The Fortune Tellers Society

When performing readings, using any tool you choose to do so, clarity is of ultimate importance to whom you are reading for. Cultivating how best to achieve this should be an ongoing pursuit – one can never get good enough at this.

Part One was basically all about Focus, Part Two will be dedication to your readings, perhaps another kind of focus you might say.

I have been involved in the studies of divination systems since some time in the early 70’s. Tarot was the name of the game here in America back then and with few resources you learned as best you could. In the 80’s I started learning Runes and Playing Cards and in general the resources for divination studies were growing. The 90’s to current date has added Petit Lenormand and Kipper Cards to my repertoire. With a fun “side of ” an oracle called Mildred Payne’s Secret Pocket Oracle and the her additional deck of Dark Enchantment my studies are quite a full time job.

So basically we have 5 systems with my personal fun Mildred systems added over the course of 40 years (geez that hurts to even type how long I have been doing this) and I am at my limit. Now again, I do this more or less full time so I do admit I have more time then the average person does to work with my divination tools. Okay you say, where is he going with this? Let me tell you oh inquisitive one.

The internet and the plethora of divination tools that we now have access to through it is almost staggering in it’s volume. And…. it is growing by the day or at least seems to be in my eyes. With all of this and, I admit I will be doing this shortly as well, teachings via the internet venue it is like the candy store of divination and children (no insult to any of you) are running wild through the aisles grabbing a bit of this and that and ending up with – a divination tummy ache.

There comes a time when, if you are a serious reader of a divination system, that you have to dedicate yourself to just a system or two to learn. Tarot, as an example, is a life time work of study no matter how you look at it. The Lenormand system I love so much, with only 36 cards might I add, still teaches me something daily about how to work with it. If as a student of divination you truly want to learn the depths of a system – you have to limit yourself to what you study.

Okay, so now I ruined your fun – but not really. I can’t tell you the joy I find in Lenormand and I only found that by, diving in deep and working my way through the cards in such a wide multitude of ways that shocked even myself with what they could do. I literally lived with the cards for months on end and that was to just feel I have the basics down. Now I find there are not many questions I can’t answer with this little deck, okay yes I need to think out a question or two from time to time. I only got there by concentration on ONE system. I didn’t fall prey to running to this oracle and that, the Wooden Pineapple Coins and the Intermittent Mage Stones (okay I made those both up) called but I resisted their lure.

Am I saying don’t ever experiment with something new? Absolutely not but I am saying you only have so much time and if you want to get to a point in your divination studies where you can at least feel you are at an intermediate level (I hesitate to ever say mastered because once I do the tool proves me wrong, lol) and provide concise readings that give clarity then you have to limit yourself. Plain and simple and yes that is my opinion by the way – learn Just a few systems. Again, and not to brag because again it hurts to admit it but I am this old, I have been at this for almost 50 years and look at how I have cultivated really just a few systems.

So at the end of the day/blog post here is the question I guess you need to ask yourself ;

Do I want to become truly good at reading just a couple of divination systems or do I want to know a little about a whole lot of them?

I went with the former, how will you decide and what couple of systems really do call to you if you follow my lead? I hope if nothing else this gives you food for though and help your cultivate yet more Clarity in your readings!

An early Happy Thanksgiving to all my USA readers – don’t eat to much!

Blessings,

Hugh

Greetings,

There is no doubt in the World of Cartomancy there are a number of people I admire and respect. Andy Boroveshengra, Rana George, Toni Puhle, Benebell Wen, and Stella are just a few. Wait Stella? Who is Stella did you ask – well if you don’t know Stella it’s about time you did.

Stella is an old fashioned, sassy card reader with a style and flair all of her own. She is insightful and yes at times in your face with her views – hmmm remind you of anyone? She is one of those people I would like to sit and talk to over a pot of coffee and a good deck of Lenormand or Kipper cards – and she is who started me thinking of posts for this 2020 Presidential Election here in the USA.

