7 Day Lenormand, page 4
Dream Symbolism: The masculine energies. The Animus.
Coffee Cards: DENOTES in general a merchant, good business, pleasant news, and recovery of lost things. It also signifies that the consulting party will soon enlist, or get some engagement.
Coffee Card Verse: Depend upon receiving some good news; the loss you have sustained will recover likewise.
Game of Hope: This Youth leads on to the brilliant Sun of hope in no. 31. However for those who got here by way of the Heart, No. 24, this does not happen. They wait here for the next turn.
Waite: Speedy Visitor.
Contemporary: Man, Analytical, masculine, force.
Functional: Paternal qualities.
What You Say: The Man is you or the other person in your life.
29. The Lady
The Whole of the pack refers to either of these cards, depending, if the person whose fortune is being told is either a Lady (No. 29) or Gentleman (No. 28).
Dream Symbolism: The feminine energies. The Anima.
Coffee Cards: Signifies much joy in general. If in the clear this emblem has a more favourable signification than in the thick; there it shews very great happiness; here a great deal of jealousy. If dots surround the image, it explains the lady’s fertility, or her wealth. The different position in the cup, shews at the top and in the middle that you will be in love with a virgin, but at the bottom it marks that she is a widow.
Coffee Card Verse: Gratify your partiality to the fair sex, but never offend decency.
Game of Hope: The Girl leads on to no. 32, unless one has come here through the Heart.
Waite: N/A
Contemporary: Woman, Intuitive, feminine, form.
Functional: Maternal qualities.
What You Say: The Woman is you or the other person in your life.
30. The Lilies
indicate a happy life; surrounded by clouds, a family grief. If this card is placed above the Person, they indicate the same as being virtuous; if below the Person, the moral principles are doubted.
Dream Symbolism: As generally, an emblem of purity and virtue. The simple life of the soul. Pure Wisdom. Age. Memory, in some senses.
Coffee Cards: If this emblem be at the top, or in the middle of the cup, it signifies the consulting party either has, or will have a virtuous spouse, if it be at the bottom, it denotes quite the reverse. In the clear, the Lily further betokens long and happy life; if clouded, or in the thick, it portends trouble and vexation, especially on the part of one’s relations.
Coffee Card Verse: You wish for a virtuous wife, this wish may be granted if you requite the same for the same.
Game of Hope: N/A
Waite: Happy Marriage (Anger)
Contemporary: Purity, Simplicity, alternatively Sex or Older Age.
Functional: Values.
What You Say: The Lily means purity.
31. The Sun
lying near, points to happiness and pleasure, as its beams spread light and warmth; far away, it indicates misfortune and sorrow, as without the Sun’s influence nothing can grow.
Dream Symbolism: The Centre. The Self. The core of our being. Light.
Coffee Cards: An emblem of the greatest luck and happiness if in the clear; but in the thick, it bodes a great deal of sadness; surrounded by dots, or dashes, denotes that an alteration will easily take place.
Coffee Card Verse: You will make an unexpected fortune, use it so that no body may covet it.
Game of Hope: N/A
Waite: Happiness, Success.
Contemporary: A lot of luck, development, growth, Success.
Functional: Encouragement.
What You Say: The Sun is good luck.
32. The Moon
is a sign of great honors, fortune and fame, if the card lies at the side of the Person; if at a distance, it means grief and misery.
Dream Symbolism: The unconscious, dreams – particularly with the Rider (Horse) or Bear. Deep patterns. Tides. The feminine side of our nature – particularly with the Lady.
Coffee Cards: If it appears in the clear, it denotes high honours, in the dark or the thick part, it implies sadness, which will however pass without great prejudice. But if it be at the bottom of the cup, the consulting party will be very fortunate both by water and land.
Coffee Card Verse: The liberality of your mind will always rather increase than lessen your prosperity; it will also daily endear you more to your friends.
Game of Hope: N/A
Waite: Happiness, Success.
Contemporary: Fame, Recognition, Dreams, How others see you.
Functional: Reflection.
What You Say: The Moon brings recognition.
33. The Key
if near, means the certain success of a wish or a plan; if distant, the contrary.
Dream Symbolism: Revelation. Unlocking a pattern. Closing the door on something old or empty. Opening a new door through choice and action.
Coffee Cards: N/A
Coffee Card Verse: N/A
Game of Hope: On reaching this Key, one receives 2 marks.
Waite:
Contemporary: Opening, (or Closing), Access, Discovery, Revealing.
Functional: Change (of state).
What You Say: The Key reveals secrets.
34. Fish (The Fishes)
if near the Person, point to the acquisition of large fortune by marine enterprises and to a series of successful undertakings; if distant, they indicate the failure of any speculation, no matter how well projected or planned.
Dream Symbolism: Spiritual life. Communion. Being with others. Swimming deep.
