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Ex Tenebris Marking System

The document describes a unique card deck featuring a design that encodes card values and suits through a system of moon cycles and sun rays. The position of the full moon indicates the suit, while the sun rays determine the card's value, with a specific ray being the key to identification. With practice, users can quickly decode the markings hidden within the deck's design.

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ernieoporto
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674 views5 pages

Ex Tenebris Marking System

The document describes a unique card deck featuring a design that encodes card values and suits through a system of moon cycles and sun rays. The position of the full moon indicates the suit, while the sun rays determine the card's value, with a specific ray being the key to identification. With practice, users can quickly decode the markings hidden within the deck's design.

Uploaded by

ernieoporto
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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“A secret’s worth depends on the

people from whom it must be kept.”


–Carlos Ruiz Zafón

All rights reserved - copyright 2025 - No reproduction or distribution permitted


Intellectual Property of Stephane Lacroix
These cards feature a unique marking system that animates when the deck is riffled, creating the illusion of a rotating
moon cycle surrounded by radiating sun rays. This astrological-inspired design cleverly encodes the card’s value, allow-
ing for quick recognition from a distance once understood. To ensure readability from any orientation, the markings are
mirrored twice within the design.

The hidden information is embedded within two key elements:


The 4 moon cycles at the top center & the 13 sun rays on the left-hand side.

Let’s start with the suits


These are encoded within the moon cycles. Among the four phases, the key indicator is the FULL MOON. Its position
within the sequence determines the suit. Reading clockwise from the top left cycle, the placement of the FULL MOON
reveals the suit.

SPADES HEARTS

Position 1 (Top Left)


Spades (has 1 point)

K
Position 2 (Top Right) Q
J DIAMONDS CLUBS
Hearts (has 2 mounds) 10
9
8
7
6
Position 3 (Bottom Right) 5
Clubs (has 3 leaves) 4
3
2
A
Position 4 (Bottom Left)
Diamonds (has 4 corners)
Next, we move to the card’s value
This is determined by the 13 sun rays, counted from bottom to top.
(Lowest ray representing Ace and the highest representing King)

Each ray features alternating thick and thin dashes—except for one. Only one ray is both thick and solid, and this is
your key to identifying the card’s value. While counting 13 rays might seem daunting, recognizing the value is surprisingly
quick once you know where to look.

THE PROCESS BEGINS BY IDENTIFYING 3 KEY REFERENCE POINTS

- Bottom / Ace
SPADES HEARTS

- Middle / 7
- Top / King

From these anchors,


four additional values K
Q
can be quickly spotted J DIAMONDS CLUBS
by checking the rays 10
9
adjacent to them: 8
7
6
- 2 / 6 / 8 / Queen 5
4
3
2
A
Finally, the remaining
six values are easily
skimmed in sequence
from the bottom up:

- 3 / 4 / 5 / 9 / 10 / Jack

With just a bit of practice, this system becomes second nature, allowing you to instantly decode the markings while
they remain hidden within the deck’s elegant astrological and symbolic design. Use the following YouTube link to practice.
Simply pause the video at a random moment, and try to guess the card by finding the FULL MOON and SOLID THICK LINE.

https://youtu.be/NkzO3PA8qE0
All rights reserved - copyright 2025 - No reproduction or distribution permitted
Intellectual Property of Stephane Lacroix

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