A Small Sicilian Tarot Reading

 

This is the Tarocco Siciliano. I've been studying the Bolognese thanks to Moderately Quick Silver's wonderful blog and Germana Tartari's Tarocchino Bolognese. The book is in Italian, but we have Google Lens these days. No more typing text into online translators!

These Italian decks are refreshing. Straight-up cartomancy with no meaningless navel gazing! No new age bullshit! Nothing that allegedly smells like Gwyneth Paltrow's vagina!

So of course I had to get a Sicilian deck, too. I only have one resource for it so far, Arianna Montalto's Tarocco Siciliano. But she gives you the card meanings, plus some useful tidbits like "When you are in conflict or competition with someone, look for the 5 of Batons. The card behind it will reveal the solution to the problem."

The deck is structured differently than the Tarots people are used to. For more information on that, I'll refer you to wikipedia.

But anyway:

After that shameful fiasco Yam Tits pulled on President Zelenskyy (who is everything a President ought to be), I just want him OUT. I always wanted him out, always voted against him to begin with, but this goes beyond that. He can take Space Karen and Couchfucker with him.

I want to say here that I can't detach from this issue and feel neutral about it. But I still get a clear reading because the cards have clear meanings. There is no ambiguity.

Sending migrants to Gitmo is a repulsive display of bigotry. Looting the benefits that we paid into is a major crime. But this felt like the final straw. I don't want my country to be aligned with Russia and Dobby the Dacha Elf. This shit is not only revolting and stupid, it's extremely dangerous. Not just here, Europe too.

I asked if he could be out in the next six months. I used a simple PPF spread from the Montalto book: Past, recent past, present, near future, future. 8 of Coins is debilitating, but it's flanked by Love and Constancy, showing that so far he's had a way out. He surrounds himself with loyal toadies. The 9 of Swords is a card of obstacles, so that's something to look forward to. In some ways, he's painted himself into a corner. And the last card is Justice. I like Justice. From Montalto via google lens:

He'll get his. Not as soon as most of us would like, but it's coming. So get your heart off the ground. Resist. Don't cooperate.

Italians historically don't like fascists.
Here's a busker who is NOT being ignored. Bella ciao!

What Makes A Reader?

 

There's a thought provoking post on Hugh's blog that prompted me to elaborate a bit. https://thefortunetellerssociety.com/2023/08/21/how-do-i-read-lenormand/

What I'm seeing online is people who want to learn the cards making the same mistakes over and over. The big problem is a lack of discernment. You need to learn from people who can actually read cards. Just a few reliable sources. Less is more! I'm not trying to discredit the "competition" here. I do not sell courses, workshops, or any of that. I don't make videos. I just read cards, and I'm telling you what the problem is: bad signal.

You won't learn Lenormand from sub-par books. The ones Hugh mentions are more than adequate, especially Andy's. Get that one and work through it. Then work through it again. Stay with it until you've absorbed it.

You won't learn from youtube. With the exception of Hexe Claire, everything there is crap. Hexe Claire's videos are good, but they're an introduction. They'll get you started, that's all. If you want to progress, again, get Andy's book.

You won't learn on forums. Those are full of bad readings, it's all guesswork. Bad information is seldom corrected, since forums are focused on getting and keeping lots of board traffic, not trying to make sure people learn properly. (BTW, being a forum mod does not confer knowledge of the cards!)

Facebook groups are, if anything, worse.

And you won't learn by focusing on spreads, or learning to design your own spreads, or any of that. Good old fashioned lines, boxes, and tableaus work the best, and will answer any question. You don't need dedicated spreads for various subjects like love, money, etc. Stop wasting your time on spreads and practice reading the cards.

Just because a person has a youtube channel, moderates a forum, or even writes a book does not mean they know what they're talking about. As I commented on Hugh's blog, "I’d advise anyone who wants to learn to toss any books they have other than the ones mentioned. The vast majority of what’s out there is garbage. Approach the cards with logic.
Then, study and practice. Don’t try to learn silly spreads. Don’t seek instruction or advice on forums, facebook groups, etc. That’s the blind leading the blind. Just do readings every day, record them, and review them later to see if they were accurate. Keep doing that for at least five years and you’ll get there."

And yes, it does take at least five years to get fluent. You're learning a language. Don't underestimate the complexity of the method simply because there are only 36 cards!

Unpopular Fact #1: This Is A Spread

 

A line of three cards with no named positions is a spread. So is a line of five, seven, or nine. Cards laid in squares, pyramids, and tableaus with no named positions are spreads. The cards are spread on the table (or on any available surface, like the boots above.)

A spread is simply an array. It's something spread out. When you invite people for a big dinner, the available food on the table is referred to as a spread. Nobody says the potatoes are the near future or the meat is advice. A ranch is referred to as a spread, because the land is spread out. The items on a newspaper or magazine page, taken together, are also referred to as a spread. The cover for a bed is called a spread as well, because you spread it on top.

I'm not sure how it started, but I've seen people referring to "reading cards without a spread" on multiple occasions in recent years. Stop. It's ignorant not to use a simple word like "spread" according to the definition.