Earlier this week, I shared the latest outlook reading using the Lenormand.
And, as I shared at the end of the post, that was the first part of the reading.
In those first part posts, I conduct the reading using keywords associated with the basic image on the cards. Those keywords are then strung together in combinations of pair and triplets to make meaning of the cards. This is one of the reasons the Lenormand oracle is referred to as “speaking cards.”
And this is just one of the ways to have the cards communicate messages to us.
Keeping with Fox, the focus card of this week’s reading, another strategy is to let the pips—the playing cards inserted atop the central images—have their say in the reading.
And just what do the pips have to say about this week’s outlook? Let’s take a look…
Our cards for this week’s reading, from the Piatnik Lenormand, are Letter, Key, Fox, Lilies, and Cross.
The playing cards inserted on those cards are: 7 of Spades (Letter); 8 of Diamonds (Key); 9 of Clubs (Fox); King of Spades (Lilies); and 6 of Clubs (Cross).
There are a couple of cards from the suits of Clubs and Spades. In cartomancy, the suit of Clubs can indicate challenge (and in the line we have Fox and Cross, two challenging cards), while the suit of Spades can represent happiness and things we draw pleasure from (Lilies and Letter being in the line).
Looking at these cards from a different perspective, and my own personal experience reading playing cards, Clubs take on the energy of work (Fox) and spirituality (Cross), while Spades take on the energy of thoughts and ideas, and how those are communicated (Letter being writing down and sharing one’s thoughts, ideas, and opinions), as well as how we protect and defend those ideas (Lilies, with King of Spades as its inset).
The 7 of Spades (Letter) shares the energy of Fox in three ways:
- One, 7 of Spades can suggest a job or career change, and Fox can mean work, either independently (self-employed) or for someone else (employee);
- Two, 7 of Spades can suggest a need to be careful around someone, as this person is trying to get away with something undetected, with Fox being someone trying to manipulate a situation for personal advantage;
- And three, both 7 of Spades and Fox suggest a situation needs to be investigated further.
Points two and three showed up for me early in the week (actually right after I uploaded the video of this reading), which I shared at the end of the previous post.
And what did that experience involve? Money—which is associated with the suit of Diamonds, our remaining card in the line (Key, with 8 of Diamonds as the inset). The 8 of Diamonds is a card that represents the work we do to earn/make money.
The 8 of Diamonds can also indicate a technique, which makes a nice segue to a technique I use with the pips. That technique is looking for the Hidden Dynamics. Starting with the pips from the outer cards and adding their numerical values together, we have 7 (7 of Spades) and 6 (6 of Clubs). Adding them together gives us 13.
The Lenormand deck, having 36 numbered cards, we look for card 13, which is Child.
Child is a card of something being new or a beginning of some kind. It’s also about simplicity and innocence, keeping with the idea of children being people just starting out in life, experiencing the world with innocence and naïveté (Child is the beginner, the novice, unlike Lilies, which is an elder and being experienced).
So, with the focus of the reading being work and skill (Fox), we may be embarking on something new, entering a situation as a beginner or at an entry-level (Child).
Fox, as strategy, could suggest keeping things simple (Child meaning simplicity).
Fox, as manipulation and being taken advantage of, would make Child a caution about being easy prey, due to being considered innocent, naïve, or gullible.
Looking at the inner pips next, from the cards Key and Lilies, we have 8 (8 of Diamonds) and 13 (King of Spades). Adding them together gives us 21.
The 21st card in the deck is Mountain. This is a card of challenges and obstacles; Mountain can suggest setbacks and delays. Mountain can suggest a challenge that takes a long time to overcome.
So, with Fox meaning work, Mountain would suggest something being difficult, the exact opposite of Child (simplicity).
With Fox as strategy, again the hidden dynamic would be the strategy being between something simple (Child) and something arduous (Mountain).
With Fox as manipulation, the dynamic is between being naïve (Child)—and being taken; or being imposing (Mountain) and putting up a roadblock where someone thought he or she was on “easy street.”
I like using the Hidden Dynamic technique, as it is just another way of uncovering additional information that could be helpful in the reading.
The last thing I do with the pips is add them all together, kind of as a final word on the reading. Using the pips from our weekly outlook, we have 7 + 8 + 9 + 13 + 6, which gives us 43.
Since there are only 36 cards in the deck, we take any number over 36 and add its digits together. In this case, we have 4 + 3 = 7. Card 7 in the deck is Snake, so this becomes our final card for the reading.
Snake is a card of complications. It’s a card that suggests something being complex, as well as something being a temptation. On the other hand, some see Snake as a card of healing and transformation.
I find it the same when people dream of snakes, in that making meaning of the symbol of snake comes down to personal association, which will involve both cultural and spiritual beliefs. In some cultures, snakes are feared, while in others, snakes are revered. In some schools and traditions of Lenormand, Snake is positive, and in others, not so much.
For me, Snake, along with Fox, can suggest work-related complications.
With Fox being a strategy, Snake might suggest a long and winding process, that the strategy might be too complex or complicated.
With Fox as possible manipulation, Snake cautions about being seduced or tempted–or even being downright lied to.
Consider the adage, “If it sounds too good to be true, chances are it is.” Snake is a warning of possible betrayal.
And, on that note, this weekly outlook with the Lenormand is all wrapped up!
Until next time,
life of HIMM 