AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is an ongoing discussion on one of the Lenormand sites regarding which spread is best for both short-range and long-range readings. The consensus is that the 36-card Grand Tableau will work just fine for all purposes, including single-subject queries. My personal opinion as a big fan of the GT is that it … Continue reading The “Weekly Rollercoaster” – A Lenormand Spread
Lenormand Spreads
An Alternative to the Lenormand House System
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Although I intentionally steer clear of using any kind of astrological correspondences with Lenormand cards, this struck me as an intriguing alternate house system to the one commonly employed. I chose one set of general meanings for the twelve houses of the horoscope and matched them with the cards that best express those … Continue reading An Alternative to the Lenormand House System
Architecture of the Grand Tableau
AUTHOR'S NOTE: It goes without saying that interpreting the Lenormand Grand Tableau is an "iterative" process in which the 36-card layout is reduced to manageable proportions via a variety of interconnected techniques focused around a central card that represents either the querent or the theme of the reading: the internal 9-card "box" in all of … Continue reading Architecture of the Grand Tableau
Lenormand Houses as “Environmental Backdrop”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Lenormand Grand Tableau spread is laid out upon a grid of 36 "house" positions beginning with the Rider and ending with the Cross, in either a 9x4 or an 8x4+4 array; in its customary form this is essentially the Game of Hope game-board pressed into divinatory service. While some people use a … Continue reading Lenormand Houses as “Environmental Backdrop”
Syncretic Cartomancy: A Threefold Divination*
*Syncretism: The union of different practices whose features may be synchronized to good effect. AUTHOR'S NOTE: In the past I have occasionally dabbled in two-phase readings using cards from different disciplines in a single spread, usually tarot and Lenormand or an oracle deck. As I spend more time and effort looking into traditional cartomancy while … Continue reading Syncretic Cartomancy: A Threefold Divination*
The “Lenormand Grab-Bag” – A 26-Card, 5×5+1 Tableau
AUTHOR'S NOTE: To my knowledge, between the 9-card, 3x3 "box" and the 36-card Grand Tableau there is only one non-linear layout, the 15-card, 5x3 mini-tableau (although the 21-card, 7x3 Gypsy spread might qualify). Here is an unconventional attempt to fill that void using the 36-card deck and a single six-sided die as a pointer. It … Continue reading The “Lenormand Grab-Bag” – A 26-Card, 5×5+1 Tableau
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)
Lenormand and Lost Items
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I haven't used the Lenormand oracle much for tracing lost objects (or people) since horary astrology works so well. But I occasionally come across online requests for help with lost-item readings, and as a result I thought a little harder about its potential. (Apparently I'm not the first to do so, but to … Continue reading Lenormand and Lost Items
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
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 