“. . . strait is the gate and narrow is the way . . .” (Matthew 7:14, King James version)

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I received my early mentoring in the Lenormand cards directly from Andy Boroveshengra when we were both members of the Aeclectic Tarot forum, and I’ve been partial to his stripped-down style of interpretation ever since.

As I developed my own approach, I stayed true to this paradigm by choosing one key concept for each of the 36 cards and no more than one or two alternate meanings to invoke when the context of a reading seemed to require a different perspective. This has served me well over the past twelve years, enabling me to craft economical narratives that cut right to the heart of any situation with little of the hyper-inflated “bloat” that can arise from an overactive imagination and too much intuitive free-association from the images.

Lately I’ve been reading newer Lenormand books that stray as far as possible from this premise. They seem to be catering to an audience that was weaned on the impressionistic latitude of tarot reading in that they present a broad spectrum of often loosely-connected definitions (literally dozens of them) that try to be “all things to all people.” While the objective seems to be to address every conceivable reading scenario so the diviner can choose the best fit, the result only saps the dynamic vigor of the system by swamping it with elaborate detail of dubious affinity and marginal usefulness. Rather than urging their readers to extrapolate prudently from the kernel of traditional wisdom through diligent practice and applied insight, these authors present a cornucopia of vaguely similar ideas that invite laziness and do little to spark an understanding of the core principles. I call it the “throw everything at the wall to see what sticks” mentality. Trying to comprehend it feels like picking one’s way cautiously around the “leavings” in a dog-walking park

While staying within the “narrow way” of my title may seem stifling, it encourages the discipline appropriate to dealing with a very literal form of prediction. Modern tarot readers may be enamored of the wide-ranging psychological, sociological and spiritual implications of their chosen cartomantic method, but there is very little room for these techniques in the pragmatic world of Lenormand despite the completionist attitude of writers who insist on promoting them.

I find Lenormand to be a poor mind-reading tool, whether we are trying to penetrate the thinking of a potential love interest or hoping for a glimpse into the “Mind of God.” I’m reminded of the peregrinations of Voltaire’s Candide who, after roaming the world in search of philosophical truth, finally decided that it would be best to humbly “tend his garden.” Tarot readers entering this realm expecting to find a high-powered model of psycho-spiritual awareness and analysis should be handed a watering can, a trowel and a big jug of “mystical woo repellent.” The best advice would be to “Watch where you step and apply any ‘fertilzer’ sparingly.”