Playing Cards and Decans: Gemini II — The Nine of Spades
See the master post on my 2024 decan walk and playing cards
Nine of Spades
Gemini II is the decan of Gemini 10° to 19° (inclusive). Astrologically, it is ruled by Mars, in a sign ruled by Mercury.
The traditional English method divinatory meanings for this card are:
- A disappointment.
- Grief: ruin: sickness: death
- is the worst card in the whole pack; it portends dangerous sickness, a total loss of fortune, cruel calamities, and endless dissentions in your family.
- Sickness and misfortune, a most unlucky card.
- A card of very bad import, foretelling sickness and misfortune.
Reflection
I’m writing this shortly after the Sun has ingressed into Cancer — getting too caught up during Gemini season and then having to write two blog posts at once is very Gemini!
Oh, joy, the first spades card that’s ruled by a malefic. It can feel like this card is just a general warning of doom, but closer inspection of the delineations indicates it refers primarily to sickness, with grief and general ‘misfortune’ secondary. Mars — inflammation and heat — is poking at the body, with Gemini indicating the shoulders, with the nervous system a secondary indication. The Martial inversion of one common idiom would be here having swords in your shoulders, embedded and poked.
Agrippa’s image for the face is curious to say the least:
in the second face ascendeth a man in whose hand is a Pipe, and another being bowed down, digging the earth: and they signifie infamous and dishonest agility, as that of Jesters and Juglers [jugglers]; it also signifies labours and painful searchings
Mars and Gemini as indicating jesters is an odd combination but one that “makes sense”, I have to admit. The playing cards reflect more the persons in the image, with digging into the earth a reminder of possible fourth (astrological) house connotations of death and grief. The dishonest agility here is what comes about when you try to keep up appearances during griefs and sicknesses, the fake smile for the sake of others that can just make things worse.
The Rider-Waite Tarot is just as “fun”:
Nine of Swords
My reading of this has always been one awake at night. In Tarot, the swords suit is often related to thoughts (via associations with the element of air). Thinking is a hard habit to quit, and probably the greatest cause of insomnia. The Martial stabs are felt in this card, in a way implied to be more psychological than in the playing card associations — such awake-at-night is a symptom of what the playing card indicates, and likely not the cause.
Put on some relaxing rain sounds and try and get some sleep.
Peace,
⭕
Playing Cards and Decans: Gemini I — The Eight of Spades
See the master post on my 2024 decan walk and playing cards
Eight of Spades
Gemini I is the decan of Gemini 0° to 9° (inclusive). Astrologically, it is ruled by Jupiter, in a sign ruled by Mercury.
The traditional English method divinatory meanings for this card are:
- A road way.
- Great danger from imprudence. A card of caution.
- shows that you will experience strong opposition from your friends, or whom you imagine to be such; if this card comes close to you, abandon your enterprise, and pursue another plan.
- A warning to be careful.
- Warns a person to be cautious in his undertakings.
Reflection
We’re now into the spades — generally seen as the most negative suit in playing cards divination. The use of “spades” comes not from the farming implement, but the Old Spanish “spado” for sword, and in French the suit is called “pique” after the pike, a now-obscure medieval weapon. Ouch.
The astrology, however, seems more upbeat. We’re in the realm of Mercury, communication, translation, and movement. The three air signs — Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius — are ruled by Mercury, Venus, and Saturn, respectively, and Mercury can feel the most “airy” of the three. Bringing in the greater benefic of Jupiter would explain why Agrippa’s image for the face is rather positive:
In the first face of Gemini ascendeth a man in whose hand is a rod, and he is, as it were, serving another; it granteth wisdom, and the knowledge of numbers and arts in which there is no profit
Wisdom, and particularly around numbers and arts, feels very Jupiter-Mercury. The interesting part is that he is granting wisdom for that “in which there is no profit”. This is where the playing card’s delineations start to make sense with the decans’. Jupiter’s expansiveness can cause Mercury to spread too far, chasing down rabbit holes and getting into seemingly endless cycles that, while productive in themselves, lead to “no profit” outside of them. Knowledge for knowledge’s sake is one of the powers of Gemini I, but applying that knowledge can be difficult.
