A week with the Folk Cards of Destiny
Posted: 13 Dec 2021, 00:45
I’ve gone full circle on this deck. I decided I needed a German-suited deck, so I ordered it. I was disappointed when I saw it was 36 cards, and I didn’t get a divi vibe from it! Then, a Wikipedia article later, I’m into it again. I found out that most German-suited decks are 36 or 32 cards. The suits are acorns (staves, wands, clubs), hearts (cups), leaves (swords, spades), bells (coins, diamonds). It doesn’t have aces, but the 2s (deuces) have taken their place, so the numbered cards are 2, 6-10. (32-card decks leave out the 6 too.) And the courts are all male, including the unter (the suit symbol is at the bottom), ober (the suit symbol is a the top) and king, who has two suit symbols at the top.
According to the booklet, this deck was published by Dondorf in Frankfurt in the 1870s. (The deuce of hearts has “B. Dondorf, Frankfurt a.M.” at the bottom and a tax stamp at the top.) The deuces portray animals. The numbered cards have various countryish scenes. The booklet has gone off the rails by trying to say the unter is a “standard bearer” in place of an ace. It has the correct suit correspondences as above, and a spread based on “four kingdoms,” which I might try. It has divi meaning for each card, but I think I’m going to try to read the pictures, adding in my canned pips readings as needed. I might deviate from the suit correspondences based on the deuce animals. We’ll see how all that goes!
Time for a shortened interview!
Strength: 6 Leaves
It’s a social deck, good for friendship and other mundane readings. It’s the pause that refreshes!
Weakness: 6 Acorns
Another 6. It’s not good for relationship romance readings. Or it treats romance as fun or a game instead of as a serious, life-changing experience.
What can I learn from the deck? Ober of Leaves
I can learn to make my readings sharp and to the point. In more ways than one. He’s got spurs, a sword, and a pike, lots of points to make and use!
Outcome of our work together: 6 Hearts
Another 6! I will be cautiously optimistic that I can accomplish something with the deck. But it will take caution and planning. Otherwise, it might bite back!
And I would say with three 6s in four cards, that in general work with the deck will be auspicious and will shed some interesting light on things. (6 = Sun).
Well, that was fun! See you tomorrow with more Folk Cards of Destiny!
According to the booklet, this deck was published by Dondorf in Frankfurt in the 1870s. (The deuce of hearts has “B. Dondorf, Frankfurt a.M.” at the bottom and a tax stamp at the top.) The deuces portray animals. The numbered cards have various countryish scenes. The booklet has gone off the rails by trying to say the unter is a “standard bearer” in place of an ace. It has the correct suit correspondences as above, and a spread based on “four kingdoms,” which I might try. It has divi meaning for each card, but I think I’m going to try to read the pictures, adding in my canned pips readings as needed. I might deviate from the suit correspondences based on the deuce animals. We’ll see how all that goes!
Time for a shortened interview!
Strength: 6 Leaves
It’s a social deck, good for friendship and other mundane readings. It’s the pause that refreshes!
Weakness: 6 Acorns
Another 6. It’s not good for relationship romance readings. Or it treats romance as fun or a game instead of as a serious, life-changing experience.
What can I learn from the deck? Ober of Leaves
I can learn to make my readings sharp and to the point. In more ways than one. He’s got spurs, a sword, and a pike, lots of points to make and use!
Outcome of our work together: 6 Hearts
Another 6! I will be cautiously optimistic that I can accomplish something with the deck. But it will take caution and planning. Otherwise, it might bite back!
And I would say with three 6s in four cards, that in general work with the deck will be auspicious and will shed some interesting light on things. (6 = Sun).
Well, that was fun! See you tomorrow with more Folk Cards of Destiny!