MEANINGS OF THE SIBILLA CARDS
Cheerfulness-Description: This card depicts a trio of happy people holding their glasses up to each other in a toast. Meanings: There has been some success, victory or happy news; a goal reached, employment secured, a promotion attained, a fortune made on some brilliant idea, an engagement or pregnancy announced. Or maybe it’s just a holiday, and they’re in good spirits. In any event, this card foretells some cause for celebration or good cheer. Reversed: Bad news; a celebration either cut-short or cancelled altogether by bad news. Initial celebratory spirits give way to growing concern—perhaps the ‘victory’ wasn’t as total or as long-lasting as they had hoped. An initial stroke of good fortune may have suddenly and unexpectedly reversed into bad fortune.
Child-Description: Either a baby in its bassinet, or a very young child playing. Meanings: It can actually represent a baby or child in the reading, or it can represent someone with a childlike—or childish—mind. The child can represent any new enterprise beginning; a new relationship, a fresh start, a new project beginning, a long-lived and beneficial window of opportunity opening up. It can also represent a pregnancy, birth, hopes for the child, or childhood. It can also represent naivety, inexperience, or what followers of eastern spirituality would call ‘beginner’s mind.’ Reversed: Miscarriage, stillbirth, death of a child, or desires for parenthood not realized. There may be a fear of losing something which has only recently begun, whether it’s a child, a new business, or a new relationship. Something which started out promisingly, goes wrong, crashed and burns.
Consolation-Description: A man sitting on a terrace reading is surprised by an angel bearing gifts. Meanings: A sudden, unexpected, and pleasant surprise is coming for the inquirer. If they have been suffering a bereavement recently, they made be assured a sweet salve to their spirit is coming. This can also herald deserved rewards coming to someone who has firmly-believed in their ideas, and as a result, sees their hopes and dreams coming to fruition. Reversed: If the inquirer was hoping for some consolation prize to alleviate their current sad situation, it isn’t coming. This may be because of external factors, not because they don’t deserve some consolation, but in any event, they’re on their own. This card reversed could also represent missed or wasted opportunities.
Constancy-Description: A woman with erect bearing stands leaning one arm on a broken-off pillar and stares resolutely off into the distance. Meanings: Commitments are honored, lovers are faithful, the long-distance runner stays in and finishes the race. The inquirer may be assured that they will not be abandoned by the other party in the reading, because the other party is dedicated, persistent, reliable, and will honor their obligation. Reversed: Inconsistency, unreliability, or lack of dedication to the task or relationship in front of one could result in a set-back, a loss, or a missed opportunity. If the inquirer is concerned about the fidelity of a friend, lover, or partner in an agreement, this card reversed says they have reason to be worried, for this person is inconstant.
Conversation-Description: A young woman is seated outdoors, in conversation with several friends; they appear attentive to and interested in what she has to say. Meanings: This can be a get-together with friends, a family meeting or a business meeting. This is issues discussed, ideas tossed out there, pros and cons weighed, and decisions made. A chance for clarification, explanations or apologies, if need be, will present itself; if the inquirer is in some way at fault, they should take advantage of this and apologize. Reversed: Conversation which generates more heat than light around an issue. This may be a time when silence is golden, because conversation about the matter would make things worse, not better. A conversation deteriorates into an argument, or people are talking past each other, because they aren’t even using the same frames of reference. This could be backstabbing, slanderous, untrue, gossipy talk. Conspiracy theorists. A conversation starts a bad idea into motion.
Death-Description: A bat-winged figure flies through darkening skies with a scythe in one hand and a human skull in the other. Meanings: Something is coming to an end, which may or may not be a good thing. This card can foretell a death, but whatever is ending, the inquirer is reminded that sometimes something must end because it is time for something new to enter into our lives. Whatever is ending or leaving the inquirer’s life, it is time. Reversed: A death or ending which causes harm. A permanent loss or an upheaval in the inquirer’s life, due to the malicious or deceitful actions of others. Some nefarious, shocking or unreasonable event which causes the inquirer to endure a long negative period. Some hidden enemy could be working against the inquirer.
