Are All Card Reading Types the Same?

Cartomancy is the use of cards for divination purposes. In other words, when someone reads cards for you, they are performing cartomancy. There is a lot of confusion about what a card reading is and how card readings from various divination systems differ. However, each system has its own rules and may be used in different ways.

Tarot

Tarot is a set system of 78 cards originally developed in Italy around 1415, although they come from two separate decks created as card games. They are divided into two main categories: Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana are numbered 0 through 21 and represent the big spiritual or karmic influences. The Minor Arcana are divided into four suits and numbered 1 (ace) through 10 followed by court cards. Each suit corresponds to a domain, element, and season. These cards show us everyday life. I liken the Majors to the miraculous and the Minors to the mundane. Card meanings are open to interpretation by the reader and can have multiple meanings depending on the context, position in a set spread, the specific deck used, and the reader's personal take on the card. There are currently four Tarot traditions that I explain in another post. Here are examples of Tarot de Marseille, Continental, Rider-Waite-Smith, and Thoth.

A Tarot reading gives a glimpse into what is possible. Open-ended questions work best with this system. Some examples would be: “What can I expect in my relationship?” “How can I jump-start my finances?” “How will my career unfold?” Yes/No questions are not recommended for Tarot, as the answer is simply yes or no and this card system speaks in broader strokes rather than cut and dried precise answers. Some readers have devised systems for answering yes/no questions, however, and I will be writing about my own in the future.

Lenormand

Lenormand is another set system. This deck was created in France and based on The Game of Hope published around 1799. They are named for famed fortune teller Marie Lenormand, although, she did not use this deck. There are 36 cards in a traditional deck. Some modern decks have cards added by their creators. Ciro Marchetti’s Gilded Reverie Lenormand Expanded Edition is one of these. Lenormand is a simple system that reads the energies around a situation. It is read in pairs, but an odd number of cards are laid in a line. There are a number of methods, but the basics of Lenormand are the same. Cards are read by combining set meanings and are not very open to interpretation. This system may be used for yes/no questions as well and is well suited to more traditional fortune-telling than Tarot.

A Lenormand reading, as noted above, is a very direct answer to your question. General readings may also be done, especially if you have an area for the reader to focus upon. Spreads may consist of three cards, any odd number, or the Grand Tableau which contains all 36 cards and incorporates proximity into the interpretations. Some popular Lenormand decks are the Bluebird Lenormand, Rana George Lenormand, Lustrous Lenormand, and the Art Nouveau Lenormand.

Kipper

A Kipper reading does not truly lend itself to a yes/no question. As with Tarot, an open-ended question is best. However, like Lenormand, Kipper offers very direct answers to your questions and is undoubtedly a traditional fortune-telling tool. A main person card is used as the first card in any Kipper reading. Its direction determines the direction of the reading. Some spreads are laid in box formations with the main person in the middle. These are then read as a meandering trail dictated by the directional indicators of the cards. Kipper may also be used in a Grand Tableau which uses all 36 cards. Unlike Lenormand, all cards may not be read in a Grand Tableau as the cards are read in a path that is dictated by directional cues in the cards themselves. So a Grand Tableau reading may only consist of 20 of the cards, or 30 of the cards, or any other number that the cards dictate as the reader follows their directional cues. As in Lenormand, Kipper cards have very cut and dried meanings and are not intended to be read through intuitive interpretation.

Some examples of Kipper decks are the Mystical Kipper, and the Fin de Siecle Kipper.

Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Cards

These cards are another set system of 55 cards which are read in pairs or single cards in a set spread. This deck can trace its roots to 1880s America. Like Kipper, there are two main person cards; one male, one female. Some readers use the opposite main person to indicate another person in the cards, even though the card instructions state the card is null. Cards do have specific meanings, and verses on the card faces tell you how they interact. Like Lenormand, they are situational. However, there is more room for interpretation than in Lenormand or Kipper. Also like Kipper, they can be read directionally and like Lenormand, proximity is an important part of the interpretation.

Gypsy Witch is most certainly a fortune-telling deck. There is a very direct method for answering yes/no questions and any type of question the seeker may ask. There are usually five cards in a Gypsy Witch reading, not including the main person or significator card. Multiples of five are common if not using a set spread. A Grand Tableau (also called a Large Reading) may be performed with this system. All cards are used, but as in Kipper, not all are read. The story of the reading is told by following the directional indicators of the cards. Interpretation is a combination of following the meanings and hints in a verse printed on the deck and the intuitive gifts of the reader.

You can purchase my original oracle based on these cards, the Traveler's Magic Oracle or the traditional deck.

Sibilla

Sibilla is a 52 to 55 card deck, depending on the version used. They were used throughout Europe in the 1800s. This is a semi-set system. Most decks have the same cards with some variations. They are read individually, but they influence the cards around them and vice versa. They can be used with a significator which is The Sweetheart (feminine), The Lover (masculine), or Merriment (neutral). Cards have specific meanings and are defined by their title. These can be flexible to fit the context.

This is also a traditional fortune-telling deck. There is a method for yes/no questions as well. Cards can be read in specific spreads from a five-card layout with or without a significator to a Grand Tableau which is read much like a Lenormand Grand Tableau with proximity.

Take a look at the Sibilla Oracle as an example.

Oracle

Oracle decks do not have a set system. They are stand-alone decks, independent of all other systems. One oracle deck may be completely different from another in the number of cards, theme, card titles, organization, and manner of interpretation. An overwhelming number of oracle decks not only have the title printed on the face but also keywords to prompt interpretation.

Oracle decks can be used for any form of divination, including mediumship and soul searching. Most can be used just as Tarot in spreads. Some have methods for answering yes/no questions.

Some popular oracle decks are the Earthcraft Oracle, Moonology Oracle, Whispers of Healing Oracle, and Goddess Dream Oracle.

All of these card reading systems can be used for reading, but read in different ways. Their interpretations may each have a different tone as well. If you are planning to learn card reading, you may consider the table above which compares each card type.