Part 2

Care must, however, be taken that the card representing the person making the essay is among them; if not, the whole operation must be recommenced until the desired result is obtained. We will suppose it to be some dark lady--represented by the Queen of Clubs--who is anxious to make the attempt for herself, and that the cards are laid out in the following order, from left to right:--Ten of Diamonds, Queen of Clubs, Eight of Hearts, Ace of Diamonds, Ten of Hearts, Seven of Clubs, King of Spades, Nine of Hearts, Knave of Spades, Ace of Clubs, Seven of Spades, Ten of Spades, Seven of Diamonds, Ace of Spades, Knave of Hearts.

On examining them, you will find that there are three Aces among them, announcing good news; but, as they are at some distance from each other, that the tidings may be some time before they arrive.

The three tens denote that the conduct of the person consulting the cards has not always been strictly correct. The two Knaves are enemies, and the three Sevens predict an illness, caused by them.

You now begin to count _five_ cards, beginning with the Queen of Clubs, who represents the person consulting you. The fifth card, being the Seven of Clubs, announces that the lady will soon receive a small sum of money. The next fifth card proving to be the Ace of Clubs, signifies that this money will be accompanied by some very joyful tidings. Next, comes the Ace of Spades, promising complete success to any projects undertaken by the person consulting the cards; then the Eight of Hearts, followed at the proper interval by the King of Spades, showing that the good news will excite the malice of a dishonest lawyer; but the Seven of Spades coming next announces that the annoyance he can cause will be of short duration, and that a gay fair young man--the Knave of Hearts--will soon console her for what she has suffered. The Ace of Diamonds tells that she will soon receive a letter from this fair young man--the Nine of Hearts--announcing a great success--Ten of Spades--but this will be followed by some slight chagrin--Ten of Diamonds--caused by a journey--Ten of Hearts--but it will soon pass, although--Knave of Spades--a bad, dark young man will endeavor--Seven of Diamonds--to turn her into ridicule. The Queen of Clubs, being representative of herself, shows that it is towards _her_ that the dark young man’s malice will be directed. Now take the cards at either extremity of the line, and pair them together. The two first being the Knave of Hearts and the Ten of Diamonds, you may say: “A gay young bachelor is preparing to take a journey--Ace of Spades and Queen of Clubs--which will bring him to the presence of the lady consulting the cards, and cause her great joy. Seven of Diamonds and Eight of Hearts--Scandal talked about a fair young girl. Ten of Spades and Ace of Diamonds--tears shed upon receipt of a letter. Seven of Spades and Ten of Hearts--great joy, mingled with slight sorrow. Seven of Clubs and Ace of Clubs--A letter promising money. Knave of Spades and King of Spades--the winning of a lawsuit. The Nine of Hearts, being the one card left, promises complete success.”

Now gather up the cards, shuffle, cut, and deal them out in five packs--one for the lady herself, one for the house, one for “those who do not expect it,” one for “those who do expect it,” and one for “the surprise,” in the first deal, laying one card aside for “consolation.” The rest are then equally distributed among the other five packs, which will four of them contain three cards, whilst the last only consists of two.

We will suppose the first packet for the lady herself to be composed of the Ace of Diamonds, the Seven of Clubs, and the Ten of Hearts. The interpretation would run thus:

“Ace of Diamonds--a letter will be shortly received--Seven of Clubs--announcing the arrival of a small sum of money--Ten of Hearts--and containing some very joyful tidings.”

The second pack, “for the house,” containing the King of Spades, the Nine of Hearts, and the Knave of Spades:

“The person consulting the cards will receive a visit--King of Spades--from a lawyer--Nine of Hearts--which will greatly delight--Knave of Spades--a dark, ill-disposed young man.”

The third pack, “for those who do not expect it,” composed of the Ace of Spades, the Knave of Hearts, and the Ace of Clubs, would read:

“Ace of Spades--pleasure in store for--Knave of Hearts--a gay young bachelor--Ace of Clubs--by means of money; but as the Knave of Hearts is placed between two Aces, it is evident that he runs a great risk of being imprisoned; and from the two cards signifying respectively ‘pleasure’ and ‘money,’ that it will be for having run into debt.”

