Introduction:

There is not one person in the world that is not the slightest bit curious about having their
fortune told. No matter the method, there is a certain mysterious aura that surrounds the whole
concept is intriguing to say the least. Tarot cards, to this day, still remain one of the best
divination/ fortune telling methods out there, but the problem with them is their reputation.

I grew up in a Christian household and my mother was actively against the use of tarot cards,
this became an increasingly difficult obstacle when I took more than just a passing interest in
the art of bizarre and mystery entertainment. My mother was a woman of faith and extremely
superstitious. She did not want any form of tarot in the house or in our hands, and, whilst I still
continued to learn the many intricacies of tarot reading, I did not feel welcome to practice the
art. This did not stop with my mother, as many people all around the world fear these pieces of
cardboard and they have become sort of "taboo". The idea that these pieces of card have any
impact, other than psychological, on one's life seems unattainable to me, but the mention of
these cards seem to make many people uncomfortable, even before they see the pictures. This
fear adds more power to the cards and just makes me want to perform with them on a more
regular basis, but it is difficult to find spectators that are willing to participate when these cards
are in play. I play in more of the mentalism scene, and most people come to see "tricks", but
they almost deem these cards to be real, evil magic, and that is not what they came their for.

Whether we like it or not, we have to find some ways around the use of this deck if you want to
add a permanent "fortune telling" demonstration to your act. Most people in the world are willing
to have their fortune and there are many widely accepted practices being used, such as
astrology and palm reading. I have read up on many divination systems and it turns out that one
can use just about anything to divine the answers to a question, or the fate of the participant.
There are many things in life that one can associate with the tarot and one can present a tarot
reading, under the guise of another medium, other than tarot cards.

This ebook serves to highlight my favourite divination systems that I have come across and built
on over the years.

I hope that you can add one of them into your repertoire, not just for the sake of reading a
participant's fortune, but these can also be used during magic effects to enhance and entice
spectators by providing meaning to their choices of things like cards or numbers.

Playing Card-Omancy:

The use of playing cards as a fortune telling utility is not a new concept, and research shows
that their use within psychic readings predates the use of tarot cards. There are wide variety of
different meanings and systems used when it comes to playing card reading. Some can prove
to be quite complex, but the fact that a playing card is more of an icon/symbol than a picture, as
those depicted on tarot cards, makes reading them a little less intuitive.
The system that I use, the one below, contains a sort of amalgamation of different systems and
meanings, using ideas from both cartomancy and numerology to create a slightly more intuitive
reading system.

I do not solely perform psychic readings, as I fall more into the "mentalism with playing cards"
community, but I use this system to add and enhance my usual routines. After someone picks a
card, or thinks of one, and I reveal it, or whatever the trick my be, I use this reading system to
slow down the performance and to seal the mental/mystery experience with a short little
"reading" ( if you want to call it that.)

The System:

I will begin with the playing card suits. The suits represent the different aspects of one's life. The
red suits are more intuitive than the black, and these meanings for each suit are the most widely
used.

HEARTS: The hearts represent close relationships. Could be romantic, family or friend
oriented. One of the more intuitive symbols.

DIAMONDS: The diamonds depict material wealth and finance. The state of the spectators
monetary fate is depicted my this suit. This is the other more intuitive suit.

CLUBS: The clubs depict the person's work and social life. While the hearts represent close
relationships, the clubs represent more casual/professional relationships as well as the fate of
their career and work life.

SPADES: The spades depict misfortune. This is an ambiguous suit as it does not depict a sole
aspect of one's life, but rather a general sense of misfortune.

Once you learn the meanings of these suits, you can begin to learn the meanings of the values
as they dictate what fate has in-store for that aspect of life.

ACE: The Ace depicts new beginnings. Something new/different will come your way. Usually
depicts good fortune with the arise of new and promising opportunities. In the case of spades, it
would depict something negative beginning.

TWO: The two represents relationships and connections. Can either be the creation of a new
relationship with regards to that aspect, or can mean something impacting an already
established one, positively or negatively (in the case of spades).

THREE: The three represents a decision or crossroads. Usually a card of indecisiveness and
infidelity. Usually the decisions are a mix of good and bad, but a three in spades dictates that
you will make the wrong decision.
FOUR: The four depicts stability within the aspect. A four in spades depicts a general sense of
instability.

FIVE: The five depicts a change coming your way, with regards to the aspect. A five in spades
dictates a negative change in one or all aspects.

