AUTHOR’S NOTE: Once again, I’m looking at romantic relationship potential with the Lenormand cards. Such theorizing is more commonly the purview of the online tarot reader, and none of the typical Lenormand “love” markers showed up in this limited pull, but it was a valid test of my six-card “expanded cross” layout that hangs together quite well.

The hypothetical situation involves a man and woman who are romantically interested in one another but circumstances have not aligned to allow connecting. I used the Old Style Lenormand cards for this reading.

The three-card horizontal row, Bear-Fish-Stork, shows a flow of events that is uniformly encouraging. Although I don’t usually read directionality or “facing” in Lenormand spreads, the Stork seems to be inviting the Bear and the Fish to join it and is waiting patiently for their arrival before carrying out its mission.

The Bear indicates reliability (sometimes a reliable woman) and a powerful incentive to proceed.

The Fish offers abundance.

The Stork brings favorable developments in the form of positive change.

The vertical three-card column depicts the external/internal dichotomy affecting the situation.

The Mice suggests that external acknowledgement of the affair will chastise them for having acted in bad faith should the individuals make good on their inclinations. It could mean a scandalous loss of honor, or being maliciously “put in their place.”

The Garden beneath the Fish displays the unspoken solidarity the couple will receive from their social network in this matter. Although the “back channel” could be afire with gossip, the situation won’t be openly criticized and it will be accepted without much comment. The cliches “closing ranks” and “we have your back” seem appropriate.

The Tower displays an inner acceptance of the long-range consequences of their actions, which may distance them from participation in certain communities.

Overall, as long as public censure can be weathered for a period of time, getting together looks like the right move. Although there is no Heart to show deep feelings, and no Ring conveying the likelihood of a formal commitment, the Fish and the Stork backed up by the Garden and the more positive side of the Tower supply all of the reinforcement necessary to make this a rewarding and durable bond, although some push-back seems inevitable.

The Mice portends that, no matter how salutary the arrangement proves to be at a personal level, people will try to “tear it down,” and the Tower – in addition to implying longevity in the relationship – hints at a withholding of formal public endorsement. They will have to make their own way with the support of their “inner circle” (Garden). This is not a new story, but one as old as human relationship dynamics that in times past often involved the stereotypical “mixed” or “broken” marriage.