The fourth pack, “for those who do expect it,” containing the Eight of Hearts, the Queen of Clubs, and the Ten of Diamonds:

“The Eight of Hearts--the love-affairs of a fair young girl will oblige--the Queen of Clubs--the person consulting the cards--Ten of Diamonds--to take a journey.”

The fifth pack, “for the surprise,” consists of the Seven of Spades and the Ten of Spades, meaning:

“Seven of Spades--slight trouble--Ten of Spades--caused by some person’s imprisonment--The Card of Consolation--Seven of Diamonds--which will turn out to have been a mere report.”

PRESENT, PAST, AND FUTURE.

The person wishing to try her fortune in this manner (we will suppose her to be a young, fair person, represented by the Eight of Hearts), must well shuffle, and cut with the left hand, the pack of thirty-two cards; after which she must lay aside the topmost and undermost cards, to form the surprise. There will now remain thirty cards, which must be dealt out in three parcels--one to the left, one in the middle, and one to the right.

The left-hand pack represents the Past; the middle, the Present; and the one on the right hand, the Future. She must commence with the “Past,” which we will suppose to contain these ten cards: The King of Clubs, the Ace of Spades, the Knave of Diamonds, the Nine of Diamonds, the Ace of Hearts, the Knave of Hearts, the Queen of Hearts, the King of Spades, the Knave of Clubs, and the King of Hearts.

She would remark that picture-cards predominating was a favorable sign; also that the presence of three Kings proved that powerful persons were interesting themselves in her affairs. The three Knaves, however, warn her to beware of false friends, and the Nine of Diamonds predicts some great annoyance, overcome by some good and amiable person, represented by the Queen of Hearts. The two Aces also give notice of a plot. Taking the cards in the order they lay, the explanation would run thus:

“The King of Clubs--a frank, open-hearted man--Ace of Spades--fond of gayety and pleasure, is disliked by Knave of Diamonds--an unfaithful friend--Nine of Diamonds--who seeks to injure him. The Ace of Hearts--a love-letter--Knave of Hearts--from a gay young bachelor to a fair, amiable woman--Queen of Hearts--causes--King of Spades--a lawyer to endeavor to injure a clever--Knave of Clubs--enterprising young man, who is saved from him by--the King of Hearts--a good and powerful man. Nevertheless, as the Knave of Clubs is placed between two similar cards, he has run great risk of being imprisoned through the machinations of his enemy.”

The second parcel, “the Present,” containing the Ten of Diamonds, the Nine of Spades, the Eight of Spades, the Queen of Diamonds, the Queen of Clubs, the Eight of Hearts, the Seven of Spades, the Ten of Spades, Queen of Spades, the Eight of Diamonds, signifies:

“The Ten of Diamonds--a voyage or journey, at that moment taking place--Nine of Spades--caused by the death or dangerous illness of some one--Eight of Spades--whose state will occasion great grief--Queen of Diamonds--to a fair woman. The Queen of Clubs--An affectionate woman seeks to console--Eight of Hearts--a fair young girl, who is the person making the essay--Seven of Spades--who has secret griefs--Ten of Spades--causing her many tears--Queen of Spades--these are occasioned by the conduct of either a dark woman or a widow, who--Eight of Diamonds--is her rival.”

The third packet of cards, “the Future,” we will suppose to contain the Eight of Clubs, the Ten of Clubs, the Seven of Diamonds, the Ten of Hearts, the Seven of Clubs, the Nine of Hearts, the Ace of Diamonds, the Knave of Spades, the Seven of Hearts, the Nine of Clubs, which would read thus:

“In the first place, the large number of small cards foretells success in enterprises, although the presence of three sevens predicts an illness. The Eight of Clubs--a dark young girl--Ten of Clubs--is about to inherit a large fortune--Seven of Diamonds--but her satirical disposition will destroy--Ten of Hearts--all her happiness. Seven of Clubs--A little money and--Nine of Hearts--much joy--Ace of Hearts--will be announced to the person making the essay by a letter, and--Knave of Spades--a wild young man--Seven of Hearts--will be overjoyed at receiving--Nine of Clubs--some unexpected tidings. The cards of surprise--viz., the King of Diamonds and the Ace of Clubs--predict that a letter will be received from some military man, and that it will contain money.”

THE STAR METHOD OF CONSULTING THE CARDS.

