Glass Owl
I actually really like the layout sheet. It makes me want Ciro's Lenormand spread cloth all the more!
The Enchanted Lenormand Oracle - Caitlin Matthews, Art by Virginia Lee
Asher
The reason I won't likely use the layout sheet is because I have Ciro's spread cloth already!
LadyDeborah
I'm excited to get this and I see it is 'in town" tonight when I track it, so maybe tomorrow it will arrive. Mostly, I am hoping the book clarifies Lenormand better than other sources. It's obvious Caitlin knows her stuff.
Lee
I'm jealous!
. Mine is arriving today. I like the idea of the spread sheet (I don't have Ciro's spread cloth). It doesnt seem like it would be much fun reading on an unfolded sheet of paper, though. I wonder how much it would cost to take it to an art store and have them mount it on poster board...
Asher
Some thoughts
I played with the cards and read some of the book last night.
The ridiculous faces on the Clouds card (to indicate light and dark) are almost a deal breaker for me with this deck. They seem incongruous with the rest of the artwork, and add nothing whatsoever.
The Cross card has been renamed the Crossing, and depicts an old suspension bridge. As the book suggests, the card can represent all spiritual paths, so perhaps author and artist wanted to avoid any specific spiritual associations with the image of a cross. I don't see this card as a bridge to something else, but I can live with it.
The book is very well done. Each card (pictured in color) has been given two pages of description. A single paragraph introduces each card. A few key words (called Impact) suggest how the card is experienced. The next section, Keywords, is just that, a long list of keywords that relate to the card. These are long lists, and perhaps a bit of an overload for a complete beginner (when I learned, we were asked to have 2-3 nouns and 2-3 adjectives for each card, with more added as our experience grew). Caitlin then gives meanings for the cards in the areas of People, Love, Work, Finance & Business, and Well-Being. There is a section called Compare, which compares the card in question to other cards with similar meanings (this is very helpful). Mnemonics are given for the playing card inserts, and finally, a section called The Card in Story, gives the theme of the card in story, myth and folklore. Each card summary includes some sample combinations.
I have not explored the sections on spreads as yet.
I'm still very happy with the deck (I just hope the Clouds don't show up too often!)
I played with the cards and read some of the book last night.
The ridiculous faces on the Clouds card (to indicate light and dark) are almost a deal breaker for me with this deck. They seem incongruous with the rest of the artwork, and add nothing whatsoever.
The Cross card has been renamed the Crossing, and depicts an old suspension bridge. As the book suggests, the card can represent all spiritual paths, so perhaps author and artist wanted to avoid any specific spiritual associations with the image of a cross. I don't see this card as a bridge to something else, but I can live with it.
The book is very well done. Each card (pictured in color) has been given two pages of description. A single paragraph introduces each card. A few key words (called Impact) suggest how the card is experienced. The next section, Keywords, is just that, a long list of keywords that relate to the card. These are long lists, and perhaps a bit of an overload for a complete beginner (when I learned, we were asked to have 2-3 nouns and 2-3 adjectives for each card, with more added as our experience grew). Caitlin then gives meanings for the cards in the areas of People, Love, Work, Finance & Business, and Well-Being. There is a section called Compare, which compares the card in question to other cards with similar meanings (this is very helpful). Mnemonics are given for the playing card inserts, and finally, a section called The Card in Story, gives the theme of the card in story, myth and folklore. Each card summary includes some sample combinations.
I have not explored the sections on spreads as yet.
I'm still very happy with the deck (I just hope the Clouds don't show up too often!)
aranarose
I ordered mine from Amazon yesterday, and did two-day shipping, so it will be here sometime tomorrow. I'm so antsy for this deck! I've been learning Lenormand for some time now, and have introduced it to my professional clients with great success and raving reviews, so I'm adding more and more Lenormand decks to my collection! My poor French Cartomancy Lenormand deck is starting to get worn out!
Lee
Got mine today. Some very preliminary observations:
Cards are very lovely. Virginia Lee is a very talented person. Very glad to see that on the box, the artist's name is in the same size font as the author's. I like the way bodies and faces are worked into several of the cards, not only the Clouds but also the Broom, Star, etc., which tends to humanize the deck.
Very impressed with the book so far. Caitlin has done a great job. The card meanings have breadth and depth. I like the way she stresses a particular theme for each card, making the meanings more cohesive and graspable than how other authors present them. I also like how she devotes several chapters to the actual mechanics of reading the cards.
I agree with Asher's comment about the long list of keywords. I don't think she meant for them to be memorized, but she could have made that clearer. I wish she would have talked about choosing a few keywords to deal with at first.