Our oldest source (1), Breslaw’s 1784 The Art of Fortune-Telling by Cards, simply says “A road way”. The spiritual metaphors drawn from the image of “the road” are many, so I won’t rehash that ground here — but as a general principle, the Jupiterian, cosmic aspect of “the road” as spiritual path (rather than just the Mercurial-Lunar travelling side) should be borne in mind throughout all of these delineations.
The other sources list more classical spades-swords-y problems. A general card of caution in two of the sources, Mother Bridget (3) is more specific: abandon your enterprise, pursue another plan — the road is going the wrong way — and a warning that you will experience opposition from your friends.
Friends will, generally, try to get their friends to not go down the wrong road. This card indicates engaging in extensive projects that will bring no fruits, and the card invokes friends: listen to what others are saying, there are other signs telling you that this is not a productive route. It is not that the friends are necessarily on your side — Mother Bridget does write that they may be those who “you imagine to be” your friends. Yet the opposition they present to the enterprise represents a core flaw with the road at hand.
Let’s look at the Rider-Waite tarot:
Eight of Swords
I know of multiple people who have said that this is one of their favourite cards, despite the stark imagery. Like many swords cards, this card is actually, kind of, chill. It is someone immobilised — perhaps by the Jupiter-Mercury overwhelm discussed above. Untangling this mess can be slow, and in more concrete predictive questions, the implications of this card can be similar to those of the playing card. Be cautious, abandon the enterprise. As much as this is far from the worst situation to be in, its not one you would intentionally try and get into. This playing card is a warning to focus on knowledge in which there is profit.
Peace,
⭕
Playing Cards and Decans: Taurus III — The Seven of Diamonds
See the master post on my 2024 decan walk and playing cards
Seven of Diamonds
Taurus III is the decan of Taurus 20° to 29° (inclusive). It is ruled by Saturn.
The traditional English method divinatory meanings for this card are:
- Satire. Scandal. Unpleasant business matters.
- denotes that you will be troubled by the infidelity of your conjugal partner, or lover, and loss of property.
- Unpleasant rumours, scandal.
- Satire, evil speaking.
Reflection
We made it to the end of Taurus! The first sign of this decan walk is complete. A series of negative delineations are in the sources, matching the classic malefic nature of Saturn (sect of your natal chart aside, yada yada). The playing card meanings cover a few different topics — but 2, 4, and 5 focus on ‘evil speaking’ (including satire!), with infidelity and loss of property mentioned by 3.
The image of the decan given by Agrippa is equally morose:
in the third face, ascendeth a man in whose hand is a Serpent, and a dart, and is the image of necessity and profit, and also of misery & slavery.
The holding of a serpent brings to mind the snake card in Lenormand. Mary Hawkins writes that the snake ‘warns you “something is up,” likely in an unpleasant sort of way’ and that generally it ‘symbolizes deceit, betrayal, and complications, particularly in a relationship reading’. The serpent imagery matches with this card extremely well. The undercurrent of infidelity is also worth pointing out, in relation to the theme of speech — to be troubled by infidelity, you need to know that it’s happening (or suspect that it’s happening). While there are many ways of discovering this, either being told directly or hearing rumours are likely candidates.
This flows with the astrological imagery when returning to the base association of Taurus with the throat. Taurus III is Saturn caught in the throat, an unpleasant lump caught in the throat, a symptom of anxiety so common it has its own latin term — globus hystericus.
Let’s look at the Rider-Waite tarot:
Seven of Pentacles
This image is comparatively calm. A. E. White’s Pictoral Key to the Tarot says of the figure looking at the bushes that ‘one would say that these were his treasures and that his heart was there’. White brings in the speech-related imagery of this card in his delineation:
Divinatory Meanings: These are exceedingly contradictory; in the main, it is a card of money, business, barter; but one reading gives altercation, quarrels—and another innocence, ingenuity, purgation. Reversed: Cause for anxiety regarding money which it may be proposed to lend.
