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Cartomancy with the Clow Cards (Part 3)

The “Cartomancy with the Clow Cards” Series:

Part 1: HERE

Part 2: HERE

Part 3: HERE

This is Part 3 of a series of posts that I am writing, which can be found under my #cartomancy and #student’s research tag. Today, I’d like to compare Rune S. Emerson’s “Spirit Families” versus the Fortunetelling Book’s “Color Groups” and how these categories may alter your relationship with the Clow cards.

Why it Matters: The Suits

The standard Clow Card deck has at least 52 cards, if you exclude The Nothing card. Playing cards happen to have the same number of cards in their deck, if you exclude the Jokers.

Playing card associations with Clow Card exist but they’re varied amongst people. The Fortunetelling Book has its own associations; the Clow Book by Rune S. Emerson also exists, in addition to other created associations. It can be difficult to find associations that match you and your deck’s needs!

The associations you decide on will likely impact your relationship with the cards. It creates a passive yet subtle layer of magick that reflects your magickal worldview. The card spirits will work within this worldview for your benefit. This can also create a new hierarchy amongst your card spirits.

Having these choices isn’t so bad, but deciding on the right choice can be tricky. This is especially true if you’re starting out and you’re not sure what the differences are.

For some, these associations are only useful to have in certain readings. For others, these suits hold secrets about the Clow Cards and how they work together.

 

Spirit Families

The idea of Spirit Families originated from S. Rune Emerson’s “Clow Book”.

While this book doesn’t provide us with a working definition of what they are, he does categorize Spirit Families by playing card associations.  Each of the suits is categorized by the subtle forces of reality which he talks about in his book.

These subtle forces are inspired by a Japanese youkai ranking system:

Aces = Tsukumogami

2-10 = Shikegami

Jacks = Bakemono

Queens = Yousei

Kings = Youkai

The Jacks, Queens, and Kings are part of an inner court known as The Floating Court.

Without giving away too much about the book, certain cards such as the Four Elements and Two Attributes are granted higher authority in The Floating Court. This hierarchy is determined by how much influence they have on their reality. The remaining cards are placed underneath them.

Spirit Families are best suited for sorcery-based ideologies. For those who focus on the cosmology and placement of the Clow Cards’ powers in our universe, this method is preferable. This method is the most popular when it comes to playing card associations.

Color Groups

The official Fortunetelling Book introduces the concept of “Color Groups” with the Compatibility Reading. There are four color classifications: Red, Green, Blue, and Purple. Each group has 13 cards with each suit. (Note: Please refer back to Part 2 for a better breakdown.)

The Color Groups are organized in two ways: by alphabetical order and by their utility. They were designed to outline the cards’ practical use rather than by an ideology. I'll post them in hierarchical order:

Red Group = Spades; They deal with your troubles.

Green Group = Hearts; They represent feelings and emotions.

Purple Group  = Diamonds; They handle all things material.

Blue Group = Clubs; They work movements, actions, and intuition.

A lesser known fact is that each suit represents one of the four cardinal directions. In a Chinese modality, Red is South, Green is East, Purple is West, and Blue is North. However, these directions are might vary depending on your beliefs and traditions.

Personal Opinion: The Winner

In my opinion, the best playing card associations to use is the Color Groups. While Spirit Families are unique, they are niche and are not suited for everyone’s needs. Not all Clow Card users are sorcerers nor do all sorcerers want to work with the cards in a limited Japanese modality. Ideologies are also prone to change overtime with new information. The biggest take away was that the author did not give any in-depth reason as to why those cards were categorized that way within the “Clow Book” in the first place.

At the end of the day, the associations are entirely up to you. These two systems that you see here are the most common in the Clow Sorcerer community. It doesn’t account for what you create yourself with your cards, but it does provide insight into how their classification can make a difference in how you work with them.

[imaginalgrimoire]

Order of the Quest

Wanted to create a weekend post while I continue studying and researching Taoist magick. Here are just some quick realizations I've come across while on my Quest for the Clow Cards:

There may be a common theme during your Quest. The cards work together to test you. That theme may possibly change every five to ten cards you obtain on your Quest. It's important to write down your realizations, lessons, and capture details for that reason. That information, along with the theme, may be relevant in your craft later when you need help in that area of your life.

The Clow Cards communicate with one another. If you are actively Questing, observe the card above and below it in the order. These cards are close together for a reason - they talk to one another, exchange ideas, and sometimes energy. For example, if The Sword card has The Arrow card above and The Shadow card under it, it means that The Arrow and The Shadow are the most compatible to The Sword. This also applies to how they best work together in your own magick, as this order varies by person.