I like very much her introduction to the cards, where she presents a card reader who goes through the deck in order, giving a brief sentence for each card. Caitlin's skills as a writer really make the cards come to life.
I find Caitlin's approach interesting because she presents the cards from a more mythic/pagan viewpoint, which is unusual for Lenormand. She writes of journeys, quests, animal helpers.
I'm a little puzzled by the spreadsheet. The card slots on the sheet have the card numbers (1 through 36) but no other way to identify the position, which means you must either memorize the positions (for example, so you automatically know that position 20 is the Garden) or consult the book or keep a list handy. I think the author and artist really missed an opportunity to make the sheet useful by putting more info in the card slots (as Ciro did on his spread cloth) so we'd know which position represents which card. The sheet is certainly visually striking though!
I'm really looking forward to spending a couple of weeks with this set. I've been waiting for a book like this ever since I first became interested in Lenormand through Titania Hardie's set, years ago.
Kudos to Caitlin and Virginia for producing a winner!
Caitlin mentions she has a book to come in 2014, the Lenormand Learner's Handbook. There's no entry for it yet on Amazon, but I'll be keeping my eye out for it.
Cards are very lovely. Virginia Lee is a very talented person. Very glad to see that on the box, the artist's name is in the same size font as the author's. I like the way bodies and faces are worked into several of the cards, not only the Clouds but also the Broom, Star, etc., which tends to humanize the deck.
Very impressed with the book so far. Caitlin has done a great job. The card meanings have breadth and depth. I like the way she stresses a particular theme for each card, making the meanings more cohesive and graspable than how other authors present them. I also like how she devotes several chapters to the actual mechanics of reading the cards.
I agree with Asher's comment about the long list of keywords. I don't think she meant for them to be memorized, but she could have made that clearer. I wish she would have talked about choosing a few keywords to deal with at first.
I like very much her introduction to the cards, where she presents a card reader who goes through the deck in order, giving a brief sentence for each card. Caitlin's skills as a writer really make the cards come to life.
I find Caitlin's approach interesting because she presents the cards from a more mythic/pagan viewpoint, which is unusual for Lenormand. She writes of journeys, quests, animal helpers.
I'm a little puzzled by the spreadsheet. The card slots on the sheet have the card numbers (1 through 36) but no other way to identify the position, which means you must either memorize the positions (for example, so you automatically know that position 20 is the Garden) or consult the book or keep a list handy. I think the author and artist really missed an opportunity to make the sheet useful by putting more info in the card slots (as Ciro did on his spread cloth) so we'd know which position represents which card. The sheet is certainly visually striking though!
I'm really looking forward to spending a couple of weeks with this set. I've been waiting for a book like this ever since I first became interested in Lenormand through Titania Hardie's set, years ago.
Kudos to Caitlin and Virginia for producing a winner!
Caitlin mentions she has a book to come in 2014, the Lenormand Learner's Handbook. There's no entry for it yet on Amazon, but I'll be keeping my eye out for it.
Le Fanu
After having read the book, I find that I refer a lot to the synopsis of keywords "at a glance" at the back, p 156-7.
It's a great book. The grand tableau is explained very well and for the first time ever I have grasped Houses. And Knighting!
To be honest, I use the new outsized "postcard sized" LoS Lenormand Oracle (which has cards that look almost as big as Thoth) laid out in order when reading with houses. I lay any smaller deck (and all decks are smaller) out on top. I have a copy in my Lenormand chest permanently in order just for practising houses.
Lee
One could use Tierney Sadler's Deck of Lenormand Houses for that too. Hmm, that might be my next Lenormand purchase...
Chronata
I wanted to love it. I really did.
I mean...what's not to love? It's incredibly beautifully drawn...and the book is just fantastic.
When I first opened it, I was infatuated.
Reading with it? Maybe not so awesome.
I tried. I really did. I even did a Grande Tableau, but in the end I couldn't distinguish one card from another. It was like a beautiful dreamscape of images, that I couldn't focus on the meanings of.
I ran screaming back to my comfy Antiquarian.
I am setting it aside, and I may come back to it in a little while.
It's too pretty not to give it another chance.
I mean...what's not to love? It's incredibly beautifully drawn...and the book is just fantastic.
When I first opened it, I was infatuated.
Reading with it? Maybe not so awesome.
I tried. I really did. I even did a Grande Tableau, but in the end I couldn't distinguish one card from another. It was like a beautiful dreamscape of images, that I couldn't focus on the meanings of.
I ran screaming back to my comfy Antiquarian.
I am setting it aside, and I may come back to it in a little while.
It's too pretty not to give it another chance.
