I was really excited to do this week’s reading because I got to break in a deck that came in the mail the day before I sat down to shoot the video presentation.
The deck is the Ensslin & Laiblin Wahrsage Karten, which is a reproduction of a Lenormand deck that was originally published in 1880.
The deck is different in that it has a couple of cards (Clasped Hands and Cat) replacing ones that appear in the more standard or traditional pack (Heart and Cross).
And instead of playing card inserts, the cards have these images that look like sigils (to me, anyway), which actually prompted me to get the deck.
As I do every week, I took the deck in hand, shuffled the cards, and I asked what we might expect for the week ahead.
The video below reveals the cards in the reading:
If you prefer to read the post, here it is:
The cards for the week are: Sun, Gentleman, Dog, Key, and Clasped Hands.
Focus of the Reading
The focus card this week, which is in the middle of the line, is Dog.
Dog is a card that can refer to a friend (think “man’s best friend”), a partner, or a companion, so this week’s focus may center on a friendship, partnership, or companionship.
Dog is also a card that talks about help, support, and assistance, and those aspects may be the central issue; it could be that we’re offering help and assistance to a friend or partner, or that we’re on the receiving end of such support from another.
The dog on the card is facing left, looking at those cards; this might be a directional cue being offered to give us more information about either the friend or partner, or the help and support being given or received.
Looking at the Line
The cards immediately flanking Dog, Gentleman and Key, form a pair that I read in a line as something more in-depth about the focus (Dog).
Going to the card Dog is facing first, we have Gentleman.
The Gentleman card is a significator, and its sole meaning is a man. For a woman reading this, Gentleman points to a man significant to you. Dog being a friend can make Gentleman a male friend or a partner.
For a man reading this, Gentleman would refer to you, and then Dog would be your friend or partner.
If Dog + Gentleman is a friend, the cards are suggesting he’s loyal (Dog can represent loyalty); if he’s a partner, the cards are suggesting he’s faithful (Dog representing faithfulness).
Since Gentleman and Dog are facing each other, this brings back the possibility of help, support, or assistance being given and received with the confines of a friendship or partnership.
And, because Lenormand can be quite literal, another possibility for Gentleman + Dog is a man and his dog; Dog can represent an actual dog or some type of domesticated animal (pet).
Key, on the other side of Dog, can suggest an answer or solution. Key can suggest this answer or solution is important or vital (additional meanings of Key for me).
If we pair Gentleman and Key, the man faces the key, suggesting he will be on the receiving end of an important answer or solution. He will either discover it, or it will be revealed to him, as Key can also mean discovery or revelation.
With the Key being behind Dog, the cards are suggesting a friend or partner has the answer or solution for the man.
Moving to the outer cards in the line, we have Sun and Clasped Hands.
Opening the line, Sun is a sharp contrast to the card the opened up last week’s reading, Clouds; whereas Clouds is the most challenging card in the deck, I consider Sun to be the most positive.
Sun (I think the sun is so cute on this card!) speaks of success and confidence. Sun + Gentleman could refer to the man as being successful and confident, perhaps as a result of something in his recent past, as Gentleman has his back to Sun, suggesting something “back there” (the past).
Sun is also a card of clarification and illumination, suggesting that a situation is clearing up (giving further credence to Key being an answer or solution).
Sun can also mean positive energy or a positive outlook, which bring to mind the idea of “looking on the bright side” of things.
Along with that, Sun + Gentleman could suggest the man (Gentleman) has a “sunny disposition” (Sun).
And, if we consider that Gentleman + Dog could be a man and his actual dog, Sun + Gentleman + Dog could simply talk about a day (Sun) for a man (Gentleman) and his dog (Dog).
The same could be true if Dog represents a friend or partner of the two-legged variety.
Rounding out the line we have Clasped Hands. As I mentioned earlier, this card is not in a traditional Lenormand deck; in the Ennslin & Laiblin, Clasped Hands replaces the Heart card.
For me, Clasped Hands can suggest an introduction being made, as people typically shake hands when meeting for the first time. And since I mentioned the word “meeting,” Clasped Hands can also indicate an actual meeting.
Clasped Hands can also suggest an agreement, if you go with the idea of “let’s shake on it,” a custom when a deal is made or agreed upon.
Key + Clasped Hands can suggest the importance (Key) of an introduction or meeting (Clasped Hands), which could lead to an answer or solution (Key) being mutually agreed upon (Clasped Hands).
These possibilities are further illuminated by Sun + Clasped Hands, which can be read as a day (Sun) where an introduction is made (Clasped Hands), or success (Sun) with a meeting (Clasped Hands), resulting in an agreement being made (Clasped Hands).
I think the overall message of the cards this week is to consider how we might be in the position to offer help, support, and assistance to a friend in need; and if we do offer—and it is accepted—to keep and honor any agreements made.
Hoping your week is successful,
For personalized readings, visit my Lenormand Readings page over at jameshimm.com to get all the details.
To learn more about the Ensslin & Laiblin Wahrsage Karten (Lenormand), you can check out The Cartomancer site here.
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