Cartomancy, the art of divination through a deck of cards.

     Within this discipline you will find a growing variety of custom design card decks that can be used for the more traditional styles of tarot fortune-telling, as well as a common set of poker playing cards.

     But first, we must make one thing very clear.

     We reject the concept and the practice of common tarot. The system we support is a deck that Xonrad has been developing, and allowing to mature, over the past decade.  It is radically alien in philosophy, concept and application to established tarots.
     At this point in time, the only information Xonrad will reveal is that the deck weighs in at 88 cards.

     The reason for our stance is that we reject the medieval concept of man and the philosophy of humanism at large.  Sadly the majority of our society has no conception that the ideals and values of 'modern man' are in fact a medieval invention.  Subsequently, all the varied tarot card systems are based on two things.  Feudal caste mechanics and humanist ideals.

"But that can't be right, I've seen tarots based on Ancient Egypt, and other non-European themes!"

     Ah yes... all of it a fancy mythology.  While the history of tarot says it originated from the orient, what we have today are not those long lost original systems and assorted other esoteric card games.  Rather it is a variety of decks that all originate from systems that were defined and distributed, bar none, in the European Medieval era.
     The root of all common tarot share these ideals.
     First you need a basic understanding of European socio-economic history, current, medieval  and pre-imperial-ancient.  Then apply an understanding of humanist philosophy, both its theoretical triumphs  and its failings.  You now have a practical ability to dissect the methodology behind common tarot readers and the psychological tools they rely upon to manipulate a session into fortuna.

     That is not to say all tarot readers are out to swindle you. Indeed, many do not even realise they are employing these psychological skills and tactics on a subconscious level, so they genuinely believe they are psychic and/or omnipotent.

     The key to common cartomantic readings is behaviour profiling and the manipulation of personality archetypes.

     But before anyone thinks to cry unethical, keep in mind that this is precisely how the common tarot was designed to be used.  To force the point of ethics would be akin to saying a suicide bomber blew up such-and-such bistro in an unethical manner.

To reiterate, we here at the Horrorscope do not condone the use of common tarot beyond that of research and other historical purposes.