Cards and Queries: A Reader's Journey with Playing Cards
Unraveling the mysteries of card combinations and advanced spreads.
Welcome to the very first installment of Cards and Queries, a space where I’ll be addressing your questions and curiosities about the art of playing card divination. In each post, we’ll explore the nuances of card combinations, delve into spreads, and unravel the mysteries that these humble cards can reveal.
In this inaugural post, I'll be answering a reader’s questions with her permission, offering guidance on how to interpret some tricky card combinations, and exploring a few advanced spreads. Plus, there’s a clever tip shared by the reader that I think you’ll all appreciate—it's a practical idea for those of you who love to keep your readings organized.
So, without further ado, let’s begin this journey together.
Dear HedgeWytch,
It is very generous of you to offer to support here by email. I will send you some of my initial questions below.
Questions about Combinations
The below combinations I struggle to find the logic that supports them. Like I mentioned earlier, one of the things I love about your method is that everything is based on simple rules (simple language). If you know this simple language, you can read any text (spread).
5♥ + 7♣ + 9♥ = The seeker wants to win big at gambling (I don't see the connection here, I understand the 9♥ being the wish card, but 5♥ + 7♣—how do they apply in that context?)
Court ♥ + A♣ + 3♠ = Task of taking care of a family member (How?)
8♣ + A♠ = Quitting a job (Not very clear on this either—my best way of reading it is 8♣ = work discussions/meetings and A♠ = death of that job?)
2♥ + T♦ + T♥ = Happy and successful marriage to a wealthy person (This one takes a lot for me to process.)
2♥ + any ♠ + J♠ = Lovesick person, unrequited love (Maybe the 3♥ instead of the 2♥?)
Can 6♦ + 8♣ mean a horse?
(I have several more of the likes of the above, but I would not impose on your generosity.)
Questions about Spreads
Which spread do you recommend I use for 'find what has been lost' that would tell me the likely location of an item using the cards as locations?
You mentioned briefly using playing cards for spells—is this something you will cover in the book?
The Coven spread and The Wheel spread visuals were missing from my text—the closest things I found are the ones below. I printed them on a sticker and stuck them in my book. Would you be able to confirm if they are correct so I can review them again against the readings you have in that section?
Do you work with a spread in which you charge/identify a significator for a person/place/item and place the card inside the deck and, upon laying out the spread, you read it in terms of 'position' of that significator? Where everything on the left is definition and past, and everything on the right is future?
Other Bits
I get the cards individually and in 3's with no issues, but I have a hard time connecting them to make a story that strikes real out of the spread. I am new to playing cards for divination but use both oracle cards and tarot for my readings. I do not have the same issue with the latter two.
You could say: "then stick to what you know best; maybe that is your language," but I have been trying to do that, except playing cards keep popping up everywhere around me for no apparent reason. I always had a deck of cards with me, in every house I lived in since adolescence, always felt drawn to them, and bought them and kept them in a place where I see them every day (way before I learned tarot).
More recently, I felt this innate feeling that there is a communication that needs to take place, and it will be through playing cards, not any other cards. Since then, I have been on a journey to honor this inner voice.
Thank you for your time, H, I do look forward to hearing from you.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for sharing the photos of the Coven and Wheel spreads—they are indeed correct and are included on the updated version of the HedgeWytchery website. I must say, I found your idea of printing out the more intricate spreads as stickers to be quite ingenious—something I hadn’t considered before, but it’s certainly a practical approach. I will address your queries below.
Playing Card Combinations
5♥ + 7♣ + 9♥ = The seeker wants to win big at gambling
The 5♥ represents the body, health, or physical aspect, while the 7♣ is associated with work, plans, or effort that carries an element of risk or chance.
Combined with the 9♥, which signifies a wish fulfilled, this trio suggests that the seeker is physically engaged or invested in an activity (5♥) that involves chance or risk (7♣) with the hope of a favorable outcome (9♥).
The combination leans towards gambling, where the seeker’s physical participation and effort are linked with a strong desire to win.