Working Playing Cards to Get What You Want
Part 1: Getting Started
a club from a deck of playing cards in lime green on a purple gradient background
Playing cards can be used as petitions or as an energy enhancer under a candle, but there are so many other ways to use tarot and playing cards in conjure and spellwork.
But there are also some things you should know before getting started that can make your work more efficient and powerful:
1. Learn historical and modern card meanings.
I’ve noticed many places putting less importance on knowing the meaning of cards, particularly tarot cards. To me, such an approach lacks rigor.
It’s not that people can’t be read without cards. Quite the contrary, there are times when cards or any tool can be a stumbling block for intuition rather than a guide. But understanding what each card means, including reverse, and in context with their neighbors, suit, and sequence is important for card conjure.
If you’re doing love drawing work, and you’re using Ten of Hearts, then you’ll have to put in more work when that relationship comes to make sure you don’t crush it with the full weight of your affection.
The Nine of Diamonds has indicated great money luck and extreme loss over the centuries. You have to know the cards well to use them in this way.
Your energy can help guide the outcome of your work, but why work against yourself?
2. Use a Fresh Deck
It’s not appropriate to read playing cards used for gambling and games to read or work spiritually.
Why? Well, first off, the imprint of your work could stay on the cards, and could affect you or a client. The energy of gambling and games may be different from the headspace you need to be in to do your work.
I’m fond of a deck of Bicycle Playing Cards. Their aces are more prominent as are other important trumps, so it lends itself both to learning and work.
3. Decide How to Work It
For work an ending, you may want to burn your card or otherwise permanently dispose of it.
For drawing work, you may work with the card as a talisman in your wallet or purse, burn it to ashes and add it to a perfume or incense, or incorporate it into your home decor, at your workplace etc.
Having a strong concept of how to work cards into your ritual work is key to its efficacy.
I like to sketch out my work on paper before executing so I have an understanding of how many hours or days it will take, what moon sign/phase I will start and finish within, and what planetary hour/day of the week will be ideal for my work.
Figuring out all the things I need is part of this process.
hey, i'm cyree jarelle. I run Temperance Queer Tarot. I help queers, feminists, and leftists connect with their intuition using tarot and cartomancy. More on me.
