This was more practice with the Kapherus card meanings… I just pulled 3 cards with an eye toward learning something about my… (you guessed it!) work.

Here’s what I got:

Immediately my eyes fixated on the 8 of Spades over there on the right. That didn’t bode well! But, it would have to wait, as I’m trying to be methodical about these readings while I learn.

So, first off, the suits. We have an increase in power or money (clubs + diamonds) leading to some sort of blockage or problem (diamonds + spades). I see…

Now, I remembered from my last Kapherus reading that the Queen of Clubs often represents a business associate. So the increase in money sounds to me like the increase in subscribers that the woman I work with claims is coming in September. The activity in the financial markets is relatively dormant over the summer, but picks up steam again after the US Labor Day holiday.

All that’s great, so far, except now we get to the 8 of Spades… the card of disappointment! So, I think I will not be very impressed with the additional money coming my way. New subscribers to my service won’t magically come out of the woodwork, like my Queen of Clubs has been implying they would.

Ok, fair enough… I’ll just have to work harder!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a playing-card reading. Frankly, I haven’t been doing many. I’ve been engrossed in Qabalah study against tarot decks. But, I pulled out my poker deck today and performed Sammie’s “You Are Here” spread again.

I’m using the Kapherus card meanings, and my topic was (as usual) where I am with my work project. See? I don’t work all the time… sometimes I do readings about my work.

Anyway, here were the cards I got:

I thought this was a very interesting combination of cards. The symmetry immediately jumps out at you… for starters, two queens on one side and two aces on the other. Also, the two sentences are read from the top down… so we have Club->Spade->Diamond for both sentences.

That’s neat, and all, but what the heck does it mean? Hmm… I have to admit that this reading is confusing. Primarily, it’s hard to place the Queens, as this is a question about a solitary project.

Just looking at the suits, in both sentences we have increasing difficulties at work (clubs + spades) that get resolved and possibly improve finances (spades + diamonds). I can live with that!

What about the cards themselves? First, we have a lot of effort and planning (Ace Clubs) needed to get unstuck (2 Spades), and solving the problem will lead to a financially secure woman (Queen of Diamonds). Maybe my product will appeal to rich women? Or I will market it specifically to them, versus men? Not sure…

Second, we have a female co-worker (Queen Clubs) in conflict or misunderstanding (2 Spades) with me, leading to some sort of new beginning (Ace of Diamonds). Well, I don’t really buy that… I think if I ignore the co-worker aspect, and say the Queen of Clubs is my girlfriend, then this sentence is about how I have trouble getting work done while also staying at her place all the time (2 Spades), and I’m working on re-organizing my life to accomodate that (Ace Diamonds).

Sad that the theme of the reading is “obstacles and conflict” (2 of Spades), but honestly that’s pretty accurate. I need to finish this project up and move to the next one, but I can’t seem to do it, for some reason…

I’m doing two things for the first time: a playing card reading with the Kapherus meanings, and the “You Are Here” spread I just saw over at Sammie’s blog (In the Cards).

I chose my current business project as the topic, as it is nearing completion. At least, it seems to be nearing completion! You never know… Thus, the reading. I did not chose a specific central card. I didn’t chose a card mostly because I’m not yet familiar with the Kapherus system meanings. Also, I like to trust that fate will deliver me the cards I need.

So, here’s what I got:

So, how did the universe do, with my central card? Quite well! The 3 Hearts, according to Kapherus, can denote the product of a creative effort such as a piece of artwork, etc. Call me a romantic, but I consider writing computer programs to be a form of art (and famous computer scientists agree).

Ok, so we have two sentences about where I am with my project. First, 6 Diamonds + 3 Hearts + Ace Hearts. Now, out on the Art of Cartomancy boards, I see that there are lessons which are very similar to hedgewytchery’s basic approach. In other words, first look at the suits. Well, here I see money and rewards (Diamonds+Hearts) leading to joy, love, and having a good time (Hearts + Hearts). I can certainly deal with that!

