Ana Cortez’s System

[WizardintheWoods]

Hello All,

 

Does anyone have any insight into the system of Ana Cortez ?  It is radically different from other Playing Card reading systems I hear, but nothing either Pro or Con. There are courses on her website and such but I am looking more for the “between we Reader’s info” rather than the Creator’s. Not looking to high praise or rip the system, just again any insight you may have. 
 

Thanks in advance if you can help out!

[RunningWild]

I see no one has answered yet so I’ll try.  I have the deck and book.  It’s a whole system unto itself.  I didn’t gel with it when I first got it because it’s quite involved IMO.  My deck and book are set aside for when I’m feeling a need for something very different.  That hasn’t happened yet.

 

If you go to www.tarotforum.net. (Aeclectic) and type Ana Cortez in the search box and then scroll down a bit, you’ll find reviews and card studies from people who used the system when it came out.  

[DanielJUK]

Paging @Moon-Hermit if she is browsing the forum in future, this is her area 🙂 

[Marina]

Hi there @WizardintheWoods!

Yes, I own Ana Cortez decks and books, and I have been using them regularly for about 15 years now. I first bought the original deck and book back in 2007, but only got serious into it in 2010. Ever since, it has become my favourite deck and divination method using playing cards. I have written about the Playing Card Oracles and shared many readings using it in my blog, over the years.

Anyway, it’s a very good system, with solid internal consistency. However, it does require that you go open-minded, because many of the associations used are different from the tarot ones we are more used to. Ie. the suit-element associations. I know a lot of people struggle with it at first.

Also, although the deck can be used with any spread, it does have its own vertical 4-card spread,  which allows you not only to use the calendar system of the deck (yes, the deck can be used to try to predict timing within a one year timeframe), but also to enhance the elemental interplay between the cards, since each position of the spread is ruled by one element/suit. You see, suit/elemental interplay is a BIG thing in Ana’s method. That’s why it’s not the best deck for one card readings (though it certainly can be used that way, but you don’t get to see the elements interact as much). When reading, you consider not only the cards’ individual meanings, but how their suits/elements interact amongst themselves. Some suits are more compatible, some are less. Furthermore, the 4-card spread can be used to desire geomantic figures from, adding yet another layer.

So, it’s a system that CAN get rather complex, but you are free to go only as deep as you feel comfortable. You can do fairly good readings just using the book's basic meanings, for starters, so don’t be afraid to give it a try!
 

Ana explains all that in her books, which are:

• The Playing Card Oracles- the original book, which explains the basic system. It’s a fantastic book, a mix of divination, art and literature… It has everything you need to start reading!
• The Doors of Somlipith - the newest book, which comes in a set with a new deck. This book has almost all the information of the first one, but also many extra techniques Ana developed after her father passed away (they created the system together). It’s like the ‘higher octave’ of the first book.

I recommend starting with the first book, because The Doors of Somlipith can get a bit overwhelming if the system is completely new to you. 

FYI: there is more than one version of the deck, and they all were illustrated by Ana Cortez’s father, C.J. Freeman. C.J. was an artist fascinated by playing cards, and so he did a LOT of art about them. Over the years, Ana published the different versions of the deck her father designed, and all of them are compatible with her system, although the cards can look different and have different names. Below you can see two versions of the deck:

 

 

 

 

I hope I have helped somehow. Let me know if you have any more questions.
 

Edited May 5 by Marina

[Nemia]

Thank you, @Marina, that was very interesting. Which deck would you recommend? I bought Ana's book and read it some years ago, but haven't decided yet which of her decks would be best to work with. (I'm so stuck in tarot that I didn't make much progress with playing cards, Lenormand and Desta Katina cards, although I love them all and wish I could work with them!)