[imaginalgrimoire]

Cartomancy with the Clow Cards (Part 2)

The “Cartomancy with the Clow Cards” Series:

Part 1: HERE

Part 2: HERE

Part 3: HERE

This is Part 2 of a series of posts that I am writing, which can be found under my #cartomancy and #student’s research tag. Today, I’d like to further discuss the four group colors, their classical color associations, and how the Guardian Beasts tie into them.

Keep reading

[imaginalgrimoire]

The Clow Card guardians: Kero and Yue

The Clow Cards were created by the sorcerer Clow Reed, who combined Western magic and Eastern magic to create a new type of magic. He appointed two guardians over the cards, Keroberos and Yue, who each protect half of the cards. 

Keroberos (or Kero) gets his powers from Western magic and the sun. The Sun sign represents action, force, vitality, and enlightenment, similar to the Sun tarot card. Kero’s personality is confident, positive, dominating, loyal, and fun. He can be overindulgent and bossy, but also very caring and sympathetic. He generates his own energy.

Yue gets his powers from Eastern Magic and the moon. The Moon sign represents passivity, mystery, non-action, and gentleness. Yue’s personality is somewhat cold, aloof, and serious, but he does have a kind heart. Yue, like the moon, cannot generate his own energy. 

When getting to know the cards, it is important to know which guardian they fall under, because they will reflect the qualities of their sign.

[imaginalgrimoire]

clow cards chinese names.

矢, shǐ. the arrow.

arrow; dart; old variant of 屎.

大, dà. the big. 

big; great; vast; large; high.

泡, pào. the bubbles.

bubbles; suds; blister; soak.

替, tì. the change.

change; replace; substitute for.

雲, yún. the cloud.

cloud.

创, chuàng. the create.

to begin; initiate; inaugurate; start.

闇, àn. the dark.

close; shut; dark; dismal.

驱, q��. the dash.

* 駆 (jp) ku, kakeru 駆ける.

to expel; urge on; drive; run quickly.

夢, mèng.  the dream.

dream; visionary; wishful.

地, dì. the earth.

earth; soil; ground; region.

消, xiāo. the erase. 

vanish; die out; melt away.

闘, dòu.  the fight.

struggle; fight; compete; contend.

火, huǒ. the firey. 

fire; flame; burn; anger; rage.

浮, fú. the float. 

to float; drift, waft; to exceed; superfluous.

花, huā. the flower.

flower; blossom.

翔, xiáng. the fly. 

soar; glide; hover; detailed.

霧, wù. the mist.

fog; mist; vapor; fine spray.

冻, dòng. the freeze.

freeze; to feel very cold; congeal.

灯, dēng. the glow.

lantern; lamp; light.

幻, huàn. the illusion.

illusion; fantasy; mirage.

跳, tiào. the jump.

to jump; to skip over; bounce;  leap.

秤, chēng. the libra.

balance; scale; to weigh.

光, guāng. the light.

light; brilliant; shine.

小, xiǎo. the little.

small; tiny; young; junior.

锁, suǒ.   the lock.

* 錠 (jp) jō じょう.

lock; padlock; shackles; chains.

輪, lún.  the loop.

wheel; to take turns; to rotate; classifier for recurring events.

迷, mí. the maze.

to bewilder; lost; confused.

镜, jìng. the mirror.

mirror; lens; glass; glasses.

移, yí. the move.

change place; shift; move about.

���, lì. the power.

power;  strength; capability; influence.

雨, yǔ. the rain.

rain; rainy.

返, fǎn. the return.

返回, fǎnhuí.

* 戻 (jp) modoru 戻る, もどる.

return; revert to; restore; come (or go) back.

砂, shā. the sand.

sand; pebbles; gravel; gritty.

影, yǐng. the shadow.

shadow; image; reflection; photograph.

盾, dùn. the shield.

shield. 

撃, jī.  the shot.

strike; hit; beat; attack; fight.

静, jìng. the silent.

calm; quiet; still; motionless; gentle.

眠, mián. the sleep.

close eyes; sleep; hibernate.

雪, xuě. the snow.

snow; wipe away shame; avenge.

歌, gē. the song.

song; lyrics; sing; chant; praise.

风暴, fēngbào. the storm.

* 嵐 (jp) arashi あらし.

storm; violent commotion. fig. crisis (e.g. revolution, uprising, financial crisis etc)

甘, gān. the sweet.

sweet; willing.

