I read somewhere that you could do tarot with a standard playing deck...is this true and if so, how?

Question

Now please, no "tarot is devil worship" or whatever, i dont need any christian stuff, i am wiccan and if you dont like it, well then dont answer my question...kay?

Answer 1

Tarot is either the 22 Major Arcana, or a 78 card deck that includes the 22 Major Arcana & the 56 Minor Arcana. To to do Tarot, you would need that type of deck.

Now having said that ;-) if you take a standard playing card deck and pull out 22 cards and write the names of the Major Arcana you can do Major Arcana only readings. This type of Tarot is more popular in Europe then in the US. You could also apply the meanings of the 52 of the 56 Minor Arcana to the 56 cards, leaving out either pages or knights. Add the two decks together and you basically have a Tarot deck.

Or you can do what is called cartomancy, which uses a regular deck of cards to divine, like Tarot, but with different meanings, and way to work.

p.s.: Current historical research places Tarot as being "born" in the 1400's. Standard playing cards were around 1st, maybe as far back as 1100.

Answer 2

I don't see how you could do Tarot with a standard playing deck, when there are 52 cards in a standard playing deck and 78 cards in a tarot deck. You're missing 26 cards - one in each of the four minor arcanas (minor arcanas have cards 1-10, Page, Knight, Queen, King, playing cards have cards 2-10, Jack, King, Queen, Ace), and all 22 of the major arcana cards (0-21).

You can use regularly playing cards for "gypsy" fortune telling, but it's not the same as using Tarot cards.

)O(

Answer 3

You'd need 1.5 decks to get the necessary number of cards, and a way of distinguishing the duplicated suits, but playing cards are historically derived from tarot cards, so there is no harm.

The origin of playing cards in tarot helps to explain why some object to cards generally.

Answer 4

Hello Zandi

When you divine with a deck of playing cards it is called Cartomacy.

Playing cards do not have the same traditional representations as Tarot.

You can buy books on Cartomacy, as you can most other things. Amazon may be the place to look.

Pam

Answer 5

Easiest way to answer:

Diamonds=Pentacles
Hearts=Cups
Spades=Swords
Clubs=Wands

The numerical values are the same--Aces are aces and so on and so forth, you are just reading without the Majors. When I read playing cards I prefer to take out the Jokers. I find reading with playing cards a challenge! It's hard to read the cards without the images!!! But it's a good way to let your intuition work without being influenced by the accustomed tarot card images. It also allows you to read with cards that may seem less scary or demonic to someone who wants a reading but is afraid of tarot.

Answer 6

I've seen people read an ordinary card like the tarot card. The difference is that there are no pictures on the ordinary pack like those on a tarot pack. But it is possible to read the ordinary card after you have learnt the symbolism of each one.

Answer 7

Yes its true, you could use playing cards even a deck of Old Maid cards, blank index cards or some dominoes. Its not so much what the cards or dominoes says its what your intuition is telling you they mean.

Answer 8

the suits in tarot cards can be equated with suits in regular playing cards...ie spades - swords, clubs = cups, etc.

Answer 9

I had a girlfriend whose parents were from Poland who knew how to read regular playing cards (her grandmother taught her). So yes, it's true. I don't know how to do it myself, though.

Answer 10

You assign meaning to suits and numbers, then choose to believe that your life is dictated by a shuffle.

Its not a very safe way to go about making decisions in life.

"Three of hearts, dammit looks like I have to get a sex change"