Looking for some good info on playing cards and doing readings. People often will think of this card and I want to start here and give a light reading on it? What does the Queen of Hearts mean to you and also where to read up on giving reading with playing cards?

About readings with playing cards, I'd recommend the work of two Café members:
- "Fortune Telling With Cards", by Mathew Gostelow (MatCult here) that cover the basics and will get you started,
- "MetaphOracle - Le cartomantique moderne", by Iain Dunford (IAIN here), that gives another approach to readings.

You want to look up Cartomancy. Originally readings done with cards were done with what we would now call playing cards, the Tarot came around some time after.

Generally speaking the spades translates to swords, the diamonds translates to coins/pentacles, the clubs translates to wands/staves, and the hearts translates to cups. Obviously the royalty cards somewhat translate to similar cards in the traditional tarot meanings.

Interestingly I once had a sitter teach me a system of reading with cards that I found fascinating. He said he was taught by his mother or aunt or something. Basically, you think of a yes/no question and draw a single card. If it was Spades, it was a strong answer in the negative, if it was clubs it was a weak answer in the negative, hearts were a weak yes, and diamonds were a strong yes. I think that's what he said - it's been a few years now. Anyway, the value of the card then further determined how strong the answer was, with 2 being the weakest, Ace being the strongest.

So if you asked a yes/no question and pulled an Ace of Spades, the answer was Definitely No. If you pulled an Ace of Diamonds, it was definitely Yes. So on.

In general though I say use your intuition with those suit meanings (Translating to the Tarot meanings of swords/staves/coins/cups) as a general guideline.

I wrote one once.

BTW, it's funny how this correspondance is used by readers, when historically, the Diamonds come from what was the sticks, and the Clubs were the coins. I guess what got people wrong is the idea diamonds = money (so, coins) and in English, clubs are sticks (btw, why "clubs" when the drawing looks like clover)?

As has been mentioned the Queen of hearts equates to the Queen of Cups in Tarot.

This is from the internet...

The Queen of Cups is nurturing, caring, compassionate and sensitive. She is a good wife and a loving mother as she is emotionally secure and can connect on an emotional level with others. She is admired for her fairness and honesty, and is warm-hearted. Often a healer, counsellor or psychic, this is a woman who seems to know what is wrong even before you open your mouth. She seems to have exactly the right solution to problems relating to relationships, emotions and feelings. She easily tunes in to what you are feeling and is able to help you make sense of it in a sensitive and compassionate manner. As such, her intuition is very strong and she has a unique talent at being able to pick up on emotional energy.

As with the Court Cards, the Queen of Cups can manifest as a person in your life or as a part of yourself. She often appears as a mature female.
No intuition is more powerful than that of the Queen of Cups. She is the pure force of Water, and her connection with the subconscious is rivalled only by the High Priestess. She is often like a mirror, reflecting the hidden depths of others back to them, so they can see their own mysteries for themselves. Thus, the Queen of Cups indicates that you need to trust your intuition and listen to your inner voice. Trust the sensations and the feelings you are getting from your outside environment.

When the Queen of Cups appears in a reading, it suggests that you need to empathise with others and to show true compassion. Focus on the emotional well-being of others rather than relying on rational or logical explanation. You are here to support and to teach others, by drawing upon your own intuition and sense of calm and emotional connectedness. Learn how those in need cope with life’s challenges and share your knowledge. Hug someone you care about.

One of the greatest assets of the Queen of Cups is her ability to sense the needs of those around her. Due to her associations with the element of water, the Queen of Cups can be passive and receptive. Her sensitivity draws those who struggle and suffer towards her. In many ways, she is a safe harbor for others. Her ability to connect on a soul level enables her to remedy the broken hearts of others. Her warmth and genuine caring make her a beacon of light. Because she is so responsive to the feelings of others, the Queen of Cups must constantly uphold her boundaries between herself and others. If not properly protected, the Queen of Cups can lose her own sense of self. This is her greatest vulnerability.

The Queen of Cups tends to think with her heart, rather than her head. She may lack common sense and rationality but she is highly intuitive and sometimes psychic and dreamy. Similarly, if you are finding that the logical approach is not working, then the Queen of Cups encourages you to follow your heart and not your mind. You may be required to turn inward and explore your emotions about a particular situation.

The Queen of Cups symbolises achievements made possible by the use of imagination and creativity. This is a woman who is highly imaginative and artistically gifted, affectionate and romantic in outlook. She is often involved in creative or literary pursuits, and enjoys art, good music, literature and things of beauty. Therefore, you may be more inclined to pursue creative projects, particularly if it acts as a form of self-expression.

I purchased this book a while back, comes with an audio book. I highly recommend it, especially for the price, it is a great primer.

Café member ddyment has a great website @ http://www.deceptionary.com/ as well with links to some good Cartomancy resources.

I'm a huge fan of cartomantic presentations...

If you become serious about it, check on auction sites and nab yourself a true vintage deck of cards, just adds to the atmosphere in my opinion...

I have an art deco bridge deck, in gold leaf with yellow and white, in a brass and tortoise shell card clip...suits me, find something that suits you...

Once. Once is enough. Haha.

I would strongly recommend this book by Julian.

Thanks for all the info guys. Great stuff.

In swedish the word for clubs is klöver, which tranlates into clover.

Does anybody know what happened to the Temple of Cult website? Zoltar's Star's, Zoltar's Rainbow, Delphic Oracle and other Mat Cult products used to be available online. Are Mat Cult products no longer available?

The Queen of Hearts
Made some tarts ...

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - a very different interpretation. "Off with his head."

Barry

Hmm. Sean, I'm interested to know what you're up to...but as for your question Julian Moore's book on cartomancy is a great system for reading playing cards.

For me and I think this is probably reflected in Julian's reading system but it's been a while since I read it, the Queen of Hearts points to the strongest feminine energy concerning love and sometimes desire usually concerning a significant other or family memeber.

I'm doing readings on Tuesdays at the Pontiac on Old Baily Street if you're in town. I think you'd enjoy it.

Didn't Princess Diana call herself queen of hearts...