First off Stella can be found at fennario.wordpress.com and in her blog you will find a posting with the same title as the one above, a 2020 election reading. I contacted her after reading her post and asked her to share the wording to the question she used and I would then follow suit and do the same – here we go;

First the question – What effect will the next election have on the office of POTUS? I didn’t change one word of this, its is exactly as she posted to me in the comments of her post.

Here are the cards I drew and yes Stella and I have the same amazing taste in cards so I used the same deck that she did, Mlle LeNormand’s Wahrsage Karten der Engel which you can find at thecartomancer.bigcartel.com

Now I am going to NOT post my breakdown of my reading here as Stella did, instead I am going to pose this to you – using the same question and the Lenormand reading system cast your own Portrait Spread and see how they fall for you. I am finding it interesting to see the comparison between Stella’s reading and mine, both what is similar and what is different – or when you really look at it is it all that different?

I would love for you to add a link to this post and let us get a head start on what is sure to be an interesting 2020 Election!

May I add in closing that Stella’s website is well worth your time to peruse – I learned a lot from reading her blogs and I guess you might as well.

The goal I strive for in providing a reading is that it is clear, concise and on target, one that the person I am reading for (I call that person the Sitter as they Sit for the reading) can understand and work with.  I hear most often from those new to readings (and yes sometime the veterans as well, as don’t we all tend to forget things learned long ago), that they can’t seem to obtain that sense of clarity when reading the cards or trying to verbalize what they are saying – let’s see if we can cover some areas to help that out.  I will post a few different blogs over time to do this as many subjects can influence how you perform your readings and their clarity.

First off lets look at the conditions we are reading within.  While you may learn to read in almost any environment as you progress in experience, creating the right environment for you to read within is important, especially when new to readings or in a new physical space.  You can make this as spiritual or non-spiritual a process and space as you like.  You will quickly see my preference from below but remember, that is my preference and doesn’t need to be yours.

The first thing I look at is the physical space and if this going to be a permanent reading space or a temporary or perhaps part-time reading space.  I am currently going through a relocation and downsize as we make plans for retirement (don’t worry I will never retire from readings) and I am going from a full time entire room to perform my readings and spiritual work within to a part-time use the dining room area situation.  Guess what, either can work, you just need to make adjustments for your situation, the temporary or part-time space just needs to be “portable” if you will.  I mention this early on so you can start the planning process in your head, yes visualize what you will for the space you will be working in and where it will go and be ready for it to shape-shift over time, your needs may change or grow as you learn and dare I say, as you age.

Cleanliness, yes you need to keep a clean space and there are no housekeeping shortcuts here.  Make sure the reading area is clean and neat, knocking over items while reading and not having enough table space to lay out the cards is nothing if not a total distraction and this will blow your focus and effect your clarity right away.  Then make sure that table top is clean, having mayo from junior’s sandwich all over your cards is not a good thing.

The area needs a clean energy to it as well.  Use clearing and cleansing methods you normally do to move out any stale or negative energies present and invite in new, fresh and supportive energies for your reading. If you don’t have a practice of clearing and cleansing then smudging with incense or a sage bundle is a good place to start (making sure no one is allergic to what you use please) but I do suggest you research this subject and tailor it to you.  I do this at least once a week in my private room space and will more then likely move to a daily basis when I share the dining area space – close your eyes and allow yourself to feel the energy in the area and you decide when it needs to be done.

So now we have a space that is clean both physically and energetically, good job!  Now onto what you might find more fun – what goes in your space and on your reading table, be ready to get creative but…… keep it under control, the idea of less is more often works best for reading spaces.

Personally I like to first invite in Spirit by having a representation of that in my space.  Now I am not getting all preachy here, not my job, but I am saying if you are comfortable with having supportive and guiding energies of Spirit in your space – Go For It.  I have a statute of my Patroness in my area, she is on a shelf with a candle lit in her honor as well as a few small items important to her.  I sometimes have gazed at her during a reading when I have needed help and she has never failed to assist. Others like Angels around, some like wall hangings of mandalas – whatever form Spirit and the tools you relate to working with Spirit feel right are, just remember if you have a Sitter present with you, you want them to feel comfortable in the surroundings as well.