We will suppose the person making the essay to be a widow, and consequently represented by the Queen of Spades. This card is, therefore, to be withdrawn from the pack, and laid, face uppermost, upon the table. The remaining thirty-one cards are then to be well shuffled, cut, the topmost card withdrawn and placed lengthwise, and face uppermost, above the head of the Queen of Spades. The cards are to be shuffled, cut, and the topmost card withdrawn, twelve more times, the manner of their arrangement being this: The Queen of Spades in the center, the first card lengthwise above her head, the second ditto at her feet, the third on her right side, the fourth on her left, the fifth placed upright above the first, the sixth ditto below the second, the seventh at the right of the third, the eighth at the left of the fourth, the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth, at the four corners, and the thirteenth across the center card--the Queen of Spades--thus forming a star.

We will suppose these fourteen cards to be the Queen of Spades, which represents the person making the essay; then--1. The Ace of Hearts; 2. The King of Clubs; 3. The Ten of Clubs; 4. Nine of Diamonds; 5. Queen of Clubs; 6. The Eight of Hearts; 7. The Ten of Spades; 8. The Knave of Clubs; 9. The Seven of Clubs; 10. The Ten of Hearts; 11. The Knave of Diamonds; 12. The Eight of Diamonds; 13. The Nine of Clubs. These being placed at right angles, the person consulting them takes them up two by two, beginning with those last laid down.

The first card, 12, the Eight of Diamonds, and the one in the _opposite_ corner, viz., 11, the Knave of Diamonds, read--“Overtures will be made--Knave of Diamonds--by a fair young man--next two cards, 10 and 9, Ten of Hearts--which will prove unsuccessful--Seven of Clubs--on account of something connected with money. Next two cards, 8 and 7, the Knave of Clubs--a clever, dark young man--Ten of Spades--will be greatly grieved by, 6--Eight of Hearts, a fair girl to whom he is attached. Next two cards, 5 and 4, the Queen of Clubs--A dark woman--Nine of Diamonds--will be annoyed at not receiving, 3--Ten of Clubs--a sum of money--next two cards, 2 and 1, the King of Clubs--which was to have been sent her by a generous dark man, who is fond of obliging his friends--Ace of Hearts--it will at last arrive, accompanied by a love-letter--13th card, placed across the Queen of Spades, Nine of Clubs--and be the cause of unexpected gain to the person consulting the cards.” There is a shorter and simpler way of doing this, by surrounding the card representing the person trying his or her fortune, with a less number of cards.

The cards are shuffled and cut as before described, and the topmost one withdrawn. We will suppose the center card to be the Knave of Clubs, representing a dark young man--the first topmost one proves to be the Ace of Clubs, and this is placed above the head of the Knave--the second, the Eight of Hearts, is placed at his feet--the third, the Knave of Diamonds, at his right side--the fourth, the Queen of Spades, on his left. These read--“Ace of Clubs--You will soon receive a letter, which will give you great pleasure--Eight of Hearts--from a fair girl. Knave of Diamonds--An unfaithful friend--Queen of Spades--and a malicious widow, will seek to injure you on that very account.”

TO KNOW IF YOU WILL GET YOUR WISH.

Shuffle the cards well, and cut, or have them cut, with the _left_ hand. Then deal out thirteen cards. If among these is to be found one or more Aces lay them aside, shuffle and cut the remaining ones, and again deal thirteen; withdraw the Aces as before, and again shuffle, cut, and deal. If, in these three deals, all four aces make their appearance, you will get your wish. If all the Aces come at the first deal, the response is in the highest degree favorable.

THE ENGLISH METHOD OF CONSULTING THE CARDS.

Having described the French and Italian methods of consulting the cards, we will proceed to notice the manner in which the art of fortune-telling is generally practiced in England and Scotland. Hitherto only thirty-two cards have been made use of, but now the whole pack is employed. The significations also slightly differ; therefore we shall first give a complete list of them, and then pass on to describe how the cards are to be arranged, so as to disclose their mystic meanings.

_Ace of Clubs._--Wealth, happiness, and peace of mind.

_King of Clubs._--A dark man, upright, faithful, and affectionate in disposition.

_Queen of Clubs._--A dark woman, gentle and pleasing.

_Knave of Clubs._--A sincere, but hasty friend--also a dark man’s thoughts.

_Ten of Clubs._--Unexpected riches, and loss of a dear friend.

_Nine of Clubs._--Disobedience to friends’ wishes.

