Man and Woman cards in the Grand Tableau?

greenseer

Hi all :)

I'm quite new to Lenormand, and I'm really enjoying learning the system, but one thing I can't figure out is what to do with the man and woman cards in the grand tableau? I understand that they both act as significators, but one thing I don't really get is how the card that isn't a significator is relevant in the spread? It seems to make the assumption that there will always be a person of the opposite sex who is of importance in the querent's past/future, but what if there isn't a person of significance, or if that person is of the same sex?

I'm hoping I'm making myself clear - tl;dr: I don't really understand what to do with the non-signifcator card in a grand tableau!
 

decan

There are decks where you can change this card for a card more appropriated.
Otherwise, if you are a woman (your avatar shows a queen of cups) you can look at the snake; the snake is the female same-sex partner card.
To interpret a Grand Tableau is currently a bit complicated for me, but I study this question!
 

danieljuk

personally for me, I look for a woman for me as a male because I see woman as a "lover or partner" and not offended by that as a gay men, I don't see it as literal. Different people have different feelings about this. If you are reading for someone who is gay, lesbian, bi or trans, it's worth asking them about their partner or even asking them to choose who they would like their partner to be (even what card they want to represent themselves). Some gay men do choose Bear as partner and lesbian women Snake like Decan said.

There is an old thread here discussing Lenormand and same sex partners here
any card can represent any person, so just work out how it works best for you :)

edited to add: whatever card you decide to use as "the other person" represents that as a house. Maybe a partner if you have one or a coming partner or it could represent a man / lady in your life.
 

Barleywine

My understanding is that the Man is usually the opposite-sex partner of the Woman in relationship questions, the Snake is the same-sex partner for the Woman and the Rider for the Man. I look at how the pair interact: where their horizontal and vertical lines intersect, whether they share any knighting or mirroring, etc.

Here's an example of one way it can be worked. I just had an interesting GT where a young lady and her long-term boyfriend were breaking up over a serious disagreement about their future as a couple; their lines (her horizontal and his vertical) intersected at the Whip. The Fox, the Tree and the Whip were between them, with the Fox right next to her and the Whip right below him; the Man knighted to the Fox. He had been stringing her along (Fox), dragging his feet for several years (Tree) about his intentions toward her; finally, she held his feet to the fire on it (Whip) and he failed to step up, so she cut him loose. The Rider was right above the Woman, and the Man's horizontal line intersected with that as well, so I guess he made himself perfectly clear. The Man was in the house of the Heart, which is what this situation was all about, and the Woman was in the house of the Woman, showing that she was definitely acting in her own interests. The series Scythe-Woman-Fox showed her ready to deal decisively with his bad faith. Finally, they both knighted to the Moon (in the house of the Fox), showing that it was a question of honor. The Heart and Ring were together but a long way off from both of them, and the dark side of the Clouds was touching the Ring. Sometimes Lenormand can be so literal! :)
 

Teheuti

The other significator card is your main "significant other" in whatever situation you are examining. You can use a same sex card or not (many new decks offer more than two Man & Woman cards). Snake or Bouquet can represent a lesbian partner. Feel free to make a clear intention before you lay out the cards as to whom certain cards will represent. Rider or Dog tends to be more usual in male/male relationships.

One woman was looking at a business deal. Man was her business partner and Dog was her loyal husband.

For one man, Woman was a close, female friend; Dog was his current, male partner; and Rider was his bothersome ex. These designations became quite clear as we read his Grand Tableau.
 

CosmicBeing

If you are reading for a female... Charge the male card non-gender specific.

If the male card ends up in house 28 than that means there is a male that is going to play a role in the person's life. If it falls anywhere else it is still non-gender specific.

if you are reading for a male...charge the female car non-gender specific

if female card ends up in house 29 that means there is a female that is going to play a roles in the person's life. Falls anywhere else still non-gender specific.

This is what I have notice in my studies of Grand tableaut