SIX: The six is a card of control. Usually indicating that you must begin to take control and use
more initiative in that aspect of life. A six in spades depicts a general sense of loss of control, a
sense that you have no impact on the outcome of your life.

SEVEN: The seven is a negative card in all aspects. This card is a warning card and states that
something will negatively impact that aspect of life. A seven in spades warns that it will have a
strong impact on all aspects and is usually associated with the death/loss of a loved one.

EIGHT: The eight depicts something unexpected or unprovoked. Usually a positive card
depicting serendipity, or a happy accident. Something that unexpected came into your life. An
eight in spades depicts this unexpected impact to be negative.

NINE: The nine is a card of unfulfillment. This card depicts that there is a want and desire to get
more out of this aspect of life. It usually also means that something is coming up, however in the
case of spades it means that you will not feel fulfilled in the near future.

TEN: The ten depicts good news. This is a card of great fortune within that aspect. A ten in
spades depicts a huge misfortune that will be difficult to recover from.

The court cards specifically depic people in your life and how they will impact it.

JACK: The Jack depicts a friend or colleague. In clubs and hearts, it depicts a trustworthy and
reliable person that will be, or is, a great friend (hearts) or colleague (clubs). In diamonds and
spades, the jack is an omen. It depicts someone negatively impacting your finances and wealth
(diamonds) or someone that will negatively impact all aspects and is just no good (spades).

QUEEN: The queen represents the coming ,or the presence, of a close female figure that you
look up to and/or respect. Usually someone who will help and support you in the relevant
aspect. A queen of spades indicates that this female figure, that you look up to and respect, will
have a negative impact on your life.

KING: The king depicts the Male form of the queen. A male will come into your life, or is already
in your life. This will be, or is already, someone that you respect and look up to. Will usually
have a positive impact with regards to their aspect, except in the case of spades.

Spreads:
I do not often perform sole readings, but there are a few occasions where I feel it is the correct
audience and just the right atmosphere to truly unleash that type of experience.

The spread is the layout used during the reading. I use the words "spread" and "layout" lightly
here as they are not truly defined layouts, but they work well and still provide the right sort of
image that one seeks when performing a reading.

SPREAD #1:

This is the spread I use most often when performing playing card readings. It splits the aspects
up and a reading is done for each aspect, making for a very easy and intuitive read.

I split the deck into their suits and make four different piles. I usually place them in this order,

Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades

I ask them to shuffle the hearts pile as I explain to them what the suit represents. I then instruct
them to place one card face down on the table. I then place that pile aside.

They do the same with the clubs and the diamonds. Their three cards are now all facedown in a
row.

I hand them the spades and explain how the suit dictates their misfortune. I explain that it is
quite ambiguous and can impact one or all aspects in life.

I also go on and explain that, while the other cards may indicate good fortune, the spade
indicates that at some stage either before, after or during your fortunate phase, they must be
prepared for whatever fate has in store for them.

I ask them to finish shuffling the spades and then to place one card above the middle card.

The spread now looks like an upside down short "T".

I then flip the heart card over, then the club and then the diamond. Once all are flipped, I begin
to give the reading. I leave the misfortune card for last.

I turn over the spade card and begin to tell them what it means. No matter what the spade card
is, I always end with something along the lines of "It will cause some difficulty, but you will get
past it and it will make you stronger and maybe a little bit wiser". I believe that it is always best
practice to end on a high note.

SPREAD #2:
This is a simple three card spread for the past, present and future. It is good for quick and easy
readings.

You do not split the deck for this reading and all the cards are shuffled together. You spread the
deck, face down, on the table and you ask them to hover their hand up and down the spread.

You ask them to think of their past and then to drop their hand onto one card. You slide it out
and place it above the spread.

You repeat the process, asking them to think about their present and then similarly their future.

You should now have three cards in a row, representing the past on one side, the present in the
middle and the future on the other side.

I flip the past card over first and proceed to give a reading on their past.

I then flip the future card and proceed to give a reading on the future, explaining that this is not
the near future, but a good few years away.

I then flip the present card over and I explain that the present is always changing and this card
represents a sort of chunk between the near past and the near future.

Again, always end on a high note.

Tips:

● Practice reading the cards before you perform. This will remove any unnecessary word
fumbling and it will give you a lot more confidence when it comes to the actual
performance.

● I use marked cards whenever I can and if you are in a situation to use marked cards, do
it! The markings can help you prepare for the reading and before you start, you can just
glimpse at the cards you're working with and mentally prepare for the reading.

