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
Lenormand Techniques
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
The “Weekly Rollercoaster” – A Lenormand Spread
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
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
Cards of Success and Failure
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The presence of positive, neutral and negative cards in the Lenormand deck inevitably invites contemplation of which ones augur success or failure in any situation being considered from a predictive angle. These are my own opinions on the subject; although most of them align with the textbook definitions, a few differ based on … Continue reading Cards of Success and Failure
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”
“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
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*
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
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 