Sample Zigeuner WahrsageKarten Readings - 13/9/11

Ok, so in this post I touched on the idea that the less specific your cards are (i.e. a deck that does not speak to you, or one with very basic card meanings), the more specific your layouts have to be. So here is a short reading to illustrate the point.

I pulled these three cards for a general feel of things, assigning them very definite meanings:

Card 1= Love

Card 2= Wellbeing

Card 3= Work

This is to give as little room as possible for confusion as to what each card might mean. As I have mentioned elsewhere, a lot of people find this deck to be frustrating, and vague.

The three cards I drew were:

Love= Officer

Wellbeing= Falsehood

Work= House

It helps to begin by putting the cards in some kind of context. You can make a lot more sense of things by using knowledge you already have: Officer, for example, does not mean I am about to have a romance with someone in uniform, as my circumstances (being in a relationship) quickly rule that out. But does the card have to represent a person? It could refer to an attitude, a need to take precautions, and be more grown up about things. It could also be a gentle nudge to 'make it official' and tie the knot!

Falsehood is another tricky card. In terms of wellbeing, I would read it as things seeming better or worse than they really are - someone bottling up emotions, or crying crocodile tears; false recovery from an illness, or symptoms which are more harmless than first suspected; a lack of faith, or cynical facade. It need not be a negative card, but merely urges us to be thorough, and to always be certain.

Work/House is very straightforward, and encourages projects in the home, self employment, and self reliance. Since this has been my main concern of late, the interpretation is very straightforward, and very encouraging.

But what if the cards had come out in different positions? How would it alter their meanings?

Wellbeing: Officer

As a card relating to wellbeing, Officer takes on a much more serious tone. It calls for watchfulness, caution, vigilance - perhaps even professional assistance. Of course this may take many forms, depending on the kind of wellbeing you are talking about - it could involve going for a checkup, seeing a counsellor, or speaking to a priest. But it certainly suggests that one must go through official channels in order to succeed.

Work: Officer

In a work context, the Officer is a new card all over again. This time, he warns of audits, of sticking to the rules and not taking unnecessary risks at work - but, if surrounded by positive cards, can also indicate promotion and professional respect.

Love: Falseness

Quite simply, deception or insincerity of the heart. But fret not - it is not always a sign that your lover is untrue, although it certainly can mean that. Often, when Falseness is one of the cards drawn in a love spread, you are not being true to yourself, or are not sure what it is you really want.

Work: Falseness

If you are a procrastinator, if you like to seem busier than you really are (guilty!), you can expect to see this combination. Also, if you are stuck in a job you don't like, as opposed to the one you really want. Think misapplied energy, putting things off, and a general lack of commitment.

Love: House

Here we see that love does not always equal romance. While the House card may mean a long weekend in bed with that special someone, it also indicates warm exchanges at home with family and friends, and suggests a person who really thrives in a homely environment.

Wellbeing: House

The message here would most likely be to take things easy, advising a period of convalescence during which you should not push yourself too hard or try to do too much. It may also indicate that for a general sense of wellbeing, one must first take care of more mundane matters, and take care that all is harmonious on the domestic front.

As you can see, depending on card positions, each card can mean any number of things. But there are common themes - Officer pertains to officialty, regulation, what is right and proper; House is a card of family, our home life and most private moments; and Falseness encourages us to take a closer look, and pay attention to what goes on around us, and ask questions.

More On The Zigeuner WahrsageKarten - Part One

Or, in my case, the Cigany Kartya - which as far as I can tell is little more than a Hungarian reprint of the ZWK. Since I got this deck, I have been working almost constantly with it. Opinion on the cards seems to be divided, and a lot of people seem unsure of the cards and how to use them. I do not, nor will I ever, claim to be an authority on the subject - I haven't had them for long, after all - but I would like to share the way I have been using them, and hopefully this will be of some help.

Research

There are books available on the cards, and good ones. Buy or borrow a copy of Fortune Telling with Gypsy Cards by Esther Gombor (here is a link to the author's site), or the book Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Cards by US Games, to name only a couple. You can pick them up quite cheaply through sites like eBay and Alibris, and the research is well worth such a modest investment. It will save you hours of headaches later!

Approach

Although some books provide Tarot card correspondences for the deck, they are still two quite different things, and while some knowledge of Tarot will certainly benefit you - since cartomancy requires that we hone skills such as conceptual thinking and the recognition of symbol and metaphor - I suspect that some experience with Lenormand style cards will be of even greater help to you in understanding the ZWK.

I have spoken to many people who simply find the ZWK cards unusable - they have found that, as the cards do not seem to give out a lot of information, the deck does not speak to them. I can certainly understand this, as I had a little trouble forming an initial bond with them. The advice I would give is: the more vague your deck appears to be, the more specific you should be with it. By this I mean more specific questions, and more specific meanings attached to the card positions. You want to try and leave as little room for doubt in your own mind as possible. 

Spreads

While there are specific spreads for the ZWK, other types of spread can work just as well. A lot of Tarot spreads do not work effectively - but spreads designed for oracle decks tend to work quite well, as well as the traditional Answer Deck layout.

As already mentioned, spreads which involve detailed or clearly defined position meanings are the best to use. 

Over the next few days, I intend to post some sample readings, as well as interpretations for what are considered to be the more obscure cards. 

