Fortune Telling utilizing Cartomancy 
Fortune Telling Cards are selected either blindly or face-up. Cards designed for face-up drawing are used when you suspect that your subconscious is trying to express a healing need (either it wants you to consciously fill a deficiency, or it wants you to consciously change an attitude). You examine all the cards in the deck, then study the one that seems to be "calling to you".
Cards designed for blind drawing are a way for your subconscious to communicate, and can be subdivided into two major categories. Forecasting Cards will have a methodology, and are the ones used most often by Fortune Tellers. In the past these were always a variant of one of the Traditional Forecasting Systems, but recently a few Predictive Oracle Card forecasting systems are also being offered.
Oracle Cards are the other blindly drawn cards, and they can mostly be divided into Counseling, Keynote, and Empowerment. Counseling Oracle Cards allow your subconscious a way to communicate in a manner similar to the way a confidant might offer their perspective on your situation. Keynote Oracle Cards are "wake up calls" from your subconscious, that propose a theme to ponder and focus upon. Empowerment Oracle Cards are "cheers" from your subconscious to boost your confidence.
A specialized category of Oracle Cards are called Angelic Oracle Cards. Unlike the other blindly drawn cards that function as a communication circuit from your subconscious, these cards supposedly provide a way for benevolent protective supernatural beings to deliver a general message.
|Endora| - for a clarifying update on the current episode of your life adventure {highly recommended}
|Kipper| - for questions that deal with a courtship
|Lenormand| - for questions that deal with a mundane situation which one might 'observe' externally
|Tarot| - for questions that deal with how one 'feels' about a situation internally
Always remember that the cards are just visualization aids, and that established card system procedures are only recommendations.
Forecasting is a personal dialog with the subconscious, so while standard methodology is a useful fallback, ultimately each individual card reader must determine how their cards are utilized and what they indicate.
As a reader you may find yourself in a special situation (participating in a fair, reading for a sensitive with phobias, celebrating an event, investigating, etc.). Decks are just tools, so you will be better served by forgoing your regular deck and choosing a closer matched tool from a cartomancy system that is more in line. The above example decks were all aquired new through retail channels, but may have since gone out of print. They are being presented here only as singular suggestions of suitability for a particular cartomancy scenario (please see the cards blurb). In instances where there were several decks that could equally fulfill the same niche, the one which aligned most towards the currently underrepresented refined masculine taste was chosen for showcasing.
When reading for yourself, you should select a deck that resonates with your personal esthetics or emotional needs of the moment (perhaps one of these example decks?). However if you are reading for a client, they will feel less apprehensive about their reading if you are using a deck that matches the venue/event you are in, or at least reflects the season/holiday period. Ideally you would also have a few alternatives on hand for proffering, which are closer still to an individual clients personality and comfort level. Note that while it is Ok to briefly reference the manual during a reading, you must practice enough ahead of time to be comfortable using any proffered deck.
CATALOG
Cartomancy (still a female dominated field) is forecasting using Cards of all sorts, and it has its greatest popularity in card game playing Roman Catholic Western Europe. Cards can be used for all manner of purposes, from traditional fortune telling, to receiving affirmation, to emotional healing. Even other fortune telling systems have been emulated with cards.
Unlike forecasting tools such as dice which are Cast (casting is a form of fate, as it disconnects the operator from the result), cards are intentionally Drawn under subconscious influence. This is why cards are always final overhand shuffled (or fan drawn using the non-dominant hand) by forecasters, so that like a prestidigitator, the subconscious can manipulate the cards into a readable symbolic message. [Tip: In the case of giant cards where overhand shuffling is not possible, the forecaster could instead mix the cards by delicately stirring them face down, gather all the stirred cards into a neat stack, and then cut the stack multiple times until it feels right]. A Forecasting Cartomancer is thus merely a symbolic message translator, and while they must hone their skills to effectively grok what is being said in a Spread, they do not have to pursue any meditation or esoteric studies.
