I've slowed down considerably in buying new tarot and oracle decks over the last couple of years. It's not that I don't lust after the latest-and-greatest releases touted by people I trust on the cartomancy forums, it's just that - short of superlative artwork or a magnificent companion book - there just isn't much to … Continue reading Wish List for 2018
Lenormand – General
“Is It Butter or . . .”
Some of you old-timers will remember the Parkay Margarine commercials from the 1970s where the Parkay box kept denying its oily origins by blurting "Butter!" Something similar has been happening in the world of Lenormand reading since the New Age tarot crowd got hold of it, and it has been the cause of recurring "flame … Continue reading “Is It Butter or . . .”
Cutting-Edge Cartomancy
The Cartomancer is a glossy, elegant, high-quality and high-caliber quarterly international journal for the card-reading enthusiast, mainly focusing on Tarot, Lenormand and Oracle deck study and practice. After a distinguished turn at the helm by Jadzia deForest, the publication has now been purchased and is being published by Arwen Lynch-Poe. This is Arwen's inaugural effort, … Continue reading Cutting-Edge Cartomancy
A Lenormand Grand Tableau Layout Map
If you're like me, you have yet to memorize all 36 of the Grand Tableau house position titles to the point that you don't need a cheat-sheet, even after using the GT for several years. The obvious solution is to buy a pre-printed GT spread cloth, and I tried to do that. But that won't … Continue reading A Lenormand Grand Tableau Layout Map
Cheap Shots #20: Sliding Scale or Slippery Slope?
This topic has reared it's hoary old head once again on the tarot forums: why are the Lenormand cards considered to be totally literal (as opposed to more psychological) in their focus on events, and when did that start? Since it was aimed at Lenormand reading, my reply was slanted that way, but it really … Continue reading Cheap Shots #20: Sliding Scale or Slippery Slope?
Lenormand Recidivism
When it comes to reading the Petit Lenromand, I'm an unabashed throwback to an earlier era. The traditional decks with their simple, spare images are, as a rule, more immediately readable than many of the modern decks and their symbolic revisionism, however skillfully executed. As a trained graphic artist, I do appreciate a visually sumptuous … Continue reading Lenormand Recidivism
“Cheap Shots” #11: Prescriptive vs. Improvisational
In considering the limited role of intuition in reading the Lenormand cards, I hit upon the term "improvisational" as the best way to describe my method of putting together card combinations. Taken one at a time, Lenormand cards are quite literal in meaning. They are descriptive, not suggestive in the way tarot cards can often … Continue reading “Cheap Shots” #11: Prescriptive vs. Improvisational
The Perfect Lenormand
This isn't a recommendation, it's a lament: I have yet to find my ideal Lenormand deck. When I first started reading the Lenormand cards in 2011, I bought the Piatnik and then Laura Tuan's very large Lenormand Oracle (which I still use primarily to lay out a "foundation" of houses to spread the reading cards … Continue reading The Perfect Lenormand
The Grand Tableau – Lenormand “Multi-Tool”
Most of us are familiar with the “multi-tools” used by craftsmen and handymen; Leatherman makes one and the ubiquitous “Swiss Army Knife” is another. They allow the wielder to perform a variety of dissimilar tasks without relying on an arsenal of task-specific implements. The 36-card Grand Tableau – one of the oldest card arrangements in … Continue reading The Grand Tableau – Lenormand “Multi-Tool”
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 