Not too much of a leap from palmistry to cartomancy, or divination by cards, though you may be wondering why these are not the more usual "Tarot" cards. So let me explain, for the skill of telling fortunes with cards started with a standard pack cards, almost as soon as they were first seen in Europe in the fourteenth century - and continued through to modern times.
The "Tarot" cards that we know of today were only invented in Italy in the fifteenth century but were not used for divination until almost the end of the eighteenth century. Whilst the Rider-Waite Tarot, probably the best known, was only published in 1909.
Now let us return to our subject, and this card shows the worst case scenario of what can happen if you do not wash your hands - not that you will get ill, but that you will pass the germ to the one you love. So here we have a small child and her doll lies sick abed, rather a morbid card really, but i imagine it will all end happily and the morning will see the doll restored and the illness all forgotten.
Sadly, in real life this is not always the case. Yet washing hands just with soap and water, not even with anti-bacterial gel, for just fifteen seconds, removes ninety per cent of all the bacteria that you have accumulated on them since the last time they were washed. And these germs are mobile, they can easily come off your hands and on to your eyes, nose and mouth. Or on to someone else, who is maybe looking after an ailing relative, or friend, and passes the germ along, without even knowing...
To cards, whilst you ponder
This set is actually very akin to yesterday`s subject as every card has a meaning, which is shown as the illustration, and also titled on the card at the bottom.
And I have a list, which like the card, was supplied by a reader. Now when the list came in the reader was hoping that we could answer a question, because cards two to six are missing in all of the suits, and though he keeps looking for those missing cards, he never finds them. But, as I am rather interested in all forms of divination, as you may have guessed, I was able to tell him the good and bad news, that being that in France they use a short deck for divination, of only thirty-two cards, these being the sevens to tens, the court cards, and the ace, the ace being high and following the King. So this set would have followed that practise, and he can halt his hunt.
Therefore here is the checklist for this set
Coeurs (hearts)
- 7 - douces pensees [sweet thoughts]
- 8 - rejouissance [rejoicing]
- 9 - reuissite [success]
- 10 - bonte [goodness]
- J - militaire generositie [military kindness?]
- Q - bon repas [a good meal]
- K - fidelite [fidelity]
- A - visite [a visitor]
Carreau (diamonds)
- 7 - heritage [legacy]
- 8 - patience [patience]
- 9 - cupidite, richesse [greed with riches]
- 10 - excursion, voyage [travel]
- J - mariage [marriage]
- Q - modestie [modesty]
- K - eloquence [eloquence]
- A - nouvelles [news]
Trefles (clubs - from trefoils)
- 7 - trouvaille [travel]
- 8 - succes [success]
- 9 - jeux et argent [games and money]
- 10 - prosperite et fortune [prosperity and fortune]
- J - trahison [treason]
- Q - bonne mere [being a good mother]
- K - homme d`affaires [businessman]
- A - orgueil [pride]
Piques (spades)
- 7 - femme mechante [a nasty woman]
- 8 - maladie [sickness]
- 9 - chagrin, querrelle [worry and quarrel]
- 10 - accient [accident]
- J - jeune homme a marier [marrying a young man]
- Q - sagesse [wiseness]
- K - gourmandise [gluttony]
- A - amitie, declaration [a declaration of friendship]