I have had custom made elemental cards for some time now. I am not sure what to call them to accept what they are. They are the 5 western elements of fire, air, water, earth, and spirit. You are probably familiar with these symbols. They appear in popular culture and are found throughout occult and esoteric writings.
I had originally designed these cards as a way to perform the Zener card test with a different set of 5 symbols. The inspiration for these cards came from Golden Dawn Magick. The text describes how a magician can use these symbols for scrying and divinity.
As I was making the deck I had begun to realize that there was much more I could do with these cards. Not only are there the 5 elements, but there are also 25 sub-elements. These are elements within other elements.
The sub-elements can be found in the court cards of some Tarot decks based on hermeticism or golden dawn teachings. For example, Queens are associated with the element water, so the queen will be a sub-element of water within the governing suit in the minor arcana. For example, the Queen of Swords would be water in air.
While making these cards I realized that they have the potential to be used in other ways beyond the Zener card test.
“The five elements are important for learning spirituality, and by spirituality I mean the undertaking of your enlightenment through whatever means possible”.
The Odds of a New Deck
I realized the sub elemental cards can mean something else in the Zener card test. Because they have two elements on them I counted them as hits if I had guessed either of the element correctly. For the Zener card test, the sub-elements allow for an increased chance of getting the right answer.
I made the deck with 75 cards. 50 cards are the regular elements and 25 are the sub-elements with elements inside of others. I wanted symmetry in the deck, and I felt that having twice as many regular elements to sub-elements would create that.
I performed the test a certain way to ensure that the odds are reset on every guess. You can learn more about those odds in the conclusion of the Zener card diary here.
I appreciate multipurpose devices. So, I wanted the cards to have more than one function. I wanted to have the opportunity to do vision work with the cards, and can create unique card spreads as well.
The Matrix
I had begun to devise a way to use the cards in a matrix. I split the deck in half. Then I arrange each stack parallel to each other with enough space between them for two cards. I draw first from whatever stack I want I place it in front of the deck within the space between the two stacks. Then I draw from the other stack and place the card in front of it. From here it will look like you have one stack of cards, two cards, then the other stack of cards all in a row. From there I alternate drawing from each stack and using my intuition to place the cards.
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