Despair-Description: In some decks, a man is seated at a desk with either a letter or bills on it, or someone’s picture, and his head in his hands. In other decks, the man has stood up from the desk and is holding a gun to his head. Meanings: Someone facing utter catastrophe, or in a very bad state-of-mind. Either it is financial ruin, relationship ruin, or reputational ruin. Or some combination of the three, plus something else. In addition to showing despair, this card can indicate someone either contemplating suicide, or so completely possessed by jealousy, they are tempted to commit an irrational, dangerous or despicable act. Reversed: Someone is either near-despair, or they have been deep despair, but haven’t done anything irrational–yet. Someone talked-off the ledge. The individual may be suffering from nervousness and fatigue, and may be hearing falsehoods being bandied-about, which have them distraught. Encourage the inquirer to be courageous and persistent in pursuit of a better day. They may also want to double-check the information they received, before they do anything rash—it may be false.
Doctor-Description: A patient is consulting a doctor, who appears to be either checking their pulse or reassuring them. Meanings: Medical issues; the inquirer may have a condition for which they need to see a doctor, or have been receiving medical treatment. If not, the doctor could be any person who can be trusted to provide wise, trustworthy, reassuring and authoritative advice. The inquirer maybe should seek advice in how to get out of a situation they’re currently facing. Reversed: The inquirer may be close-minded and refusing help or wise advice. Or, the trusted person is of no help and may actually have hindered the resolution of a situation. Someone the inquirer looks up to and trusts may disappoint them. If a medical condition, the doctor may have bad news.
Thank your for this post, this is amazing and very helpful! 🙂 Unfortunately there is very few material about Sibilla cards out there.
The Sibilla deck isn’t as famous as the Tarot deck, but it seems to be getting a little more attention in recent years. I know of at least one card reader/psychic on YouTube who uses them.
I do not know anyone on youtube that use them. Could you send me the link? In Brazil many people use Sibilla, but it seems people do not teach much about how to use them. I’ve seen a series of videos from a brazilian sibilla reader that helped me a lot, but I still like to look for other sources.
Thanks so very much for sharing your knowledge!! I’m just beginning Sibilla and simply love your willingness to help others learn. 🤗
You’re quite welcome! It’s odd–I’ve never wanted to be a teacher, but when it comes to the subject of divination, I have this odd tendency to slip into teacher-mode. I’ve been a ‘collector’ of various divination methods over the years, and I enjoy sharing them with others.
One psychic card reader on YouTube, who only goes by the name of Marie (her YouTube channel is called Marie’s Table), sometimes uses Sibilla Cards, although she calls them by the ‘brand-name’ of her particular Sibilla deck, the ‘Gypsy Oracle Cards’. Her YouTube channel is at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBwF07inC7P3z5tsSPNNHtw. I hope this helps!
She really seems to use it a lot. The problem is that she only reads about Trump lol.
Sadly, he’s a huge target for readings these days! I look forward to the day when he’s just a distant memory, and not a big focus of concern. I like it when Marie uses the Gypsy Oracle Card Sibilla deck, because those, I have a pretty-good grasp of.
Indeed. I found out some people are making many readings about Bolsonaro in Brazil as well. They are more accurante than the ones of Mary. I feel Mary often shuffles it wrongly and doesn’t formulate good questions…”What’s going on with Trump?” It is such a vague question in my opinion…
Hello, look for Tom Benjamin and Kelly The Truth in Story in YOU TUBE, both read and have some teaching there with Sibillas.
Thanks for the tip!
Discovered Lenormands and Sibillas just a few months back after many years of being a Tarot chick and, they’re just neat. I’ve personally enountered three different systems, the Vera Sibilla, the Sibilla Indovina, which is the one I seem to be clicking with, but that might just be a function of more attractive artwork on the cards and… the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing cards/Maybe Lenormand, which has the most variation from the other two. My guess is that Mlle Lenormand was most likely using plain vanilla playing cards for her readings. They’re an old tried and true, after all.
