AUTHOR'S NOTE: Question of the Day - What do you feed a starving archetype? I pulled another quote from Sallie Nichol's Tarot and the Archetypal Journey that inspired this essay. In discussing the Empress and the Emperor, she observes that we can become like "puppets in an archetypal drama, manipulated by giant figures operating above … Continue reading The Symbols Behind the Curtain
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
An Inconvenient Sidekick
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Several times in the past I've come across arrangements of the 22 trump cards (aka "Major Arcana") in which the Fool is set apart from the other 21 cards. Most often it is placed above the rest, but my personal preference is to lay it adjacent to but separate from the middle row … Continue reading An Inconvenient Sidekick
The “Game of Fate” Multi-Track Answer Tableau
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here I'm taking my four-card "window" premise with its inner and outer dynamic flow and turning it into a divinatory board game that can be used to decide between two or more choices with unknown potential. In this example I'm using two tokens (Chinese coins) to represent the "players" (who may in fact … Continue reading The “Game of Fate” Multi-Track Answer Tableau
An “Evolving Consciousness” Self-Realization Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I no longer aspire to much in the way of psychological self-analysis and personal character development with the tarot after having plowed that field for 40+ years; divination is my main gig now. But I know that many people do, and I occasionally create spreads they may find useful. I've just begun reading … Continue reading An “Evolving Consciousness” Self-Realization Spread
Glimpses From The Window: Combating “Card-Blindness”
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In The Petit Lenormand Oracle, Lisa Young-Sutton offers insights about the problem of becoming "card-blind" while attempting to read a Grand Tableau, a malady that can arise due to the convoluted layers of information created by the various "sub-routines" - in particular the "house" system - once everything is compiled and delineated. In … Continue reading Glimpses From The Window: Combating “Card-Blindness”
The Monthly Grand Tableau: A Structured Approach
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've always viewed the Lenormand Grand Tableau as a "long-range, big-picture" spread that can address any and all questions in a single pass over a 6-12 month period, but in online discussions I see that many people use it for shorter-duration readings of a more focused nature. I already do a monthly New … Continue reading The Monthly Grand Tableau: A Structured Approach
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
Lenormand Lost & Found: A Novel Approach
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is something for my Lenormand followers since I already posted on tarot today. In the past I've used horary astrologer John Frawley's sign-and-house meanings to create tarot spreads for the purpose of locating lost items and missing people. I haven't been so diligent with Lenormand, so here I will attempt to rectify … Continue reading Lenormand Lost & Found: A Novel Approach
The “Bridge to Nowhere” Four-Way Relationship Spread
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Back during the Clinton Administration, Alaskan congressmen with "pork" on the menu were floating the idea of building a long bridge to the Aleutian Islands that critics derisively labeled the "Bridge to Nowhere." (I think Bill may have been planting a different kind of "pylon" at the time.) Here is a spread that … Continue reading The “Bridge to Nowhere” Four-Way Relationship Spread
