I had a rather disconcerting moment while doing some readings tonight. I wanted to get in some Lenormand reading practice and thought to do some practical readings about the move. I first did a couple of quick readings about two homes that my partner and I are interested in looking at, using the “No-Layout” spread as described by Sylvie Steinbach in her book Secrets of the Lenormand Oracle*. In one of these readings, which consisted of a string of five cards, the first card was the Mountain and the second card was the House. This immediately suggested some upfront delays or obstacles involved with at least one property. Coming as the first two cards in the spread, this was a pretty strong message.

I then wanted to practice the Grand Tableau, the full 36-card layout. (I use the 9×4 layout for this.) I was using the pattern techniques, the first of which I did was to use the system of houses. For those unfamiliar, this means looking at the “house” or position that represents the subject of interest, and seeing what card is in that position. Not unlike an astrological house, except there are 36, one for each card. Then this card is chained by checking it’s house, to see what card is there; and so on. It sounds convoluted but isn’t once you’ve done it or seen an example.

The first house I wanted to look at was position #4, house of the House; as expected, this is where to look for situations involving a home or real estate. Imagine my surprise (and if I’m honest, a little bit of dismay) to see that this position was occupied by the Mountain! Once again, a blockage related to the House.

I’ll have to see what happens. I’m still fairly new to this, so my interpretations have more room for error. But two readings with the Mountain affecting the House… time will tell!

* Ms. Steinbach’s reading techniques have their share of fans and detractors alike. I stick closer to the German tradition for card meanings, but I feel the No-Layout technique is a helpful tool in the Lenormand reader’s arsenal.