The user comments on the original article are interesting to read as well, to get a sense of the average (devout) Catholic’s opinion on this.

Interesting that the Pope singles out tarot cards. Perhaps he has seen there are enough people out there giving business to readers, that he considers it competition?

I think Alex makes good points about separation of cards and salvation. Tarot doesn’t have to be an “occult” practice. It can be an impartial problem-solver, for example. I know there are decks with angels and saints for those who feel more compatible. And I’m sure most of my readers know the popular Rider Waite Smith deck is considered Christian in nature.

Finally, for any stripe of Christians out there, there are quotes to be found in the Bible which support divination practices including tarot. I’ve seen them stated in support although I can’t tell you them myself. Google could though. I believe there is also information in Mark McElroy’s tarot book for beginners (which I generally endorse).

I am temporarily one-handed, so today’s post is a short audio meditation (recorded yesterday) and inspired by a combination of tarot and Lenormand cards. Think of it as a sampler; I would love to do more of these, in longer format.

Enjoy!

Jase on Cards – Audio Blog 04042013 (06min 12sec)

Scott Grossberg shares with us, “A Secret Formula for Making New Year’s Desires Irresistible.” Over at Thinking Magically™, he writes:

Throughout 2007, Richard Wiseman (Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire) and his team tracked over 3,000 people’s New Year’s Eve resolutions. While the majority of those canvassed were convinced in the beginning that they would be successful, the study showed that only 12% actually achieved their goal during the following year.

What can a person do about this? Well, Scott has some practical advice in this area, which is concise and to-the-point. If you like to make resolutions for the new year, I recommend reading what Scott has to say about how to be successful at making and meeting these goals.

I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions for myself. I always felt it seemed that changes should be made when I am ready to make them, not because it happens to be the start of a new year according to our calendar and it’s “the thing to do.” But I certainly respect those who do like to make resolutions at this time — especially if they can keep them!

Coincidentally I am working on my eating habits, which always get worse during the holiday season. But that’s more because the holidays are over, which just happens to be at the start of the year. I made sure to NOT buy any goodies when grocery shopping yesterday; and I bought a lot of fresh veggies for healthy snacks. Go me!

Another of Scott’s articles that you may enjoy — perhaps you’d find this technique empowering in helping you meet some resolution-related goals — is called iPad Incantations. Check it out!

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Are there any you’d like to share with us? Let me know in the comments!

Unfortunately, a storm sent by Hurricane Sandy had different ideas for Halloween; and sent a four-story tree tumbling down on my house. (And garage, deck, patio… but who’s counting?) A six-day power loss running that cold week of Halloween didn’t help matters either. You should have seen the coffee shops, as everybody in the cities around was crammed in there — for heat, power and internet access!

It caused a lot of damage, and rather shifted my priorities, dealing with the aftermath. The end result is that I did not feel much like blogging; indeed, my creative output in general was greatly minimized.

So I am still here, and safe in well, here at the end of 2012. I just wanted to let the curious know where I’ve been.

Thanks for reading! See you soon!

I felt this worth addressing as a short topic of its own. Here is my opinion on Lenormand and intuition.

What does this symbol mean to you?

There IS room for intuition in Lenormand. You can read the Lenormand cards according to their symbols and still be flexible. You may pick up on extra twists or nuances from a spread; that is intution.

How do you know if the Bear is money, food, strength or an authority figure? Clarification will come from the context of the reading, and maybe the following card; but that is also intuition.

I know an experienced Lenormand reader who I think would argue that Lenormand doesn’t need intuition as I describe it; that the card symbols just make sense and a reading will work for anyone who reads the symbols. (Everyone knows what a Child or Mountain is, for example.) Perhaps we are describing the same thing when it comes to reading the Lenormand, but defining intuition differently.

What we all mean by “reading intuitively” should be defined. In the tarot world, reading intuitively tends to mean reading without studying or learning any traditional card definitions, and instead relying on the illustrations and symbols that are depicted on each card. This is a modern approach to the tarot, as older tarot methods that I’ve read about tend to be closer to traditional cartomancy, the reading of playing cards.

In this context, reading Lenormand intuitively then tends to mean interpreting the visual appearance of elements on the deck, rather than relying on the symbolic meaning of each card. People tend to favor busy decks such as the Mystical Lenormand for this.