Not to be contrary, but some Sibilla cards are “numbered” both “Salons” and “La Vera” use regular playing card suits and numbering. The Gypsy Oracle or Sibilla “Ze…” something isn’t numbered, and that is the one you are using here.
For people learning, I think this is a very important distinction that doesn’t seem to come across in your article. If I missed where that information was put in I do apologize.
I know you did mention there are other versions of the deck. But you state with some conviction that Sibilla cards aren’t numbered and that just isn’t true.
Ah, I was unaware of that. Thank you for setting me straight. And you’re right; it’s an important distinction which I should have been aware of before posting. Clearly I will need to re-visit and revise that article sometime soon.
I now use the Sibilla almost exclusively as it delivers the exact kind of details my clients are looking for. Just as an aside traditionally the significators are the two Lovers (Jack and Queen of Hearts). I recoiled in horror at the thought of using the Soldier as a significator! Totally understand your reasoning though as there is very little out there so it’s a kind of feel your way along experience and of course whatever works for you is the best way to do it! There is a good (debated) book in English called Italian Cartomancy by Alessandra Venturi, which, if it is arguable about whether her method is truly traditional, at least gives a native Italian reader’s take on the Sibilla. It has lots of info not found elsewhere. The problems with it are a) It’s difficult to find and b) she gives no reading methods, just an in-depth look at each card, upright and reversed. Apparently the methods will be explained in the next book, which hasn’t appeared. There’s also some controversy about her traditional meaning of the Peacock or Pridefulness card (2 Clubs). Some traditionalists view this as a highly negative card, but Venturi reads it as one of the most positive cards in the deck. After observing my readings I have found the latter to be the case, but some of her other meanings didn’t ring true to me. However, lacking anything better this is probably the best source on card meanings. I just wish the author would release an ebook version and also publish the next two promised books in the series which deal with the methods and combinations.
I really love this deck, although I use the more traditional version mentioned in the comments above as it has the card values which add to my interpretations. Before I discovered the Venturi book I used to sit and pull 5 cards from the deck before pressing play on a true crime show and seeing if I could figure out the murderer. I learned a lot that way and it’s great fun. Like the tarot the traditional meanings are great to know, but your own observations alongside is the best way to go.
Also I use the line of 5 or 7 mostly, although the 9 card box works well. I hadn’t thought about trying a bigger block, but I’m certainly going to give it a go. I have found that Lenormand techniques such as mirroring work great with the Sibilla too, though I know some people will read this and recoil at THAT 😀
Thank you for the information! That’s what I like about the Sibilla deck, and the Kipper deck as well–they get into the nitty-gritty details of people’s lives. They don’t call for people to do any deep, meditative thought, they just show people what is going on in their world, right here and right now, and that is what most people want, I think. If at all, the Soldier card would be a significator *only* for a very specific sort of client, one who has made a career of the military. I can understand your recoiling at the idea of using it as a significator for anybody.
Sorry! Love to share info and I forgot to say that Venturi also introduced me to the concept of strong and weak suits. Hearts and Spades are strong and Clubs and Diamonds are weak, barring a few exceptions (for example the Peacock being highly fortunate despite being in Clubs). The strong suits overpower the weaker and are given much more prominence in a reading. It helps me pull out nuance for a reading I would never have gotten otherwise. Of course you need the other, more traditional deck, with the card numbers to be able to use this unless you have an excellent memory. And one final tip. There are two versions of the traditional deck, both have the card inserts, but one has the little pictures like we’re used to while the other, made for the Italian market, simply has a letter and the number. This can be confusing for new readers as C is not Clubs it’s Hearts (Cuore), F is Clubs etc so it’s another thing you need to memorise. Much easier for a beginner to get the other deck.