_Eight of Clubs._--A covetous man--also warns against speculations.

_Seven of Clubs._--Promises good fortune and happiness; but bids a person beware of the opposite sex.

_Six of Clubs._--Predicts a lucrative business.

_Five of Clubs._--A prudent marriage.

_Four of Clubs._--Cautions against inconstancy or change of object for the sake of money.

_Three of Clubs._--Shows that a person will be more than once married.

_Two of Clubs._--A disappointment.

_Ace of Diamonds._--A letter--from whom, and about what, is seen by the neighboring cards.

_King of Diamonds._--A fair man, hot-tempered, obstinate, and revengeful.

_Queen of Diamonds._--A fair woman, fond of company, and a coquette.

_Knave of Diamonds._--A near relation, who considers only his own interests. Also a fair person’s thoughts.

_Ten of Diamonds._--Money.

_Nine of Diamonds._--Show that a person is fond of roving.

_Eight of Diamonds._--A marriage late in life.

_Seven of Diamonds._--Satire, evil speaking.

_Six of Diamonds._--Early marriage and widowhood.

_Five of Diamonds._--Unexpected news.

_Four of Diamonds._--Trouble arising from unfaithful friends. Also a betrayed secret.

_Three of Diamonds._--Quarrels, law-suits, and domestic disagreements.

_Two of Diamonds._--An engagement, against the wishes of friends.

_Ace of Hearts._--The house. If attended by Spades, it foretells quarreling--if by Hearts, affection and friendship--by Diamonds, money and distant friends--and Clubs, feasting and merry-making.

_King of Hearts._--A fair man of good-natured disposition, but hasty and rash.

_Queen of Hearts._--A fair woman, faithful, prudent, and affectionate.

_Knave of Hearts._--The dearest friend of the consulting party. Also a fair person’s thoughts.

_Ten of Hearts._--Is prophetic of happiness and many children--is corrective of the bad tidings of cards next to it, and confirms good ones.

_Nine of Hearts._--Wealth and high esteem. Also the wish card.

_Eight of Hearts._--Pleasure, company.

_Seven of Hearts._--A fickle and false friend, against whom be on your guard.

_Six of Hearts._--A generous but credulous person.

_Five of Hearts._--Troubles caused by unfounded jealousy.

_Four of Hearts._--A person not easily won.

_Three of Hearts._--Sorrow caused by a person’s own imprudence.

_Two of Hearts._--Great success; but equal care and attention needed to secure it.

_Ace of Spades._--Great misfortune, spite.

_King of Spades._--A dark, ambitious man.

_Queen of Spades._--A malicious, dark woman--generally a widow.

_Knave of Spades._--An indolent, envious person; a dark man’s thoughts.

_Ten of Spades._--Grief, imprisonment.

_Nine of Spades._--A card of very bad import, foretelling sickness and misfortune.

_Eight of Spades._--Warns a person to be cautious in his undertakings.

_Seven of Spades._--Loss of a friend, attended with much trouble.

_Six of Spades._--Wealth through industry.

_Five of Spades._--Shows that a bad temper requires correcting.

_Four of Spades._--Sickness.

_Three of Spades._--A journey.

_Two of Spades._--A removal.

Having given the signification of the various cards, we will now proceed to describe how they are to be employed. After having well shuffled, cut them three times, and lay them out in rows of nine cards each. Select any King or Queen you please to represent yourself; and wherever you find that card placed, count nine cards every way, reckoning it as one; and every ninth card will prove the prophetic one. Before, however, beginning to count, study well the disposition of the cards, according to their individual and relative signification. If a married woman consult the cards, she must make her husband the King of the same suit of which she is Queen; but if a single woman, she may make any favorite male friend King of whatever suit she pleases. As the Knaves of the various suits represent the _thoughts_ of the persons represented by the picture-cards of a corresponding color, they should also be counted from.

TO TELL WHETHER YOU WILL GET YOUR WISH.

To try whether you will get your wish, shuffle the cards well, all the time keeping your thoughts fixed upon whatever wish you may have formed; cut them once, and remark what card you cut; shuffle them again, and deal out into three parcels. Examine each of these in turn, and if you find the card you turned up next either the one representing yourself--the Ace of Hearts or the Nine of Hearts--you will get your wish. If it be in the same parcel with any of these, without being next them, there is a chance of your wish coming to pass at some more distant period; but if the Nine of Spades makes its appearance, you may count on being disappointed.