The subconscious uses imagery, rather than words, to communicate. However because life experiences cannot be divided into 78, and certainly not 36, small boxes, a single card will have to generically represent a plethora of similar situations/emotions/thoughts. Interpretation thus takes on the aspects of an artistic endeavor. While it is true that a Cartomancer can assign any consistent meaning to a card and thus create their own fortune telling deck, using a standardized system of card meanings both eases the burden on the subconscious, and more importantly each passing month, allows for reader skill verification by an auditor. Should a Cartomancer choose to deviate slightly from the prescribed system, it is important that they inscribe those changes prior to a Reading (so the subconscious can compensate). Remember that while the same deck can be used for Magic, Esoteric Study, or Fortune Telling, the methodology used will be very different.
At present there is a huge selection of forecasting decks available, as well as Oracles for persons having difficulty using one of the traditional forecasting systems. Always bear in mind that fortune tellers are only using cards for communication purposes, so like trying to communicate with a person in a language they don't understand, if a deck includes imagery that doesn't fit with either the readers or the querents mind-set, select a different deck or even a different system. But please, do not deride or pity the deck creator or users who do enjoy a deck that you don't, as they are diverse individuals who may not be able to connect with your personal perspectives.
Fortune Telling Cards are colored inks on paper, which are indifferently manufactured in factories just like dollar bills. Up until mass market printing became practical in the latter-1800's, only locally made playingcard gaming decks were available to Cartomancers. Card decks were expensive, so when decks created specifically for fortune tellers were first designed, the publishers included playing card image inserts, so that the decks could also be used for playingcard games. Since it is cheaper to reprint from an existing template, the inserts remained even as justification vanished (to the extent that they are now considered "traditional", and even placed on newly designed decks). Provincial publishing is also why historically older decks often exhibit variation and lower card counts.
Forecasting system popularity was, and to a large extent still remains, region based. Different systems grew up among the Americans, French, Germans, Italians, Austrians, and Russians. Recently there has been a worldwide interest in new forecasting Oracle decks, but they have yet to fully displace the classic forecasting systems.
Americans: Originally the forecasting deck most used by Americans was a standard deck of 52 Playingcards. Since the early 1970s, the Rider-Waite-Smith 78 card Tarot system has become the most popular.
French: Since the Napoleonic period, the French have preferred the system of 36 pictogram cards called Lenormand.
Germans: Fortune telling cards are mostly used in southern Germany. Since the late 1800s, their preferred system is the 36 card Kipper deck.
Italians: Fortune telling is so unofficially condoned in Italy that convenience stores sell decks. Their preferred system is the imposturous 52 playingcard-imitating Sibilla deck.
Austrians: Former territories of the Austro-Hungarian empire prefer a system of 36 allegorical artwork cards called Gipsy.
Russians: The Russians prefer a very different Cartomancy system called Patience. This is not a card "deck", but rather a set of (typically 25) partial-image squares that are rotated during the Reading.
One caveat about decks from the 21st century is that the creators mostly do not try to understand the underlying card system, and just see the decks as a gallery for exhibiting their "cool" artwork. Typically they will clone the labels found on an early deck, without giving thought as to whether those labels are actually meaningful, and not just a bad translation or the early publishers expedience.
No. The purpose of a box is merely to protect the cards during shipping. Thus it doesn't matter if the deck is packaged in a plain white tuck box or a hand crafted gilded container, as you don't use the box at all during a card reading. In the old days people just threw the boxes away (a discouraged practice to avoid, just store the box somewhere safe) and wrapped their cards in a silk cloth. Nowadays though boxes have become a form of advertising, so If you are a collector or happen to find a box particularly attractive, keep it in good condition by displaying it as an art piece all by itself on a shelf away from sunlight. No need to, and possibly better if you don't, keep your cards in it. Use instead a custom easy opening, acid-free, and non-staining/sticking container.