Until then, Good Journey :)

Daily Draw Site: Zigeuner WahrsageKarten Added!

The most common advice given when using the cards is to not take them too literally. Although their literal meanings do apply, you have to consider the concept presented with each card. Like many oracle decks, these interpretations are also greatly affected by the surrounding cards, which you must pay close attention to if you wish to understand their overall message.

You could do well by simply throwing yourself in and using them as often as you can, which is the best way to learn .I now have a Daily Draw site here, and am hoping that with practise, the meanings of the cards will become clearer. The information there will come not only from experience, but from studying the interpretations of others who use them. It is to be taken only as a general guide, not as definitive, and is meant as a jumping-off-point in discovering your own relationship with these strange and wonderful cards.

Zigeuner WahrsageKarten: Test Reading

It's my second day with the new cards, and before I leave for the weekend, I would like to do a test reading and see what the next few days might have in store.

Question: What should I be prepared for this weekend?

Cards Drawn:

Merriment - Ecclesiastic - Marriage

There are so many possibilities contained within these three cards!

Overall, the weekend looks good: the cards are lovely, positive ones, and promise a bright few days ahead. The combination of Merriment/Ecclesiastic is an interesting one. As I am not religious in any traditional way, I thnk it may indicate spiritual development, good advice, even some kind of epiphany. There is a suggestion that the coming few days will have a profound effect on my spiritual wellbeing, and that the weekend may offer a chance to reconnect with myself.

In certain situations, the three cards could indicate an actual marriage or proposal - but in my case, this seems unlikely, as I am already engaged and nowhere near getting married! Of course, it may also foretell an invitation to the wedding of a friend, or close family member.

With this in mind, let's look at the Ecclesiastic/Marriage combination. Marriage, like every card in the deck, does not have to be taken literally. It can also mean a commitment, or binding contract - the first steps in creating something strong and permanent out of our deepest desires. If you consider the wisdom of the Ecclesiastic card, and Marriage's indication of a commitment, the combination may also be interpreted as a need to heed your own advice, to practise what you preach.

Overall, I feel the cards are telling me that taking the time to slow down and pursue more spiritual and meditative endeavours will help me to see my priorities more clearly. I think this weekend will be a time to focus on what is important, and to find happiness in life's simple pleasures. There is also a suggestion of collaboration and co-operation, that true happiness will be found this weekend not by being alone, but by seeking out the company of the people I value most.

Zigeuner WahrsageKarten - Learning To Use The Cards: Timeline Spreads

As predicted, I have spent the day testing my new Gypsy deck in various types of spreads, from traditional Oracle and ZWK spreads to Tarot layouts.

I provided a test reading for somebody earlier, and their question involved a timeline spread, using the cards as an indicator of when something is likely to happen. Of course, this employs the cards as a fortune-telling aid as opposed to a tool for enlightenment, but I do enjoy both types of reading. I was curious about how the deck could be used in this way.

Earlier this month, I stumbled across this spread (the link is here) on Mary K Greer's Tarot Blog, an old - and almost forgotten - Yes/No Advice Oracle. Using this as my inspiration, I removed all the cards pertaining to romance from the deck (the question was about love), and set Lover to one side.

Next, I shuffled the remaining cards and chose four at random. I shuffled these, together with the Lover, and dealt the cards in a row:

Card One: The Next Month

Card Two: The Next Three Months

Card Three: The Next Six Months

Card Four: The Next Year

Card Five: Over A Year From Now

I then used position of the Lover to determine the timeframe. Example: If it was the third card drawn, you could expect love in the next six months. Then I interpreted the surrounding cards to clarify the situation.

You could use this spread for a lot of situations, such as finance and work (use Money, removing Fortune and Some Money from the deck), or awaited news (using Letter and removing Message). Of course, like Yes/No spreads, some say timeline spreads are too deterministic - but they certainly are fun to try.

My New Deck! - Zigeuner WahrsageKarten

I bought the following cards from this eBay seller.

Last week, I ordered a new deck - a Hungarian reprint of the Zigeuner WahrsageKarten, or Gypsy Fortune Telling Cards. Well, this morning they arrived! I am still very much in the process of learning about the history of the cards, so more on that later, but for now, let's take a good look at them.

The deck consists of 36 unnumbered cards, much like the Lenormand fortune cards. Each card depicts a simple scene, with a keyword printed in 6 different languages at the bottom:

At first, it might seem that the simple designs and use of only one keyword give too narrow a definition. The booklet that came with the cards states that the cards should not be taken too literally. So, for example, the sweetheart with the thief may mean you have fallen for a criminal, but could just as easily mean that someone has stolen your heart.

The names of the cards are:

Anger

Baby

Constancy

Death

Desire

Ecclesiastic

Enemy

Falseness

Fidelity

Fortune

Gift

Hope

House

Jealousy

Journey

Judge

Letter

Loss

Love

Lover

Malady

Marriage

Merriment

Message

Misfortune

Money

Officer

Sadness

Some Money

Sweetheart

Thief

Thought

Unexpected Joy

Visit

Widow

Widower

As I become more familiar with these cards, I will post sample readings, and explain some of the possible card meanings. For now, I'm going to have some fun trying to get to know them.

Have a great weekend!