For the tarot enthusiast aspiring to master Lenormand reading, there are several cards common to both systems that stubbornly resist shedding their tarot trappings during the transition. Interestingly, they all appear in sequence in the tarot: the Tower (XVI), the Star (XVII), the Moon (XVIII) and the Sun. (XIX). Since their Lenormand counterparts, at least by title, … Continue reading Lenormand Crossovers: Breaking the Chain
Lenormand – General
Grand Tableau a la Carte
The conventional wisdom among Lenormand mentors who coach beginners in the art of reading is that, after learning the card meanings and memorizing their numbered positions in the 36-card series, neophytes should start their practice with three-card lines, move on to five and seven card draws, then to the nine-card square, and finally to the Grand Tableau, … Continue reading Grand Tableau a la Carte
When “Bad Is Bad”
Although I'm a newly-minted traditionalist in the Lenormand system of divination, having been involved only since 2012, it strikes me that the tradition has been undergoing a gradual degenerative decline (or maybe an insidious "dilution" is a more apt word for it) that probably isn't entirely reversible. Converts from the more fluid/squishy realm of tarot wander in and set about rearranging … Continue reading When “Bad Is Bad”
Lenormand Lost & Found
I have been working with the “location” guidance in astrologer John Frawley's Horary Textbook to come up with similar attributes for the cards of the Lenormand deck to be used in “lost object” readings. The following ideas are provisional and subject to change as I develop them further; because this is unmapped territory, in many cases I'm going with … Continue reading Lenormand Lost & Found
A Harmony of Parts
Near the end of his epic performance of "Alice's Restaurant," folk singer Arlo Guthrie exhorts the audience to sing "with four part harmony and feeling." That sense of harmony is part-and-parcel of what it takes to read the Lenormand Grand Tableau with sensitivity and precision. Unlike the tarot cards, the Lenormand cards don't carry an … Continue reading A Harmony of Parts
Hard and Soft, Red and Black
During my intermittent involvement with the Tarot de Marseille (I'm still waiting for that "one book to rule them all"), I've come across the opinion that Batons and Swords are the "hard" suits, while Cups and Coins are "soft." There is some logic to this: both wooden batons (also called staves) and edged metal blades … Continue reading Hard and Soft, Red and Black
RWS, TdM and Lenormand Binning
I have now added searchable categories for my Waite-Smith, Tarot de Marseille and Lenormand-related posts and am beginning to populate them. These posts aren't as easy to chase down as the Thoth group because they are often tied to broader commentary, so it will take me some time to capture them. As before, use the … Continue reading RWS, TdM and Lenormand Binning
A Little Ingenuity
A while back I spent a few hours pasting together a Lenormand Grand Tableau layout sheet, and was keeping it in a cardboard portfolio under the bed. Last week-end I crumpled it slightly while pulling out my guitar case (to be honest, I forgot it was there since I've been working mostly with tarot lately). … Continue reading A Little Ingenuity
Cartomantic Consumerism: One Deck Too Far
A question came up on one of the tarot forums late last year that stopped me in my tracks, and after thinking carefully about it I haven't bought a new deck of any kind since (although I still lust for quite a few). "How many decks are too many?" My flippant answer at the time … Continue reading Cartomantic Consumerism: One Deck Too Far
Lenormand Ramblings
I realized yesterday that I've been remiss in not venturing into anything other than tarot lately, so this will bring me up to date at least on the subject of Lenormand cartomancy. I'm writing mainly for those tarot enthusiasts who have yet to explore its alternate reality but are intrigued by a new challenge. A … Continue reading Lenormand Ramblings