[Marina]

1 hour ago, Nemia said:

Thank you, @Marina, that was very interesting. Which deck would you recommend? I bought Ana's book and read it some years ago, but haven't decided yet which of her decks would be best to work with. (I'm so stuck in tarot that I didn't make much progress with playing cards, Lenormand and Desta Katina cards, although I love them all and wish I could work with them!)

 
Hi Nemia! Personally, I recommend the “standard” deck, published by US Games. It’s the deck most of people are familiar with when you speak of Playing Card Oracles, and the images match the original book.

 

BUT BUT BUT… if, for any reason, you dislike the original deck’s imagery, or if you really like your decks all colourful and fancy, you may prefer the Doors of Somlipith. It’s a set published by Schiffer/REDFeather, that comes with the new deck and book. 

 

Both versions are available on Amazon and other major stores, so they are not hard to get. And both will teach you Ana Cortez’s method, just through different images. 

[Moon-Hermit]

I'm VERY late, but that's because we haven't had any internet in Iran for three months straight. I'm glad to be back, though I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stay connected 🙂 Thank you dear @DanielJUK for paging me. ❤️

 

To answer @WizardintheWoods's question, I've studied and worked with the system for the past few years, alongside other ones. My method is not influenced by Ana Cortez's style all the way through, but some of her techniques are actually very useful. Others have already explained everything very clearly, but here's my own two cents (I've read her earlier book, so I'm giving my opinion based on that.):

 

The numerology and suit explanations make sense and pretty much click with everything else I've learned so far. So do the individual card meanings, except for a few ones here and there. But fundamentally, it all agrees with traditional cartomancy, and I don't think anyone would find it hard to understand.

The elements I associate with each suit are the same as Ana's, but I don't agree with her on seasons. For me, Diamonds are Spring, Hearts are Summer, Clubs are Autumn, and Spades are Winter. That is mainly because my primary source for card reading is the Hedgewytch method, and Dawn had explained in an old article (now unfortunately lost) that the seasonal and directional associations come from a tradition she was following in her Craft practice (which I guess was based on Cornwall cunning art practices, according to my research with the help of a few books on traditional witchcraft). But then again, I've found that the seasonal associations shouldn't hold anyone back. As long as you stick with one system, it all works out.

 

I like the illustrations, but not so much on the pips, as they make the cards look almost like RWS tarot; in other words I find them beautiful to look at, but not that practical when you want to sit down and have an actual reading... at least for me personally, they sort of limit the meanings. On the other hand, I LOVE the courts. I also agree with the way she explains them, I have recorded them in my journal, and I find the names to sound very magical and creative. For example, the King of Hearts is called the Good King Nicomiah. That helps create a stereotype in my mind and allow me to better identify people in my readings.

 

I think the major strength of the book and the method is the layout section. The Cat spread, for instance, is used for timing and I've come to experiment with it a lot. It works and gives accurate results. Ana also explains the spreads very beautifully, as if she's telling a story, and it does help with using them later on for readings. The other spreads like the Bullet or the Lost Man work SUPER affectively, not just with playing cards but also other playing card based systems such as the Lenormand oracle. 

 

I think the only thing I don't agree with is the way the Spades are portrayed, but that's just my opinion. As someone else already mentioned, the system relies heavily on elemental associations, so a spade next to a heart would be seen as compatible because water and earth in nature are compatible. I always see Spades as trouble or some minor nuisance at best.

 

She also incorporates geomancy into her readings and has some spreads dedicated to that. I experimented with the idea for a while, but eventually reached the conclusion that geomancy works best when it's cast and read on its own. I've tried it with the Lenormand and the playing cards, and while they added to the reading, they weren't that essential. I've found that simplicity is your best ally in cartomancy.

 

Overall, go on and study her method if you find it interesting. It's quite different from traditional cartomancy, with a pinch of magic in its everything. Ana Cortez is one of the good teachers one could find out there.

 

Wish I could be of help. Feel free to ask if you have any more questions regarding the method!

Edited 1 hour ago by Moon-Hermit