Enemy-Description: An armed man is hiding behind a tree along a lonely road or on an empty street, lying in wait for his quarry, who is approaching in the distance. Meanings: Someone or something is blocking the inquirer, so they need to be on guard, weigh the information they receive, and review it carefully. Someone may feel wronged by the inquirer, and seeks what they see as justice, but anyone else might call revenge. Warning: the inquirer may have a hidden enemy who may take them by surprise. Reversed: An enemy may become a friend or at least, cease to be a threat. Someone who gave the appearance of being an enemy turns out not to have been an enemy, and may have been putting on an act for a reason. An enemy who can do the inquirer no harm. Or, a situation resolves satisfactorily, in spite of an enemy involved.
Faithfulness-Description: A dog sits outdoors, staring off to one side, as if staring at its master in the distance. Meanings: The inquirer is either demonstrating the quality of fidelity, or someone else is showing this quality of character to them. There is a person or persons around them whom the inquirer can trust. Reversed: Disloyalty; betrayal; misplaced trust. Someone whose loyalty the inquirer was formerly able to trust withdraws their loyalty to the inquirer. Or the inquirer may have trusted the faithfulness of someone who, in the end, proved to be unworthy of that trust.
F
alseness-Description: A cat is sitting on a red cushion or carpet in a home. Meanings: A warning the inquirer may be dealing with an insincere, double-dealing person who is trying to manipulate them with false flattery. Empty promises, weak foundations or deception are present. Whether it’s a business partnership or a romantic one, the inquirer should equip themselves with a healthy dose of skepticism and be reluctant to commit. Reversed: Falsehood comes to an end: lies are exposed, truths come out, deceptions are revealed. The other cards around it will show if what is exposed is either worse than one thought, or not as bad as one feared. Fake sincerity, gossip, slander, and envy will cease to be a factor. If the inquirer was in doubt about another’s faithfulness, this card reversed means there’s been no deceit.
Foe-Description: A woman entering a home starts taking off her coat. Meanings: Someone who regards the inquirer as an enemy or target will interfere in their life. The Foe most often refers to a known enemy, such as an in-law, co-worker, neighbor, or someone else in one’s social milieu; the Enemy card refers to a hidden enemy. The Foe, though likely someone known to the inquirer, may also be someone close to them whom they don’t suspect. This could be a back-stabbing, slanderous person who seeks to sabotage the inquirers hopes, plans or ambitions. Reversed: If surrounded by negative cards, this could be a foe who is doing damage to the inquirer’s life and has no intention of stopping. If surrounded by positive cards, the foe’s damage will be minimal, or ineffectual; it may be possible to remove the threat.
Fortune-Description: A blindfolded Fortuna is standing on her wheel, and spilling a cornucopia full of money. Meanings: Is it your lucky day, or what? Whatever the inquirer is asking about, this card suggests their hopes will be realized, and a big monetary windfall could be involved too. This card is so positive in nature, it can even off-set some of the effect of surrounding negative cards. Fate will deliver to the inquirer a new beneficial period, a new job, a new love, a chance meeting which will affect their fate for the good, or a lucky win. No matter how dismal things may look now, the future is bright. Reversed: Luck is not on the inquirer’s side, so they will need to act prudently and decisively to address the situation. This could literally mean a ‘reversal of fortune’ but depending on the surrounding cards, the inquirer may be able to stem the loss.
Friend-Description: A young woman enters a room carrying a bouquet of flowers. Meanings: This could represent a kind, caring supportive friend, or group of friends the inquirer possesses, or a counselor who feels like a friend. This card can foretell unexpected favorable events, situations or circumstances. This card could be telling the inquirer they need to be a friend to either themselves or others. Reversed: Possible problem with a friend, maybe a misunderstanding or an indiscreet friend. A friend who isn’t there for you, and you have to deal with the situation alone. The inquirer could be feeling friendless and lonely, but do they seek out others, confide in others, or trust others? Depending on the surrounding cards, this could be a friend who becomes a false friend, foe, or enemy.
Frivolity-Description: A butterfly sits on a flower on a warm day, its beautiful wings spread. Meanings: In its most-positive interpretation, this card can indicate a lightness of spirit or a carefree existence. But mainly, this card suggests someone isn’t taking something at all seriously, whether it’s romance, work, or family obligations. Like the butterfly flitting from flower to flower, this person is not going to be faithful, responsible, or commit. At least, not yet. This could indicate a scatter-brained or flighty person in the picture. Reversed: This card reversed could mean the end of a light-hearted and carefree time, especially if surrounding cards support this. But it can also mean the end of superficial and irresponsible behavior, and show someone is getting down to business and being serious.
Gift-Description: An expensive gift sits on a table in a well-appointed room. Meanings: A situation which suddenly and dramatically improves. The inquirer could actually receive a gift of some kind. If negative cards are around, this gift could be a bribe, or a gift which comes with strings attached. More positively, this can represent overcoming a challenge or an obstacle, resulting in a reward, success, or esteem in the eyes of others. Reversed: An unexpected loss or debt. Either the gift is never received by the recipient, or it was hot merchandise to begin with, and the recipient has to surrender it to the authorities. A gift which is shown to have been a bribe, part of some criminal activity, or for which the giver expects some sort of compensation from the receiver.
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.