ESP- OMANCY:

I am a huge fan of esp cards, esp-ecially marked esp cards, marked decks in general really. I
have already incorporated the use of esp symbols in my repertoire and have replaced many of
my playing card effects with esp cards.

Esp, or zenner, cards are a collection of five symbol cards:

The circle, the cross, the wavy lines, the square and the star.
These five shapes usually come in a deck of twenty-five cards, five cards for each shape, and
can be used to create many pseudo-psychic and mentalism effects.

I first read about the use of these types of symbols, for psychic readings, from Angeles Arrien's
books and works. The book/work that I'm referring to is titled "Signs of Life: The five universal
shapes and how to use them"

I have adapted, and altered, some of the meanings to work with esp cards and they have
proven to be a successful reading tool. I have also adapted the way the reading takes place as
Arrien's work dictates a more personal sort of reading.

The shapes used in her book also differ slightly, where she has a spiral and a triangle, we have
the wavy lines and the star.

I recommend doing some research into her work as you can find many other useful tips and
tricks with regards to using these five shapes and her method for reading, her "spread", is very
detailed and effective. I highly recommend taking a gander at the book.

The System:

CIRCLE: The circle depicts a sense of wholeness and completion. This depicts that the
spectator feels complete with regard to a certain aspect of their life.

CROSS: The cross indicates a crossroad coming up in their life. There is something they are not
sure of, or there is a decision that has to be made by them and they are not sure what to do. It
indicates uncertainty.

WAVY LINES: The wavy lines indicate growth within their life, or that aspect of their life. There is
a sense of overcoming and or moving forward from something.

SQUARE: The square indicates security. This person is or will feel safe and secure in this
aspect of their life. They will have a sense of stability, maybe not fulfillment, but they will feel like
they have their feet on the ground.

STAR: The star is the only symbol that can be "upside down". The orientation of this shale
matters. The cards are meant for your spectator, so try and see the orientation from their
position. The star indicates an unexpected event or change and this change will be a positive
one if the star shines the right way up and a negative one if the star is found upside down.

Spreads:

The three card (past, present, future) spread can be used here as well. It works great for a nice
an simple read.
This system lends itself really well to three card spreads. Many different three card spreads can
be found online. But I usually only stick with these two spreads.

-Past, Present, Future-

-Mind, Body, Soul-

Tips:

● Again, marked cards will do wonders here to prepare for the read.

● I do feel like these symbols are easier to read, but you should still practice.

● Remember to always end on a positive note.

ZODIAC-OMANCY:

Horoscopes have been around for centuries now and whilst many scientist believe the stars to
have changed, people still follow the traditional zodiac.

The twelve constellations that make up the zodiac are:

Aries
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Virgo
Libra
Scorpio
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces

Each zodiac sign also falls under one of the four elements:

Air
Fire
Earth
Water

While the signs themselves have their own meaning, the elements can also be used to provide
a small attachment to the reading and that is what I love about using zodiac cards, which are
not easily found.
Zodiac readings can be very effective as a person's zodiac sign, whether they believe or not,
does have a special, personal, connection with the spectator… their birthday. Zodiac signs are
also recognized all over the world and this wide range provides you, the performer, with an
ample selection of people that would be willing to get a zodiac reading instead of a tarot
reading.

The popularity of these star signs also means that there is an endless treasure trove of
knowledge and information about how to read and interpret these signs. I am going to teach you
my reading system for the zodiac and its elements, but if it proves too simple then you can
always look up more information on the signs and you can make the reading as detailed as you
desire.

Each zodiac sign is already linked with a tarot card, therefore learning the meaning of the sign is
easier if you know the meaning of the tarot card associated. Below I will provide the list of
zodiac signs and their associated tarot cards, along with their meanings.

The System:

Air: This element is creative and imaginative. This is someone who is joyful and free. Upside
down, this depicts someone who is unreliable and disconnected from the rest of the world.
Someone who is lost and unsure of who they really are, also indecisive.

Fire: This element depicts strong passion and drive. It is courageous. When upside down, this
element can depict something obsessive and can heighten feelings of rage and jealousy.

Earth: This element is strong, sturdy and secure. This element also represents logic and is
usually coupled with someone who is hard-working. When upside down, this element can be
seen as stubborn, lazy and materialistic.

Water: This element is peaceful and trusting. This is an element that goes with the flow of their
own current. When upside down, this element can typically depict someone who is erratic or
indifferent towards others, someone who is too self-involved.

