Exploring “Themes” or Topics In Your Grand Tableau

What if you do a Grand Tableau, but you’re really only looking out for certain things?

Now, personally, I would ALWAYS start by read directly around my Querent card as a very first port of call (the influences I’m interested in may not be the ones actually impinging at any given time), but after that… the choice is yours really.

So what should you be looking out for in your Grand Tableau if you want to check out only particular life areas?

In ALL cases below, I would be looking out for:

• How close or not the cards that make up these themes are to my querent card. If they are nearby, they are more influential; far away, not so much.
• The cards surrounding them, as well as those knighting, mirroring and reflecting, and the House my theme is falling in
• I would also look at the House of interest and see what card is falling there and what that tells me, and the cards surrounding that
• And I would, if necessary, do a deeper dive using techniques like Reading Lenormand Houses II: Finding Extra Clues which will help me find a ‘story’ around that particular theme in the spread.

The other thing is to remember that in a GT, these influences don’t exist separately. They are all intertwined, and you will need to look at surrounding cards sometimes to really see the context they’re falling in. After all, a particular person could be a partner, a love interest, a relative, a colleague. A Ring could be work related, marriage-related, or just about any personal commitment made. The clues as to which is which will come out in the surrounding cards.

So let’s take a look below at five of the most common areas of interest.

Looking For LOVE?

Obviously, the main card you want to search for here is the The Heart, so take a look at where it’s appearing in the spread.

• How close is it to your own Querent card? Is it among the cards that immediately surround you? If so, loves and passions should at least be an influence around you at this time.
• Is it to the left of you or the right? The left may suggests that the main love and romance influences are in the past, the right, that they could be coming up for you. The further away the Heart is from your Querent, the more distant from you love is likely to be at this time.
• Is it above or below you? Below you suggests you have more influence over your love life; above you, that it has more influence over you.
• What cards are surrounding the Heart? Positive cards suggest good prospects; negative, that there is trouble associated, the nature of which you can glean from the surrounding cards. Which cards lead up to and from it, horizontally, vertically and diagonally? What story do those give you?
• Which cards are knighting it, and what do they suggest? What House is your Heart falling in?
• Also take a look at your House of Heart, and at whatever card is passing through it at this time. What additional clues does that give you?

 

The Ring, meanwhile, is the card of commitments, promises, agreements, so it often reflects a marriage or committed relationship, although it obviously isn’t always necessarily connected with romance. If it’s relevant to you and your situation, it’s worth taking a look at where the Ring is falling in relation to the Heart and to the Querent, as well as what House it’s in.

What cards are surrounding and knighting it and are they positive or negative? What does that tell you about any commitments you have or wish to make at this time? Are those commitments solid or not? Now take a look at which card is falling in your House of Ring, and think what that suggests.

 

Particular People: People cards do kind of jump out at you when you’re looking for love in a spread. If you’re heterosexual, the Man or Woman card, especially if they’re close to your Querent, often indicates a partner, past, present or future. You can find out more about them and who they are in the same way as you’d explore the other cards; by checking the cards that surround and knight them and where they fall. What does that tell you about trustworthiness, potential, character? You can also check the House of Man or Woman to see also how things are looking for you with the opposite sex in general.

 

Other useful cards to use for romance-related people are the Dog (a loyal companion or partner of either sex), and the Rider, which often indicates someone new on the scene, a new romantic interest, especially when this person is appearing to your right. People do sometimes use the Snake for another Woman, but obviously, this card has fairly negative connotations as well as other uses, so it can blur the issues and cause confusion somewhat.

 

Want To Find Out More About BUSINESS, WORK AND CAREER?

There are a number of Lenormand cards you can explore in a Grand Tableau to get more information about work and career matters. Which ones are the most relevant to you would be determined really by the sort of business and career you’re in. Do you have your own business or are you an employee, or somewhere inbetween? What is most important to you about YOUR working life and career?

Remember that originally, Lenormand didn’t have a specific work or career card at all, and was mostly about making fortunes from trade or inheritance,  so different writers later have picked up on different aspects of our modern working life to stand for that element of life (the Fox is one case in particular, but just be aware that many writers do NOT agree with the Fox being designated ‘the work’ card, although many of us do use it, especially for certain aspects.)

 

The Fish is really the go-to card if you have your own business. It’s the card of enterprise, flow and active moneymaking. The cards around and knighting the Fish can tell you more about any business schemes or moneymaking enterprises you may be involved in and whether their prospects are good or bad. Obviously, the closer your Fish card is to your Querent, the more likely business and active moneymaking will be a key influence on you at this time.