Coffee Cards: THEY imply lucky events by water, if in the clear, which will either happen to the consulter or or improve the state of his affairs beyond the water. If they are in the thick, the consulter will fish in troubled water, and rely upon that which others have already lost before him. Surrounded with dots, they signify that his destiny calls to him some distant place.
Coffee Card Verse: Don’t let yourself be caught with baits like the fish; circumspection is very necessary especially on a long journey.
Game of Hope: Reaching the Fish, one has to pay 2 marks.
Waite: Good News from Abroad, Invitation to Dinner.
Contemporary: Resources, Business, Money, Market, Potential.
Functional: Opportunity.
What You Say: The Fish bring resources.
35. The Anchor
is a sign of successful enterprise at sea, of great advantage in trade, and of true love; but distant, it means a thorough disappointment in ideas, and inconstancy in love.
Dream Symbolism: Faith. Hope. Salvation. Safe Harbour. That to which we give faith.
Coffee Cards: The emblem of hope and commerce, implies successful benefits carried on by water and by land.
Land, if on the bottom of the cup; at the top and in the clear part, it shews constant love and unshaken fidelity. In the thick and clouded part it also denotes love, but tinctured with the inconsistency of the butterfly.
Coffee Card Verse: A person as honest as you in his dealings, will never want a rich harvest of gain; your wishes too are likely to be accomplished.
Game of Hope: This is the most important sheet of the whole game, insofar as the one, who comes to stay on this picture of Hope, has won the game and draws the whole cash-box or deposit.
Waite: Success in Business. Love and Fidelity. Inconsistency.
Contemporary: Hope, Long Time, Standstill, Stability.
Functional: Fixing.
What You Say: The Anchor is secure.
36. The Cross
is always a bad sign; if very near the person, you may hope that the misfortune will not last long.
Dream Symbolism: Burden. Being a martyr to some cause or memory. Carrying one’s own cross. Self-suffering through attachment to something.
Coffee Cards: Be it one or more, it generally predicts adversities. It position varies, and so do the circumstances. If it be at the top, and in the clear, it shews that the misfortunes of the party will soon be at an end, or that he will easily get over them, but if it appears in the middle or at the end bottom in the thick party must expect many severe trials; if it appear with dots, either in the clear or the thick, it promises a speedy change of one’s sorrow.
Coffee Card Verse: There is no misfortune however severe, that does not produce some good; hope therefore all will be for the best.
Game of Hope: So near to the luckiest field, the player is cheated as against his will he has to advance one step too far to the figure of the Cross, where he has to remain until another player takes this burden off him or he throws a double.
Waite: Death
Contemporary: Suffering, Burdens, Problems, Trouble.
Functional: Anxiety.
What You Say: The Cross is suffering.
Day 4. THREE CARD READING
Today we extend a three-card reading with everything we have learnt and give examples from real-life readings to further illustrate the method.
Hopefully, our previous three days have given us the basic practice to read three cards. We will now add a few important skills that come from experience – skills to help you refine and deliver the reading.
Firstly, we consider that we are going to conduct a reading by working through the cards from “right to left”. We do not need to get confused about this, it simply – for now – means that the cards on the right influence the cards on the left, slightly shading or lightening its significance.
So, if we had CHILD + WHIP + COFFIN, the ending of the Coffin is to arguments of the Whip with regard to the Child – so actually, depending on the question, a very positive reading. This is my preferred way of reading, and I would call it “right to left” even if I look at the cards initially from left to right.
The confusion is just the way some people describe it, because we could get the same thing by reading “left to right” just by changing our language; “with regard to the child, there are arguments that will end”.
Or we could read again, “left to right” but like this; “the child will be punished and become ill”. These are all obviously either the same or very different readings.
It is only important that you decide how you will read it and then stick to that for a while before changing how you approach a reading. The cards will know – and will even help you! It also helps if you have a very specific question and read the cards as literally as possible.
If we conduct a three-card reading and receive the cards; BOOK + SCYTHE + HOUSE, and look up the “what you say” meanings we get, reading right to left:
The House is security
The Scythe means cutting
The Book brings knowledge
So, how might we piece those together and make a better reading, say, for the question, “How should I go about my family issue?”
Firstly, we always fix the question as our template by saying it out loud without pause or hesitation. We are answering the question, in Lenormand, by reading the cards. So, we say the question.
“You should go about your family issue by …”
THEN we start to read the cards. This avoids us getting confused by card meanings and then trying to work them back to a question. It may seem easier to read the cards first, then apply them to the question, but experience is that it is way better to hold the question and slot the cards into it one at a time. Even if we go back and revise our card meaning as we read through them, at least we will be still doing this within the question.
So, “You should go about your family issue by …” and then we take the first sentence and slot it in, changing the grammar slightly, “securing your house” …
We might then consider whether the next card is better stated by joining it with an “and” or “so” or “because”, but we can be free to try what works …
“securing your house because it is time to cut” or
“securing your house so that a cut …” or
“securing your house and a cutting will come”.