剑, jiàn. the sword.

* 剣 (jp) ken.

sword; dagger; saber.

抜, bá. the through.

拔出, bá chū.

(jp) nuku 抜く, ぬく.

to surpass; to seize;  to go beyond; to rise; to put forth.

雷, léi. the thunder.

thunder; mine (weapon). (Internet slang) terrifying; terrific.

时, shí. the time.  

 time; season; era, age, period.

双, shuāng. the twin. 

set of two; pair; couple; both.

声, shēng.  the voice. 

sound; voice; tone; noise; reputation; classifier for sounds.

水, shuǐ. the watery. 

water; river; liquid; beverage; additional charges or income (of clothes); classifier for number of washes.

波, bō. the wave.

wave; ripple; storm; surge.

風, fēng. the windy.

wind; air; manners; atmosphere.

樹, shù. the wood. 

tree; plant; set up; establish.

notes:

* these kanji are the logographic used for the title on their respective card. i understand this is logical given CSS is a japanese work. however, the character in the story that created the cards is chinese and the cards themselves are based on daoist concepts. for this reason i did my best to translate them as this is a list of the chinese names that would be (in my opinion) the cards “true” names. the rest of the infographics are mutually understandable between chinese and japanese kanji. 

not listed by hierarchy, just sorted alphabetically for easier navigation.

i’m not a native speaker. i’m at a hsk 2 level at best, so feel free to correct me if there’s any mistakes.

[imaginalgrimoire]

The Light and The Dark

The Light and The Dark are sister cards: they are always together, they are sealed together, and therefore we will talk about them together.

These two cards are the strongest cards, according to Kero, and the only two whose positions in the hierarchy are specifically identified. The Light is the first card under Kero and The Dark is the first card under Yue. The Light has the power to illuminate darkness and end the night by bringing forth the day. The Dark controls the night, darkness, and can alter one’s perception of space and time. Sakura encounters The Dark during a school play and could only seal her after she realized what the card was and how to defeat her. The Light, on the other hand, had resided in Sakura’s heart since she broke the seal on the Clow book. They are two of the few cards which can communicate directly with Sakura. 

In divination, these cards are the the only ones which may trump an Element card’s priority. The Light is most similar to the Sun tarot card, and qualities include enlightenment, hope, encouragement, reassurance, positivity, energy and confidence. The Light is your cheerleader, the personification of Sakura’s “invincible spell” of “Everything will be alright.” As opposed to Firey’s tendency toward arrogant boasting, Light is a quiet confidence that reminds you that you can do it.

The Dark is most like the Moon tarot card, or perhaps the High Priestess. It represents the unknown, the mysterious, fear, doubt, or feeling alone. We fear what we do not know or cannot see. It is important to keep in mind that The Dark is not a bad or malevolent card, but it represents a challenge. It may be that you are in a dark place in your life right now. Or perhaps you are feeling isolated or not confident in yourself. But remember that Light and Dark go together. To grow, we must face the unknown, and to triumph against the unknown, we must have faith in ourselves.

On a more personal note, I’ve found that, while other cards may refer to the query or outside factors, Light and Dark are typically a reflection of me and my feelings about the situation. 

[imaginalgrimoire]

10-Card Clow Spread

Not only are the Clow Cards used for summoning magic, they are also used for telling fortunes! In Volume 3 of the Cardcaptor Sakura manga, Kero shows Sakura how to do some simple fortune telling using only 10 cards. This specific spread is designed to allow you to become aware of the forces that will be opposing you in the near future. This reading was critical for Sakura because it enabled her to identify and capture the Mirror card.

Note: When Sakura read her cards, she only had the Watery, Windy, Wood, Jump, Fly, Flower, Shadow, Sword, Illusion, and Thunder in her possession but certainly use all 52 Clow Cards or a different deck entirely if you'd like!

Directions: 1.) Shuffle the cards well. 2.) Cut the deck into four piles using your left hand. 3.) Return all of the cards to one pile still using your left hand. 4.) Lay the cards out in number order by following the diagram. 5.) Flip the cards over in letter order.

Meanings: A.) Represents news or transmission. B.) Refers to a challenge or test. C-E.) Relate to the opposing force. F.) Tells of approaching danger.

