Cartomancy with playing cards: 32-card deck meanings and interpretation for fortune-telling

Mediums and psychics generally use the French 32-card deck less during a psychic reading. They tend to prefer tools such as the Belline Oracle or the Marseille Tarot… This deck is harder to interpret, but it allows very precise predictions. Mastering it gives you a real edge, and the precision of what you tell the querent leaves a very special impression.

To me, this deck feels older, more ancestral, and personally, it speaks to me. I have the feeling that my ancestors may have tried to learn their future through these cards. The origins of cartomancy go back to Antiquity. Proof that we’re not the first to be curious about it!

The 32-card deck isn’t only meant for divination, since some people use it only for card games like belote, War, and so on. You probably have one tucked away at the back of a drawer, too.

Let’s start with its interpretation. To have 32 cards, you simply need the diamonds, hearts, clubs, and spades, from the 7 to the Ace (face cards included), in other words a standard deck without the 2s to 6s.

How to read the 32-card deck: cartomancy with playing cards and card meanings

Let’s begin with the diamonds. Compared with the Marseille Tarot, they are close to the Batons and share the same active principle: travel, movement, action… Diamonds answer mostly on the professional level.

Ace of Diamonds

Money is said to be on its way. Even if you didn’t see it coming, you can hope for some income, in the short or long term. Everything will depend on the cards around it. And with this money coming in, the problems you were facing will come to an end.

The King of Diamonds

He is usually an older man: active, precise, and well off. He can help you in a business matter. Work often comes up with this card. It is said that you can expect success. You’ve thought your projects through and laid the foundations. Now it’s time to commit and set in motion what you want to build.

Queen of Diamonds

Her meaning is fairly close to the King’s, except that here it will more likely be a woman. She will help you reach your goals. With her help and her advice, you have every chance of succeeding in what you want to undertake.

Jack of Diamonds

The Jack’s youth matters. He stands for the possible help of a young man. If your question is about work, the card can also mean that you are laying the foundations: it’s still new, not yet settled or anchored. Another interpretation is possible: you may receive news that will help you see more clearly.

10 of Diamonds

Travel, visits, and movement are on the way. You hardly stay in one place. A great surge of energy is coming. If your question is about work, expect a possible transfer. News from abroad is also possible.

9 of Diamonds

A card of ill omen. Unfortunately, everything is at a standstill, everything is blocked. There’s nothing you can do. Check the sincerity of the people around you, who could make the projects you have underway fail. Don’t rush ahead: wait for the wind to turn before trying your luck. But if you really want to go through with it, expect a fierce struggle. Nothing comes for free, and here you’ll have to fight even harder than you think. Better to wait. Time is a good advisor.

8 of Diamonds

This is the card of novelty, of surprise, of pleasant things to come. You’ll be able to enjoy this moment of happiness in some areas of your life. These changes will have a positive effect on your future. You surely didn’t expect to be this happy.

7 of Diamonds

You’ll have to sort things out and wipe the slate clean of what is happening right now. You need to understand, and also to step back a little. You will question yourself and the people close to you, at work too. After this hard period of soul-searching, either you’ll feel reassured about what the future holds, or you’ll understand that what you believed isn’t reality. The fall is hard. Cover the card with another one, or look at the cards next to it to take the temperature.

Now let’s move on to the hearts. In the Marseille Tarot, they are associated with the Cups. As you probably know, the heart speaks of everything to do with feelings and affection…

Ace of Hearts

It covers everything about the “heart”: matters of the heart, the passionate side. At work, you want to commit to something “dear to your heart”. You get involved in what you believe is right.

Love: of course, you’re happy. Otherwise, you find refuge with people who support you and show you their love.

Spiritual life: you commit more deeply, and you open up to others. It’s a good card. It marks the beginning of a new stage.
Love is the key. You know it. It’s by loving that we share, and above all that we’re happy!

King of Hearts

Given his age, we can think of the father, or else the husband, or any well-grounded male figure. In any case, you can expect help, advice, and protection from him. In a broader sense, he can also be your Guardian Angel. Don’t worry: you are protected and surrounded with love. The people around you are loyal and will help you when you need it. For a man, this card can point to someone he holds in high esteem.

Queen of Hearts

As with the King of Hearts, you can expect the protection, help, love, support, and unfailing loyalty of a woman: a mother, a wife, a friend… In joy or in sorrow, she will be there, with the presence you need.

Jack of Hearts

Almost everyone knows more or less how to read this card. And yet not all cartomancers agree on it. The Jack of Hearts is often the sign of a young, lively, fresh person, and also of the loved one. For some, he is rather a manipulative young man who sweet-talks you to lull you into trusting him. Either way, you can’t tell whether this love comes with a temporary contract or a permanent one. You no longer know how to react. Let the surrounding cards guide you.

10 of Hearts

Love is here, or on its way, and it opens its doors to you. You are entering a calm, loving period with the people you care about (or even people you meet again after a long time). This renewed love brings back your energy and your fighting spirit in everyday life.

