how to get the answer using Lenormand

IheartTarot

My 2c

olivia1 said:
I am still new to reading Lenormand and so I am still trying to figure out how to read the cards.

Hi olivia, thanks for posting another interesting thread. :)

I am also still learning and probably going through something similar to you.

There are two things that have probably stifled me the most in my learning process, the list of combinations in the book(s) and the subtle intricacies of the no layout spread.

In the beginning I thought that I had to look up the card combinations and go from there. I have learnt that the combinations are only a guideline and will not always be applicable. They are included to show us how combinations work, i.e. the second card modifies the meaning of the first, and to give us examples of possible combination meanings. I have found out that it is better to try to figure out the meaning of the cards on your own first using your intuition and only look up the combinations as a springboard if you get stuck.

You should read the cards on their own and in combinations.

It is also possible that there are multiple layers of meanings to the cards.

Despite its name, the no layout spread does have implicit rules and intricacies. This can be a bit overwhelming when you are still getting to know the cards and how to work with them.

I have found the 1-3 card exchanges at Lenormand NZ extremely liberating as I am learning to work with the cards in a much more simple and intuitive way and getting a lot of great practice. Usually I spend a few minutes mulling over the cards and in a flash I will get an overall message in my mind.

I have also discovered that there is a LOT of information in Sylvie's book that has not sunk in for whatever reason, and is not that easy to find when you need it. I think it only sticks when you are working with a situation and it applies, not reading it cold before regularly working with the cards. I am now typing up my own notes and I think the process is helping my learning process significantly.
 

olivia1

IheartTarot said:
Hi olivia, thanks for posting another interesting thread. :)

no problem :) I am glad it helps others


I have found out that it is better to try to figure out the meaning of the cards on your own first using your intuition and only look up the combinations as a springboard if you get stuck.

Yeah, that was what the book also said!

But then i noticed that there also seemed to be some really strict rules about what the cards meant so I wasnt really sure..at times, I almost felt like some sort of (unintentional!) rebel for going with meanings I picked up over time (that didnt exactly match established meanings).

You should read the cards on their own and in combinations.

thanks, will do.

Despite its name, the no layout spread does have implicit rules and intricacies. This can be a bit overwhelming when you are still getting to know the cards and how to work with them.

I have found the 1-3 card exchanges at Lenormand NZ extremely liberating as I am learning to work with the cards in a much more simple and intuitive way and getting a lot of great practice. Usually I spend a few minutes mulling over the cards and in a flash I will get an overall message in my mind.

thanks to you! Thanks to your recommendation, I decided to try it out. I actually got a lot of good practice learning tarot on AT's 3 card/3 sentence game, so, I'm hoping that the 3 card game on Lenormand can do what the 3 card Tarot game did for me.

I have also discovered that there is a LOT of information in Sylvie's book that has not sunk in for whatever reason, and is not that easy to find when you need it. I think it only sticks when you are working with a situation and it applies, not reading it cold before regularly working with the cards.

yes, that is very observant of you. That must be it because I read Sylvie's book A LOT. I read it on work breaks and even when I am eating.

however, there does seem to be a lot of concepts (or even definitions) that haven't sunk in yet. At the time of reading the book, I feel as if it might be obvious but then it takes actually having done a reading and pulling up a certain card, then going back and reading the definition for it to really set it. Especially because the meanings for some of the cards are very wide ranged.
 

olivia1

rif said:
No no no, don't learn meanings of the playing cards that may be inset to your cards! *mock horror* :)

He simply means to become attuned to your Lenormand cards; to be able to instantly view a card and trigger its associations, and to know your cards well enough that you can picture them and let them speak directly to (what I call) your deep mind.

In short, become one with your deck.

Thank you for clearing that up.


I disagree with this. None of my Lenormand materials have ever recommended this, and my own look at the Grand Jeu itself has done nothing in this regard for me. I think it's an entirely different beast. In my opinion you'd get more out of looking up older books on reading tea leaf, which seems to have inspired the symbols on the Petit Lenormand, as many people have independently discovered.

thank you! glad to know that I'm not really missing out. Though that tea leaf book idea seems interesting...
 

IheartTarot

olivia1 said:
Thanks to your recommendation, I decided to try it out. I actually got a lot of good practice learning tarot on AT's 3 card/3 sentence game, so, I'm hoping that the 3 card game on Lenormand can do what the 3 card Tarot game did for me.

I am very pleased to see that, I hope it helps you as much as it helps me. :)

I always thought those threads here really were games so I ignored them (I did not think I would learn anything from them). I did not realize they were actually readings. :|
 

lord_ewin

IheartTarot said:
This blog post explains better than I can how to start working with the cards:

http://jaseoncards.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/lenormand-five-finger-exercise/

I think it is important to get this kind of practice in first before jumping in the deep end. :D


Yes, that's a good one, and he's got a short list of meanings too: http://jaseoncards.wordpress.com/lenormand-card-meanings/

You'll find that most of the arguing being done on Lenormand is with someone's intuitive definition of a card (For example, the signification I have for the Mountain Card and the Key cards) vs its traditional interpretation (which I usually equate to its basic meaning).

If you've read Tarot Plain and Simple, Anthony Louis gives a good method for learning the Tarot. I always suggest the same for Lenormand:

Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis said:
"Once you have chosen a deck, you need to get to know your cards. Take them out. Look at them. Describe them out loud. Meditate on them. Write descriptions of the cards in a notebook. Note reactions. Which cards do you like and which do you dislike? What emotions does each card stir up in you? What is the predominant mood of the card? How do the various colours in the card affect you? Which aspect of the card jump out and grab your attention?"