My table top is rather plain I must admit.  I use a dark colored cloth, indigo blue is typical with astrological symbols or moon and stars as a backdrop for the reading.  On top of that a candle and clear quartz crystal as well as a clear glass full of spring water, these are things that Mama Silver trained me to work with each for their own reason.  An antique key that was gifted to me is also present as well as the cards I will be using and a pendulumn for quick verifications if need be.  That is it on my table, like I mentioned, less is more for most reader’s tables, again we don’t want to create distractions from our work.

I finish off this with sound and scent.  Now a hint on scent – if you are reading for someone in person and you don’t know their allergies and likes and dislikes don’t use incense and scented candles.  A coughing, teary eyed Sitter is not going to enjoy their reading or really actually stay for one.

That now said, I usually burn Myrrh  incense, for me it’s the right energy and scent for a reading.  In the background, and almost so quite that you can’t hear it, is music.  I like the non-verbal Celtic type but I also am prepared to turn it off as for some Sitter’s any type of music no matter how soft is a distraction to them and effects their clarity of obtaining the reading.

Now here is the homework – start thinking out your reading space.  For those with a permanent space able to dedicate it just to readings, the options are endless, you can even choose to repaint a room, I did.  For those with a shared space or on the go routine I suggest the “have readings will travel bag” idea.  I suggest this for everyone actually as one day you might need it.  In this bag, box, or tote is all the supplies you need to perform a reading, you will really appreciate the less is more when you work this way.  Just make sure you can quickly unpack and pack it up and don’t forget if candles are in your bag to have a lighter packed as well.

And this all does one thing no matter where your space is – it creates a place and time where you can focus and thus gain more clarity while reading.  Now I did not address that you need to have quite and time – I leave this to you and your creative process when designing your space to also build this into it.  This might be your biggest challenge I know, but with planning you can do it and no reading was ever clear if interruptions abound and the sound of “what’s for dinner” is echoing in your ear!

I look forward to blogging about another way to cultivate Clarity in your readings soon and in the mean time I would love to hear how you set up your space.  Post a comment here and please do invite your friends to do so as well and follow my blog to learn more themselves.

PS – On purpose I did not explain my use of tools, such as the clear quartz crystal or my Patroness.  I do so not to keep a “secret”,  but rather to keep on target that this series of blog posts is about Clarity, not my practices – perhaps in the future I will go through those, stay tuned and we shall see.

I am always amused at how we, myself included, put people into boxes.  What I mean by that is we get used to seeing them in a certain way and that’s the box we just throw them in all the time, like Judy has 4 kids, she is in the Mom box, Terry reads Tarot cards, he is in the psychic box and…….  you get what I mean.  And why say this?  People are always surprised when I talk about other subjects near and dear to my heart besides Card Reading, Crystals is one of those subjects.

The above picture is the sideboard in our dining area with a collection of crystals I was using to create a grid for a distance healing I was to perform.  (Yes, before you ask, the box does give away another facet of mine, I was initiated and trained receiving my Master attunement in 1998 in Reiki.)  When I decided to post the picture it sparked a flurry of questions, then I posted another photo, I will share another time, on Instagram about Crystal Grid supplies I was getting together and…. more interest and surprise.

Now before we get going on this lets understand something, I am not a Crystal Guru or Master in any way shape or form.   Just like my beloved Lenormand Cards that I work with, I am no ones Guru on these subjects.  Okay – had to get that out of the way.

Crystals came into my life as a child yes but as a serious subject, around 1996 or so is when that started.  I started learning the basics and reading up on the subject and slowly bought a small supply of different types of crystals.  Now I learned a lot just from the crystals themselves – yes they do teach you as you go along.  I also learned that it is a body of work that while there are some basic rules (you know me and my love of structure) that in large it is very much based on intuition.  Okay sit down while you read this part now, I embrace that thought fully with working with Crystals.  Need a cool drink now?