These elements are represented by the specific zodiac signs below. I have colour coded them
so that you can easily make the connection between sign and element.

Aries:

The Emperor: This is a card of power and leadership. A card that tells you that you have the
potential to take control of your life. Upside down it could read that you are not taking enough
control, or you are trying to control too many parts of your life.

Taurus:
The Heirophant: This is a card of conformity and spiritual beliefs. This is a card that tells you to
follow rules and traditions. Upside down it could read of emancipation from religious beliefs and
challenging the views of society.

Gemini:

The Lovers: This card represents love and harmony. Upside down it reads about narcissism and
imbalance.

Cancer:

The Chariot: This is a card of drive and success. A card of will power and determination. This
card tells you to go for it, whatever it is, just go for it! Upside down it could read that you have a
lack of direction or something is blocking you from reaching your goal.

Leo:

Strength: This is what it says on the tin. This card encourages you to be brave and courageous.
To be strong and have confidence in yourself and your abilities. Upside down the card could
read that you lack confidence and that you doubt yourself.

Virgo:

The Hermit: This is a card of self. This card depicts one who is comfortable alone. It represents
one who is getting to know oneself. Upside down, this card could be speaking about isolation
and loneliness, someone hiding from the world.

Libra:

Justice: This is a card of honour and truth. This represents fairness and equality. This is the, "do
unto others only what you want done unto you" card, (There is a quote like that somewhere, I
just cannot place it). Upside down, this card speaks about dishonesty and unfairness.

Scorpio:

Death: This card represents something coming to an end, or something changing/transforming

into something new. Upside down this card would depict a resistance to that change or
transformation.

Sagittarius:
Temperance: This card represents balance and patience. This is the take everything as you
need it, no haste or greed. Upside down it represents imbalance, greed and excessive
tendencies.

Capricorn:

The Devil: This card represents restraint and holding back from doing something devilish and or
evil in nature. Upside down, this card tell that your evil side has been set loose and you will give
in to your dark desires of you do not learn to control them once more.

Aquarius:

The Star: This card depicts hope and faith. This is the shining light that gets you through the
darkest night. Upside down this card would tell of a lack of hope or faith. A time when one felt
hopeless and powerless.

Pisces:

The Moon: The moon represents fear and anxiety, but they are driven by intuition. Upside down,
the card could read as invalid fear, fear when there is nothing to be afraid of, or inner confusion.

Spreads:

For this reading, I use a slightly different version of "Spread #1".

Instead of splitting the deck, I keep it as one deck, but the layout is the same.

They shuffle the deck of zodiac cards and begin by dealing three cards down into a row. Just
like with the cartomancy, this three card row represents -close relationships-, -work and social
life- and -finance and wealth- (respectively). They do not deal the miss fortune card and the
reading is done with that three card spread, just as it was in the playing card reading.

● The past, present and future spread can also be used, just as well as any other three
cards spread that you desire.
● You could learn more about the meaning behind the actual zodiac signs and incorporate
those into your zodiac readings.

More Advice:

If you learn anything from this zodiac system, it should be that if you want to create a reading
system, it can just be as easy as using an already established system and attaching those
meanings to your system.
Paul Voodini's work has also shown me that you can create a solid, believable reading system
by using common things and applying the traits of those things to the participant.

So creating a reading system that works for you can be very simple, but it must work for you and
you must practice the system to the point where you can just spit out a reading as soon as you
see the card/image.

Closing Notes:

A fortune telling is a very powerful and personal experience and should, for the most part, be
treated as such. You should do everything that you can to ensure that the spectator leaves the
reading with a positive and optimistic mindset as there are some people that will take what you
say into consideration and you should take your reading's impact on their life into consideration.
If you are not knowledgeable about working with people and are still inexperienced, do not delve
into serious topics such as death and or health.

If you feel that you did not get quite enough from this download, and you are hungry for more on
reading systems, below is a list of credits and also recommendations for you to check out!

Thank you for your purchase!

Credits & Recommendations:

Signs of Life: The five universal shapes and how to use them, Angeles Arrien.

Vol #2 Readings, Peter Turner.

-SRS- Star Reading System, Art Vanderlay.

Draw Me A Tree, Rudy Hunter.

Pet Readings 4 Mind Readers, Paul Voodini.

Doodleology, Andy Cannon

Deckology Vol 1 Mystic Deck, Unknown Mentalist.