Regular Playing Cards as Tarot Cards

[THE GREAT OZ]

My very first deck of "Tarot" was hand made by a friend and given to me so I may learn the meanings of each card. Now these meanings are not set in stone, as how it is to be interpreted also has to do with the surrounding cards in the deck.

She did a lot of work on these cards infused with her love and guidance, as they were just a regular playing deck of cards. She then, on each individual card, wrote the meanings for me on the card, just key words to help me focus on the message the cards wanted to relay. I thought I would share this with you as you may want to start with this before purchasing your own Tarot deck. It is a great tool in learning to focus on the meanings and from there you will find that the messages you receive from the card will bloom from there.

I still have these cards today which I keep in a very special place with all my retired Tarot decks. They are over 40 years old and show much wear and tear, but the loving vibrations I feel every time I pick them up take me back to a most loving place in my life.

What follows is a (very) general guide to interpreting regular playing cards. You may still use reverse interpretation on regular playing cards if you mark the deck on the "top".

HEARTS

Ace: Has to do with one's home or environment. Could represent a visit or a change of address

King: Represents an influencial man, someone who has the power or ability to do something good for the querent.

Queen: A trusted woman. Someone knowledgeable and faithful. One who always plays fair.

Jack:A good friend to the querent, someone close, a cousin or confidant, someone they have known since childhood or for a long time.

10:A good card: means good luck, can counteract bad cards around it.

9:Harmony. Often called the Wish Card. If surrounded by bad cards, these can represent obstacles that need to be dealt with in order to get the fulfillment of the wish.

8:An event, a celebration, a party/bash..etc. Somesort of ceremony that is already in the works..or is being planned.

7:A card of disappointent. Usually indicates a partner or other person failing to keep their promises. If this card comes up when dealing with some sort of plan, expect that the other person will back out.

6:Warning card. Someone may try to take advantage of the querent. Also..the querent is being too generous to somebody and not getting anything in return. They are being used.

5:Indecisiveness: The querent's inability to make up his/her mind on a subject. A tendency to make and break plans with others.

4:The bachelor or old maid card. This card represent someone who is too fussy in their selection of a partner. Someone who, by their picky nature, is destined to remain alone.

3:An unwise decision, made in haste and without proper background information.
2:Success, often beyond the querent's expectations. If bad cards surround..there may be delays in reaching the goal.

CLUBS

Ace:Indicates wealth, fame...having many friends or acquaintances. Feeling well known and being able to receive certain perks due to good looks or social status.

King:Represents a very good friend. A lifelong companion, someone who can be trusted and counted on during times of need and sorrow.

Queen:Represents a wife or girlfriend in long term relationship for a man. For a woman, represents a sister or good friend, someone who shares a lot of knowledge about the querent.

Jack:Represents a good friend, one who uses a lot of flattery, but only to make the other person feel better. Someone who is good at cheering the querent up.

10:A card of happiness and good fortune. Can also represent a long and fun-filled journey.

9:Trouble: Represents arguments with good friends. A loss of a relationship, a dispute that will remain unresolved.

8:A sense of desperation. An urgent need for money.

7:A card of good luck, if other favorable cards are around. Success if there is not interference from the opposite sex.

6:A partnership card. Success based on mutual goals and friendship.

5:A marriage card, or the beginning of a long standing alliance.

4:A danger card, showing misfortune or failure. Supposed friends getting in the way, or turning against the querent.

3:A sign of a second marriage or even a third. Or an engagement with someone, then a marriage with another, after a friendly separation.
2:Bad luck. Being let down by those around. Opposition from friends and family. Do not count on others.

DIAMONDS

Ace:an important message. A letter or package/gift arriving, the contents of which are very important.

King:A bitter rival, a dangerous competitor, for women it can mean an abusive man or a deceitful lover.

Queen:A flirtatious woman, one who will interfere in plans. Gossipy, very attractive to males..able to get away with things and interfere in situations.

Jack:A bringer of bad news. A selfish person. Not dangerous to male querents, but problems for a female one.

10:Money. Money being the driving force of a journey or partnership. Greed.

9:Adventure: A move in the hopes of advancement.

8:Country life, travel and marriage late in life. The querent's life is too hectic at the moment..a need to settle down and get away..but being unable to do so at the present time.

7:Bad luck on an enterprise or idea. A man who is unreliable, a gambler or drinker.

6:An early marriage, but an unhappy one..and one not destined to last. A second marriage would also be unhappy.

5:Prosperity, long enduring friendship. Pride in family. Success with children.

4:Quarrels: Forgotten or neglected friends and family. Situations that have been brewing and now come to a head.

3:A card of disputes and quarrels. Lawsuits, legal actions. A sign of separation or divorce.

2:A serious love affair, resulting in a marriage or interfering with one depending on surrounding cards.

SPADES

Ace: Bad news, loss of someone close, possible death to someone near, or an illness, miscarriage, etc.

King:A man who will cause problems in marriage or relationships. One who will get in the middle, divide and conquer..and then destroy.

Queen:A cruel woman, one who interferes. For women, a betrayal by a good friend. For men, a woman who will use them for their own gain.

Jack:A person who hangs around and gets in the way. Not a bad person, but a lazy person. One who will get in the way of progress. Takes and takes, but does not give back anything.

10:A very unlucky card. If near a good card, it can cancel it out. If found with bad cards, makes them twice as bad.

