AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the song of the title, bluesman Albert Collins complains of a wife who is clueless about her devoted husband's faithfulness toward her and is always doubting him without proof. Her eyes are open ("lights are on") but her head seems to be empty of reason ("nobody's home"). Some Lenormand readers experience an … Continue reading Lenormand Houses: “Lights Are On But Nobody’s Home”
Lenormand – General
The “Trickle-Down” Theory of Tableau Reading
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Any tableau-style layout in the Lenormand system of divination (that is, one with a vertical as well as a horizontal axis) entails consideration of the direction of flow. Because of the way the original Game of Hope play proceeded (from the Rider at the top left to the Cross at the bottom right), … Continue reading The “Trickle-Down” Theory of Tableau Reading
Lenormand “Clutter Cards” – An Unpopular Opinion
AUTHOR'S NOTE: No, that isn't a typo. There is an assumption in Lenormand circles that nearly all of the life-area or "theme" cards are joined by other cards of a trivially congruent nature - together called "clusters" - that reinforce the message, and that all of these cards should be considered as part of the … Continue reading Lenormand “Clutter Cards” – An Unpopular Opinion
The “Gestalt Overview” in Cartomancy
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In developing this essay I borrowed from the way I've always read tarot since, at least in this one instance, the visual integration of both tarot cards and Lenormand cards in large layouts is almost identical, although Lenormand exhibits more formal structure in terms of what I call "sub-routines" or "protocols." Unlike the … Continue reading The “Gestalt Overview” in Cartomancy
Narrative or Descriptive Reading: A Cartomantic Divide
AUTHOR'S NOTE: During my studies I occasionally see a distinction being made between a narrative "storytelling" approach to explaining the cards in a reading, in which a series of scenes is presented much like the panels of a comic strip, and a less-anecdotal descriptive style that defines the broader relationship among the cards, often in … Continue reading Narrative or Descriptive Reading: A Cartomantic Divide
Don’t Accept “Maybe . . .”
. . . when "Yes" or "No" will do. AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is a strong bias in the cartomantic community against putting simple "yes-or-no" questions to the cards. Such efforts are seen as no better than a coin-flip, an odd-or-even roll of the dice or any other 50/50 divination method, and when they do invoke … Continue reading Don’t Accept “Maybe . . .”
“Exclamation-Point” Cards (!)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just came across the notion that some cards in a reading can add an exclamation point or "Aha!" emphasis to whatever message the rest of the cards are trying to convey, in effect imparting some certainty to the forecast. (Thank you Lisa Young-Sutton for the inspiration!) In Lenormand readings this honor falls … Continue reading “Exclamation-Point” Cards (!)
The Marginalized Significator: Five Solutions
AUTHOR'S NOTE: A unique challenge occasionally arises when throwing a Lenormand Grand Tableau in which the Significator Card (SC) lands in the far-right column of the layout with no cards to its immediate right. This results in an irregular matrix of surrounding cards that sheds a few of the interpretive angles typically present with a … Continue reading The Marginalized Significator: Five Solutions
Best Foot Forward: A Lenormand Personality Matrix
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although I very seldom use the Lenormand cards for any psychological purpose (subconscious self-awareness, mind-reading, character analysis, personality profiling, etc), I'm always looking for legitimate ways to do so that won't outrage my non-mystical cartomantic sensibilities. Here's one that comes from a "best-case-scenario" perspective that can be used as a template for a … Continue reading Best Foot Forward: A Lenormand Personality Matrix
A Narrow Way
". . . 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 … Continue reading A Narrow Way
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 