Previously, I spoke about the suits in Cyprian’s deck, mapping their stories and context. Now I want to turn to the keys, well, what I mean to say, keywords. If you take a look at a Lenormand or Fortunetelling deck, each card typically has an inset playing card, an illustration, and a word that goes with the illustration. This is what I will be sharing here but specifically pertaining to Cyprian’s deck.

As a caveat, I will say, these keywords point to the illustration, but as we play with spreading the cards to answer a question, you will find these keywords play with their designations and meanings in relation. So a bouquet is a bouquet, until in a reading with other cards, it becomes good news or a proposal. Yes, this is a bare-bones example.

As you will note when looking at the cards, the illustration often describes more than what the keyword indicates. For example, the 3 of swords with the illustration of two swords crossed, hilt up, points downward, stuck in the sand. These two swords have reached a standstill, they are not in an aggressive position. As always spreading the cards and reading them in conversation always entails a looking at what’s going on on the table while also aiming at responding to the question.

The Courts

Speaking of the courts, in this deck I envisioned and aimed for non-hierarchical and, perhaps, subtle distinctions within the courts. I wanted to focus on age and directionality, where each person is looking at or directed toward. So in each suit there are three people that make up the court, there is a youth, the lady, and the man. The youth is the person which embodies the youthfulness of the suit. The lady and man form the more mature aspects. Just because they carry their suit, whether it be batons, coins, cups or swords, does not mean they are family units necessarily.

Youths are smoother in tone and unadorned. The ladies on the other hand have distinguishing adornments on the head, and as with the coins and batons, they hold something. The men likewise, something more accompanies their pose, whether a cigar, glasses for better sight, a proper suit or just the marks of age and sleepless nights. Other than these subtle notes, they are people, no self imposed hierarchies evident other than age.

And so the full deck is composed, from 1-7 and their courts. Simplicity was aimed. The desire of the deck will conform to its reader, and vice versa, perhaps a wandering traveler, or a hermit; numbers were eschewed in favor of pattern seeing, crowns removed in favor of tone and directionality. It is a deck for conversations, candlelight readings, and nocturnal preoccupations on daylight.

The last piece I have to say on the deck will be on the finicky area of temptation, which I will write in another post.

Saint Cyprian’s deck of cards published by Hadean Press.