9:The worst card of all: Illness, loss of money, or misery. Even among the best of cards. Defeat, lack of success:

8:False friends, traitors, someone who will betray. Most of the trouble can be avoided if caught early on. Examine all relationships closely.

7:Sorrow and quarrels. Avoid arguments with friends. Let them "win" for now.

6:Much planning but little result. Hard work, without much profit. Discouragements.

5:Success in business or love, after much time and hard work.

4:Minor misfortune: A short illness, a temporary setback.

3:Unhappiness: Misfortune in love or marriage. A loss of pride and hope. Do not dwell, move on in life.

2:A complete and forced change. Sudden change of location, relationship or a death. Bound to make a big difference in the coming months.

GENERALLY:

HEARTS: Emotional, symbols of pain and suffering.

CLUBS: Friends, relationships.

DIAMONDS: Difficulties, money problems.

SPADES: Warnings.

SOURCE

Bless...OZ

[STORMDANCER]

Great post Oz I have never really tried with normal cards but i do have a family friend who reads them with great acuracy and she is awesome. I guess its what works for each person.

Peace and Love

Storm xx

[THE GREAT OZ]

This may be a little more clear on how to mark your new playing card Tarot deck to help learn the cards. The more you practice the more of the cards you will remember and then you can do it with a regular deck of playing cards with no notes at all! This is what my very first deck that I learned from and received from a friend. Have fun!

Make a learners tarot deck from regular playing cards

If you can't afford to buy a deck, or just want a deck to learn along with, making your own learners tarot deck is easier than you might imagine!
The process of putting it together may even help you familiarize yourself with the cards as well as help you in the beginning of learning some of their meanings and symbols.
All you'll need is two decks of playing cards and a permanent marker or pen.
They do not need to be full decks, as you are going to moderate the meanings of the cards a bit with that marker anyways. So if you have old card decks missing cards around the house, or if you pick up some old cards at a second hand or thrift store those should work fine.
Playing cards are believed to be modified from or related to the Tarot deck, and a full set of playing cards represents and matches up almost perfectly the minor arcana in the Tarot.
When we look closer at the connections between the decks, we can see the origins of the Tarot in the symbols of the playing cards: Spades represent Swords, Clubs represent Wands, Diamonds represent Coins/Pentacles, Hearts represent Cups.
The regular playing deck has 52 cards divided into 4 groups of 13, numbered 1 to 10, and then three royal cards Jack, Queen, King. The Tarot deck has 56 minor arcana, divided into 4 groups of 14, numbered 1 to 10, and then four royal cards Page, Knight, Queen, King.
So the one difference between the minor arcana of the Tarot and a deck of playing cards is that extra set of royals, the pages.
So to assemble your minor arcana, you'll need one full set of playing cards, plus an additional set of jacks from a second deck to represent the missing page cards. Your Jacks from the original deck can become knights, and the second set of Jacks pages. (If you're missing a suggested card you want at any time in this, you can always modify one of the extra cards you won't be using with that pen!).
You should have 4 complete suites of 14 cards now. So with your pen, you can write swords on your spades, wands on your clubs, coins on your diamonds, and cups on your hearts, up to you if you want to just remember, but you will need to mark the cards in some way anyways in order to indicate which way is up, since cards that are reversed have a different meaning.
So now all that needs to be done is to create your Major Arcana. This will be done using some of the cards from the remaining second deck, you will pick the 22 cards you want to represent the Major Arcana. (A Joker makes an excellent fool!)
The Major Arcana are numbered starting from 0 with the fool (also 22 -full circle, beginning and end, alpha and omega) 1 The Magician, 2 The High Priestess, 3 The Empress, 4 The Emperor, 5 The Hierophant, 6 The Lovers, 7 The Chariot, 8 Justice, 9 The Hermit, 10 The Wheel of Fortune, 11 Strength, 12 The Hanged Man, 13 Death, 14 Temperance, 15 The Devil, 16 The Tower, 17 The Star, 18 The Moon, 19 The Sun, 20 Judgement, 21 The World.
You can use which ever cards you want for these. Face cards are prettier, but if you want to write all over them number cards will give you more area for your learners notes. For instance if you make your Priestess a 2 of cups from the other deck you'd be able to write all over white expanse of the card. The 2 would represent her placement in the numbers of the Major Arcana, the cup/chalice a traditional symbol of priestesses, or perhaps you'd prefer a different suit for your priestess, for your own symbolic reasons. Or you could pick a pretty queen to make your Priestess instead, but have less room for notes on the card.
Up to you for the major arcana, which symbols do you connect to, and what would work best for you.
Additionally, you can also use permanent marker/s or just plain pen, and mark the cards with additional information about the meaning of that card. You can just keep it to the name of the card if you like, or if you are learning, you can write crib notes on your cards. Obviously you'll be able to tell which side is up then just by which way the writing goes.
If you're always looking up the meanings still, just adding a short note of a few words on the card to remind you of it's meaning, and/or add one or two of the traditional symbols, can help speed your recall.
It won't be the prettiest fanciest deck in the world, but it will be imbued with your own focus and creative energy and can be a great tarot learning tool if you're a beginner.
As an additional note, speaking of energy... If the used cards feel like they have a residual energy to them that you believe may interfere with their use, use a cleansing ritual of your choice before you start modifying them.
There are plenty of tarot card cleansing rituals you should be able to find online if you do a search, that is if you don't already have a preference for purifying/cleansing sacred items. I believe which ritual you use is less important than using one that 'feels right' to you.
Enjoy your 'new' deck and have fun learning about the Tarot!

Bless...OZ

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