The Great October Book Giveaway - Cards and Cartomancy

The following folks are taking home cartomancy prize-packages:

lillie8302 - 54 Devils and the Sleepy Hollow cards
Tessa - 54 Devils and the Midnight Calaveras cards
dampviolets - Kat - Fortune Telling Using Playing Cards and the Bone Riders deck


Tonight the clouds are racing across the moon, and the wind is just substantial enough to send a ghostly kiss along the back of your neck. It is a delightful night for divination. After all, who doesn't want to know what the deeper recesses of October will offer up?

What will help you tell your tales then? What tools will you unwrap from silk cloth to answer your questions? You could throw the bones, or your own magpie collection of charms and oddities. You could scry into flame or water or black bowl. You might shuffle the Tarot. Or...you could take out that innocuous deck of playing cards you rarely use anymore, and try an age-old system of prophesying with pips and royals.

On a recent trip, while languishing in an airport during an extra-long layover, I realized that I had forgotten to pack the tarot deck I wanted to bring with me. I found a deck of playing cards in one of the terminal's shops and sat down to whip up a quick divination system that I knew I could remember and work with. Much of the system I mashed together in that airport was inspired by the work of Cory Thomas Hutcheson of New World Witchery fame. His wonderful book 54 Devils: The Art and Folklore of Fortune-Telling with Playing Cards, is a concise and fascinating look at his own system of reading with the cards. He offers a glimpse at some intriguing folklore, as well as illustrating a very clever way of formulating a story with your cards by applying fairy tales. I gave a few copies of this book away when it was first published in 2013, and since it has proven itself so wildly useful to me I wanted to share it with you again.

And just to toss some variety into the cauldron, a second cartomancy book focusing on making use of your dusty old poker deck, is also up for grabs. Fortune Telling Using Playing Cards, by the late Jonathan Dee, an astrologer and clairvoyant, adds astrological associations and symbolism to the meanings of the cards. I've got two copies of 54 Devils to pass along, and one copy of this lovely guide.

 You don't think I'd leave you without cards to use, did you? Forget your shuffled-to-oblivion bridge deck or your gin rummy cards that might actually have a bit too much gin or rum spilled on them. Let's get you started with a crisp, new package of cards with a bit of October flair.

I have two incredibly fun, spectral decks from Art of Play to pass along (and both are sold out on their site now, unsurprisingly*). The Bone Riders deck and the Sleepy Hollow cards are up for grabs, and I have one pack of Midnight Calaveras playing cards from Dead on Paper for someone very fortunate. Any one of these decks are sure to add some Halloween spirit to your readings.

Each one of the three winners in this giveaway will receive one of the above books and one deck of cards. The three names will be drawn on October 11th at 8 pm Pacific time. The winners will be notified by email and their names will be added to the top of the post, and then we will carry right along with the next bit of mischief.

Your comment here counts as your entry. If you'd like to share this giveaway on your favourite social media platform or any number of other ways (blog, sky-writing, email-spam (don't do that)) feel free to swing back around and let me know and I'll toss your name into the witch's hat a second time. There are a few reasons the comments form may not work for you (it does require some vague form of verification so I don't get gremlins) so if you have difficulty or are terribly shy, then just pop me a note via the "make contact" link at the top and I'll add you in. Please make sure there is an email address attached to your entry or linked to your comment in some way so I can be in touch if I draw your name.

*Decks are restocked at Art of Play

Top photo is my own. All other photographs are linked back to their source and are property of and copyright to those sources and only employed here to display their product.

Legal Bits:

* This giveaway (or "sweepstakes") is open to all residents of Canada, (exluding Quebec residents) the USA, Great Britain, Europe, South America,  who are 18 years of age or older. This giveaway is void where prohitibited by law.  Please be aware of the contest/sweepstakes laws in your area.

*  Canadian residents will be subject to a skill testing question before being able to claim their prize (this is standard law in Canada).  The skill testing question will be in a form similar to: 1 + 2 - 1 =

*  This giveaway is not for profit and no purchase is necessary to enter.

*  This giveaway is sponsored/administrated solely by this blog/blog author and is not affilitated with or sponsored by Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, or any other entity, nor can they be held liable.

* By leaving a comment intending to enter into the draw for the giveaway (or "sweepstakes") you are knowingly agreeing to these rules/conditions.

I have chosen all the books/cards featured this month myself.  I have not been paid to feature a book, nor have I been asked to advertise for anyone.  This giveaway is not endorsed or sponsored by anyone other than Rue and Hyssop