Money is the classic concern of pentacles, and the full shrub certainly lends a positive omen for money (this is also reflected in the ‘necessity and profit’ part of Agrippa’s decan image). I interpret the quarrels and altercations it can lead to as a possible outcome of those blossoming pentacles. When one’s heart is entirely in the pentacles, everything else can be left behind — leading to quarrels, confusion, rumours, and infidelity. The playing cards simply skip the phase of attachment to money, and highlight one possible ending to that story. When gazing at your blossoms, remember the garden around you.
Peace,
⭕
Playing Cards and Decans: Taurus II — The Six of Diamonds
See the master post on my 2024 decan walk and playing cards
Six of Diamonds
Taurus II is the decan of Taurus 10° to 19° (inclusive). It is ruled by the Moon, in a sign ruled by Venus. It corresponds to the six of pentacles in Tarot, which further corresponds to the six of diamonds in playing cards.
The traditional English method divinatory meanings for this card are:
- Marriage early in life, succeeded by widow-hood.
- marks an early marriage and premature widowhood, but that the second marriage will probably be more unfortunate.
- Early marriage and possible widowhood.
- Early marriage and possible widowhood.
(These numbers start at 2 as the first source listed in the metapost doesn’t contain a delineation!)
Reflection
The Moon can signify changes and fluctuations, as it’s the fastest moving “planet” in astrology. It represents the individual corporeal body, alongside conception, motherhood, and (to list significations from Valens!) nurture, housekeeping, and living together. Valens further assigns it to voyages, travel, and wanderings, alongside expenses and gains — which I interpret as finances in the sense of household finances and management, rather than money itself. Venus also represents motherhood, alongside nurturing, but with an emphasis on love and desire of all kinds.
Between the two of them, we have love and travel, motherhood and pleasure. Both planets are of the night sect, with the Moon leading the night planet of Venus, so it is no surprise that we see the Moon “winning” in the end with this card, with the early wedding eventually disappearing. On a bodily level, the Moon is the breath, and Venus is the lungs. Venus contains the Moon’s breath within her lungs, which is eventually exhaled out.
“Widowhood” is the negative aspect of this card. It is not a divorce, but the possible death of the spouse. To reach into the astrological symbolism, the Moon represents the human body and change, with death as one inevitable change to the human body — although this is certainly one of those parts where the astrological and cartomantic symbolism diverges. You would not expect the Moon in exaltation in Taurus to represent possible early deaths of loved ones!
Let’s look at the Rider-Waite tarot:
Six of Pentacles
Here we see distribution of resources. Fairness is implied, with the scales of justice, but it is not equal, with money only being given to one individual. This sense of non-equal justice is reflected in the combination of marriage and widowhood in one card: everyone receives their due, with both the joy of Venus and the inevitable changes that the Moon brings.
Peace,
⭕
Playing Cards and Decans: Taurus I — The Five of Diamonds
See the master post on my 2024 decan walk and playing cards
Five of Diamonds
Taurus I is the decan of the first 10 degrees of Taurus.1
Taurus I is a decan ruled by Mercury, in a sign ruled by Venus. It corresponds to the five of pentacles in Tarot, which further corresponds to the five of diamonds in playing cards.
The traditional English method divinatory meanings for this card are:
- A settlement.
- Unexpected news, generally of a good kind.
- shows that you will have good children, who will endeavour to make your life easy.
- Unexpected news.
- Unexpected news.
Reflection
The connections of the meanings of the five of diamonds to the decanic astrological imagery are immediate. Receiving news? Mercury. A settlement? Mercury. Specifying that it is good news, and a good card for children? Mercury ruled by Venus.
Reading this card in reference to the decan almost feels too easy for the start of this decan walk journey. Let’s compare it with the Rider-Waite deck:
Five of Pentacles
The difference here is quite stark: two people stumbling through the snow outside a stained glass window, and Crowley went so far as to emblazen “WORRY” as the title of this card on his deck. Unexpected news can be anxiety inducing, but anxiety relates more to the feeling of something coming round the corner, even if undefined. Worry about where one is going, or if those inside the building will let you in from the cold.
This can reframe “unexpected news”. Anxiety can arise when the unexpected is being expected — when the mind is occupied by all kinds of “what ifs” and other possibilities. The five of diamonds represents both that aspect of worry — news could be coming at any moment — but combined with the divinatory irony that because you have predicted the news, it is no longer unexpected. The Venusuvian character of the overall sign of Taurus comes through in this moment, much more explicit in the playing card than the Tarot card: the children will be good, the news will generally be good. Yes, the mind may induce all kinds of worries and fantasies about the future, but the ultimate arc of the five of diamonds tends towards the unexpected bringing goodness.
(Phew.)
Peace,
⭕
Yes, this also makes it the third decan of the zodiac. I’m starting these posts with Taurus I because that’s when I began this decan walk.↩︎
Playing Cards Through the Decans
Over on Base, we are going through a decan walk — contemplation on the 36 decans of the zodiac, as the Sun transits through them.
As I’ve been recently getting into playing card divination, I’ve decided to refract the decans symbolism through the lens of playing cards, looking at possible ways of reading the meanings of both of them through each other.
Playing Card Traditions
I’ll be using the “English” folk tradition meanings of the cards, ones that developed around the now-standard 52 card deck, rather than meanings associated with Tarot cards or piquet decks that developed in continental Europe.
This means the meanings of the cards are often very different from the imagery and meanings of their associated Tarot cards — something that makes them ripe for reflection!
It is extremely unlikely that the meanings of playing cards developed with any conscious reference to the decans, or even astrology generally — we are looking here at ✨ synchronicities ✨ rather than intentional meanings, nor am I claiming that the more literal predictions of some cards will occur while the Sun is in that decan (go watch the thread on Base, if you’re curious to see me relate these playing cards to my experiences).
The meanings are from, in order as given in each post:
- Phillip Breslaw — The Art of Fortune-Telling by Cards, 1784
- Robert Chambers — The Folklore of Playing Cards, in Chambers Book of Days, 1864
- Mother Bridget — The Universal Dream Book, c. 1816, in Donald Tyson
- Charles Platt — Some English Methods of Telling, c. 1920
- A. E. Waite — The English Method of Fortune-Telling by Cards, in A Handbook of Cartomancy, 1909
I found these through Donald Tyson’s excellent Essential Tarot Writings (2020).
Why?
There is no better way to get to know a divinatory symbol than to spend time with it. The decan walk will go through every card in the deck, except the court cards and the aces. This means that what’re often the “hardest” cards to understand and embody the core meanings for, the pips, are the focus of this contemplation.
Correspondences
The decan correspondences for the playing cards are those popularised by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which are based on assigning Tarot cards to each decan. By corresponding the Tarot suits to playing cards, we can then easily find a playing card for each decan.
I’ll be using the most common set of suit correspondences, which matches with different styles of playing cards across Europe.
- Hearts = Cups
- Diamonds = Pentacles/coins
- Clubs = Wands/batons
- Spades = Swords
There’s a whole history to these things, but I won’t go too deep into them now, as the purpose of this exercise is to focus on the traditional verbal meanings of the cards in relation to the decans, rather than numerological or elemental correspondences (although those might come in!).
Posts
- Taurus I, the Five of Diamonds
- Taurus II, the Six of Diamonds
- Taurus III, the Seven of Diamonds
- Gemini I, the Eight of Spades
- Gemini II, the Nine of Spades
- Gemini III, the Ten of Spades
- Cancer I, the Two of Hearts
- Cancer II, the Three of Hearts
- Cancer III, the Four of Hearts
Peace,
⭕