AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've always maintained that Lenormand doesn't need a unique sex card (just as it doesn't need a specific, universally-accepted "work" card or "health" card.) There are other ways to "flay the feline." Regarding sex, there are many cards that can deliver us to the brink (or push us down the slippery slope, as … Continue reading “Sex Cards” in Lenormand
Lenormand – General
Playing-Card Insets: Random Thoughts on Coffee Grounds and Numerology
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Two separate insights regarding the Lenormand playing-card insets have been gnawing at me lately. (Three if I count whether or not to even bother with them.) As a result of my cursory study of traditional cartomancy, I discovered that the divinatory meanings for the playing cards don't align all that well with those … Continue reading Playing-Card Insets: Random Thoughts on Coffee Grounds and Numerology
“That Special Ingredient”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In her book, The New Lenormand Oracle, Lisa Young-Sutton talks about intuition as the "special ingredient" we add to our readings in the same way we include unique flavors in our cooking to put our personal "stamp" or "signature" on it. For me it's Worcester sauce in any recipe that involves oil, butter, … Continue reading “That Special Ingredient”
Dots and Dashes: A Lenormand Experiment
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a blog post a while back, Mary Greer described the Lenormand card meanings we use today as having evolved from the reading of coffee-ground patterns that remained on the inside of a cup after the liquid had been consumed. (It apparently originated in the Middle East - mainly Turkey - where grounds … Continue reading Dots and Dashes: A Lenormand Experiment
Deconstructing the Grand Tableau (in Pictures)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This illustrated essay lays out my normal practice for interpretation of the Lenormand Grand Tableau, which I accomplish primarily by "deconstructing" it into smaller segments. I use the guidance in Andy Boroveshengra's book Lenormad, Thirty-Six Cards in my practice, including the Method of Distance (MOD) or "Near/Far" technique. I try to keep it … Continue reading Deconstructing the Grand Tableau (in Pictures)
The Lenormand Five-Card Cross: A Case of Event Horizons and Broadside Collisions
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I was recently involved in a discussion regarding the temporal nature of the horizontal, left-to-right line in a Lenormand reading and the fact that it doesn't automatically reflect a "Past/Present/Future" scenario. This dialogue occurred within a broader examination of the five-card cross layout, which I will explore further here. In most cases, I … Continue reading The Lenormand Five-Card Cross: A Case of Event Horizons and Broadside Collisions
Economies of Scale: A Lenormand Conundrum
AUTHOR'S NOTE: For my purpose here I've tweaked the business-management definition of economy of scale to read: "a proportionate saving in effort gained by an increased level of organization." The idea is that - up to a point - the broader the range of facts presented for analysis, the more productive it is to identify … Continue reading Economies of Scale: A Lenormand Conundrum
“Tarotizing, Psychologizing and Extemporizing” – The Bane of Lenormand
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've been busily engaged in the online Lenormand community, and three of my main concerns about the modern approach to reading the Lenormand cards are in full view. "Tarotization" (my own word for it) is the tendency for Lenormand neophytes arriving from the tarot majority to bring all of their interpretive baggage with … Continue reading “Tarotizing, Psychologizing and Extemporizing” – The Bane of Lenormand
Lenormand Logistics: Which Spread is Best?
AUTHOR'S NOTE: As I browse the Lenormand Facebook pages, sub-reddits and blogs, I inevitably encounter the three-card line as the "go-to" spread for just about any topic, even when there are better (or at least more comprehensive) options. Here I will examine the various traditional spreads in use today, but first I want to anonymously … Continue reading Lenormand Logistics: Which Spread is Best?
Pythagorean Number Theory and Lenormand
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although I'm normally a literalist in my reading of the Lenormand cards, this is the sort of thing that excites my imagination. Here I'm playing around with Pythagorean number theory as it might be applied to Lenormand. They are both traditional systems of thought that seem to be entirely compatible. The single-digit 1-to-9 … Continue reading Pythagorean Number Theory and Lenormand
