Cartomancy

Cartomancy is a form of fortune telling -- divination -- using a deck of cards. This has been practised since playing cards came into use (first in Italy in the 14th century), but some practitioners claim ancient Egyptian origins derived from wisdom originating from the Egyptian scribe-god Thoth. A deck of regular playing cards (i.e. hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades) may be used for this purpose. However this usage is frowned upon by many people who believe that one should not use divination cards for playing. As a result there are many decks designed specifically for use by cartomancers -- the best known are Tarot decks which are specifically designed for cartomancy. Whichever cards are used, there are specific layouts designed to tell different things -- from one card to about thirty.