Nature is a temple in which columns sometimes emit confused words. Man approaches it through forests of symbols, which observe him with familiar glances.

Charles Baudelaire

In this section we will go through every card with a fine-toothed comb, beginning with an overview of the card, including a full description and its general meaning. Then we will look at how each card can be viewed for different contexts and topics. Every Lenormand card contains one symbol; each card is like a word in the language of the deck. As with all languages, a word can have many meanings and connotations.

Meaningful interpretation depends on the context in which that word is spoken.

Let us take the English word balance, for example; it can refer to an actual scale used to measure, the action of steadying, the process of making things equal to each other, or the final total left after a financial transaction. Another example is the Hawaiian word aloha, which is used for hello, goodbye, kind, and other connotations of endearment.

The Lenormand cards work the same. To assist you in your explorations, I have broken down each card within different contexts. By no means is this a comprehensive list. I keep adding to it periodically with new and variant attributes. You will surely do the same as the cards begin speaking to you. The contexts I've covered for each card include:

Future: Meanings to consider when the cards are used for prediction.

Example: "What am I to expect tomorrow?"

Bouquet + Rider = happy news or good feedback. In this section you will also find notes about the card's nuance—whether it is an action card, a mood card, a time card, or a portrait card

All cards acquire these nuances at various times, but these will be their most common connotations.

Woman or Man: These are interpretations that emerge when the card describes a person's qualities, physical attributes, mannerisms, personality, etc.

Examples: "How will she look?"

Stork = tall, slender, long legs, graceful.

"What kind of a personality does he have?"

Stork = flaky, always looking for the next best thing.

Work: These meanings refer to issues around employment, a career situation, or a job question.

Examples: "What is his profession?"

Fox + Book = a detective.

"What am I to expect in my review?"

Stork = a promotion or change for the better.

Love: This section gives examples of emotional or romantic interpretations in relationship questions.

Example: "What is the future of our relationship?"

Ring = a committed relationship; a possible proposal.

Health, Body, and Spirit: These meanings refer to all kinds of health physical, mental, or spiritual.

Examples: "What is the best solution for my predicament?"

Scythe = a surgical procedure or a procedure that requires an incision.

"How will my new exercise routine work for me?"

Coffin = it will leave me exhausted and might send me to bed. (A word of warning: when clients ask health questions, always refer them to an appropriate medical practitioner.)

Money: This portion offers ways of reading the cards for financial questions.

Example: "Will I be getting a pay increase?"

Bear = a lump sum is on the way.

As always, be careful to direct clients to qualified advisors when discussing serious financial complications.

Time or Timing: This is a system for using the Lenormand deck to answer timing questions. When the question refers specifically to time, only read the time number and not the symbol.

Example: "When will I get my assignment?"

Fox + Bouquet = 14 September, or in two weeks and nine days.

Remember that time is elusive; we influence time frames with our actions. The card's time is different from our material time; in one sense, we are trying to access wisdom that doesn't adhere to our linear human time. Timing is malleable, and not every card has a time association. You will eventually build your own personal timing method from practice and extensive trial and error.

Advice or Action: A set of aphoristic and/or motivational meanings for readings that seek counsel instead of a prediction or a description.

Example: "What is the best action for me to do in this situation?"

Mountain = stand your ground and don't budge.

Orientation: This section will tell you if a card is usually viewed as being positive, negative, or neutral in value, and how the card influences its neighbors. Additionally, in simple questions the positives would be yes cards and the negatives would be no cards.

Example: "Will my car get fixed this weekend?"

Cross = no, Key = yes.

There are no absolutely positive or negative cards. The cards' impact fluctuates depending on the adjacent symbols, the context, and the question. A negative card can be looked at in a positive light and vice versa.

Examples:

"Will my headache go away?"

Cross + Coffin = yes, the pain will end.

Cross + Fish = no, the pain will keep flowing or radiating.

Objects and Areas: To assist with specifics and more topical significators, I have listed items and places the card can designate.

Examples: "Where are my keys?"

Coffin = in a box, in a dark place or a drawer.

