The Fourth Carnival of the Tarot - Labor Day Edition

September 2, 2007

Welcome to the Fourth Carnival of the Tarot - Labor Day Edition. Apparently everyone is quite busy this weekend, maybe out of town and not thinking about Cartomancy right now. Whatever the reason, I have received no entries for this edition of the carnival. Never fear, the Carnival continues anyway. Let’s begin.

So, what exactly is Cartomancy anyway? Wikipedia defines it as “a form of fortune-telling or divination using a deck of cards. The practice of cartomancy has been observed since playing cards first came into use in Europe in the 14th century”.

The painting seen here is The Fortune Teller by Mikhail Vrubel.

Those who study and practice Cartomancy may use any deck of cards. These include Tarot, Oracle and regular playing cards. Really, any deck of cards may be used for divination. I suppose even recipe cards.

The important thing is to have a system and stick to it. You can use someone else’s system, or create your own. It really doesn’t matter, because you are using the cards to access your own unconscious awareness, inner voice, higher power, spirit guide or whomever or whatever exists ‘beyond the veil’. The insight you seek is not in the cards themselves, but the cards are a tool used to access it.

For myself, so far I have only studied Tarot cards. I have recently taken an interest in the Lenormand style decks, the Mystical Lenormand specifically. There are so many different styles of decks, it would take a lifetime to familiarize yourself with them all.

There are some great sites on the web if you are interesting in learning more about Cartomancy. Ask My Cards is a good place to start. Another good site is The Art of Cartomancy. For a history of playing cards, and card reading see The World of Playing Cards.

And finally, I offer the single entry in the Carnival this week. From Willow Tree a suggestion to always be open to Randomness when reading the Tarot.

Thank you for joining us this week, for the Carnival of the Tarot.

Next week’s edition will again be hosted here on Willow Tree on Sunday. If you are interested in participating, please send your entry, or any questions you may have, to carnival@willowtreetarot.com. Details can be found on the FAQ.

Posted in Carnivals