Mystical Lenormand – Dog

I do believe that Lenormand should be read according to its symbols. As an example, the Dog — generally speaking — is a friend, someone trusted, someone known, or representative of the ideas of trust and reliability. These fit the symbolic idea that a dog tends to be attached to the humans who care for him, and can be a good friend who is always happy to see them. I would not look at the card’s illustration and think of anger, heat, fire, time passing or mystical visions. Those might be interesting things to pick up from a card, but would make the Lenormand less reliable for me.

Even holding fast to what the Dog “means,” there is room for intuition. If the Dog were followed by the Bear (my primary money card), what does it mean in a reading? A financial adviser? A friend who is financially set? Someone I know who is physically large? Maybe it’s my manager at work? There are many options here, and intuition (plus context) helps to pick the right one. I might get an extra flash in the reading, also from intuition, but it comes from the core symbolic meanings.

So I believe that learning card meanings — or relying on the Lenormand symbolic meanings — does not shut out an intuitive approach. The symbols are usually common sense, such as the Child having child qualities: small, youthful, short, child-like or immature. Some are trickier, if you don’t share the cultural ideas, which is one reason the Lily or Whip can be hard to understand if you don’t know their history or cultural use. Someone who doesn’t know “meanings” but understands the thirty-six symbols should do well with Lenormand.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

And the top three commenters on my blog for July are:

• Rhettarot – 9
• Kali Klm – 5
• Andrew – 5

Congratulations! (I feel like I should be a game show host, telling you about a new car or vacation!)

Rhettarot, you are eligible for one of those decks or a mini reading. You can consult the original giveaway post for the deck information. Please email me your choice, along with your full mailing address for a deck.

Kali Klm and Andrew, you are eligible for a mini reading.

For those who wish to take advantage of a mini reading, please email me a question, preferably with first names of any people involved. My About page includes my standard reader disclaimers.

My email address is on the left of the blog.

Magisches Lenormand
13 Child – 14 Fox – 3 Ship – 15 Bear – 27 Letter

Child: Something small, new, immature
Fox: Work, cunning, deception, something wrong
Ship: Car (focus card for reading)
Bear: Money, strength, protection
Letter: Written document, certification

Overview

With the no-layout method, the focus card (keycard) is chosen and used as the central point of the spread. Given that I was asking about my car, I chose the Ship to stand in for my vehicle. (The Germanic influenced readers would choose the Rider.)

The Ship is framed by both the Fox and the Bear. Uh oh! I was seeing trouble and money here; neither of which I wanted to see for my car. Especially knowing that transmission issues can be expensive. The Fox could represent lies and deceit, and while some people fear mechanics for this reason, I believe mine to be honest so I wasn’t worried there. As for the Bear, all I could think of was an expense.

Known Facts and Future Probabilities

On the left side, the Child and Fox made me think it was a small problem. This should represent the current situation — things that are already known or are verifiable. Intellectually I didn’t believe that, as it seemed like a lot of transmission fluid had leaked. It turns out that this was a small issue; so in retrospect the left side was truly the situation. It also casts light on the Fox as saying that the car problem I was concerned with wasn’t as bad as it looked.

On the right side, Bear and Letter looked to me like the bill. Well, duh! I had hoped for something indicating the size of the bill for the repairs; or something to show the scale of the repairs. I didn’t really have time to ponder this; I spent about 15 seconds on this reading and had to get back to work.

The Outcome

As it turns out, the repairs were relatively small and easy; and therefore, inexpensive. Looking at this reading, it is important to remember that the no-layout’s left side informs what happens on the right. In this case, if the left side is showing a small problem or a small job, so the bill shown on the right side is likely to be proportionate. While it would have been preferable to see something more obvious, this reading does make sense in retrospect.

This hopefully shows the value of the left side in the no-layout. Newcomers to that method often skip the left side, thinking that it is unimportant. Yet it serves two purposes: it allows us to check whether the reading is on target (with information on the left that can often be verified), and it helps to inform the future probabilities on the right. If the left side had been Cross and Snake, then that could indicate recurring problems, indicating a larger bill.

The no-layout method is described in the book Secrets of the Lenormand Oracle.

Of course I wanted to put this new deck to use, and had time for a super quick daily draw before work this morning. I chose the Fox as a focal point, figuring it would be easiest to put this reading into the context of my job today.

Mystery of the Old Castle Lenormand – click for larger view
(This photo doesn’t do the deck justice.)

