The Gypsy Deck has its origins in Europe and is one of the most popular Oracles in the world. Adapted and disseminated by the Gypsy people, fascinated by the mystical meaning of the Tarot de Marseille world, it is a system of divination that answers universal questions like love or money. There are numerous decks adapted from the original and, in this article, we are going to understand the origin and bases of this divinatory system.
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The Origin of the Gypsy Deck
Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand (1772-1843), French seer and fortune teller, created her own deck, which was used in her famous readings. She became an influential figure among Parisian high society, but this deck would only become universal after her death. Taking advantage of the fortune teller's fame, two years after her death, a 54-card deck called "Le Grand Jeu de Mlle. Lenormand" and another 36-card deck called "Petit Lenormand" were published.
Later, Madame Lenormand's deck was adopted by the Gypsy people in their divination practices in conjunction with traditional hand reading - Palmistry or the art of reading hands and predicting a person's future.
According to her own account, the self-styled Madame Lenormand had been chosen by God to divine the future of her fellow citizens, helping them in their phases of suffering and showing them the path to follow in the most confusing times of their lives.
Arriving in Paris, the young woman quickly used her enormous intuitive capacity, ingenuity and strong personal magnetism, to become one of the most famous fortune tellers of all times. According to her, she read the future of all the great figures of the French Revolution, from Marat to Robespierre and advised countless personalities from high society and the political sphere.
She lived in a time of tumultuous History (French Revolution and Napoleonic period), immersed in a climate of fear, change, superstitions and practices of black magic. Her method opened countless doors for her, wealth and an aura of mystery that spread quickly. The occult was in fashion and Madame Lenormand knew how to make use of this environment to her advantage.
Madame Lenormand created her own deck of cards, similar in everything to the Tarot. She used the drawings and numbers of the Letters to establish a structure of interpretations that were being read as he spread them out on the table.
The Gypsy Deck as an Oracle and Divine System
Over the years, and similarly to other famous Oracles, the Gypsy Deck has become a self-knowledge tool that helps to think about the nature of the client's personality and to clarify some personal issues. It is used to answer spiritual questions or as a guide when a person is at a crossroads and does not know which path to choose.
Like the traditional decks of cards, the Gypsy Deck consists of four suits: Hearts, Diamonds, Spades and Clubs. Each of them, and each Letter, are assigned specific meanings. It is based on the combination of Cards that the divination reading is performed.
Meaning of Suits and Cards
Each suit governs a concrete area of life and answers the questions posed about that very area. Each suit symbolizes one of the four Elements that represent the forces of the natural world, the same elements that serve as the basis for defining the astral personality of the 12 Signs of the Zodiac. The natural characteristics of each Element represent different areas and postures of facing life.
- Hearts - Symbolizes the Water Element and represents feelings, the feminine side, emotions and love.
- Diamonds - Symbolizes the Earth Element and represents the "Great Mother", the material world, family, house and money.
- Spades - Symbolizes the Air Element and represents the intellect, mind, ideas, thoughts and creativity.
- Clubs - Symbolizes the Fire Element and represents achievement, affirmation, imagination, the transforming forces of the Universe and motivation.
How to Play
Before doing your reading, prepare the place where you will be doing it. Choose a clean place where you can be calm and peaceful. Turn off all types of equipment that could disrupt or interrupt the session.
Formulate the question in your mind before drawing the Cards. Be objective in what you are formulating. Do it with good intentions, preparing your heart to receive and send only good and positivity to the Cosmos.
Reading the Gypsy Deck
Reading the Gypsy Deck is simple and objective: if more cards are considered negative, the issue or problem is not on the right path. They predict difficulties. On the contrary, if the predominant cards are considered positive, it is an indicator that the issue will have a favorable development.
In reading the cards, being positive or negative, it also give clues about the obstacles that are preventing the situation from being resolved or, on the other hand, which aspects are favorable at a given moment and play in the person's favor. The main objective of this Oracle will be to eliminate obstacles and use favorable opportunities to advance and resolve and bring personal pretension to fruition.
As human beings we have free will, there are many paths before us, and we can choose any one of them at any time. When we take a Tarot reading, we are attuned to the energy of that moment, given the present circumstances.
Keep an open mind and embrace the knowledge of the Cards with the certainty, however, that your current thoughts and feelings can change at any time and that your true path is defined by you.