Source: Little Miss Kinomoto

[imaginalgrimoire]

Should The Nothing and The Hope be treated as two separate cards? And should they be removed from the “original” deck, to be quested for after the other card have been captured and transformed? Or should they be included in the original quest for the cards and subsequent transformation quest? In the canon, The Nothing didn’t activate until all the Clow Cards were turned into Sakura Cards and The Hope *is* The Nothing as a Sakura Card. How does that influence Clow sorcery?

Ok, so I want everyone to understand, I don’t have a lot of answers regarding the Nothing or the Hope, since when I wrote the Clow Sorcery Book, I didn’t have those cards, and I’m only now getting to know them.

@daughter-of-the-blood wrote some really good posts on the subject of the those cards and their originating powers and mysteries here and here, and I recommend you read them if you’re at all uncertain in your work with these cards.

For myself, I’ve lately been treating them as less of a separate entity, but more like the Joker of the deck, in two aspects.  My method of questing has changed somewhat as well, as I moved into a “transformation” quest before I’d even managed to seek out all the cards (very strange, perhaps I’ll write about it at some point).

Anyway, in the spirit of Joker cards I think of the Nothing as a counter, but I think of the Hope as a counter as well, they’re literally the same card doing different things.

I didn’t quest for them, although I see no reason why you can’t.  I didn’t need to transform them either, they came after my circle changed and the big shift with the Clow happened.

And now for some magical theory and further speculation therefore:

The Nothing card in canon showed up in response to Sakura having captured all the cards in essence twice, claiming them once by defeating them, and then once more by making them entirely hers through her new circle.   

Now, as pointed out by @daughter-of-the-blood, the Nothing is centered around the kanji 無 (mu, nothing), and it is very likely that the Hope (希望 kibou or “wish, hope, request”) was simply the other aspect of the Void as channeled through Sakura’s own circle and personal core of power, her Wishing Star.  I won’t repeat the entirety of her two excellent posts; suffice to say I agree.

That being said, there is a very common thing which happens for magicians after they have accomplished a great deal of magical work, a sort of version of the Magician’s Ordeal.  It comes as a feeling of ennui, a sort of lost feeling which makes all of our previous accomplishments feel inadequate.  This afflicts magicians of all kinds and of all experience levels, and can come as a result of something going wrong in one’s life (the whole “if I couldn’t stop that misfortune from happening, how powerful am I really?” thing), or a feeling of lack of direction, sort of a “what now?” response to one’s life.

It is my belief that the Nothing represents that Ordeal, and consequently, the Hope represents the victory one achieves over it by moving through it.  

Therefore, I believe that the Nothing as a questing moment may occur any time you begin to feel as if your Clow magic is no great shakes, that you’re wasting your time, and that this is all bullshit.

Facing that will require you to recognize that it doesn’t matter, that you will face these fears and troubles via the unnameable Love inside of you (literally the Nameless Card which transforms the Nothing into the Hope), you can access that part of you that drives you onward and reminds the ennui that life is full of meaning.  Then, the card will become the Hope for you, because you’ll remember that even when the present seems bleak, the future is always waiting for you to shape it.

So, I think the Nothing shows up to test your integrity, similar to the Judge.  The Judge tests your will and courage, and the Nothing tests your silent resolve and commitment to the truest part of you.  Sorcery, after all, is an art centered in the absolute conviction of your own authority, from wherever it derives.  For Sakura, it’s her devotion to the ideal that “everything will definitely be all right!”

What is it for you?  :)

[imaginalgrimoire]

Episode 3

[imaginalgrimoire]

Planets in Gatorade

Gratitude to Suns over at Planets in Gatorade for mentioning this blog in their article. Please check out their writing on Clow Sorcery and its paradigms using the link below:

[imaginalgrimoire]

Clow Card Divination 101

In this post I wish to share with you my favorite form of divination!

It's a long one so more under the read more!

The Clow cards (later Sakura/Star cards) are from the manga & anime Card Captor Sakura. The series follows a girl called Sakura Kinomoto who finds a book in her father’s study called the Clow book. The book contains Clow cards which were made by Clow Reed before his life ended; sealed away until Sakura accidentally releases them. With the Clow cards gone and only left with The Windy, the story follows her capturing all the escaped cards. When she finally has all of them it becomes clear she is next in line to become the master of them. Thus, the cards ‘evolve’ into the Sakura/Star cards by Sakura signing her name onto them.

Clow Reed and The Clow

Clow Reed was a sorcerer born with both English & Chinese heritage. His parents were from very powerful families of magic users and because of his mixed heritage, Clow Reed came to be the most powerful sorcerer ever known. He created The Clow; cards encompassing both Western (Sun) & Eastern (Moon) magic. Each card has their own personality and tremendous power. With the creation of The Clow he also created two guardians called Cerberus & Yue.

