You will no doubt remember the fascinating story of how Josephine, the
wife of Napoleon I. and Empress of France, had her fortune told when
still a girl. She was a Creole—that is a native of the West Indies and
of French descent. Tradition tells us that she went to an old colored
witch, who laid out the cards according to the Creole system and from
them prophesied, “You will be greater than a queen.” Josephine at first
had faith in this prediction, but after waiting for a king to propose
to her, she married a French soldier named Beauharnais, by whom she had
two children. He died during the early part of the French Revolution.
Napoleon, who at that time was a poor lieutenant, deeply in debt and
without prospects, proposed to her. He did not seem likely to carry out
the prophecy and raise her to be more than queen; so she refused him.
At last she was won over by his persistency and married him. In the
course of years she became Empress of France.
Just what the Creole method of divination was had been forgotten for
many years. The following system, however, has recently been declared
by an old gypsy of Martinique to be the exact method used by the
fortune-teller of Josephine. It will not be found in any other book. It
will be interesting principally because it differs materially from all
the methods given in other books on cartomancy.
Begin by shuffling all the 52 cards thoroughly. The inquirer then cuts
them and takes the pack in his left hand, first holding it on his
forehead and saying, “Que le cerveau parle!” which means, “Let the
Brain speak,”—then holding it over the heart, saying, “Que le cœur
décide!” or in English, “Let the Heart decide.” The operator then takes
the cards and spreads them fanwise before her on the table, with the
backs up. The inquirer then draws out at random the mystic number of 9
cards, arranging them as follows, face up:
[Illustration]
The first card is called the “Key Card,” for it decides the
interpretation to be put on the rest. If it is a Heart, it foretells
the height of success; if a Diamond, it foretells wealth; if a Spade,
it brings misfortune; if a Club, it denotes hard work. The next two
cards decide the time in which the fortune will be determined. The low
spots indicate a short space, the higher spots, a longer space of time.
The court cards indicate a remote fortune, but a happy one. The next
three cards indicate the rank or station to which Fortune will elevate
the inquirer. If court cards, the Fates will be kind; if ordinary or
low cards, the inquirer will have to be content with mediocrity. The
Ace means disgrace or, at best, a very low station.
The next two cards denote the course of married life. If court cards,
the marital relations will be happy; if low cards, there will be
trouble and friction, The Ace means unhappiness at home. The last card
is devoted to health. A court card means the best of health; the lower,
more or less serious illness, according to the degree indicated by
their spots. The Ace means an early death. The cards that were drawn by
Josephine were (so we are informed):
King of Hearts
Ten of Diamonds Nine of Diamonds
Queen of Hearts Queen of Diamonds Queen of Clubs
King of Diamonds King of Clubs
Ten of Hearts
It will be seen that every card denotes the height of fortune—a
combination that is rarely met with. After reading the mystic nine, the
remaining cards are again shuffled and the inquirer draws out thirteen
cards at random from the pack. These are arranged in the form of a
cross as shown in the diagram.
[Illustration]
Put the first card in the center and the remaining cards to left,
right, top and bottom as indicated by the numbers. The reading of the
cards is as follows:
Hearts denote love; Diamonds, wealth; Clubs, hard work; and Spades,
misfortune.
Of the court cards, Kings are lucky for women inquirers and Queens for
men. Knaves are lucky if red and unlucky if black.
The Ace is always a sign of coming evil.
The odd numbers are lucky for men and unlucky for women, and the even
numbers are the reverse. A 2-spot means a gift; a 3-spot, a letter;
a 4-spot, news; a 5-spot, an accident; a 6-spot, a change; a 7-spot,
friendship; an 8-spot, assistance; a 9-spot, home conditions; a
10-spot, business conditions.
Let us suppose the cards just laid out in a cross are the following:
Knave of Hearts
Ten of Clubs
Ace of Spades
Three of Diamonds King of Spades
Eight of Hearts Four of Hearts Queen of Spades
Ten of Hearts Four of Hearts
Seven of Diamonds
Knave of Spades
Two of Clubs
This we would read as follows, the inquirer being a lady:
The Knave of Hearts denotes luck in love; probably a suitor if the
inquirer be unmarried, or a loving husband if the inquirer be married.
The Ten of Clubs indicates that business conditions will soon improve,
for an even number is lucky for ladies. The Ace of Spades shows a very
dark and pressing trouble that threatens. Three of Diamonds shows that
money will be lost by a foolish transaction. Eight of Hearts shows that
fortunate assistance will be at hand. Ten of Hearts means that through
friendship the business conditions will have greatly improved.
The King of Spades means that a dark man will have a disagreeable
effect upon the inquirer, and the Queen of Spades, the man’s wife, will
be instrumental in making things unpleasant. Be careful not to get into
their bad graces.
The Four of Hearts indicates welcome news from a dear friend. The
Seven of Diamonds shows that this friendship will bring gain of money
as well. Knave of Spades means, “Beware of a treacherous man who is
disposed to do you harm!” The Two of Clubs means an unexpected gift
from a business man, or possibly a gain through hard luck. Other
interpretations may be put on these cards according to the temperament
of the fortune-teller.
A modification of this method is to draw 21 cards instead of 13.
Arrange 12 of these in the form of a semicircle, and the other 9 in the
form of a triangle within the circle. To discover the past, read the
circle first from left to right. Then to predict the future, read the
triangle beginning at the left-hand angle, going up to the apex, down
on the right-hand side, and across the base.