Yes I know, I beat people over the head with using systems first, intuition second with Card Reading but with Crystals it is almost the reverse and….. I embrace that AND I enjoy that.  The Crystals can’t talk to us like the Cards can, think on that and you will understand how it makes sense to me, but I digress.

Crystals are an amazing tool which when used with focused intention can accomplish just about anything.  My dear friend, Helen Celestine Escoffier taught me much of what I know of Crystals and how to interact with them.  She taught me it IS interaction with them, it is not working with them.  A fine degree of separation one might think but it was a major learning point for me that I can never thank her enough for.  She passed away a few years ago while in her early 50’s – her loss is deeply felt by me to this day but what helps me with it is the gift she gave me of Crystals and their energies.  She even taught me, hindsight shows us so much, how you can use a Crystal to help with grief – I didn’t realize perhaps she was teaching me that for a reason…..

Need a new job – Crystals.  Need to draw in Love into your life – Crystals.  Need to set up a protective field of energy around your home – Crystals.  As long as you have a good solid intention Crystals should be able to help you get it done.  Yes help, you still have to do some good old fashioned leg work on the physical plane to make things happen and manifest as well.

So here we go, another facet of Hugh exposed, much like another facet on a Crystal.  If you have an interest in learning to work with Crystals and even how to lay Crystal Grids then drop me a line.  Enough interest in this subject and I will continue but….. Card Readings will still take place also !!!!!

Ah Mildred Payne, your wiles have enticed me to research ways you might have read your Secret Pocket Oracle and Mildred’s Letter cards.  I research this because I think, you little tease you, that the very simple card spreads that were shared in your brown paper bag handouts, were not nearly the depth of what you could do with these delightful cards.  I do so hope you don’t mind……

Pentagram Spread

This is a spread that I have used, as many other have, for Tarot and various other oracles.  Here I have taken it and “twisted” it in a fashion that I believe Mildred Payne herself would approve of – it not perhaps used, who’s to say?

pentagram spread

The above link will bring you to the numbered layout of the above pictured spread if you would like to view it that way.  It will make it easier to follow if you are new to this spread and of course print it out to use as you feel needed.

What to use the Mildred’s Pentagram for?

First off what this spread is best at when I use it – have a question of how best to work with a situation, issue or relationship.  It is a problem solving spread if you will, not so much a foretelling spread.

The parts of Mildred’s Pentagram dissected!

The Pentagram is broken down into Six parts, the Center and each of the Five points of the Pentagram.  The points are laid out in a pagan method (there is more then one way of doing this, modify as you feel suited) of the Four Elements with Spirit/God Force as the top point.  If you are not comfortable using Spirit/God Force you may substitute this with the term and energies of Outside Influences and work with that.  Mildred loved Spirit(s) so I have no doubt what she called upon when viewing that point, other might call it their Spirit Guide point.

How to read the parts of Mildred’s Pentagram

First make sure that you have a good problem/issue/relationship solving question written down and that as you shuffle Mildred’s Cards you focus on that.  How you shuffle and layout down the Cards is up to you,  follow your intuition on this – the points are merely numbered (in the link above) for your reference, not for how you feel you should lay down the Cards.  Proceed to lay out the cards and read using the following criteria to help you along, never hesitate to ask Mildred for some help as you go along, I have when using her cards and I have always been pleasantly surprised at how thing become more clear when I do!

Please note you will of course need Mildred’s delightful cards and the accompanying handouts to know the meanings of the cards, they are as of the writing of this blog post, available at Deviant Moon – Mildred Payne Collection just click and enjoy, its a great website!

Center Card #1 – The Focus of your question

This gives you the main energy or thought form you should be working with and interacts with all Five points of the Pentagram.  See it perhaps as the filter you use to view the other cards through.