Cerberus

Cerberus (aka Kero) is one of the two guardians of The Clow. He is bossy, confident and overindulgent, but also positive and fun. Clow Reed left Kero with the task to find the next master of the cards when he died. Although Kero chooses Sakura out of consequence, he becomes her guide for The Clow throughout the story and helps her through many ordeals. His power is that of the sun & western magic and the cards under him reflect his personality and domain. Just like the sun he generates his own energy instead of needing his master’s to survive.

Yue

Yue is the other guardian of The Clow. He is cold, serious and aloof but he has a kind heart. He cared very deeply for his old master, so much so that he had a hard time accepting Sakura as the new one. Yue is in charge of judging the person Kero chooses to see if they are worthy of being the new master of the cards. Because of his hard time accepting anyone other than Clow Reed it took a while before Sakura could convince him; not wanting to hurt him. His power is that of the moon & eastern magic and the cards under him reflect his personality and domain. Just like the moon he doesn’t generate his own magic and needs his master’s energy to survive.

System

The Clow cards work under a hierarchy. The attribute cards rule over the elemental cards and the elemental cards rule over every card underneath. When laying cards, if any of the attribute cards or the elemental cards come up they influence the reading greatly with their meanings.

The Suits

The Light Suit

The cards under The Light stand for all that is everyday life, lightheartedness and fun. The exception to this suit is The Shadow, but without light there is no shadow, thus it is included here instead of The Dark suit. I also relate The Light suit with the major arcana in tarot, albeit the positive side more than the negative side. Positive things like having good fortune or good things that we do not have immediate control over.

The Dark Suit

The cards under The Dark stand for all that is mysterious, unknown, and otherworldly. This includes parts of life we might not like, but still have to go through. Just like the Light suit I relate The Dark suit with the major arcana in tarot. It talks about things we thus far had no control over, but notifies us to think about those aspects and invites us to take the necessary steps for positive change. It will be a challenge and we might even fear it, but life is filled with ups and downs. When we get through our down period, we face the better times triumphantly with an experience richer and we might even be better equipped to handle a similar situation in the future.

The Fire Suit

The cards under The Firey stand for action, passion, temper and upheavals. It tells us that one way or another we need to put our all into it. Whether it’s to keep trying, fully take something out of our lives or try our best to hit that mark. Yes, it may be challenging and the road might be bumpy, but the vitality & creativity of the Fire suit tells us that we can do this. Sometimes all we need is willpower & determination!

The Water Suit

The cards under The Watery stand for emotion, relationships and intuition. Although the Watery is an aggressive card of its own, the cards underneath it tend to be more calm, soft and some are even fun! However, the cards underneath the Watery are also related to how we handle situations and react to the world and people around us on an emotional level.

The Earth Suit

The cards under The Earthy stand for stability, security, & strength. They are about the material self or about things related to the self. Whether this is protecting one’s self, finding balance around one’s self or breaking material cycles.

The Wind Suit

The cards under The Windy stand for communication, truth & clarity. It's about taking a step back and thinking it through sometimes. Although the element of air is related to the mental realm not all cards in the wind suit are related to it. Some are about literal movement as well.

Individual Card Meanings

This is a long list with a few words per card. I am working on a more in-depth document regarding The Clow because many people, including myself, don't think the official fortune telling book really fits with its descriptions. The Clow cards each have their own individual & unique personality which shine through in their meanings. Why not add those into the equation? There are also meanings that come from my personal use of the cards. Use what you feel is right!

The set I bought came with The Miracle card which I use myself so I included it here as well. It does not belong to a suit like The Hope & The Nothing.

The Dark

unknown, uncomfortable, needs over wants, catastrophic thinking, night, challenge, mystery

The Light

day, clear, going to be okay, enlightenment, positivity, encouragement

The Firey

arrogance, passion, rage, explosive, high energy, drive, fire

The Watery

emotions, co-operation, relations, water

The Earthy

body, material, earth, stoic, barren, stability

The Windy

intelligence, mental clarity, bind, mentality, wind, logic, analyzing

The Arrow

shooting your shot, several chances, scattered, many passions, aiming but not shooting, goal-oriented, inspiration

The Big

not as scary as it seems, big heart, non-discriminating, means well, friendly, clumsy, oblivious, ditsy

