermes Publications).
What I like about the deck is that Place has made the playing card aspect of the deck prominent—and included symbols on the cards to add additional layers of meaning; most are from the Lenormand system, with some also being from other cartomancy systems like the Gypsy Witch Cards and the Old Whitman Fortune-Telling Cards.
Taking the deck in hand and shuffling the cards, I asked the general question, “What do we need to know about the possibilities for the week ahead?”
This week’s video reveals the cards for our reading:
If you prefer to read the post, here it is:
The cards for the week are: Ace of Diamonds, 7 of Diamonds, 9 of Hearts, 6 of Clubs, and 10 of Spades.
Focus of the Reading
The focus card this week, which is in the middle of the line, is the 9 of Hearts.
The 9 of Hearts is known as “the wish card,” so at the center of the reading, it can suggest the focus of our attention this week might be on a particular wish being fulfilled.
The suit of Hearts is about our feelings and emotions, and the 9 is a number of gain and attainment; the combination of these elements can suggest an emotional gain, something being attained that leaves us feeling happy, satisfied, and fulfilled.
The card has the inset of Rider, a symbol of news and messages; this adds the possibility of news or messages playing a part in that wish being fulfilled or that emotional gain.
This being the week of the Thanksgiving, Rider can also be referring to visits and arrivals; in that vein, the suit of Hearts is associated with home and family issues, so Rider can suggest a visit by—or going to visit—those we love for the holiday.
Looking at the Line
Starting off the line, we have the Ace of Diamonds.
Aces suggest a situation that’s in its beginning stages, suggesting potential for the future; Diamonds, as a suit, points to material concerns, and having the energy to become successful in our endeavors.
With that, the Ace of Diamonds can suggest a new material phase or experience. It’s also a card of news and messages, so we have that element being repeated (remember Rider). The Ace of Diamonds can also suggest something engaging and potentially rewarding.
If Rider is about visits and arrivals, then the Ace of Diamonds might suggest an invitation in some form; I tend to look at Ace of Diamonds as a letter, suggesting something in writing, so the invitation may come in the form of an e-mail or text message.
Here we have the inset of Sun, a symbol that speaks of success (like Diamonds) and confidence. I also read Sun as day and daytime, so the pairing of Ace of Diamonds and Sun might suggest an invitation (Ace of Diamonds) for a particular day (Sun).
Next to Ace of Diamonds, we have another card from the same suit, the 7 of Diamonds.
The interesting thing to point out with the 7 of Diamonds following the Ace of Diamonds is that the 7 refers to growth and development that takes place over time—after the seed (Ace) has been planted.
The 7 of Diamonds is a card of investment for me. In the material sense, it can refer to stocks and dividends, the idea of having your money “work” for you, and growing as a result; in the metaphorical sense, this card can turn up when it’s time to evaluate a situation, considering the investment of your time, energy, and resources into it—and assessing the return you’ve gained on your investment.
Basically you’re asking, “Was it worth it?”
Now, the 9 of Hearts, being next to the 7 of Diamonds, influences it, and can suggest again the idea of a gain that’s emotionally rewarding.
The 7 of Diamonds has Birds on it, a symbol of communication, so there may be conversation (Birds) that takes place between the time of an invitation (Ace of Diamonds) and the arrival or visit (Rider).
Moving to the other side of the 9 of Hearts, we have the 6 of Clubs.
The suit of Clubs refers to work and business, but it can also suggest being social and making progress, so this card can suggest working out a situation so that things can progress and move forward.
This would make sense, given that we have the first appearance of a “black” card, after having a string of “red” cards; coming after a Hearts card, Clubs can suggest feelings of frustration and impatience.
The 6 of Clubs, coming on the heels of what I said about Birds, is also a card of communication and can suggest something being negotiated (communication to work something out). The 6 of Clubs stresses the importance of listening and paying attention during these conversations.
The 6 is a number that, for me, comes up to point to an issue of responsibility versus reward (another word being repeated), so the conversation may be about assuming responsibility so an experience can be rewarding.
Birds has two of them in its symbolism, and this can suggest two parties; adding this to the 6 of Clubs, it can suggest everyone involved sharing the responsibility—meaning doing their part to make it a success.
And this is reinforced by Cross being on the card; Cross is a symbol of responsibility, but it can also suggest difficulty and something becoming burdensome. If one person takes all the responsibility for making a situation a success, it could very well indeed become a burden.
And Rider + Cross could be read as the arrival (Rider) of difficulty (Cross).
And that brings us to the final card in the line, the 10 of Spades.
The suit of Spades can suggest problems and challenges, and when I see it as the last card in a line, it can suggest a block of some kind. Coming after a Clubs card, a Spades card can suggest increased difficulties.
This is also highlighted by the fact that the line started off with the “red” cards and shifts with two “black” cards finishing the line out.
The 10 is a number of transition, suggest something that needs to be completed, which sets the stage for something new to get started. The 10 of Spades can suggest a “hang up” rearing its head (Spades is connected to mental activity, which takes place in the head), or that a decision will need to be made to end a particular situation or experience once and for all (Spades representing problem-solving and decision-making).
The 10 of Spades can also point to a large body of water, which brings in the symbol on the card, Ship. Ship is a symbol of travel, and one of its aspects is foreign or overseas travel. My first impression when considering this card was that there might be a problem with regard to travel—and especially for someone traveling a long distance (if not coming in from another country).
I find this reading very interesting, given that this is the week of a holiday, and the possibility of many people traveling. There’s already been unusual weather activity this weekend as I write this post, so it’s my sincere wish (9 of Hearts) that those traveling don’t have any unexpected delays—after all, the 10 of Spades is giving us a heads up.
And, with that, I’ll wrap up this week’s reading. If you’re observing the Thanksgiving holiday, I hope it’s a happy one.
For personalized readings, visit my Lenormand Readings page over at jameshimm.com to get all the details.
life of HIMM 