Telling fortunes with cards

An anti-psychic experiment. Developing your perceptions. Wondering why fortune telling is so compelling.

This is an experiment which is not really a scientific investigation of the physical or psychic worlds, but an opportunity to explore how people come to accept hunches, beliefs and theories. While this experiment proves absolutely nothing, annoyingly it can't be used to disprove anything either. I'm sure you'll have some fun making the procedure appear convincing and reading the rake of books in the library dealing with 'spiritual' matters from crystals to miracle cures.

Everything that follows is made up. Complete hokum. Even so, don't try this with people who might take it too seriously or who have worries - there is the possibility of upsetting them.

You are going to use an ordinary everyday pack of playing cards to tell fortunes. You'll only need quarter of an hour's practice.

THE SUITS have the following meaning:
- HEARTS Love and romance
- CLUBS Family and close friends
- DIAMONDS Wealth
- SPADES Work, projects, plans
THE CARDS interpreted as:
- ACE Achievement, good news, success
- TWO Blessing in disguise, dilemma, wolf in sheeps clothing
- THREE Newness, in the ascendent
- FOUR Decline, fading away
- FIVE Solidity, trust-worthiness
- SIX Storm, adversity
- SEVEN Luck, helping hand
- EIGHT The big wheel: Everything comes and goes in cycles
- NINE Death, final ending, conclusion (Not necessarily negative)
- TEN Contentment, satisfaction
- JACK Knavishness, deceit
- QUEEN Lady
- KING Man
THE BOARD: Two cards (second behind the first) for each of:
- past
- present
- question
- future
THE READING:
- Each card combines three things. Enjoy putting these into the sitter's context. eg Seven Diamonds Present: Good fortune - lottery win? The die is already cast. Or perhaps rich Aunt Maude has just put the sitter into her will.
- For past and present, the front card is the surface situation and the rear is the background.
- For question and future, the front card is the expected outcome while the rear card tells of negative influences to beware of.
- Keep the cards in order, they tell the story better that way.

Notes

You can make the reading as mysterious with lots of paraphernalia and dim lights or as matter of fact as you like. The choice is yours. Perhaps the only success factor is a bit of calm in the shuffling and concentration at the reading.
Who shuffles, cuts and picks or deals the cards is up to you. For verisimilitude, have a 'set procedure' for each reading.
You may find that turning up cards in ones and twos is more impressive that the whole lot in one go.
Notice that there is no way to answer the question 'Yes' or 'No'. It is normally more impressive if you don't immediately ask to be told the question but just ask the sitter to think of one personal issue in private while shuffling etc.
Watch the sitters face and hands. If you are stumped and appear to get no reaction, try looking thoughtfully 'through' them and let the silence do its work on the sitter.
You shouldn't say what isn't in the cards. If you know that the sitter has a job interview next week and there is no clue in the cards then leave it out. Try the absolute minimum of guesswork and artistic embellishment. What you are doing is suggesting possible interpretations and it is up to the sitter to attach the appropriate degree of importance to the suggestions.
If you see disaster in the cards and even though your best diplomacy doesn't prevent worry. Make a minor disaster a few minutes later such as knocking a glass of water over. (You got yourself into the mess - now get out of it!)
Make up your own meanings for the cards if you like.

Results

Apart from the frisson of dabbling in the 'black arts', what have you learned?

I suggest that you are now a much better observer of character. While making up plausible situations and ferreting out clues with only the barest minimum to go on. It is an enormously valuable skill to be able to deduce somebody's background or the attitudes they were brought-up with on first acquaintance. For example, by tuning in to subtle signs it is not too difficult to tell if a girl is an only daughter. You'll certainly be able to spot people who say one thing and mean another much more easily.

Can't help believing

If the cards prophesied a fortune in the future (Seven of Diamonds) then would you ever be able to shake off that feeling of one day your number in the lottery will turn up. Not just feeling but KNOWING. Sorry chum - you're hooked. You can't help either wanting or fearing to believe these prophecies. Suppose, instead of encouraging you to make up your own meanings, I threatened a curse of blue gum boils on anyone who changed the scheme, how many people would risk it and sleep soundly?

Psychics

Firstly, this proves or disproves nothing, but can be addictive for some people. Taking these cards seriously is a bad sign - it's all hokum.

There may well be genuine psychic forces and mediums. We know that some of the famous ones were frauds, but that quietly, there are amazing feats of seeing beyond our normal world view. The jury, as they say, is out. (I'm not taking sides here so save your mail.) Now though, as a psychic practitioner yourself(!), you may be better placed to be curious without being gullible.