Digging deeper, the 6 Diamonds could be a small raise in pay, or represent forward momentum. Right now, that’s what my project has: forward momentum! So, I see this sentence as forward momentum in creating my new products, leading to a new wellspring of joy from the Ace of Hearts. I think my new offering may be popular!

The second sentence is King Clubs + 3 Hearts + 5 Spades. Based on the suits, we have a happy outcome from effort (Clubs + Hearts) leading to some kind of emotional pain (Hearts + Spades). I think the King of Clubs represents the guy I partner with in the company. I would say that the success of the new product causes some aggravation and unrest, which will call for decisive action (5 Spades). Whenever the company grows, there are more hassles with user support, and basic managerial tasks. The business has growing pains. So, some amount of restructuring might be necessary.

I do have some nagging worry about the way the 5 Spades represents going things alone and breaking ties in the Kapherus system. Maybe the King of Clubs will want to drop out of the partnership? But, at least at present, I don’t foresee that happening. Especially given the happiness of the first sentence. So instead, I’m looking at the card more like the lenormand Scythe, which I often read as decisive action, rather than strictly as cutting ties between people.

We shall see!

If you look at the posts tagged Hedewytchery, you’ll see that I’ve been having fun investigating that system so far. The readings have come out well, and it has been very easy to get up to speed. I haven’t come close to memorizing all the meanings, but the system is organized in such a way that you can get started without much work at all! I’m sure that, with more time and effort, I could get even more out of it.

There are a couple of things that do nag me about the system, though. Primarily, it grates against me that the suits map to ancient elements in a way completely different from standard tarot practice. In fact, the only suit that matches tarot is Hearts, mapped to Water. I know that shouldn’t bother me, since the whole point was to learn new systems… but it does. I usually shy away from pagan tarot decks with Air/Fire swapped, for the same reason. I apparently feel strongly about it!

Nevertheless, I am enjoying hedgewytchery, and getting useful readings from it. That counts for a lot! My plan from the start has been to investigate a few of the systems out there, though. I want to see what’s available, and then stick to one that feel right to me.

So, with a smile and a sense of irony, I do my final Hedgewytchery spread on the question: “How will I like the Kapherus system?” Here’s what I got:

We have Black->Red->Red, which indicates initial problems that are easily solved, and/or lead to steady improvement. Reading the suits, we have some work (clubs) that leads to emotional success and satisfaction (hearts + hearts). Hey, not bad! Hedgewytchery is practically pushing me towards Kapherus’ system.

Digging further, we have the 5 of Clubs, which can indicate hard work (nose to the grindstone). This may refer to some memorization, as I’m told that Kapherus and Regina Russell’s systems are similar, and that they are harder to get into than Hedgewytchery. Then, we have 9 Hearts (the card of granted wishes) plus Ace Hearts (the card of new relationships/friendships).

The prediction seems to be that, once I get past the initial learning curve, I will absolutely love the Kapherus system. Well, alright then!

Here’s a quick reading I did this morning with the hedgewytchery playing card system. I am out of town, visiting my parents, so I really have no idea what to expect for the next couple of days. It will be interesting to see how the readings today and tomorrow play out!

First off, the pattern is black-red-red, indicating some kind of difficulty will be overcome, or that I will experience some kind of steady improvement in some area. Always nice to know up front that this is a reading with a happy ending! The suits indicate that this is about putting effort (clubs) into material/financial (diamonds) success/happiness (hearts). Interesting! Just on that alone, I can think of two applicable areas:

• I have an idea for a series of articles on cards and card systems, relating them to artificial languages and computer languages. I think it will be pretty interesting, but I’m going to have to do some research. I am trying to slowly (on the side, as time allows) build up card-reading into a business that can generate some side-income. Writing articles for this site, as opposed to only talking about daily readings, is part of that plan.
• I didn’t take my “work” laptop with me on my trip, but I do have some documentation for products that I sell on this machine… and I really should put some effort into finishing that up and releasing it to my clients. The clients would appreciate it, too. hmm…

