Owls Gathering: The Arte of Foresight

Cartomancy is described as 'the art of fortune telling or divination through a deck of cards'. Divination or fortune-telling with cards has been used since playing cards arrived in Europe during the 1300's.

The origin of cards are still debated among researchers and scholars. The earliest reference dates back to China where paper was invented. Stuart Culin, the American games historian, did the most original research in this particular area of games and concluded that the playing cards appeared before 1200AD in China as 'money' cards; later to be introduced to Europe in the 13th century.

Playing cards using the suits of Spades, Clubs, Diamonds and Hearts first appeared in France in the late 1400s; later European influence introduced representations of courtly human beings and the court cards were born. Development of 'suits' may have been an adaptation of the Islamic cups, swords, coins, and polo sticks which appeared in the 12th-13th centuries.

Tarot cards, as a form of divination, first appeared in

Italy

and

France

in the 14th and 15th centuries, possibly having traveled there from the Middle East. By the end of the 15th century, playing cards were known throughout most of Western Europe due to the well-established printing technology at the time. Mass production of printing playing cards allowed for diversity of types and styles. Suit symbols were somewhat fluid during this time allowing for the inclusion of drawing of everyday objects, animals, hunting or botany to be included in the suits.

Playing cards have been called "The Devil's Picture Book." Superstitions surrounding them abound in all levels of society. Miners would not allow fellow workers to play cards in the caves in which they were working. Fishermen viewed card playing as bad luck. The danger of even having a deck of playing cards on board a ship going on a voyage was known by sailors and captains alike.. Thieves would rarely steal a deck of cards from a home or gentleman's pocket due to the belief that this will turn the thief's luck against them .

There is no surprise that the use of cards was condemned by the church due to their fear that all card games were originally developed in part as a way to hide the more serious application of their symbols against the church and its doctrine.

The suits used in a deck of playing cards today are: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Each suit represents an area of life as are as follows:

Hearts represent friendship, close relationships, romance, and love.

Diamonds represent money and business matters.

Clubs represent energy, creativity, hard work, and reward.

Spades represent change, warning, unexpected happenings and the unknown.

The suits of the Tarot are:

Hearts equate to Cups, Diamonds to Coins, Spades to Swords and Clubs to Wands.

Personally I had only used the standard ' Tarot' cards for divination or oracle purposes up until a couple of years ago. The oldest deck I have is the Aquarian by David Paladini which I purchased back in the late 80's when it first appeared on the occult or new age scene.

Now, worn, supple and darkened by years of use the sound of shuffling is punctuated by their slap and muffled flutter, no longer the crisp announcement of a new deck. I prefer it truth be known.

Today I've turned to a simple deck of playing cards for study and foretelling. There is such a wide array of themes and card stock available. The cards are smaller in size, easier to conceal in a pocket or within the folds on a sweater's sleeve.

My other method is called throwing bones. One from my distant past, the other in process.

The earliest set dates back to high school in the late sixties (dating myself here) where it was my custom to entertain and/or frighten the girls of my prep school, where else but in the darkened corner of the ladies loo. Huddled around school books and half eaten lunches, the topic of future boyfriends, travel plans and grades where my usual queries.

The set was self-designed and comprised of beads, both wood and stone along with natural seeds roughly the size of one's pinky nail. Some plain while others were crudely inscribed. The porcelain off-white beads were the larger presence within the pile resembled shiny knuckle bones.

The set currently gaining my undivided attention are of the chicken bone variety. Cured and dried awaiting inscription, smoke and oil.

Whichever method I use, the outcome of the telling remains roughly the same. A clouded event slowly becoming crisp to the inner eye, symbolic images with their chilling or comforting meanings waiting to be disclosed in whispers across a candle lit scene are always worth a held breath or two.