Tag Archives: Overview Spread

‘Wrong’ Card Deck Teaches Unexpected Lesson

As a practical-minded (and not particularly flush) retiree, my online shopping excursions are few and far between. Despite this, last week I just couldn’t stop myself from ordering a very cool-looking Bicycle playing card deck I’d had my eye on. Imagine my shock (not to mention annoyance) when I discovered that what I ordered was not what I received…

Of course this sad realization occurred after I had foolishly ripped off the cellophane packaging, discarded the shipping box and date-stamped the deck’s arrival date onto an inside flap of the tuck box…

‘That’s just great,’ I grumbled miserably. ‘Now I’m stuck with them…’

Feeling miffed and more than a  little ticked off, I unceremoniously dumped the cards on the kitchen table and after a fast and furious shuffle commanded them to answer my question: ” Why Did I Get YOU Instead of the Card Deck I Ordered??!!”

Despite my rude, insensitive and downright mean-spirited demand, the cards not only replied, they replied in a way that pretty much blew me away.

Question: “Why Did I Get YOU Instead of the Card Deck I Ordered??!”

 

'Wrong Deck' teaches unexpected lesson: 6 of Clubs + 10 of Spades + 6 of Diamonds + Queen of Hearts + 5 of Clubs with King of Spades above and Ace of Hearts below.
‘Wrong’ Card Deck teaches unexpected lesson: 6 of Clubs + 10 of Spades + 6 of Diamonds + Queen of Hearts + 5 of Clubs with King of Spades above and Ace of Hearts below. © 2020 Living With Cards

Bicycle Dragon Playing Cards

I had to step away from the spread and regroup myself before I felt calm enough to see if these cards had anything to tell me. Believe me, I wasn’t expecting much.

Silly me.

6 of Clubs speaks to conflict resolution, communications, good counsel, trusted advice, listening and paying attention while 10 of Spades refers to problems, negativity, fear, worry, disappointment and hang-ups that keep you from reaching set goals. 6 of Diamonds can be electronic communication (texts, blog posts, emails, etc.) or simply using your computer (especially with 6 of Clubs in the spread).

Queen of Hearts is empathic, emotionally sensitive, trustworthy, honest and supportive while 5 of Clubs is a card of action and change.

Can you see a theme developing?!

In direct response to my question the Line of Five was telling me that this particular card deck was highly skilled in giving pertinent, accurate, insightful advice to those who may be troubled with fears, anxieties or problems in an empathetic, sensitive way that could help them orchestrate positive change.

Now let’s check out the vertical line:

King of Spades in the Above Position (on my mind) objectively pointed out that I was being highly judgmental and jumping to conclusions and negative judgments when in reality there was every indication that I’d wind up feeling quite at home with this deck  — Ace of Hearts in the Below Position (something I’m not aware of or don’t want to think about) and I’ll be able to use the deck effectively to dispense good advice.

 

Excuse me while I go hide myself in a closet of shame & chagrin for a minute…

 

Oh. And in case you were wondering which card deck I had originally ordered, I have to tell you I can hardly remember — it certainly isn’t on my short list of must-haves anymore…

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins

[Note: I originally learned the excellent Overview Spread several years ago from the prolifically authoritative & instructional The Art of Cartomancy website ( @jdavidacuri ), a treasure-trove of rich cartomantic knowledge…]


Reading with the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards Part 2

If you own the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards deck or are thinking of purchasing it, there are a few things you might want to consider:

1. While the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards are not Tarot cards, you can use your favorite tarot layouts and spreads and get useful information.

2. Because all 52 playing cards are represented (along with 3 Jokers), you can substitute this deck for any normal playing cards deck and read it accordingly.

3. Since 35 of the 36 Lenormand card titles are included — and with a little creative license, you can substitute GWFTPC #43 Lightning for Lenormand 36 Cross — you can pull these 36 cards out of the deck and substitute them for a regular Lenormand deck. That is, as long as you don’t mind the fact that for the most part, the playing card insets for the GWFTPC are different from those on the Lenormand, as are the numbers assigned to each card. For example, the Lenormand Scythe features the Jack of Diamonds and is numbered as card 10 while the GWFTPC Scythe features the 10 of Diamonds and  is numbered as card 8.

4. You can use the cards as an Oracle Deck since “fortunes” or “prophecies” are written on each of the cards.

5. If you’re up for the challenge and enjoy flexing your intuitive muscles, you can “mix things up” so to speak and read the cards on more than one level.

6. Be prepared to toss the LWB (Little White Book) that comes with the deck into a drawer. It is beyond useless…

 

Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards http://livingwithcards.com
Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards

Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards

 

By now you are probably getting the idea that the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards do not follow the rules, a fact that can make using them frustrating or perplexing to say the least. Despite this, the cards have a curious draw. They seem to possess a palpable soul that wants to engage with you. If you take the time to get to know them, you might be amazed at the depth of information they are willing to impart.