All that without even looking at the numbers yet! I do kinda like the layered beginners approach to hedgewytchery. Let’s keep going…

So, we have 7 Clubs, 7 Diamonds, and 8 Hearts. I’ll interpret them within the framework of what I’ve already said above. The 7’s represent trouble. In fact, appropriately enough, the hedgewytchery 7 Clubs reminds me a lot of a typical tarot 7 of Wands… it’s about encountering difficulty or obstacles with work or goals. The 7 Diamonds can be about financial setbacks or difficulty. Depending on the gist of the spread, it can be about worsening troubles, or it can represent overcoming them. Since I have a black-red-red reading, I’m thinking this is about overcoming them.

Then, the 8’s are about the mind and communication. I can’t help but be reminded that the 8th sphere on the Tree of Life (Hod) is associated with Mercury (at least in the Golden Dawn tradition), which brings in a similar influence. In fact, several of the numerical attributions in hedgewytchery map loosely with the Golden Dawn/tarot attributions. Not all, though… So anyway, the 8 Hearts would be about festiveness and socializing… people coming together and celebrating.

Putting It All Together

I think this reading is a suggestion to put some work into my product documentation, actually. I lease software to people for trading in the financial markets, and during the summer, subscriptions tend to drop a lot. That has a direct effect on my income, so I see that as the 7 Diamonds financial difficulty to be overcome. The expanded documentation is meant to address customer concerns about how many options we offer in our products… they don’t know where to start! It confuses them. So, I see the 8 Hearts communication aspect as me explaining to them what to do. And the social aspect of the 8 Hearts would be the collective happiness of the group that results in our on-line gatherings.

Very interesting! It also sucks, because I don’t feel like working on that stuff tonight. At least I know it’s going to turn out well!

[Edit: within the next four hours after this reading, I got THREE different emails from clients asking if there was better documentation on newer features! I think my reading was pretty accurate! Too bad I'm still not done with the documents...]

Continuing my play with the hedgewytchery playing card system, I did a quick 3-card reading about a gift I was about to go purchase. I just put down three cards, with the single position of “what should I know about this task?”

Here’s what I got:

I had been worrying (and still do, a little) about the way all these playing card systems seem to work. In particular, they seem like they might be more suited to laying a large spread about general advice for the future, as opposed to asking a specific question. This is because, at least in the early material I’m reading, the cards are pretty specific about what they are talking about. So, if I’m asking how my cats feel about something, and I get cards that are about getting a raise at my job, then… you see what I mean? It seems that the more generic tarot meanings are better adaptable to a variety of situations, on the surface of it.

Having said that, though, imagine my glee when the first card was the 2 of Diamonds, which hedgewytchery says could be about a gift! That’s exactly the topic of my question. Eerie! Sadly, though, looking at the card colors, we have a task that starts out well but goes down hill (Red-Black-Black). Uh, oh!

But, it’s not as bad as it first appears. I read this as a gift-giving where I have some bad luck and dissapointment (9-spades), which causes me to change my plans (9-clubs).

Aftermath: Well, I went out to purchase this gift, and I had a lot of trouble finding the type of product I was looking for (sorry to be vague… not gonna reveal the gift itself…). Then, there weren’t any options at the store that were exactly what I was looking for. So, I stared at the options I had for an extremely long time! And, just as the cards indicated, I adjusted my plan and re-evaluated the options at the store. I narrowed my options down to two, and eventually was able to pick one. As the (red-black-black) pattern indicated, I felt more and more nervous about this gift even as I went to the front to purchase it. But, as it happens, the recipient was happy with my selection. So, whew!

I continue to be happy with these hedgewytchery readings! If it keeps going so well, I’d almost be reluctant to switch systems and keep evaluating them. But, who knows? Maybe the next one I try will be even better!