9 of Hearts

The symbolism of the 9 brings its share of… novelty, of a new cycle. In love, you are starting something powerful, something that reveals the future of your relationship. You face what’s ahead with joy, eagerness, and desire. The new cycle you’ve been waiting for will shape your future: a marriage proposal, a romantic encounter… You’re riding a wave of positivity. You’re glowing.

8 of Hearts

Favorable or harmful: it all depends on the cards around it. Either you can expect something powerful in love that will leave you speechless, or “love at first sight” may turn out to be destructive and leave you devastated. Be wary. You can never be too careful.

7 of Hearts

If the surrounding cards are positive, expect a fruitful, fulfilling, balanced, and harmonious period. Your projects succeed. You’re on cloud nine. It’s the reward for your efforts. If the surrounding cards are negative, on the other hand, expect frustration along your path, with a risk of failure. It’s a bad patch to get through. You are disappointed.

After the hearts, we can look at the spades. Linked to the Swords in the Marseille Tarot, they tell you that you’ll have to fight to get what you want: nothing comes for free. Action will dominate your path.

Ace of Spades

It is said that you’ll be busy with paperwork. The law isn’t far away. If the overall tone of the spread is positive, you’ll get results. If the tone is negative, expect problems. Some formalities are on the horizon.

King of Spades

The man embodied here is a man of power, authority, and action. He can stand for a judge, a notary, a banker, or your boss. He has power and uses it. He is strict, severe, and uncompromising. You won’t be able to lie to him. Keep a low profile and show your good faith. Better to make him a friend…

Queen of Spades

The Queen of Spades won’t do you any favors. If we take her as a “person”, expect to find a real rival. She won’t hesitate to crush you to succeed. She has no limits when it comes to reaching her goals. Watch your back. If we read her as a “figurative” card instead, the tone is much the same: the situation is dubious, so take precautions and don’t walk into the lion’s den. Be careful, be wary, whether it’s a person or a situation. Perhaps the tone of the spread as a whole will soften the darkness of this card.

Jack of Spades

This is a person (probably young) who will use every trick to hurt you. He knows your weak points and won’t hesitate to press on them. Be wary. He is among the people around you, and he tends to manipulate. Behind his nice-guy look, he is ambitious, and if you get in his way, he won’t hesitate to harm you. Careful!

10 of Spades

Just when you least expected it, everything gets unblocked, as if by miracle. Your life was at a standstill despite your efforts, and now a favorable turn comes along without you really knowing why. You are given more time, or you don’t need to go back to square one. Time is the key word of this card.

9 of Spades

Not very bright… A dark period lies ahead. The card speaks of a separation, a loss, a distance. You may go through a sad time and lose heart. A low patch is coming. But you’ll have to come back up to the surface. Obstacles are coming your way.

8 of Spades

This card may frighten the querent… It speaks of a loss, of a difficult distance in a relationship. A hard time for someone close to the querent is also possible. You leave the past behind and move forward, even if it’s difficult. It means sacrifices. You find yourself alone. If this doesn’t fit a relationship and your question is about work, you may be laid off, or a professional setback may bring harmful consequences.

7 of Spades

This card calls for patience, more or less forced. If you have time ahead of you, use it to fine-tune your project. It’s time given to you to rest and to rethink what you want for the near future. Get organized.

After the diamonds, hearts, and spades, it’s the clubs’ turn! They are associated with the Coins in the Marseille Tarot. Let’s see what they can reveal to us.

Ace of Clubs

Its value is clearly positive. It speaks of success, achievement, luck, and satisfaction. You’ve reached your goal and you’re reaping the rewards. At last!

King of Clubs

He can help you succeed. He has natural authority and influence, and he will support your finances and your own creativity. You’ll be able to enjoy all the positive influence he has on you, and everything he sets in motion for you.

Queen of Clubs

She is a woman (a mother, a wife, a friend…) who cares about you and will help you day to day if you turn to her. She would do anything for the people she loves. With intelligence, boldness, and understanding, she will know how to advise you with a lot of tact.

Jack of Clubs

A young man who is still immature, he gives good advice and will help you shine, even if he doesn’t reap the fruit of his own efforts. His energy is poorly channeled, he lacks experience, and he is learning little by little. You can turn to him. He is wise and has no wish to harm, only to serve. Life and experience will make him a more confident man.

10 of Clubs

Money is coming in. After the effort and the action, you get what you were waiting for.

9 of Clubs

The person is ambitious and ready to make sacrifices to reach the goal they’ve set. They already know what they want: to succeed at work and financially. They are intelligent and spare no effort.

8 of Clubs

This card (a club) is the only one that relates to love life. For a man, it says he will meet someone who will bring many changes to his life. For a woman, it points to a possible partnership with another woman. It is the sign of something being built in the present, with effects on your future.

7 of Clubs

None of your efforts were paying off, but now you can hope that things get unblocked. Your finances are favored, and you can hope for some nice, significant income. Luck is smiling on you: make the most of it.