GOOD AND BAD OMENS.

The word omen is well known to signify a sign, good or bad, or a prognostic. It may be defined to be that indication of something future which we get as it were by accident, and without seeking for. A superstitious regard to omens seems anciently to have made very considerable additions to the common load of infelicity. They are in these enlightened days pretty generally disregarded, and we look back with perfect security and indifference on those trivial and truly ridiculous accidents which alternately afford matter of joy and sorrow to our ancestors. Omens appear to have been so numerous, that we must despair of ever being able to recover one-half of them, and to evince that in all ages men have been self-tormentors, the bad omens fill a catalogue infinitely more extensive than that of the good. An extensive set of omens has been taken from what first happens to one, or what animal or person one meets first in the morning, or at the commencement of an undertaking--the _first-foot_, as it is called. To stumble has been universally held to presage misfortune. Some semblance of a reason might be found for this belief, inasmuch as stumbling may be supposed to indicate that that self-possession and conscious courage, which are in themselves half a victory over circumstances, are lacking--the want of them, therefore, being half a defeat; but in most cases the interpretation seems altogether arbitrary. The dread of a hare crossing the path seems to be widely prevalent; while to see a wolf is a good omen. This feeling is probably a remnant of warlike times, when the timid hare suggested thoughts of cowardice and flight; while the bold wolf, sacred to Odin, was emblematic of victory. The character of the hare for being unlucky is also connected with the deep-rooted belief that witches are in the habit of transforming themselves into hares. That to meet an old woman is unlucky, is another very general belief, arising, without doubt, from the same causes that led to their being considered witches. In some places, women in general are unlucky as first-foot, with the singular exception of women of bad reputation. This belief prevailed as far back as the age of Chrysostom. Priests, too, are ominous of evil. If hunters of old met a priest or friar, they coupled up their hounds and went home in despair of any further sport that day. This superstition seems to have died out, except in the case of sailors, who still consider the clergy a “kittle cargo,” as a Scotch skipper expressed it, and anticipate a storm or mischance when they have a black coat on board. This seems as old as the prophet Jonah. Sneezing, likewise, has long been looked upon as supernatural, for this reason, that it is sudden, unaccountable, uncontrollable, and therefore ominous. The person is considered as possessed for the time, and a form of exorcism is used. A nurse would not think she had done her duty, if, when her charge sneezes, she did not say, “Bless the child,” just as the Greeks, more than two thousand years ago, said, “Zeus protect thee.”

One general remark, however, it is important to make in regard to omens. An omen is not conceived to be a mere sign of what is destined to be--it is conceived as causing, in some mysterious way, the event it forebodes; and the consequence, it is thought, may be prevented by some counteracting charm. Thus the spilling of salt not only forebodes strife, but strife is conceived as the consequence of the spilling of the salt, and may be hindered by taking up the spilled salt, and throwing it over the left shoulder. Perhaps half the superstitious beliefs that yet survive among civilized and Christian communities group themselves round the subject of love and marriage--of such intense interest to all, yet so mysterious in its origin, and problematic in its issue. The liking or passion for one individual rather than any other is so unaccountable, that the God of Love has been fabled blind; it is of the nature of fascination, magic, spell. And then, whether happiness or the reverse shall be the result, seems beyond the reach of ordinary calculation. All is apparently given over to mystery, chance, fortune; and any circumstances may, for what we know, influence or indicate what fortune’s wheel shall bring round. Hence the innumerable ways of prognosticating which of two or more persons shall be first married, who or what manner of person shall be the future husband or wife, the number of children, etc. It is generally at particular seasons, as at the Eve of St. Agnes, and Halloween, that the veil of the future may thus be lifted.

The observation of _lucky_ and _unlucky_ days was once an important matter, and was often the turning-point of great events. It is now mostly confined to the one subject of marriage. In fixing the wedding day, May among months and Friday among days are shunned by many people, both in educated and uneducated circles; for in this matter, which is the exclusive province of women, and in which sentiment and fancy are in every way so much more active than reason, the educated and uneducated are reduced to a level. We will give a large collection of omens, with their interpretation, having selected from all the best works on the subject, and will begin with “Good and Evil Days”: