Chronata
I don't mean to instigate anything negative with this thread, or piss off anyone, but this is something that has been weighing heavily on me for about a year now.
Perhaps it's my frustration...
with myself, and with the people who went out of their way to tel me that I read the Lenormand cards the wrong way, and that I should stop making decks that propagate the wrong methods.
I have been a diviner for a long time, and almost everything I learn is through trial and error, practice and trusting my instincts or my intuition.
And I personally don't think there is a wrong way to do anything. If you find a method that works for you...then why is that a bad thing?
But here's the thing with the Lenormand cards...like any oracle it has it's own system, and it's own set of symbols, and I can respect them.
I studied the cards for 5 years now, and have done countless readings with them for clients.
I know all the "traditional meanings" of the symbolism inherent in the cards, and I can read with them this way if I choose.
Only it doesn't work for me.
I agree that there is some need for intuition in combining the cards to access the proper meaning. The issue I have is that the symbols don't always correspond (and sometimes disagree completely)with the 30 years of reading these symbols in other methods of Divination.
To have a complete symbolism dictionary in my head, is what allows me to look into a cup of tea leaves, and tell someone their life story. Sometimes those symbols mean other things...or I get a flash of something else, that I am compelled to say out loud...and it's always a good idea, when I do.
When I try to read the lenormand in the traditional way, I am stuck trying to figure out who the elderly man is in my life when the lily comes up(since there really aren't any elderly men in my life) or why I should tell my client about upcoming fame/recognition when the moon turns up...even though my whole body is telling me that it means she is hiding, and being passive...as the moon's tradition is in almost every other divination method I have used.
To me...the lily, by non-lenormand traditional symbolism is a card of virginity, purity and distinctly feminine attributes (I think Georgia O'Keefe each time I see it) so trying to overlay it with the symbol of an old guy...just doesn't work when I try and read them for clients.
On the other hand...my intuition seems to love the easy and simple lenormand images!
How else could I amaze a client by telling him that I knew he knew he was in the wrong, and needed to apologize to his girlfriend? (dog + house+ flowers)
I guess I just need to know if I am alone in this? Does everyone read the lenormand cards by what has been decided is the "proper " meaning of each card?
I admit that I had a similar issue when first learning playing card reading, because the meanings disagreed with what I knew of the tarot...but this is different, because the playing cards don't have the visual impact that the lenormand do...and I guess I am a very visual person!
(and don't get me started on how the playing card inserts on lenormand don't match any playing card system I know!)
Perhaps it's my frustration...
with myself, and with the people who went out of their way to tel me that I read the Lenormand cards the wrong way, and that I should stop making decks that propagate the wrong methods.
I have been a diviner for a long time, and almost everything I learn is through trial and error, practice and trusting my instincts or my intuition.
And I personally don't think there is a wrong way to do anything. If you find a method that works for you...then why is that a bad thing?
But here's the thing with the Lenormand cards...like any oracle it has it's own system, and it's own set of symbols, and I can respect them.
I studied the cards for 5 years now, and have done countless readings with them for clients.
I know all the "traditional meanings" of the symbolism inherent in the cards, and I can read with them this way if I choose.
Only it doesn't work for me.
I agree that there is some need for intuition in combining the cards to access the proper meaning. The issue I have is that the symbols don't always correspond (and sometimes disagree completely)with the 30 years of reading these symbols in other methods of Divination.
To have a complete symbolism dictionary in my head, is what allows me to look into a cup of tea leaves, and tell someone their life story. Sometimes those symbols mean other things...or I get a flash of something else, that I am compelled to say out loud...and it's always a good idea, when I do.
When I try to read the lenormand in the traditional way, I am stuck trying to figure out who the elderly man is in my life when the lily comes up(since there really aren't any elderly men in my life) or why I should tell my client about upcoming fame/recognition when the moon turns up...even though my whole body is telling me that it means she is hiding, and being passive...as the moon's tradition is in almost every other divination method I have used.
To me...the lily, by non-lenormand traditional symbolism is a card of virginity, purity and distinctly feminine attributes (I think Georgia O'Keefe each time I see it) so trying to overlay it with the symbol of an old guy...just doesn't work when I try and read them for clients.
On the other hand...my intuition seems to love the easy and simple lenormand images!
How else could I amaze a client by telling him that I knew he knew he was in the wrong, and needed to apologize to his girlfriend? (dog + house+ flowers)
I guess I just need to know if I am alone in this? Does everyone read the lenormand cards by what has been decided is the "proper " meaning of each card?
I admit that I had a similar issue when first learning playing card reading, because the meanings disagreed with what I knew of the tarot...but this is different, because the playing cards don't have the visual impact that the lenormand do...and I guess I am a very visual person!
(and don't get me started on how the playing card inserts on lenormand don't match any playing card system I know!)