Oracle Outlook: Playing Card Reading for March 26-April 1, 2018

If you checked out my previous post, then this week’s deck selection will be no surprise to you. If you didn’t check out the post, then I have some explaining to do.

I wanted to work with a playing card deck this week, specifically the Cartomancer Poker Deck by Alain Benoit. I backed the deck on Kickstarter and it arrived in the mail last week.

And after doing my initial “breaking in the deck” reading, and a few daily draws, I thought I’d give it a turn in this space (the truth is, I was very eager to work with it).

So, I’m taking the deck in hand, shuffling the cards, and asking 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: Black Joker, 5 of Spades, Ace of Spades, 6 of Hearts, and 5 of Diamonds.

Focus of the Reading

The focus card this week, which is in the middle of the line, is the Ace of Spades.

In this deck, the theme of the suit of Spades is Thinking (which is also the keyword on this card); this makes sense with regard to the meaning I have for the Ace of Spades: the mind.

With that, Alain has defined the Ace of Spades to mean using thought or rational judgment. This is important to consider, given that, for me, the Ace of Spades can turn up to say that a decision needs to be made.

So, having the Ace of Spades turn up in the middle of the line can suggests a potential problem or difficulty arising that will be on our minds because it requires a decision to be made.

Looking at the image on the card, the young figure holds a watch on a chain. This could suggest a possible timeframe with regard to the decision. With the watch being small, it could suggest there’s “little” time for the decision to be made—or that it’s simply a “matter of time.”

If we consider the figure on the card to be an angel (note the wings on his sides), then this idea of time might be more of a matter of “Divine Timing,” which operates differently than man’s ideas about time.

The angel can also suggest opening one’s mind to things spiritual, and this would coincide with the Ace of Spades meaning a rebirth, which could suggest a spiritual awakening, a process where one’s mind is open to new ideas, in the form of insights and epiphanies.

Basically, the Ace of Spades can turn up to represent a shift in consciousness, where one is becoming more awake and aware.

The surrounding cards will tell us more about the central issue or focus, so let’s start looking at the remaining cards in the line.

Looking at the Line

Starting off the line, we have the Black Joker, one of two Joker cards in the deck (the other being the Red Joker).

The first thing I notice with this card is its keyword, Consciousness, which was something just mentioned with the Ace of Spades (you can’t make this stuff up). So the thoughts about a shift in consciousness are reinforced with this keyword.

This shift could be quite radical, as the Black Joker can represent some type of shake-up—and the releasing of old ideas.

The Joker is the “wild card” in the deck, which I always read as the element of surprise being thrown into the situation. So this could suggest the problem or difficulty associated with the Ace of Spades comes as a surprise.

Looking at the image on the card, it looks as if two darts have landed in the Joker’s back, bringing to mind the expression “being stabbed in the back,” which implies some form of betrayal.

Given the order of the cards at this point, having the Ace of Spades follow the Black Joker could be read to say that the decision needing to be made might be about some “betrayal” that comes as quite the surprise.

Or could it be that one has a shift in consciousness about a “betrayal,” coming to a different understanding about the experience?

Moving to the card between the Black Joker and the Ace of Spades, we have the 5 of Spades, another card from the suit of Spades.

If we consider the Ace of Spades to represent the mind, the 5 of Spades can suggest a change of mind—specifically a change in one’s thinking.

Looking at the image, what immediately stands out for me are the butterfly wings on the card (noting that wings also seem to be a repeating visual, symbolic message). For me, a butterfly symbolizes transformation, and it’s said that when one transforms the mind, his or her world (the number 5 represents the physical/material) is also transformed.

In the more mundane sense, the 5 of Spades can turn up to mean the activity (5) taken up to handle (5) a problem or difficulty (Spades). Keeping with the order of the cards, thought is being given as to how to best handle a problem (5 of Spades), and then a decision is made to put a possible plan into motion (Ace of Spades).

Looking at the image again, we have a couple; in some cases, the 5 of Spades can turn up to suggest problems or difficulties in a relationship—possibly leading to some type of separation.

The 5 of Spades can also turn up to suggest that the problem or difficulty is forcing someone to stand on his or her own two feet—to become independent.

I mention these aspects of the 5 of Spades because they fit with the Black Joker offering the possibility of a “betrayal.” In that regard, the 5 of Spades points to the potential “fallout” of such an experience.

Moving to the other side of the Ace of Spades, we have the 6 of Hearts.

Having a Hearts card follow a Spades card can be read as an emotional difficulty or loss (just by reading the suit emblems), which would fit with what was mentioned about the relationship aspect of the 5 of Spades.

Going further, the 6 of Hearts can suggest male energy, and can represent a male friend or relative; this would suggest a man is involved in the situation.

I tend to read the 6 of Hearts as a need to talk (6 being a number associated with communication) about one’s feelings and emotions (Hearts) in the context of a relationship (Hearts); so the decision suggested by the Ace of Spades might be to have a discussion about a relationship with a male friend or relative.

The 6 is also a number associated with responsibility, so it might be helpful in the conversation to take responsibility (ownership) for one’s feelings rather than issuing blame. In the video of the reading, I call this using “I” statements rather than “you” statements.

One of the meanings Alain has given to the 6 of Hearts is understanding, and that segues nicely to the final card in the line, the 5 of Diamonds, which is named Nature. I take these to mean understanding your own nature.

The first thing to note is the appearance of a second 5, again suggesting activity toward change; the 5 of Diamonds can point to physical/material changes—remember what was said about a transformed world earlier with the 5 of Spades (transformative thinking)?

And that fits nicely with the image on the card, that of a man harvesting a field—in the form of a woman’s hair; it reminds me of the Black Joker (mirroring the 5 of Diamonds) when it talks about the releasing of old ideas.

The 5 of Diamonds is a card of gambling, and I read this to possibly suggest that the conversation implied by the 6 of Hearts (the previous card) might be a “gamble” (taking one’s chances); the tool that the man holds makes me think of Scythe in Lenormand, which can imply risk.

Scythe can also indicate a need to be quick; pertaining to the possibility of a conversation, it might be best to either get to the point quickly, or to stay on point, meaning not to bring up things not central to the issue at hand.

Sometimes, though, we have to be willing to take a risk if we want a situation to change. And in the case of the imagery of the 5 of Diamonds—sometimes the risk pays off and was worth the gamble (the harvest implies abundance and wealth, which can also mean reward and a payoff).

And with that, I’ll bring this week’s reading to a close.