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
Lenormand Opinion
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
The Cross in Context: Millstone or Turning Point?
". . . one of the most negative cards in the deck." (Andy Boroveshengra, Lenormand, Thirty Six Cards) AUTHOR'S NOTE: As one of the "stop" cards in Lenormand, the Cross is particularly sensitive to where it appears in a reading. We may be tempted to lump it in with the Coffin as showing a clear … Continue reading The Cross in Context: Millstone or Turning Point?
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
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
“Sex Cards” in Lenormand
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
“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”
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
The Lenormand Key: “This Is The Way”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here I'm pinching the motto of the Mandalorians from the Disney Star Wars expansion series to explain what the Key card in Lenormand means as an expression of "Yes." I've always found the interpretation of the Key in a reading to be awkward. OK, it means "Yes," but "Yes, what?" It seems to … Continue reading The Lenormand Key: “This Is The Way”
“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
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 