Fox: Chosen focal point of work (not part of the reading)
Anchor: Goals, duration, long-term, lifetime
Ship: Expansion, travel, vehicle
Scythe: Sudden decision, cutting, leadership

Interesting to see the Ship following the Anchor, as if lifting up and setting sail. The Scythe is not a card that generally gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling; but that doesn’t mean it’s automatically bad.

This feels like a continuation of events that started at work yesterday. My career will be taking a new direction as an opportunity for more leadership has opened to me. My boss is planning to be gone for a month, and asked if I was comfortable with coordinating daily projects that he would normally oversee; so I will be taking on more leadership, mediating between my teammates and other coworkers.

Of course they may point to something else happening today, but it makes sense that they reinforce my circumstances, which are significant in contributing to my long-term career.

How might you read these cards if they had applied to YOUR job today? Let me know in the comments!

Lo Scarabeo Gypsy Oracle Cards
(Click photo to view a larger picture)

The central cards show the Wife crossed with the Merchant. This looks like the idea of home and stability conflicting with the need to earn money. That makes sense to me, as I know that making money — even in small amounts — requires work. I’d have to utilize my free time accordingly, which will no doubt impact my domestic routine.

The recent past on the right is Consolation, and it looks like a heavenly messenger bringing some hope to a despairing man. Without sharing the details, it was sadness over certain situations that triggered my idea, which certainly hit as if through divine inspiration. Nothing grandiose; which is probably why this card is Consolation and not something with more impact, like Divine Sledgehammer or Great Bounty.

The near future on the left is Foe, and it warns of trouble. The solitary woman is looking for where she should go next, or perhaps she she anticipates someone attacking her. This means my plans won’t be easy, and I would need to watch for unexpected trouble. Perhaps there is more to my idea than I am thinking of. I’m not sure, but caution and open eyes are necessary, which means thorough planning in advance — something I might otherwise rush through.

Wedding on the top is an auspicious sign. It indicates potential “wedded bliss” to me, and promises the possibility of good things. Because this card is Wedding and not Marriage — as if focusing on the ceremony rather than the relationship — I believe it is pointing to the need to have good plans. A strategy will be the blueprint for the future. Wedding also reminds me of the Lenormand Ring, so I should keep in mind anyone who might appear to offer advice, or help me get things moving.

Constancy is underneath, looking like a confident Roman hussy to me. Hah! Another message to beware anything that looks to obvious? The need to keep things moving if I expect to get anywhere? A promise of dropping my bandwagon if I don’t remind myself of why I was originally inspired? Probably all the above.

That’s it. Nothing here is outside the realm of common sense, but I can always use the reminder of things like proper planning.

Do you see anything else in these cards?

The person that started the debate wrote:

I just realized that Lenny doesn’t care how you “charge the cards.”

I would like to point out that there is no absolute, one-size-fits-all technique for reading any kind of cards. Some techniques work for some people, and not others. Perhaps charging doesn’t work for this person, because on some level they didn’t like it to begin with it. That doesn’t mean their view should be applied to the Lenormand as a generalization.

Baartschi Whip

Charging is the intentional choice of a significators for a reading. People have used significators in tarot for years. Are they wrong to do so? People choose a focus card in traditional Lenormand readings, such as the line of five or square of nine. Are they wrong too?

In fact, I believe using the Lenormand Man and Woman as the querent and significant other — a solid part of Lenormand tradition — is “charging” by convention. Yet I don’t hear complaints about this. Maybe newcomers shun this convention now and use the Man and Woman as other people, but for the German approach I first learned, they are always the querent and his or her significant other. No exceptions.

For the record, I charge — intentionally choose significators — when I do the no-layout technique; but not when I use a Grand Tableau. In that case, I do adopt the Man and Woman as the querent and significant other, which is the same result as charging.

If a technique consistently works for a reader, then it is valid, at least for that reader. If it doesn’t work, by all means discard it, but understand why and don’t presume that others should do the same. The Lenormand itself doesn’t care about anything; it’s the mind that does readings and must accept or reject any reading techniques. It is the mind that responds to the intentions we readers set before a reading.

To paraphrase Iris Treppner, the cards are pasteboard and you can do what you want with them; in esotericism, nothing is forbidden. So, use what works and discard what doesn’t. Break with tradition — there are no cartomancy police to arrest us for doing so. However, card reading is a very personal thing, and we will all develop our own unique practices, hopefully built on a solid framework or tradition.

What do you think?