Cutting the Deck is probably the oldest form of cartomancy, dating back to the 16th century at least. People would cut the deck to pull one card, essentially to test whether their luck was running high, before making a decision. Similar principles led to the development of solitaire games in the 17th century.
Three cards laid out in a row tell the past, present, and future.
Without reversing the cards, tells the past, present, and future.
The Celtic Cross method of reading tarot cards is probably the most common one in use today. It was popularized by A. E. Waite in his book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, which was published in 1911. There are many variations on this spread, but the one presented here is based on the description provided by Waite, updated to be more readable to a modern audience.
The Celtic Cross method of reading tarot cards is probably the most common one in use today. It was popularized by A. E. Waite in his book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, which was published in 1911. There are many variations on this spread, but the one presented here is based on the description provided by Waite, updated to be more readable to a modern audience.
Excerpted from "Fortune Telling by Cards" by P.R.S. Foli, 1915.
Excerpted from Le Marchand's Fortune Teller and Dreamer's Dictionary, Madame Le Marchand, 1863.
Margarita de Borja was tried by the Spanish Inquisition in 1615 for sortilege with cards. Here is a record of that trial.