That last version in our heads seems to slot into place, so we continue …
“a cutting will come and bring knowledge”.
Running that together, we can now smooth it out and play it forwards and backwards to refine it…
“You are advised to go about your family issue by first ensuring that your house is a place of security for everyone. This will cause a severing of ties with something someone that is (we get intuitive here) an unwanted influence in the home (then we go back and change “something” to “someone”) and it will become open what they were up to”.
Hopefully it will be obvious how the client should go about making their home a secure space for the family to discuss things, leading to a timely cutting and new information about the situation.
In effect ‘security cutting knowledge’.
Book + Scythe + House
Exercise 1: Developing your Three-Card Reading
Now you try - with another three-card reading, putting it together, going backwards and forwards, running it through until you craft a neat delivery.
You must not expect to get it right first time, every time. The Lenormand is simple but it requires several passes sometimes, to see the simplicity. Just like life.
Example Three-Card Readings
Here are a few examples from my own client readings which may serve to illustrate real readings. I have abbreviated these to demonstrate the key points.
Three Card Reading 1
Q. How can I gain more recognition in my workplace?
MOON + FISH + GARDEN
Recognition + Resources + Meetings
Whilst this may appear a convenient set of cards chosen to illustrate a question, it is an actual reading which was selected to show the direct nature of the Lenormand cards.
The MOON finds itself next to the FISH. This speaks of good fortune and a life purpose that will bring recognition. The Phillippe Sheet writes that the MOON “is a sign of great honours, fortune and fame” and next to the FISH it is likely to bring additional “large fortune ... and successful undertakings”.
The FISH next to the GARDEN foretells that success will come from networking; to visit “very respectable company”. Success, then, will come from reaching out to other people directly and offering them your resources, which will reflect well upon oneself.
This is a very literal answer and almost states the obvious. However, sometimes the obvious is obvious for a reason.
Three Card Reading 2
Will the fortune of my family be happy?
Bouquet (9) + House (4) + Ring (25)
In this three-card reading asking about the welfare of the family there is a gift (BOUQUET) through a house (HOUSE) contract/marriage (RING). Reading “right to left”, there is an agreement that must be entered into about the home affairs to bring about attention and a gift.
This is a very favourable reading but also suggests that the RING in a form of a contract should be checked to ensure that all is in writing and tightly bound up.
Three Card Reading 3
Q. What will happen regarding the financial impact of the accident?
BEAR (15) + LETTER (27) + STORK (17)
This reads as a fair and pragmatic communication returning from the accident. There will be an equal return (STORK, payment, given the question is ‘financial’) requested by writing (LETTER) in a BEAR-ish fashion. So, the client will not be let off the hook nor will they be treated unfairly, or advantage be taken.
It also seems that it will be a fair price given and the woman involved in the accident has a maternal authority with whom it will be easy to deal. It is a case where there is no need to draw other cards as it is self-explanatory. There are no bad cards in the reading, so there is no need to express further concern or divine more deeply.
Three Card Reading 4 (Alternative Method)
Q. What can I do to improve my health following birth?
In this case, I chose to use an alternative method, where I decide on a ‘significator’ or ‘key-card’ and then look for where it appears in a shuffled deck. I then read the two cards either side of it.
The first step is to shuffle the deck and focus on the card related to health, in the Lenormand this is the TREE. I then go through the cards and locate the TREE card and look at the cards either side of the TREE:
BOOK (26) +TREE (5) +RING (25)
The answer is that the client must commit to learning more about their own health. There is also an indication with BOOK (knowledge) and TREE (health) that it is a question of improving mental health as well as learning more about healthy living. Whilst I do not give medical advice I discuss with the client – which they have already considered – that they seek an additional therapeutic approach to their health.
The RING can be considered as a contemporary symbol of a “holistic” approach. We must remember that the original interpretations written for the cards are now historic; the BIRDS may have meant ‘chatter’ a few hundred years ago, but now they are more likely to mean ‘Twitter’.
Three Card Reading 5 (Alternative Method)
Q. Will the Sitter retire from work at the end of the year?
Using the alternative method of locating a specific key-card in a shuffled deck, I look for the card that corresponds to endings. In the Lenormand this can either be the SCYTHE or the COFFIN, and in this instance, I use the COFFIN, as it is a permanent ending from work. I look for that card and locate the two cards either side of it:
FOX (14) + COFFIN (8) + LETTER (27)
This is plainly “A Letter communicates Ending of Work”.
The Sitter then wants to know if there will be a golden handshake, in the form of severance pay?
We can elaborate further on this 3-card reading by keeping the cards in their positions and check through the deck for the card that corresponds to Money in the Lenormand. The card that corresponds to money is the FISHES. I then look at the cards either side of the FISHES:
