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 that part of the reading, I used 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.
That’s just one of the ways I use the cards, though.
Another technique I use is looking at 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…
If you checked out the reading, then you’ll recall our cards for this week, from the Wanderwust Lenormand, are Whip, Sun, Stars, Anchor, and Lady.
Whip, Sun, Stars, Anchor, and Lady, from the Wanderwust Lenormand.
The playing cards inserted on those cards are: Jack of Clubs (Whip); Ace of Diamonds (Sun); 6 of Hearts (Stars); 9 of Spades (Anchor); and Ace of Spades (Lady).
The first thing that catches my eye is that 2 of the 5 cards in the line are from the suit of Spades.
In cartomancy, the suit of Spades is said to be the one that represents business and service. The suit is also said to reflect work, public interest, and rewards.
Also being a suit which involve people (Ace of Spades is connected to Lady) and their relationships, Spades can suggest people are dependable, public-minded, and have a stabilizing effect on others.
Besides two cards being Spades, there are also two Aces in the line. Aces represent the beginning stage of a situation; with one red Ace (Sun) and one black Ace (Lady), this stage may creating a sense of confusion, as two different elements are competing for one’s attention.
The particular 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 11 (Jack of Clubs) and 1 (Ace of Spades). Adding them together gives us 12.
The Lenormand deck, having 36 numbered cards, we look for card 12, which is Birds.
Birds is a card of communication and conversation. Keeping with the idea of Stars being inspiration, guidance, and direction, Birds might emphasize an inspirational conversation, which can be in the form of a phone call, listening to a podcast of an interview with a life coach or metaphysical guru, or attending a lecture given by a well-known speaker.
Birds is also a card of partnerships, as there are two birds pictured on the card; Birds could suggest a situation involving two people—and communications and conversations typically involve at least two people.
Looking at the inner pips next, from the cards Sun and Anchor, we have 1 (Ace of Diamonds) and 9 (9 of Spades). Adding them together gives us 10.
The 10th card in the deck is Scythe.
Scythe can be a challenging card. It can indicate a break; an injury; a disconnection or disruption; and something being cut severed, or removed.
Regarding communication (Birds), Scythe might be advising us to get right to the point in our conversations, but also warning us of being too blunt, as we might hurt someone with our words (perhaps the Lady has a sharp tongue?). With that, I see this card as asking us to be mindful of cutting someone off while he or she is speaking.
And also too, the cards might be giving us a heads up about the possibility of being disconnected (Scythe is a card of disconnection) while on a phone call (Birds). If it happens, keep your cool and don’t get upset or frustrated (Birds).
But, in a more positive sense, Scythe can represent a point being made and being made with precision and accuracy. With Stars being guidance, it could suggest that the guidance received will make its point known—with unerring accuracy. And it could happen in an unexpected way, as Scythe is a card of the unexpected.
Scythe also being a card of swift and sudden action, we may feel inspired (Stars) to act quickly (Scythe) when the guidance comes to us, as we will be clear (Stars being clarity) about the direction (Stars) to move in.
The last thing we can do with the pips (playing cards) is to add the numbers together for another piece of advice. So, taking 11 + 1 + 6 (6 of Hearts on Stars) + 9 + 1, we get a total of 28.
The 28th card in the deck is the Gentleman.
Here, we have the pips bringing a man into the situation. Like Lady, Gentleman serves to represent a man close to a woman, if a woman is having the reading done. If the reading is for a man, this card would represent him.
So, in my case, this would be my card (being a male), and would suggest, for me, that I will possibly come into contact with this woman (Lady) this week.
And I will share this, as it happened right after I shot the video (Birds, because of the audio aspect of the video). I began the process of uploading the footage to my computer (Stars), and had to leave to see a client for a Tarot reading (Stars being divination). I figured by the time I got back, the footage would be on the computer, ready for me to edit (Scythe).
It turned out the client is a well-known woman (Stars + Lady), who is currently embroiled in a legal fight (Whip) surrounding her work and livelihood (Anchor). She wanted me (Gentleman) to consult the cards (Stars being guidance) for her, as she was giving a deposition (Birds) the next day (Scythe) and wanted to know if things would turn out well for her (Sun).
After the reading had been concluded, she said to me that she was feeling confident (Sun) about the situation.
Coming back to this reading, the last thing I do is take the numbers of the cards, and, like the pips, add them together to get the essence of the reading. Taking 11 + 1 + 16 + 35 + 29, we get a total of 122.
Since there are 36 cards in the deck, I add the digits together (as the number is over 36); 1+ 2 + 2 = 5, and the 5th card in the deck is Tree.
Tree is a card of growth and development, and can suggest a need for patience during such a process, as trees take time to grow. Keeping with that, Tree can be about one’s personal or spiritual growth and development.
In addition, Tree can represent extended family, as it plays on the idea of a “family tree,” and can indicate many generations of a family and one’s ancestry.
Tree, being a card of ancestry, could beg the question that the guidance (Stars) being sought might be about following in the direction (Stars) of the family members that have gone before (Tree)—or about being inspired (Stars) to, as Fleetwood Mac sang (Birds being vocalists), “go your own way.”
And, on that note, we’ll bring another weekly outlook to a close.
Until next time,
life of HIMM 