What Is Cartomancy?
Cartomancy is the use of cards for divination. Tarot is a subset of card divination, but the term is more commonly used for divination with ordinary cards. They have a long history as tools for fortune-telling and divining information.
Playing cards are believed to have been invented in China in the 9th century AD. Over the years, different cultures have created their own decks of different sizes and uses. There are records of people using playing cards for fortune-telling and divination as early as the 1400s. By the 18th century, Europeans were using standard playing cards to predict the future and answer their burning questions.
The popular English 52-card deck is a common deck used by people today to practice card divination. Each color, suit, and number has its own meaning, and the order in which they appear in the reading affects how the cards are interpreted.
Cartomancy and Tarot Reading
While tarot cards are used for similar purposes, they are seen as a more intuitive, spiritual, and mystical tool. Tarot uses a deck of 78 cards full of illustrative symbolism, while card divination usually uses a standard, simple 52-card deck. Card divination is often seen as a more practical and straightforward method of divination, focusing on red and black polarity and yes-or-no responses. Some say card divination offers more down-to-earth, more applicable answers.
How to Read Poker Cards
As with any card reading, it is recommended that you clean up your deck before starting. Cleaning can be as simple as tapping the deck or as complicated as fuming it. Once you’ve cleaned up your deck, it’s time to shuffle it using your preferred method. Think about your questions while shuffling them, and decide how detailed you want your answers to be.
Similar to tarot readings, card readings use different spreads (specific numbers and card layouts) depending on the type of question being asked. For example, yes-or-no questions can be answered by pulling one card, while three cards are often used for past-present-future questions. There are even spreads that use five or more cards that can give you detailed answers, although the larger the spread, the more complicated the interpretation may be.
Here are a few of the more popular and well-known Cartomancy reading sites we have selected. I also wrote related content in a previous article. Click here to read Card Divination Top Sites to Read Online.
Best Cartomancy Reading Site
Mysticsense
- Established: 2020
- Communication channels: phone, chat, video chat
- Online Psychology: 60+
- Price (starting): $0.99
- Special Offer: Free 5 minutes with any psychic
Mysticsense is the youngest psychic reading site to date, but it’s already a contender for the best. Among many other psychic services, Mysticsense also offers card readings, and thanks to the variety of communication options, you can customize the perfect reading session.
Mysticsense has only been established for 3 years so far, but it has psychics with over 10 years of experience. There are also a lot of inexperienced readers, which is one of the factors that affects the price per reader. There is also an opportunity to read card divination online for free for 5 minutes to get acquainted with the reader and decide if you like their approach.
California Psychic
- Established: 1995
- Communication channels: phone, chat
- Online Psychology: 30+
- Price (from): $4
- Special discount: $1 per minute for first reading
California Psychics is one of the oldest card-reading services on our list, but it’s far from outdated. It has managed to stay relevant over the years by offering an excellent combination of reading quality and price.
For us, one of the standout features of California Psychics is the ability to show you if the psychic is currently busy, the number of people in line, and the estimated wait time. You can also find a different rate for each psychic’s schedule on this site, but your first meeting with any of them, no matter how long, is always $1 per minute.
Oranum
- Established: 2013
- Communication channels: phone, chat, video chat
- Online Psychology: 100+
- Price (from): $0.39
- Special Offer: Free 10,000 Points
Oranum has been around for almost 10 years and is a completely unique psychic reading service. Best of all, it’s the only card divination service on our list that offers its psychics the ability to live-stream their clients on video. In other words, you can visit the site, find a psychic you like, watch their broadcasts for free, and even tip them if you like their style.
In addition to offering a variety of communication methods and having the largest number of online psychics, Oranum also uses a credit-based system for its paid services, allowing you to easily control your spending.
At Last
The outcome of a card divination depends largely on your intentions and the questions you have asked your psychic. Typically, a card spread can answer a variety of questions, including open-ended questions and questions that require a yes-or-no answer. At the end of a successful meeting, you can expect to have a clearer picture of your greatest concerns or interests.
Accurate card readings are available online for free. Most of them are given as welcome gifts to new members of the psychic reading site. Naturally, these readings are usually limited to 3 or 5 minutes. However, these free online card readings can give you a good idea of whether you are willing to pay for a full session with this psychic.