Part 20

Privation; abstinence; absence; scarcity; sterility; poverty; indigence; famine; deprivation.

Frequently this card is employed to denote a well-founded distrust, when its secondary significations will be:

Just suspicion; legitimate fear; merited doubts; conjectures; surmises based on fact; conscientious scruples; timidity; bashfulness; reluctance; retirement.

QUEEN OF SPADES--Reversed. As a representative of an individual, this card, coming out in the oracle reversed in position, denotes a widow, desirous of contracting another marriage. It moreover designates a dark woman of amorous propensities, who does not hesitate to disregard the conventionalities of society.

But as a general thing, this card is assumed to signify a crafty evil-minded woman, and can be interpreted as:

Malignity; malice; finesse; artifice; cunning; craft; dissimulation; frolic; pranks; wildness; hypocrisy; bigotry; prudishness; wantonness; shamelessness.

When coming reversed in a consultation upon marriage, this card denotes that difficulties and impediments, generally originating with a female, will be interposed to prevent the desired nuptials.

JACK OF SPADES--Upright. As the representative of an individual, this card, coming out upright, designates a dark complexioned unmarried man, an obliging fellow, who does not hesitate to accommodate his friends at serious disadvantage to himself, if occasion require.

The primary signification of the card is, however, messenger, an envoy, or person, charged with bearing of intelligence, most generally employed as a go-between in intrigues, or in a capacity of trust.

Sometimes this card is used to designate a critic, or a critical position; a moment of impending danger; an awkward predicament; a decisive instant; an unfortunate situation; a delicate circumstance; a threatened calamity; a crisis; or a perplexing misstep.

JACK OF SPADES--Reversed. This card is one of evil omen to lovers, as it forewarns a betrayal of their secrets, or the exposure of their plans by a corrupt messenger, or through the intervention of some intermeddler.

Its primary signification, when the card is reversed, is that of a Paul Pry, or spy, whence we have the secondary ones of inquirer, spectator, watcher, overseer, as well as the result of such a man's investigations. Hence applied more generally, the card signifies scrutiny; examination; reports; remarks; notations, and commentaries.

Another secondary signification of this card is traitor, from which we readily obtain the following synonyms:

Deception; duplicity; stratagem; disguise; prevarication; disloyalty; breach of trust; conspiracy; tale bearing; imposture; black heartedness; perfidy; falsehood; dissimulation and breach of confidence.

The card is, moreover, used to forewarn lovers that there is danger of their being pursued in event of elopement.

ACE OF SPADES--Upright. This card, coming out in natural position, and intervening between the representative cards of a male and female, relates wholly to love affairs. When accompanied by the ten of spades it shows that an intrigue will be accompanied with a deal of sorrow and affliction, and will ultimately end in abandonment under most disastrous circumstances.

One of the primary significations of this card is a paper or document, chiefly appertaining to law matters, such as warrants for arrest, writs, subpoenas and legal pleadings.

Another is that of a ship, or other means of conveyance by water, particularly when accompanied by the eight of clubs, reversed, which betokens the consultant to be on the eve of a sea voyage, or other journey over water of some description.

ACE OF SPADES--Reversed. When in the oracle of a married consultant, this card appears reversed, and near to her representative, its primary signification is pregnancy, which in her case can be expressed by the following synonyms:

Conception; maternity; accouchement; childbirth.

From this we derive a secondary signification, applicable to other things, for which we employ correspondent synonyms:

Enlargement; engenderment; fecundity; fertilization; production; composition; increase; augmentation; multiplication; deliverance; parturition; growth; addition.

When reversed and accompanied by the knave of clubs, likewise reversed, this card is a premonitor of death.

The general secondary signification of this card, when reversed and in the body of the oracle, is a fall, whence we have:

Decadence; decline; discouragement; dissipation; ravage; ruin; demolition; destruction; bankruptcy; error; fault; overwhelming sorrows; perdition; an abyss; precipice; gulf; waterfall; disgrace; shame.

TEN OF SPADES--Upright. The general signification of this card is jealousy, particularly when accompanied by the knave of clubs, which denotes that the consultant, either male or female, is jealous of his or her sweetheart to such a degree that their friendly relations are in danger of being broken off, which will assuredly be the case, if the nine of spades should likewise appear in the oracle.

The other primary signification of this card is tears, whence we derive a series of secondary significations, as:

Sighs; groans; weeping; complaints; lamentations; griefs; sadness; heart-sickness; affliction; mental agony.