In Part 1, I promised I’d show you an Overview Spread I did with the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards concerning Male X’s ongoing employment saga. You can read his back story here.

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Several months after the situation that prompted the first reading, Male X (who wound up not pursuing educational courses that could have  resulted in a career change) was once again feeling disenchanted with his job. Once again, he decided to apply for a similar position at yet another company for slightly more pay and assurances that he would not have to perform certain onerous tasks he was obligated to perform at his present job. Mrs. X told Mr. X that she just wanted him to be happy and if he wanted to take the new job that was fine with her. To her surprise, a week went by and Mr. X still hadn’t made up his mind, leaving her wondering what was really going on with him. Since Mrs. X contacted me at the exact same time the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards had nagged themselves back into my life, I decided to cast an Overview Spread using this deck for more insight.

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The Overview Spread consists of 7 cards laid out as follows:

 

Tarot spread, overview spread, card positions, livingwithcards.com
The Overview Spread – card positions

 

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Here are the cards I pulled for Male X’s situation using the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards deck:

 

Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards Overview Spread - Job Situation, http://livingwithcards.com
Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards Overview Spread – Job Situation

 

The Significator or Theme Card – Card 1: The Gentleman

 

Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards - 2 of Hearts
Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards – 2 of Hearts

Notice the Significator or Theme Card is the 2 of Hearts, the card in the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards deck that is assigned to “the gentleman whose fortune is being told.” I did not preselect this card. The GWFTPC deck picked it for me. I took this as confirmation that the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards were indeed addressing Male X’s situation.

What Is Above You (On Your Mind) – Card 3: The Lion

 

Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards: 6 of Diamonds
Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards: 6 of Diamonds

Four of the seven cards in the spread were Diamonds, giving a sense of restless, scattered energy. Diamonds also refer to money. Diamonds in the Above position (Card 3) suggested that money was on Male X’s mind, and the 6 of Diamonds in particular suggested “not enough money.” The image on this card is The Lion and the “fortune” reads: The lion presages a sudden shock from bad news. I got the sense that Male X was worried that if he took this job, he’d come to realize the small gain in hourly wage would not offset the bonuses he now enjoyed with his current job.

The Recent Past – Cards 6 + 2: The Money Safe and the Scythe

 

Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards: 3 of Diamonds - 10 of Diamonds
Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards: 3 of Diamonds – 10 of Diamonds

Cards 6 + 2 in the Recent Past position showed a small amount (3 of Diamonds) vs a large amount (10 of Diamonds) of money. In the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards deck, the 3 of Diamonds is The Money Safe and the 10 of Diamonds is The Scythe. The “fortune” for The Money Safe reads: The money safe indicates riches; if shut side is toward the person, it denotes loss by speculation. The “fortune” for The Scythe reads: The scythe presages disappointment… Because The Money Safe‘s shut side was closest to the Gentleman (Card 1), I surmised that Mr. X feared “loss by speculation,” which seemed to be confirmed by The Scythe, which foreshadowed “disappointment.”

The Near Future – Cards 4 + 7: The Rapiers and The Broken Glass

 

Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards: Ace of Spades - 8 of Diamonds
Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards: Ace of Spades – 8 of Diamonds

These cards suggested that a decision (Ace of Spades) based on money (Diamonds) would come up in the near future. Ace of Spades is The Rapier in the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards deck, warning of assaults which threaten and will occur sooner or later, according to the distance from the person. Since this card was immediately preceded by The Gentleman, I sensed the “assaults,” or decision, would come sooner rather than later. The 8 of Diamonds, known as The Broken Glass in this deck, foretells ill luck for long years if near… Together, these two cards suggested to me that Male X was very worried (Spades) he might make the wrong decision, thus his hesitation.

What is Below You (Fear, Dread or Avoid) – Card 5: The Clover Leaf

 

Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards: 5 of Clubs
Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards: 5 of Clubs

When I looked at the Below position (Card 5) to see what Male X might have been avoiding, fearing or dreading, or simply not wanting to think about, I couldn’t help but think The Clover Leafbearer of good tidings, was the job offer itself! Because he was obviously worried about potentially making a bad decision / bad financial decision (Cards 3, 4 and 7), Male X was delaying (avoiding) responding to the job offer (Card 5).

Overall, I got the sense Male X was worried (Ace of Spades) that the small increase in pay (3 of Diamonds + 10 of Diamonds with 6 of Diamonds and 8 of Diamonds in the spread) would not justify (Ace of Spades) his acceptance of the job offer (5 of Clubs).

A few days after the reading, I found out that Male X had decided not to take the new job.

Blessings,

Mary Hawkins