How do you get the most out of your Lenormand cards?
Well, it depends what you’re looking for from them, of course. Do you want them to tell you what is likely to happen to you tomorrow? Do you want them to help you explore the influences around a situation? Do you want them to give you advice? Or do you want them to give you areas to think about, contemplate in your life in answer to a particular question?
Regardless, if you’re using the Lenormand oracle system, you want them to be accurate or at least useful to you, right? Trouble is, there are some REALLY common mistakes that people make when they see a set of cards and try to interpret them. I see these from would-be readers ALL the time!
So be honest, now. Are any of these mistakes YOU’RE making in your readings?
1. You Only Look At Some Of The Cards & Ignore Others
This is surprisingly common. Remember that ALL the cards in a reading have a part to play in the ‘story’ they are telling. Yes, every single one, even if there’s one you don’t like in there.
For instance, if you see these three cards and ALL you see is “You will have a lovely conversation,” you’re NOT looking at everything you need to in this situation.
What’s wrong with that? Well, you’re missing out the Snake which influences that seemingly lovely conversation. The ‘loveliness’ here is not to be trusted. That is an important piece of the story to know, don’t you think? Remember that ALL of the cards carry equal weight.
2. You’re Only Seeing What You Want To See
Honestly, this is probably the biggest problem I see when people are trying to interpret their cards. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve seen something like this:
“I asked the cards the question, “Is he my soulmate and will we be together for ever and ever?” I think these cards are saying YES, definitely, and we will get together soon!”
The cards in question?
No! They are not saying that! The Ring suggests that he is married or otherwise committed, the Mountain shows a barrier or obstacle, the Anchor, that it’s lasting, and this represents a permanent barrier to anything happening between you.
You may not like it. You may choose not to believe it, which is your prerogative. The cards may indeed be wrong, which begs the question of why you’re doing them at all or what you’re hoping to gain from them, or if you should use them for anything more than fun. But these cards themselves are not saying what you wish they did. Why are you even doing a reading if you already think you know all the answers and by enormous coincidence they’re exactly what you want them to be?
Be sure to get enough emotional distance to be able to see what is there, rather than what you wish was there.
3. You’re Trying To Fit A VERY Rigid Definition From A List Into Your Situation
This is a different kind of problem which stems from lack of confidence or knowledge about underlying card meanings, the energies of each of the cards, and in being able to use these in a fluid and useful way in different contexts or in answer to a specific question. Here’s an example
. “I asked what would be happening to me today, and it said I would get news of a death connected with marine enterprises.”
Now, it’s true that the Coffin often relates to death, that in the traditional Philippe Lenormand instructions, the Fish means “marine enterprises” and the Letter means news.
But unless you are, say, someone working in the field of shipping and freight, or your husband’s in the boating trade or a sailor on a dangerous voyage, and you’re just an ordinary 21st century office worker going about your ordinary 21st century life and not living in the 19th century, the chances are such a big drama is unlikely to be folding around you today.
What’s more likely in this scenario?
“News of a death connected with marine enterprises,” or
“News that a source of cash will be coming to an end,” or
“News of a business closure”?
Both of the latter two are perfectly reasonable interpretations of these cards in answer to the question in what is likely to be a fairly everyday situation. They are far more likely than the first, aren’t they?
ALWAYS try to apply card essence meanings to questions and contexts, rather than trying to shoehorn rigid interpretations from lists. They are often a bit too Big Drama for your needs, especially on small-scale readings.
4. You’re Using The Wrong Layout For Your Question
Some layouts are more suitable for some questions and situations than others. For instance:
- “What advice can you give me in this situation?” is best served by a line reading like a 3 or 5 card, NOT a 9-Card or a Grand Tableau! 3 and 5 card readings are often the most flexible when it comes to asking specific questions.
- 9-Card (or 3×3) spreads are best suited to exploratory questions around a topic (the card in the centre)
- Grand Tableaus are very general readings about multiple influences and topics at a given time and are not really suitable for specific questions.
You can find out more about how you can decide on the best layout here:
How To Choose The Best Layout For Your Reading
5. You’re Asking Impossible/Circular Questions – Or Unsuitable Ones
Look, Lenormand cards can’t do everything for you. You’re supposed to have fun with them, not rely on them for every decision you make, or to plan your every move. That’s not healthy. As a reminder, you shouldn’t be using cards to try and diagnose illnesses, settle serious legal matters and so on. You should be going to professionals. These would be unsuitable questions for the cards.
But another common issue and one strongly related to the “Only seeing what you want to see” issue is the type of question that already presupposes an answer (usually “Yes,” and usually “Exactly what I want.”) So for instance: “When will I get together with X person?” This already presupposes that a) you are attracted to one another b) a relationship is definitely going to happen. But this may not be the case. So then you may be confused by a set of cards that says nothing of the sort.
You can find out more about asking Lenormand questions here:
How To Ask Lenormand Questions For The Best Results
What Lenormand Readers Can Tell From The Questions You Ask
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I do not know the question asked , but a friend thought the cards were about me. They were, in this order, TREE, DOG, COFFIN, GARDEN, BOUQUET….with HEART ADDED.
We are long-time close friends. I am a gardener. I am removing a small cottage from my garden today with a huge crane and giving it to the company as payment. do you see any thing to be concerned about ?
Hi there Valerie, and sorry it took me such a long time to reply, I only just saw this, and do hope you are all well and good! I actually do think it is a bit mean of a friend to say something like “it’s about you” when there is a Coffin in the mix: it’s obviously only going to worry you. There was nothing in this spread that looked like anything to do with a cottage (House), machinery or anything money-related (Bear/Fish/Ring). It obviously does show a flowering garden, a tree, perhaps health, vitality and wellbeing, a friend, and something coming to an end, and the Heart generally refers to love, warmth and passions. The Coffin means endings of all kinds; it could have suggested that perhaps some of the garden might be damaged during the process, or perhaps it’s was just suggesting the removal itself. The reading does end with the garden blossoming though! Which is a good sign, that whatever ‘ended’ should lead to a more flourishing garden eventually.