The Bubbles

clean slate, cleansing, cleaning, make a prototype, there is an idea but nothing concrete, ephemeral

The Change

empathize, change, camouflage, fitting in, mask, invisibility, hiding, aversion to change, mind games

The Cloud

brain fog, confusion, emotionally clogged, pretending to be fine, making the best out of a bad situation

The Create

creation, manifestation, inspiration, writing, paper, art, imagination, creativity

The Dash

avoidance, speed, quick thinking, shy, scared, skittish, escape

The Dream

prophecies, dreams, occult, knowledge, clair senses, veiled, obscure

The Erase

declutter, moving on, lift the veil, revelation

The Fight

giving it 110%, hard work, disciplined, meticulous, brash, actions speak louder than words, exercise, hidden power, assertive, willpower

The Float

detached, big picture, head in the clouds, more than it seems, take a step back

The Flower

friends, fun, longevity, light-hearted, optimistic, joyful, calm, relaxed, party, celebration

The Fly

moving, flying, soaring, travel, big change, transformation, open-mindedness, support, freedom

The Freeze

congeal, frozen, stagnation, cold, many pieces to a whole, sharp, splintered

The Glow

good fortune, kindness, beauty, peace, inspiration

The Hope

positivity, wish, hope, content, look at the brightside, love, oneness/unity, happiness

The Illusion

see what you want to see, imagination, longing

The Jump

leap before you look, reach further heights, pestering, stupidity

The Libra

balance, truth, weighing options, justice

The Little

small, bullying, sadism, annoyance, schadenfreude

The Lock

stability, shut-in, not available right now, familiarity

The Loop

repeat, habit, link, infinity

The Maze

self-created, lost, (feeling) stuck, distorted

The Miracle

divinity, support, family, miracle

The Mirror

leadership, regret, mirroring, confrontation, image

The Mist

toxicity, decay, elusive, destructive

The Move

turning heads, chase, small steps, keeping it small

The Nothing

nothing, void, negativity, (fear of) abandonment, loneliness, despair

The Power

Showing-off, pride, trouble maker, friendly challenge

The Rain

fun, abundance, jokes, free-spirited, chaotic

The Return

a need for change, regret, living in the past, restore, nostalgia, return, learning (from the past)

The Sand

multiple options, jack of all trades, adaptability

The Shadow

two sides, hidden, consequences, the shadow archetype

The Shield

defensive, jealous, protest, protection, help others, idealism, steadfastness

The Shot

obsession, events speed up, hectic times, ruthless, stubborn, willpower, lashing out

The Silent

meditation, contemplation, look within, loud, sensory overload, solitary

The Sleep

sleep, end, momentary peace, forgetfulness

The Snow

witty, control, purity, management

The Song

bliss, happiness, singing, music, song, mimicry, perfectionism

The Storm

bothered, moody, overthinking, uncertainty

The Sweet

sweets, self-love, rest, relaxation, take care of yourself

The Sword

challenge, anger, precision, conflict, cutthroat, confrontation

The Through

omit, remove, invisible, spirits

The Time

time, when, exhaustion

The Thunder

upheaval, sudden, rampage, lightning, tower-moment

The Twin

two people, equal, entwined, together, stuck, co-depend, pattern, fate, cycles, habit (and breaking of), hurting without meaning to harm, duality

The Voice

greedy, communication, all talk no action, venting

The Wave

overwhelmed, tidings, emotionally moving

The Wood

growth, perseverance, gentleness, nature, patience, sensuality, abundance, altruism, fertility, breaking habits

[imaginalgrimoire]

Clow Card Divination 101

(Image by: desstile)

There’s little out there for divining with Clow Cards, and I find it helpful to write things down, so here’s a post. This is my interpretations so you may want to do things differently; that’s totally up to you! There’s also some inspiration from the book and the episodes.

Speaking of, Clow Cards are from the series Cardcaptor Sakura, and are even used for divination purposes in the show (namely for telling future events). I personally use them how I would any tarot or oracle deck.

Basic System

Though Clow Cards are often compared to Tarot and were initially based on it, there’s…very little in the way of actual similarity. It’d be closer to oracle if anything. Some cards have similar meanings to me, such as The Windy and Justice, The Dark and the Hermit, or Thunder and The Tower, but that’s really it.

Needless to say, Clow Cards have their own hierarchy and system.

