Cartomancy: the art of reading cards

Cartomancy is a divinatory art: simply by drawing cards, we could discover our future.
The word “cartomancy” splits into two parts: “chartes” (cards) in Greek, and “manteia” (divination).

The origins of cartomancy are said to go back to Egypt. They are still very mysterious and haven’t revealed all their secrets yet. So the cards are of quite uncertain age. The art of divination is clearly nothing new! Humans have long wanted to discover their future through cards. With them, they could take a close look at their past, their present, and their future.

Cartomancy apparently reached Europe around the 13th century, where it was likened to the “Devil’s game”. So its roots are rather “tainted”. Many people feared this divinatory art. How could simple cards reveal the future? Religious beliefs got mixed up in the debate. Woe to those who read cards… They were frowned upon! Things have changed somewhat today, but divination tools and the people who use them are still called fabulists. It’s still taboo in the 21st century! Who would dare talk about the art of reading cards in public without being labeled a “scammer” or a “liar”?

The 32-card deck is the most widely used, and also the oldest. But other divination decks stem from it, such as the Marseille Tarot and the Belline Oracle, tools that psychics use a lot. I’ll just come back to one remarkable destiny in the history of card reading: that of Mademoiselle Lenormand.

Mademoiselle Lenormand was the most famous cartomancer of her time (the 19th century).
She read cards for famous people such as Robespierre, Empress Josephine, and the painter David, and even for ordinary people of modest means.
You’ll find the Petit Lenormand and the Grand Lenormand (a larger version) in every esoteric shop (and elsewhere).
Mademoiselle Marie-Anne Adelaide Lenormand is said to have used this deck for her clients.
She was arrested several times for fraud, fabrication, and magic, and yet her popularity kept growing.
She didn’t stop for all that, which shows her strength of character and her courage.
Several of her predictions came true: she had foreseen, for example, the violent deaths of Marat (assassinated in 1793) and Robespierre (guillotined in 1794), as well as other, more “trivial” things.

In short, cartomancy is a divinatory art worth knowing. Try it for yourself: learn to interpret the cards and to glimpse your future. It’s an adventure worth having. Once you get your hands on the cards (oracles, tarot, the 32-card deck, the Petit and Grand Lenormand, runes…), you won’t let go of them.

Free online cartomancy

On the internet, you’ll find websites that offer free automatic card readings.
You can choose between free readings of the Chinese Tarot, the Marseille Tarot, runes, the Belline Oracle, the Petit and Grand Lenormand, and so on.

This kind of website is spreading more and more. The question is whether the service is as good as a face-to-face reading with someone who lays out a spread just for you.
Then again, nothing is impossible! But I remain convinced that a reading is much better with a psychic (or a medium) in front of you, who can answer your questions, your doubts, and your concerns.