If this is you, once again, check the House that your Fish is falling in, as well as the card that’s passing through the House of Fish for more clues.

 

Now, what has The Moon got to do with career and work matters? Well, firstly, be aware that it is a card used in some regional Lenormand traditions to refer to ‘vocation’. Personally, I don’t necessarily use it as ‘the’ work card in the same way, but in a career-oriented reading, it can give a good indication of both your reputation and what you are ‘known for’, as well as what it is that you ‘create’ and manifest for yourself. This is particularly true of both creative and artistic work.

Once again, check what House your Moon is falling into and the cards surrounding and knighting it for clues as to this aspect of working life, as well as the House of the Moon.

 

Another card used by some regional traditions (German, mainly) to represent work is the Anchor. It’s worth checking out where this card is falling if you are someone who is or wants to be in regular, stable work, as it represents stability and a core foundation for your life in general.HoweverD

Again, how close is it to your Querent and is it behind or ahead of you? What House is it falling in? Which cards are surrounding it and what do they tell you about the foundations and stability of your life? Which cards are knighting it and is there anything you need to watch out for? Which card is falling in the House of Anchor that you should be aware of?

 

The Fox is used by a lot of modern writers to refer to employment and work and paid workers/employees and indeed, I often use it this way. Do, however, be aware that this is not traditional usage and may distract from its more common and traditional meaning of deception. What it represents in the work sense is the kind of ‘bringing home the bacon’ aspect of work, the ‘doing what you have to do to put food on the table’. It also has a sense of being street smart about it. Again, it really depends what sort of work you do as to whether or not this card will be appropriate in your situation.

Check out how close it is to your Querent and what cards surround it and knight it, as well as the House it falls in, and which card is falling in the House of Fox also for more clues on this aspect.

 

If you work for an organisation or corporate, you might also find the Tower of significance in relation to that. This is the card of organisations, of hierarchies and the official, and it can give you a good indication of how things are going in any company you work for or wish to work for. Obviously, the surrounding cards can give you more information on whether or not this card is relevant in YOUR working life, but if you find lots of your ‘work’ cards clustering around the Tower, or it being very near to your Querent, it’s a good sign it’s an influence that’s worth checking out. As before, look at surrounding and knighting cards and the Houses for more detail.

 

If you are looking at your career prospects in general, I would also check out your  Stars card, as this is a great indicator of your dreams and bigger picture ambitions, what surrounds them, and how well starred they seem to be. I have often found this card coming up in significant ways in heavily career-oriented Grand Tableau readings, as well as the Ship, which can indicate, as it did traditionally, trade prospects, but also often seems to indicate progress, the sense of ‘being on the move’. What do these cards and where they fall in the spread tell you about the likelihood of you achieving any career goals you may have?

 

Another card to keep an eye out for, especially if you’re looking for a job offer, is  The Ring, to see if it is associated with any  work cards, as it indicates contracts and deals of all kinds. This card can tell you whether a deal or offer is a good one or not, or if you should dig a little further. Again, check the cards around it for details.

 

 

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for any particular People associated with work and career cards, if you know they’re unlikely to be from your personal life. The Bear can often indicate a manager or management, a particular Man or Woman, an individual at work, a Dog, a colleague, the Fox, a rival, the Garden, a network, a Child, an office junior or subordinate, for instance. It really does depend on the context of the cards around them and where the reading as a whole seems to be focusing.

 

Exploring Family, Friends, Domestic & Property Issues?

Family and domestic issues, as well as those with friends and loved ones, also come up quite often in Grand Tableaus. This can be to do with, not only where you’re living, but also the people that are closest to you in life

The House is a good place to start for domestic issues, as it represents not only your physical home, but also what is closest to you in general, your immediate surroundings and the people in it. Often, this relates to family or household members, as well as property itself. Again, if there are domestic or property issues you’re curious about, check the cards around the House for more detail, and note how close or far away the House is from your Querent.

This card unsurprisingly tends to bring up all those ‘close to home’ issues, whether you are moving or selling a home, or experiencing family conflicts. Once again, also check knighting cards and the House this card falls into, as well as what is appearing in your House of House at this time! Pay particular attention to the people falling around this card, and any signs of either particularly positive or negative influences that may be indicated.