For game card enthusiasts card stock is important. They are constantly manipulating and holding cards in their hands, so the card stock must be both durable and feel comfortable. Fortune tellers on the other hand lay their cards out upon a table, and mostly only briefly touch the cards during shuffling. For them card stock is a moot issue (buy a spare deck if durability is a worry), and only extremism should be avoided (such as cards being excessively susceptible to humidity, inks that rub off just by touching, or cards being physically too big to fit on the table). How the card looks, especially at reading distance, should be the deciding factor.
There is no such thing as a generic traditional forecasting system. Each system will instead be more or less suited to answering a particular type of question. The card reading beginner should therefore first think carefully upon what type of questions they will most often initially want to be answering, and then choose a deck from the forecasting system (or perhaps a predictive oracle) that provides the good match. Don't concern yourself as to whether the system supports "reversals", as reversals are always optional and can be disregarded, particularly when first learning the system.
Within the chosen system, what most people are defining as a beginner deck is one that artistically matches a deck described in a commonly available separate textbook for that system. While in the past this was an important consideration, because teaching books were rare and thus described only the most popular decks, today even offbeat decks will come with a good textbook describing how to use that particular deck. The new reader is thus encouraged to choose their first deck based almost entirely upon their personal esthetic tastes and the decks physical handling abilities alone. If you like it you will use it, and if you use it you will learn it.
Absolutely. Besides just the emotions that individual images will elicit (joy, gloom, confusion, etc.), the deck as a whole will radiate a distinct vibe. Since your subconscious communicates using images, you will get a clearer reading if you situationally choose a deck with a vibe that closely matches with the subject of the question (a good reason to avoid doing "cold" readings). Note that it is not uncommon for a reader to have difficulty with a particular deck, even though that deck is popular or generally considered "easy". For example, many beginners have more difficulty using decks where the people images are close up busts rather than full body depictions.
Beyond just the vibe, many decks will give a sense that they only want to be used for answering certain categories of questions. They seem to take on the personality of perhaps a pragmatic, or teacher, or therapist, and will present their answers in the tone of that personality. Although a decks imagery is helpful for guessing how a deck might respond, this can sometimes be misleading (especially in the case of decks where "inclusivity" is being forced). The only way to truly discover a decks personality is to perform several test readings with the deck.
Should you ever desire to use multiple decks together during a reading, it is important that all of the decks vibes and personalities mesh well (note: not an issue if you are only using another deck to perform a single card "outro" draw after the reading has concluded). This also means that the artwork on the face of each deck shouldn't clash (while style can sometimes be significantly different, you should try to keep the color palettes similar). It is recommended that a forecasting deck be used as the primary deck, while the other decks (typically Oracle decks, but perhaps a deck from a different forecasting system) be used only as clarifiers for the primary deck.
Like a pilot checking the weather, the whole point of Fortune Telling is to get a glimpse of what may lie ahead, so that the querent can possibly do something to brace for, or alter, it. This is why a Reader only acts in the capacity of a translator, and will never attempt to steer a querent onto a particular path, or force a meaning onto a vague card reading in order to obtain a preferred answer. A Reading is just a snapshot of the current timeline, which the querent or other involved parties may perhaps alter by consciously exerting free will. Although it is best to delay a bit before seeking another forecast (so that events will have time to develop), it is useful to see if any changes have occurred. Often it is more insightful if you re-ask the question using another deck or a different fortune telling system.
The brains of young children are still developing, and as such their subconscious often has difficulty communicating clearly. Importantly, children must be made to understand that the cards never dictate an unavoidable fate! For pre-teens it is best not to give a reading with one of the traditional Forecasting Systems or Predictive Oracles. Instead use one of the single card draw Oracle decks, ideally one designed for younger children which give "parental" type advice. Teens may use any deck, but should when possible select a deck based upon their current interest fad (cutesy, gothic, scifi, nature, etc.), as it will aid their subconscious in focusing.
Note: The destructive practice of card trimming (like scissoring heirloom photographs to make a collage) is never recommended. Card borders are intentional, and function as a picture frame to protect the cards imagery.
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