One of the personal commitments I made to myself this year was to delve more deeply into my study and practice reading playing cards, in my continual effort to honor the dream I had (which will be 20 years ago come July this year) that set me on the path of becoming a cartomancer.
So I’m getting back into the playing card deck saddle this week and working with one of my favorite decks, The Hermes Playing Card Oracle (by Robert M. Place), for the reading.
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: 3 of Diamonds, 5 of Hearts, 5 of Diamonds, King of Spades, and 10 of Hearts.
Focus of the Reading
The focus card this week, which is in the middle of the line, is the 5 of Diamonds.
The first thing that comes to mind is that the suit of Diamonds is associated with money, and this reminds me that Fish, the money card in Lenormand, appeared in last week’s reading, possibly carrying over some of the messages previously mentioned.
Playing on that, the 5 of Diamonds can suggest financial changes and activity. There may be need to focus on how money is handled this week, as the number 5 symbolizes the hand (if you go with the hand having 5 fingers).
The 5 of Diamonds is also a card of shopping, and can suggest focusing on what money is being spent on (expenditures), as that may be where changes need to take place.
And this is where Pig, the symbol on the card, comes into play.
Pig is a symbol of wealth and abundance, if you consider such expressions like “hog heaven” and “living high on the hog.”
But Pig can also represent excess, suggesting a situation has become excessive; with that in mind, Pig can suggest a need to “trim the fat.”
Let’s take a look at the surrounding cards to see what additional information they want to provide.
Looking at the Line
Starting off the line, we have the 3 of Diamonds.
Here we have another card from the suit of Diamonds; the 3 of Diamonds can indicate financial increase. The financial increase would be small in nature, though, with the 3 being on the low-end of the number scale. But increase is still increase, as the 3 of Diamonds is also a card that says success is a gradual progress.
Keeping with the 5 of Diamonds meaning financial change and activity, I also see this card as financial freedom, and this could suggest (gradual) changes being made and activities being considered that would allow standing on one’s own feet, financially speaking.
If that’s the case, the 3 of Diamonds can mean taking on either part-time or temp work, or even moving from part-time work to full-time work, all in an effort to create financial increase.
The symbol on the card, Horseshoe, can indicate luck; the 5 of Diamonds is also a card of gambling, so there may be a “chance” opportunity coming into play, and needing to consider any possible risks (gambling has risks) involved.
And this is a great place to bring in the next card, the 5 of Hearts, as one of its meanings is opportunity.
So we now have a Heart between two Diamonds, suggesting a situation that could be emotionally rewarding. The 5 of Diamonds is a card that can mean a dream comes true, a chance (that word again) to gain what is wanted. And the 5 of Diamonds can suggest an emotional change—which would definitely be the case if a dream came true.
The 5 of Hearts can suggest female energy, so a woman may play a part in whatever the offer or opportunity being mentioned.
The card has the symbol of Cat, which I read as independence, which reinforces the freedom aspect connected to the number 5, which, by the way, has appeared twice in the line so far (5 of Hearts and 5 of Diamonds).
Moving to the other side of the 5 of Diamonds, we have the King of Spades.
After having three red cards, we have the first black card to appear, and it’s a Spade, which points to problems and difficulty. Coming on the heels of a Diamond card, there’s a possible financial problem or difficulty to work through.
The King of Spades is a face card, and can suggest a person involved in the situation. Kings typically represent men, so the person in question may be a man. The King of Spades can represent a difficult man or that a man is bringing with him the difficulty or problem.
Since some of the cards talked about a possible change with a job or employment (3 of Diamonds), perhaps through an offer or opportunity being presented (5 of Hearts), then the King of Spades may be a person connected to that offer/opportunity (this card mirrors the 5 of Hearts).
If the King of Spades represents being on the receiving end of an offer/opportunity, then he can suggest giving it some thought; I tend to read him as the “judge” card, suggesting the need to consider the “facts in evidence,” and to weigh the pros and cons (remember that thought about risks associated with a gamble), so that the best decision possible could be reached.
The symbol on the card is Lilies, which I connect to the offer/opportunity: Lilies is a card of experience, so the offer/opportunity may be presented based on one’s prior experience (Lilies is also a card that can mean “old,” which can also translate to the past).
And that brings us to the final card in the line, the 10 of Hearts. We have another red card, suggesting the problem/difficulty of the Spade turns around, and the situation resolving on a pleasant note. In addition to that, the 10 of Hearts can mean the feeling of success.
The 10 of Hearts is the marriage and family card, and in one sense, could imply making a serious commitment (marriage is a commitment not entered into lightly), based on feelings of compatibility and security.
In another sense, with the King of Spades facing the 10 of Hearts, there’s the possibility of making a decision (King of Spades) that involves more than one person (a family consists of a number of people) and has to be made with the best and highest good (what’s right and fair) of everyone involved.
Dog, the symbol on the card, can refer to a friend or partner, suggesting a possible partnership being considered (remember that 5 of Hearts could be a woman and there’s the King of Spades), or that the cards are encouraging turning to a friend (King of Spades facing Dog)—one that is trusted—for advice in resolving a problem or difficulty (Spade card in line).
I’ll wrap things up with this: I noticed we have both Cat and Dog in this week’s reading, and I’m interpreting that to suggest trusting our instincts (animals symbolically represent our instinctual nature), which some might call our intuition, and others might call playing a hunch.
However you language it, this might be the week to take a chance and trust your gut.
life of HIMM 