Now before we proceed to the outer points please note each has two cards, a left and a right.  The left card is always the challenging or Shadow aspect of the point, the right is always the rewarding or Light aspect of the point.  Sometimes they need to work together, other times the right card needs to correct the left card and then we have the case where the left card is overpowering the right card.  I hesitate to use the words positive and negative, that throws some people and in the case of the negative they try to “fix it” to read as positive instead of taking the advice it offers, hence why I that left card Shadow or challenging.  How will you know which way to interpret the cards from the three choices I showed you?  Remember to take into consideration that Center Card #1 is having an effect on all other cards, and then use your common sense AND intuition to make the choice.  Once you get the hang of the two cards interacting with each other while the Center Card #1 is having an overall influence it becomes second nature but, yes it takes a little bit of practice.

Onto the Outer Points, bear in mind Even Numbered Card are the Shadow/challenging facet, Odd Numbered Cards are the Light/rewarding facet.

Lower Left Pentagram Point – Earth cards #2 & #3

The Earth cards gives us the material or physical parts of the issue that need to be considered or worked with.  How we ground ourselves or “anchor”  can also be shown here.   Shadow cards here can show a lack of being grounded or being too involved or dependent upon the material world – again the cards will speak to you if you take your time with them.  Light cards can show where we are stronger in our foundations within the material or physical parts of the issue and what should be more worked with within that realm

Upper Left Pentagram Point – Air cards #4 & #5

Air cards bring us into the realms of thought, mental focus and clarity as well as all things intellectual or learned.  Shadow can show our lack of focus or where we are weak and need to study the issue or a part of it.  Judgement, is an Air factor as well and in Shadow it can show as poor judgement or being overly judgmental.  Light is where we can see how we are using our mental abilities well or should be using them well.  Another Air facet is that of communication, keep that in mind as you read the cards within this point, and perhaps how you getting your point across or not is the issue?

Upper Right Pentagram Point – Water cards #6 & #7

Water will bring us to the areas of emotional, spiritual (your spiritual abilities), as well as what can being going in in the depths of your subconscious mind.  This point is all about how we feel, in all aspects including intuition, and how we use these feelings.  Shadow may well be showing us our lack of recognition of feelings or where we depend on them too much, Light how we best utilize these feelings.  After having worked this spread before with different cards that are not Mildred’s (sorry Mildred), I have learned to very much let intuition rule how I read this point.

Lower Right Pentagram Point – Fire cards #8 & #9

Fire rules this point bringing with the energies it embodies – passion and the motivational forces which often sum up into a get moving/get it done mode.  Its all about our energies and how we engage them, or in Shadow’s case how we don’t.  Light leads us into where our passions and energies are best spent, Shadow about how we are misusing energies or squandering them.  Fire is VERY goal orientated when used properly, very destructive when not – think of Fire in real life, it can cook your dinner or….. it can burn down your house, it all depends on how you use it.

Top Pentagram Point – Spirit cards #10 & #11

You need to take in your belief system when working the cards of this point.  If you do not practice any spiritual beliefs then this is, as noted above, Outside Forces which are out of your control.

Now many will take issue with having a Shadow card here, preferring to think of Spirit, God, Goddess, Spirit Guides, Spirit (insert your term here please) as only being of pure good or Light.  This is up to you and perhaps you will only be laying one card here and modifying the spread, that’s up to your way of working.  What I would suggest is challenging yourself and seeing that this point could well have a Shadow side, remember for every force in the Universe there is an equal and opposite force.

Perhaps Light is how we should perceive Spirit and how it is to work within the issue being read for, Shadow is when we are not perceiving it at all or incorrectly.  Shadow can also be when we are following what we deem as “our path” when Spirit is trying to guide us otherwise, the Light card.  This point can be the easiest to understand or the hardest, that I think, is up to the person reading the cards.  Relax and breathe when you receive what can be perceived as a challenging card in the Light card placement, it all makes sense – don’t rush this point or any of the previous in trying to perform a reading – there in lies the biggest mistake, being in a rush to find an answer, we often misread our cards!

