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 the first part of the reading, I use keywords associated with the basic image on the cards to create meaning of the line of cards. Those keywords are then strung together in combinations of pair and triplets, as is the tradition of reading Lenormand. This is one of the reasons the Lenormand oracle is referred to as “speaking cards.”
This is just one of the ways to have the cards communicate messages to us, though.
Keeping with Bear, the focus card of this week’s reading, another technique is to rely on the strength of the pips—the playing cards inserted atop the central images—to see what they have to say about 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 Tower, Mountain, Bear, Stars, and Snake.
The playing cards inserted on those cards are: 6 of Spades (Tower); 8 of Clubs (Mountain); 10 of Clubs (Bear); 6 of Hearts (Stars); and Queen of Clubs (Snake).
The first thing that catches my eye is that 3 of the 5 cards in the line are from the suit of Clubs. In cartomancy, the suit of Clubs is said to be the one that represents challenges, and two of the three cards, Mountain and Snake, are challenging cards. Bear would be the same, if seen as overbearing and overwhelming; sometimes, the power and strength of 6 Bear can be seen as being forceful.
Looking at these cards from a different perspective, and my own personal experience reading playing cards, Clubs take on the energy of work, which reinforces the situation of a manager (Bear) at a large company or corporation (Tower).
Going further, 8 of Clubs (Mountain) could suggest a possible communication issue, as well as a lack of appreciation; 10 of Clubs could indicate a problem with the manager (Bear) and his or her ability to delegate (going with the micro-managing style I suggested in the video of the reading), leaving people feeling overburdened and overworked; while Queen of Clubs (Snake) would highlight possible challenges about working collaboratively (teamwork), and hinting a need for future training and/or instruction.
The Queen of Clubs also hints at a possible image problem that needs addressing, as I see Clubs as the suit of image and identity, and the Queen as an “image consultant.”
A technique I use with the pips is called looking for the Hidden Dynamics. Starting with the pips from the outer cards and adding their numerical values together, we have 6 (6 of Spades) and 12 (Queen of Clubs). Adding them together gives us 18.
The Lenormand deck, having 36 numbered cards, we look for card 18, which is Dog.
Dog is a card of loyalty, trust, help and support. Keeping with the idea of Bear being a manager, this card could suggest the manager needing help and support gaining the loyalty and trust of the people who look with him.
Dog could also suggest that the manager consider ways he or she can be more helpful and supportive to the staff working with him or her.
Trust is a powerful thing here (Bear meaning power), and once it is damaged in a working situation, loyalty can go out the door with it.
Looking at the inner pips next, from the cards Mountain and Stars, we have 8 (8 of Clubs) and 6 (6 of Hearts). Adding them together gives us 14.
The 14th card in the deck is Fox. This is a card of skill and strategy; as a card of employment, Fox can represent an employee, as Bear represents a manager.
So now we get to see that a couple of things may be playing out here: One, that the issue is indeed a manager-employee dynamic at “work” (I could not resist!); and two, that there is a question or concern about the manager’s ability to lead, as Fox represents skill and skill set.
Another way of stating the Hidden Dynamic is that the central card of Bear is between Dog and Fox. This could mean that the power (Bear) lies in partnership, and being helpful and supportive (Dog), or in being manipulative, and out for oneself (Fox, which can also being a card of being sly, cunning, and independent).
I like using the Hidden Dynamic technique, as it is just another way of uncovering additional information that could be helpful in the reading; in this case, it brings in the employee perspective I had mentioned previously.
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 6 + 8 + 10 + 6 + 12, which gives us 42.
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 + 2 = 6. Card 6 in the deck is Clouds.
Clouds is a challenging card, and can indicate confusion, uncertainty, and doubt. This could suggest a working environment in which there is a lot of confusion (like the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing); the card can also reinforce that there is uncertainty and doubt about the manager in question.
In addition, Clouds has an inset of King of Clubs, which I read as a CEO or business leader, as well as a manager or supervisor.
As a final technique, I sometimes take the numbers of the cards and add them together as a way to sum up the reading. It was interesting that I felt led to do it in this case. The numbers 19 + 21 + 15 + 16 + 7 give us a total of 78. Again, since there are only 36 cards in the deck, 7 + 8 gives us a total of 15.
The 15th card in the deck is Bear, the central card in the line! The reading started with Bear, and we come full circle, ending with Bear. How powerful is that?
And on the strength of that, we’ll bring another weekly outlook to a close.
Until next time,
life of HIMM 