Still going with the hedgwytchery system, I did a quick reading this morning about two paths I was choosing between at work. When choosing between options, I like to draw a few cards per option (usually 2 or 3, but sometimes I can do a whole spread about each one). I also draw cards to explain the energy flow between them. This can be bi-directional (cards that can move me from option 1 to 2, and cards that can move me from option 2 to 1), or just a card to explain the relationship between the options.

Anyway, today I pulled two cards per option, and put a single card between them to understand their relationship. As I learn more of the hedgewytchery system, I’ll be comfortable with more cards at a time. Here’s what I got:

Well, seeing as how there’s only one red card in the spread, I am naturally drawn right away to option 1. The 9 of Hearts indicates change for the better, and success. Coupled with the 3 of Clubs, the positive change relates to making progress in my work. Quite nice, indeed.

For option 2, we have the King of Clubs, who represents practicality and power. He’s next to the Jack of Spades, which can indicate a message containing bad news, or someone ill-disposed toward me. Since this is about a programming project, I am reading this combination as me having to work methodically to track down bugs (error messages). So, option 2 will be a problematic option, it seems. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, though…

The important relationship here, between my options, is the 9 of Spades. Here, I’m reading it as disappointment. And, in particular, it is reminding me that I am supposed to go see my friend for a crafting exercise later. As such, I don’t have a whole lot of time to get these options done. So, while it looked like I could work through either option, I would indeed be disappointed if I ran out of time trying to debug option 2. Best to pick option 1.

Good to know.

[edit: FYI I went with option one, and it went smoothly, and it turns out I just barely had time for it! So, the other option, if it turned out to have problems to work through, would have led to a disappointing outcome where I ran out of time. So, I'd say this reading was right on! Very nice.]

Ok, for the next few days I will be reading with the hedgewytchery cartomancy system. At least, I will try. I’ve skimmed the first web page on it, anyway. Time to jump in!

My question: How will the rest of my work project go?

I put down three cards (which, based on my last few blog posts, is starting to look like a real pattern for me. I promise to post a different spread soon!):

That’s the 4 of Spades, 9 of Clubs, and 3 of Clubs.

So, following their steps… first I notice that I’ve got spades, clubs, clubs… so a problem causing lots of work. Uh oh… So, digging deeper… The 4 of Spades represents instability, and a problem I cannot get away from. As it happens, one of my clients is complaining that his platform is unstable, and I’ve been trying to get away from dealing with that issue! The 9 of Clubs represents a change of work priorities, among other related things. Then, the 3 of Clubs represents extra work (though, at least progress is implied).

So, maybe this instability problem report will force me to change my plans around, so that I can do more work to try to track that problem down. So, the completion of the project I was doing the reading about may be delayed. Not exactly what I wanted to hear! But, I am pleased with how this first reading went. Score one for hedgewytchery.

There are apparently a bazillion methods out there to read playing cards. I want to investigate them and pick one or two styles that fit me. I think reading playing cards is an important ability to have, because:

• If you need to do a reading, there are more situations where you can find a poker deck than a tarot deck.
• If you read for someone skittish, the 3 of spades won’t freak them out like the 3 of Swords will (and the only reading that matters is the one they heard in their head)
• It’s fun

So, I’ve been looking around at systems. Obviously one method is to just read them as tarot minors, perhaps as follows:

• Ace - 10 == Tarot Ace - 10
• Jack = Tarot Knight
• Queen = Tarot Queen
• King = Tarot Prince

(Yeah, I follow the Crowley court system…) And of course the four suits map pretty readily with Clubs, Hearts, Spades, and Diamonds equivalent to Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles.

I did one or two ok readings last night that way, without any problem. So, I know I can do it again if I have to. Time to move on!

I think I will try the Hedgewytchery, Kapherus, and Personal Prophecy systems first. I’ll do several readings in their systems, and see if they fit me. If they don’t, then there are plenty of others out there. I am pretty convinced I want a full 52-card system, though, and many systems use fewer. I don’t want to remove cards from the deck. I’m funny like that.