So here we have it, a Pentagram for Mildred.  I sat down and typed this up so that any of you so inclined would have a format with a few more cards in it and see how they could interact with each other.  I am not part of Deviant Moon Inc. nor do I pretend to represent them, I just love this deck and had to have a go at working with Mildred’s Card more in-depth, I do hope you will comment on this post if you use the spread or if you see away it could be used differently.   I may craft/modify another spread to use with these delightful little cards in the future, time will tell.

As a teacher of a few different card reading systems I have noted that students often tend to put emphasis in various places but not…. their questions.  I liken the question to getting the correct address for your travels, without it you will bumble about, stumble about and in general waste time better spent at your destination – the same may be said of asking a good question.

Let us then sit down over a cup of tea or coffee and see what might make our questions better.

When phrasing a question we have to think of certain items that we may want to include in our question;

• Think of the act of being a journalist, we want to know The Who, What, Where, When and Why’s of a story, GT the same can often be said of your question.  Remember unless you are proficient with your system and the timing methods it uses, I would stay away from the When, until you are.
• Use proper English (or whatever language you fluently speak) to form your question – shy away from “how will David be playing me at the party” – most card systems don’t enjoy slang and in this case you will find out that David was suppose to bring a keyboard to the party and hence that is what your answer is all about, not about how he would be treating you that evening.
• Ask questions in a positive slant (this one is always tough to explain) rather then a negative question.  “How do I not lose my job” is a negative question format, instead use “How do I keep my job”, the answer will be easier to understand.
• Yes/No questions answer just that, Yes or No.  Don’t ask a Yes/No question and then expect it to also give you additional information – as a rule you get what you ask for, in this case Yes or No is all you get.  I understand some may take issue with this point and I can only say after years of performing readings this has been my experience.

Now from above we have some idea of what might go into your question.  There are other considerations but let’s take this one step at a time, I will cover other points in upcoming blog posts.

Remember please – your ability at asking a good question is as important as any other part of your reading skills.

You know what I like?  I like when someone sees something, sees that it is wrong and then takes steps to correct the error(s).  No fuss, no excuses, just fixes it and makes it right.  U.S. Games Systems, Inc did just that with their Blue Bird Lenormand.

This deck is the replacement deck to the Blue Owl deck that had some type of distribution or manufacturers issues not related to U.S. Games Systems, Inc.  U.S. Games Systems, Inc. put the deck together but, and in their defense they are not known for Lenormand (or as of yet they are not, we shall see….) decks, it was put together and obviously by someone who really didn’t understand the nuances of the Lenormand System.  Well that is all fixed now and the result – very nice.

Above is an example of one of the corrections – the original version is on the left, the updated version on the right.  We actually have card #22 being a Crossroad not a Road – with one of the major meaning of the card being choices or decisions we see this much more plainly illustrated and clear to any Reader.

Another example, #4 the House card.  Here we see again the original version on the left, the updated version on the right.  We also see that the House is clearly the focus of the card and not – ahem – a crossroad  which of course has nothing to do with the meaning of the House card.

And then we have the Significator Cards #28 Man/Lord and #29 Woman/Lady – these are all from the updated deck and…. they actually can face each other, a huge thing when you read directionally like I and all the students I personally teach do.

Now is this it in the updates and corrections of the deck?  Not at all. The deck was gone through card by card and they did a fine job at taking what I originally felt was an unusable deck and creating something that anyone can now read with.  Is it a perfect deck?  No and I have yet to find a deck, in my opinion this is, that is perfect for everyone.  Everyone will find a fault or two in any deck so the perfect deck, again in my opinion this is, is the goal that while sought after – cannot be attained, we humans are a fickle bunch when it comes to our card decks !!!

Bravo U.S. Games Systems, Inc for seeing a problem and taking the time, energy and yes money to fix this.