"What will my boyfriend give me for our anniversary?"

Snake = some sort of chain or bracelet.

Personal Anecdote: Because Lenormand works best with a personal connection, I have included a personal story about every card to indicate the way lifelong practice has woven this system into my world. These are card stories that have left a permanent imprint in my memory, and they include anecdotes from my journal. During the writing of this book, many synchronicities transpired that were relevant to the card I was exploring at the time. As you work with the cards, you will build up your own lexicon of Lenormand experiences that will flavor your readings.

Traditional Meanings: In the Grand Tableau section, I explain every card and how it is viewed from the traditional way that I grew up with and its evolution after many years of practice. You will notice that, at times, the traditional meaning acquires layers, and in other cases it gets shed. The Lenormand system never stops evolving.

Sample Readings: Finally, at the end of each card's section, I have included some examples from real-life readings to show the dynamic between the cards and some combination possibilities. Nuance Cards Before we begin the overview of the thirty-six cards, I want to bring you in on a little secret I've discovered with Lenormand: nuance cards. This is a trick I picked up through the years and thousands of readings. When certain cards come up around the significator, they tend to set the tone of the reading. Over time, I began to lump certain cards together under four categories, based of the nature of their effects. Some cards are more descriptive than others, others suggest more of an atmosphere in a situation, some cards vibrate with action, and others point directly to a sense of time. The distinction feels fundamental, almost as if these nuance cards belong to different elements. When one of these nuances is dominant in a reading, the entire reading takes on that elemental character. These cards fall into four different categories:

action

portrait

mood

time

Granted, every card in the deck expresses these four categories at some level, but I have found that some cards lean heavily in one direction or another. In Lenormand there are no absolutes, no black or white; subtlety is everything, and so nuance can be incredibly potent in a reading. For example, the Rider is all about movement and urgency, but although the card can be descriptive, over the years of practice I've found that it falls mostly into two categories: action and time.

Obviously, this only works with small spreads, because the more cards you have, the more nuance gets diluted. And the cards under each category are by no means stuck to it. Here I am going to share with you my categories and the cards I ascribe to them. In time you will develop your own list, but I hope mine will suggest possibilities and help you gauge your spreads.

Action cards: Rider, Ship, Scythe, Whip, Birds, Stork, Crossroads, Key, Fish

All these cards tend to have movement in their meanings. They evoke the sensation of change or the need to act. If I see more than one action card in a small spread, I highlight that fact to my client. For example, seeing Crossroads, Rider, and Ship in one spread urges the need to act and move on (depending on the context).

Portrait cards: Snake, Child, Fox, Bear, Dog, Tower, Mountain, Ring, Man, Woman, Book, Letter

These cards tend to give a more descriptive feel to the spread; they add color and personality to the reading and help to get specifics about the people and situations involved.

A reading that incorporates Tower + Book immediately suggests an academic institution or a library, or Book + Tower might depict a respected writer's colony. These portrait cards set the stage for the other symbols acting upon the querent's situation.

Mood cards: Clover, House, Clouds, Coffin, Bouquet, Stars, Garden, Mice, Heart, Sun, Moon, Key, Cross

These cards cast an atmosphere over the reading: gloomy, anxious, relaxed, sexy, stern, etc. These nuance cards suggest a general vibe that subtly shifts the context. When you lay out a spread and get the Cross, the mood is quite different from the Bouquet. These cards will vibrate that energy through the spread.

Time cards: Rider, Tree, Scythe, Mice, Lilies, Moon, Anchor

These are the cards that immediately bring to mind the passage of time, whether fast and urgent or slow and arduous. If two cards come up in a spread evoking the same time frame, I note this for the querent.

For example, if the Lilies and the Anchor appear together, I know that a long period of time is involved; on the other hand, if the Rider and the Moon turn up, they denote a sense of swiftness.

Again, I include the idea of nuance cards because it has added power and subtlety to my readings. Nuance is just a little something that grabs my attention when I first look at a small spread of cards. Don't feel that you need to work with these or that my categories need to be yours.