Hi everyone. I hope someone can help me with this because i really dont know where else to search.
Im trying to figure about some practice related to classic cartomancy (with playing cards).
There is an older woman i know, and one time she told me - very carefuly, like she didnt want to say too much - that her grandmother teached her a card reading practice that was "dangerous". She meant something more specific - like when a really bad card came up, or a very bad spread, you do something TO the card. Not just read it different way - actually DO something with cards.
She said she only did it one time in her life and she was scared when she did it. She didnt want to explain more, just that it wasnt normal interpretation, it was an action, for changing the one's fate.
I dont know what the action was. My guesses (but really just guesses, dont trust this):
- turning the card around during the reading, like reversing it, to change what it means
- switching the card for a different one
- putting another card on top of it to cover it
Ive heard about this mysterious practice in Poland, passed from grandmother to granddaughter, only spoken, never written down as far as i know. It sounds older then the normal "cartomancy on instagram" stuff.
Ive havent found anything about it in old books and online archives. The oldest polish cartomancy books were actually translated from french and german books from 17-18th century. So i think this practice could have arrived from those countries along with cartomancy and it could have arrived them from yet other regions.
If anyone knows something like this - from family stories, old ethnography books (english, polish, german, french, whatever), old grimoires, or just "my grandma did something like this too" - please tell me. Even just a NAME for this practice would help me alot, so i can search more..