Particular Individuals

People that come up very often with regard to the House can be partners and close friends (either the Man or Woman card or the Dog), visitors (Rider), younger family members (the Child) or older ones (the Lilies). You can find out more and identify them by exploring the cards around these individuals.

 

 

House sales and moves, unsurprisingly, show up near the House card very often. For moves, look for the Ship or the Stork. For money, the Bear often features in a more ‘solid’ kind of way than the Fish does, as the Bear tends to reflect more the home and material security aspect of money rather than cashflow. What are these cards and those around them telling you about your home life?

 

 

Your social life and ‘people’ in general is represented by The Garden. Check this card out if you want to know how your relationships with others in general are likely to go. Do you have a supportive crowd or are you a little cut off? Are there people around you who you need to watch out for? Exploring around the Garden card, checking where it falls, and also checking out whatever falls in your House of Garden can give you lots of clues about how you’re getting on with others at this time and their influence on your life and wellbeing.

 

Want To Know Most Likely PROBLEM AREAS For You?

This is also a useful area to look at in a Grand Tableau. Where are problems, if any, likely to be happening, and what might they involve? Again, in all cases, you should check out the surrounding and knighting cards for more detail as well as the House positions of these cards.

 

The Snake covers a multitude of sins, from problem people, to just areas of difficulty or negativity and betrayal in general. Note how close or not it is to your Querent card and what any problems are likely to entail from the cards around and knighting the Snake and the House position it falls in . Are problems likely to be tempered by more positive cards, or are they occurring in a cluster in a particular life area?  Are they passing out of the situation or coming up ahead?

 

 

The Clouds also tend to indicate problematic life areas, ones that have ‘gloom’ or uncertainty hanging over them. They can cast a pall over events and people, or make things more complicated than they need to be. Keep an eye out for whether or not they are passing out of the situation or are coming up ahead, whether they are more likely to be influencing you or you influencing them, and also whether it’s the ‘dark side’ of the Clouds that are facing you or not, as the ‘lighter’ side indicates negativity is much reduced.

 

 

Big life tests, responsibilities and burdens tend to be indicated by the The Cross, so you can check out what, if anything, these are likely to be about at this time in your case, and how severe they are likely to be. Of course, positive cards surrounding the Cross can lighten any load considerably, but sometimes major challenges are worth knowing about, especially if they seem to be coming up ahead.

 

Want To Know The POSITIVE Or KEY CHANGE Areas For You?

What if you just want to know about major events or the best things that are likely to be coming up for you?

 

The Sun will show you where your successes are likely to be, in which life areas, and how big they’re likely to be or if there are other influences tempering them at this time. Look in particular how close this is to your Querent, at the House this card falls into and surrounding cards, and remember that although negative cards can dim the power of the Sun, positive cards can only enhance it!

Meanwhile, general blessings, pleasures and gifts show up in the Bouquet.

 

 

Want to see how your biggest wishes, goals and dreams are likely to fare and if and where they could be fulfilled? The Stars is your card to look out for here. And if it’s opportunities and chances you’re looking out for, the Clover is the one.

 

 

 

Just a note also, on ‘big’ cards that indicate turning points or key events, and that are often also useful to take a look around in your spread. If, for example, you are looking at or hoping for major areas of change in your life, the Storks is a good card to focus on. The Crossroads, of course, is an excellent indicator of where exactly there are going to be or have been major turning points and whether they are well-starred or not. And the Key, both in terms of where the card itself falls, as well as the House of Key, brings answers, ‘significance’ and the concept of destiny into a Grand Tableau reading and is always worth taking a good look at in terms of significant likely events.

 

 

WANT ME TO INTERPRET A GRAND TABLEAU REPORT AND LOOK AT YOUR SPECIFIC AREAS OF INTEREST?

Why not try my…

Grand Tableau Key Areas Report $39.99

This is an expanded Grand Tableau report, based not only on the cards most immediately influencing the Querent, but also offering more exploration of client-specified areas of interest, and takes the ‘bigger picture’ story the cards want to tell you into account.  Key areas for focus might include Love or Career/Business Matters, Problems to Watch Out For, Areas of Success, for instance.

How Many Themes or Key Areas Can I Choose?

As each life area or theme is likely to include a tailored analysis of a number of cards, please choose up to TWO life areas or themes of interest to explore only, and I will explore these in addition to any cards that are appearing immediately around your Querent card and an overall picture of the spread as a whole.

Average report length 10-12pp. Turnaround: 72 hours approx

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