At the top are two guardians (which don’t have corresponding cards); the Sun and the Moon. Likewise, each guardian has one attribute (Light or Dark) and two elements (Earthy, Fiery, Watery, and Windy) under their jurisdiction. The rest of the cards are divided between these six “suits”, seven for each attribute and eight for each element. The exceptions to the hierarchy are The Nothing, The Nameless, and The Hope. Some decks now have a Sakura card, which is also out of this hierarchy.

The Sun

To me, the cards under the Sun guardian deal with your interactions with the situations around you; these cards are very physical, so to speak. The three suits of the Sun are The Light, The Earthy, and The Fiery. All of the cards under The Light are very encouraging, a bit of luck, a nudge to keep going forward. The Earthy’s cards are very practical and focus on how situations are handled. Meanwhile, The Fiery’s cards are very action-based and focused on goals.

My basic keywords are:

The Light

The Light - Hope, renewal, positivity

The Shadow - The unknown, transformation, change

The Sweet - Kindness, camaraderie, popularity

The Big - Journey, moving forward, attainment

The Return - Second chances, fixing mistakes

The Create - Individuality, creation, creativity, intuition

The Glow - Good luck, simple pleasures, comfort

The Little - Perseverance, accumulation, baby steps

The Earthy

The Earthy - Practical, structure, foundation

The Flower - Beauty, rewards, optimism

The Shield - Protection, defensive, guarded

The Loop - Perseverance, going in a circle, in a rut 

The Mirror - Reflection, renewal

The Lock - Secrets, knowledge, awareness

The Sand - Shifting, constant, reconciliation

The Maze - Confusion, lost, uncertainty

The Libra - Balance, truth, fairness

The Fiery

The Fiery - Confidence, determination

The Fight - Leader, standing up for oneself

The Shot - Aggressiveness, focused on goal

The Arrow - Energetic, hitting the target

The Twin - Teamwork, contribution

The Power - Fulfillment, new developments

The Thunder - sudden, drastic changes, upheaval

The Sword - Compensation, destructive, double-edged

The Through - Perspective, improvements

The Moon

While the Sun’s cards deal with the outside and physical world around you, the Moon’s are more inner and spiritual. They’re what’s in your mind and focus on thoughts and other non-physical aspects. The three suits are The Dark, The Watery, and The Windy. The cards under The Dark tend towards your inner thoughts and feelings, those under The Watery your attitude going into a situation, and The Windy focuses on communication and relations with others.

My basic keywords are:

The Dark

The Dark - Inner thoughts and feelings, the subconscious

The Illusion - Escapist, reality, deception

The Change - Change of heart, point of view

The Silent - Introspection, observation

The Time - Nostalgia, time passing, existence

The Erase - Stagnation, removing the unneeded

The Sleep - Rest, recuperation

The Dream - Subconscious, dream world, premonition

The Watery

The Watery - Emotion, understanding, intuition

The Mist - Reconsider, uncertainty, lack of direction

The Freeze - Slow and steady, at own pace

The Wood - Growth, nurture, fertility

The Cloud - Carefree, optimistic, unworried

The Rain - Little problems, temporary pessimism

The Bubble - Cleaning up, purification

The Wave - Adaptability, flexibility, compromise

The Snow - Peacefulness, purity, potential

The Windy

The Windy - Truth, honesty, fairness, law

The Storm - Suppressed emotions, lack of communication

The Float - Above problems, objective, liberation

The Song - Expressing self, harmony, shared joy

The Voice - Greetings, communication, misunderstanding

The Jump - Finding new methods, experience, learning

The Dash - Rushing ahead, internal conflict

The Fly - Challenges, chances, overcoming

The Move - Think before speaking, talking too much

Added Cards

These are the cards outside of the above hierarchy; they belong to no suit and therefore completely stand on their own.

My basic keywords are:

The Nothing - Negative, sadness, loneliness

The Nameless - Blank slate, what you make of it, love

The Hope - Serenity, calm, composure, faith

Sakura - Energetic, cheerful, naive, kind

[imaginalgrimoire]

Coincidence? Probably

[imaginalgrimoire]

There is no info on this four card spread, so I recreated it and numbered them.

Are these the Four Elements? A variation of the Speed Reading?

The answer isn’t very clear, so I may as well experiment a little bit. Will keep posted with my findings in the future.

[imaginalgrimoire]

Sakura Kinomoto's first Magic Circle, which is Clow Reed's Magic Circle as depicted on the Clow Card Fortune Telling Guide.

A brilliant six pointed Sun being protected by the Moon, meaning this magic has a tendency to be masculine since its Clow Reed's.

That's why when the Sakura Card's come into existence, Sakura's magical circle also changes since she's using her own magic to power the cards.

Similar to Syaoran's, this Circle also indicates the proper cardinal directions, starting from the topmost going around clockwise.

北、東、南、西 - North, East, South, West

Now for the fun stuffs,

We have the mashin/rune god symbols depicted:

Rayearth: NW, Windam: North, Selece: SE

Water and Fire are on opposite sides while Wind is North. Maybe the first card that Sakura used was intended, or maybe it's a coincidence...

But as a wise woman once quoted, "There is no such thing as coincidence."

Well, here's Yuuko Ichihara's circle too. Western zodiac is displayed around the Cephiro mashin/runegod sigils... featuring one that's not in MKR thats honestly just a stylized infinite symbol.

The beautiful iconography of the moon cycle in the center, featuring a full moon for the element or water and a new moon for the element of wind. Even magatama are featured.

While Clow Reed's Circle is very Western/Chinese influenced and Yuuko Ichihara's is very Western/Japanese influenced, they still prefer to refer to the elements using the 'Cephiro Sigils' as opposed to Alchemical Symbolism.

... also Fai D. Fluorite's staff is featured... or at least a similar design?

D?

D.

Look really closely at the bottom of Clow Reed's Circle....

D...

Clow Reed potentially was a part of The Magic Association and maybe even stole their secrets, hence why he's been able to do inhuman feats while being shockingly human.

Dies?... He'll just fracture his soul in 2 parts just to put the association off of his trail.

It's not too crazy to jump to that logic either since he knows of Cephiro (and True Mokona too) and the magic they have access to, including whatever training the magic association put him through.

I think the main question is, was the Clow Card's actually made by him or did he steal it from the magic association? Do the cards attach themselves to their most powerful user, meaning they had another owner and another name in the past?

[imaginalgrimoire]

Cards by suits (bigger image) / Cards by elements (bigger image)

I recently bought a pack of Clow cards, and since it's going to take approximately an eternity to ship to me, I reading into the different methods for sorting the cards. I find it easier to understand things when I have a visual aid, so I thought I'd share these things I put together.

CLAMP's Clow Card Fortune Book sorts all of the cards (except The Nothing/The Hope) into playing card suits, so I made an image that lays organizes the cards into those groups along with the colors that CLAMP assigned to each suit. I also added the tarot equivalent of each suit and the element that's usually assigned to them, although I don't know how much CLAMP relied on the tarot meanings.

Then I sorted the cards into their element/guardian groups, which will probably be more familiar to fans. I also put the suits/colors on each card so it's easier to see patterns in the groups. For example, The Earthy rules over mostly over diamonds (pentacles/earth cards), but The Watery rules over mostly spades (swords/air) and has no hearts (cups/water), so I can't decide whether or not I should just disregard the tarot equivalents completely.

Anyway, I thought this was interesting, so let me know if you have any thoughts.

[imaginalgrimoire]

Never Knew the Clow Cards Had Such a Structured Hierarchy

The 52 Cards are divided into 6 Houses of the Four Elements (Wind, Water, Fire, Earth) and Two Attributes (Light and Dark). And 3 of the 6 Houses are under the stewardship of one of the Two Guardians, Cerberus (Light, Fire, and Earth) and Yue (Dark, Water, and Wind). The Guardians are immune to the effects of Cards under their jurisdiction and can only be effected (or harmed) by those belonging to the second guardian.

Six Houses: The Dark •  The Earthy •  The Firey •  The Light •  The Watery •  The Windy

Cards Under Cerberus - Light, Firey, Earthy

Cards Under the Light: The Big •  The Create •  The Glow •  The Little •  The Return •  The Shadow •  The Sweet

Cards Under The Firey: The Arrow •  The Fight •  The Power •  The Shot •  The Sword •  The Through •  The Thunder •  The Twin

Cards Under the Earthy: The Flower •  The Libra •  The Lock •  The Loop •  The Maze •  The Mirror •  The Sand •  The Shield

Cards Under Yue - Dark, Watery, Windy

Cards Under The Dark: The Change •  The Dream •  The Erase •  The Illusion •  The Silent •  The Sleep •  The Time

Cards Under The Watery: The Bubbles •  The Cloud •  The Freeze •  The Mist •  The Rain •  The Snow •  The Wave •  The Wood

Cards Under The Windy: The Dash •  The Float •  The Fly •  The Jump •  The Move •  The Song •  The Storm •  The Voice