Coffin card in relationships

Padma

"what can one expect from this relationship?"

1) clover - house - fish - sun - lady - man - cross - coffin - rider

Clover being the situation card, so far the relationship is looking good, it does not have a long history yet, though.
Clover/House: possibly the relationship takes place in two houses, or else it is very stable at the beginning, even a trifle predictable.
House/Fish: Stable emotions, a lot of them, but not yet deep.
Fish/Sun: "A lot" of good times, electricity, attraction.
Sun/Lady: Lady feeling optimistic about it all.
Lady/Man: Getting together, being close (especially if your Lady is directly facing your Man card). If they are back to back, then something goes awry in an otherwise promising scenario.
Man/Cross: Depressed man (unless he is religious!)
Cross/Coffin: end of pain
Coffin/Rider: New beginning, news after a break.

I think actually that you two may carry on happily enough, then there may be a short separation or a quarrel that may lead to not speaking to each other (Cross/Coffin) but that you get together again (Rider) OR more likely, that you may meet someone new after things end with this person. The new person may be the one who is fated, and not the one you are currently seeing.

If you mirror your cards, then you get Rider/Clover, meaning a lucky meeting or lucky short new opportunity to meet someone, Coffin/House you may meet them in an unpleasant location or a very small dark place, Cross/Fish you then plan many dates (Cross can mean plans) or it is one of those "Our eyes locked from across the room" type fated meetings, in a place full of people (schools of fish can be a lot of people at a meeting, with Cross it may mean a church) Man/Sun there will be a jolt of sexual "heat" between you, a successful meeting or affair, and you end up quite happily placed, as all this happens to the Lady who is in the middle.

2) book - ring - scythe - anchor - coffin

Book/Ring, a secret relationship;
Ring/Scythe, a break-up, end of a the relationship
Scythe/Anchor: decision or harsh words means end of stability (Anchor/Coffin)

Looks like someone is keeping secrets in this relationship, and when they (the secrets) are exposed, leading to an argument or repeating arguments (Ring/Scythe) it breaks up the romance, or at least ends the idyllic honeymoon, and shakes the foundations. A testing time.

As for just throwing the cards and letting them tell you stuff, I myself do not proceed in this fashion, as I find questions really help anchor them. It is my tarot who sidesteps and tells me stuff other than what I am asking. So I suppose everyone has their own experience with the cards. It may also be more helpful to allow the cards to tell you what is happening, and not to bend their meaning to fit the situation (at least I have found this to be the case, your mileage may vary).

But everyone has their own way of reading them.

Myself I experimented wildly with them, but in the end, I chose one way of reading (traditional German way) and it seems to work really well for me. So you must find the way that works for you out of the several schools of thought. :) Once you pick one way and stick to it, your results will be *way* more accurate, and you will truly understand what your cards are trying to tell you, imo. Consistency helps. :D
 

Kurenai

"what can one expect from this relationship?"

1) clover - house - fish - sun - lady - man - cross - coffin - rider

Clover being the situation card, so far the relationship is looking good, it does not have a long history yet, though.
Clover/House: possibly the relationship takes place in two houses, or else it is very stable at the beginning, even a trifle predictable.
House/Fish: Stable emotions, a lot of them, but not yet deep.
Fish/Sun: "A lot" of good times, electricity, attraction.
Sun/Lady: Lady feeling optimistic about it all.
Lady/Man: Getting together, being close (especially if your Lady is directly facing your Man card). If they are back to back, then something goes awry in an otherwise promising scenario.
Man/Cross: Depressed man (unless he is religious!)
Cross/Coffin: end of pain
Coffin/Rider: New beginning, news after a break.

My goodness Padma, what a great way of interpreting the cards! Now how come it doesn't come as easy for me? :)

The cards and your interpretation seems to be spot on in the sense that you see, my marriage in the past 5 years have been very shaky. I think us moving to Canada put on a lot of burden and psychological hardship on the family, especially myself. Then about a year ago I reconnected with an acquaintance of ours from back in the US. He and I ended up having an affair, which has been going on close to 1.5 years now, a long-distance relationship.

His marriage is also in the rocks (has been for a long time), and so is mine. While I care deeply for him and love him, I am not sure where this relationship is going considering our respective constraints as well as the distance between us. So your interpretation of this relationship "taking place in two houses" does make a good deal of sense.

Our respective spouses are aware of this affair, so we're all in a limbo stage now.

And yes, the lady card was facing the man. And yes, he does suffer from depression (and so do I in fact!). We are both trapped in marriages that are not bringing any happiness to us, although we both tried so hard to make it work (me 5 years and him 15).

I am glad to see that "cross - coffin" can mean end of pain, although I am not sure what type of pain it is referring to...

I think actually that you two may carry on happily enough, then there may be a short separation or a quarrel that may lead to not speaking to each other (Cross/Coffin) but that you get together again (Rider) OR more likely, that you may meet someone new after things end with this person. The new person may be the one who is fated, and not the one you are currently seeing.

If you mirror your cards, then you get Rider/Clover, meaning a lucky meeting or lucky short new opportunity to meet someone, Coffin/House you may meet them in an unpleasant location or a very small dark place, Cross/Fish you then plan many dates (Cross can mean plans) or it is one of those "Our eyes locked from across the room" type fated meetings, in a place full of people (schools of fish can be a lot of people at a meeting, with Cross it may mean a church) Man/Sun there will be a jolt of sexual "heat" between you, a successful meeting or affair, and you end up quite happily placed, as all this happens to the Lady who is in the middle.

Looks like whichever interpretation it may me, the future ends with an optimistic note. The relationship with this man has been stressful and taxing for the past few months (the long distance, the fact that it is an affair, and I was diagnosed and treated for breast cancer this year, etc.).

2) book - ring - scythe - anchor - coffin

Book/Ring, a secret relationship;
Ring/Scythe, a break-up, end of a the relationship
Scythe/Anchor: decision or harsh words means end of stability (Anchor/Coffin)

Looks like someone is keeping secrets in this relationship, and when they (the secrets) are exposed, leading to an argument or repeating arguments (Ring/Scythe) it breaks up the romance, or at least ends the idyllic honeymoon, and shakes the foundations. A testing time.


Yes, the relationship is a secret! While our respective spouses know what is going on, we try to be as discreet as much as possible. I also read the spread to mean that the relationship will come to an end.

As for just throwing the cards and letting them tell you stuff, I myself do not proceed in this fashion, as I find questions really help anchor them. It is my tarot who sidesteps and tells me stuff other than what I am asking. So I suppose everyone has their own experience with the cards. It may also be more helpful to allow the cards to tell you what is happening, and not to bend their meaning to fit the situation (at least I have found this to be the case, your mileage may vary).

But everyone has their own way of reading them.

Myself I experimented wildly with them, but in the end, I chose one way of reading (traditional German way) and it seems to work really well for me. So you must find the way that works for you out of the several schools of thought. :) Once you pick one way and stick to it, your results will be *way* more accurate, and you will truly understand what your cards are trying to tell you, imo. Consistency helps. :D

I think I am more comfortable with asking specific questions rather than just setting a theme and letting the cards take from there. Asking questions was how I learned to read tarot, and I am planning on carrying it out with the Lenormand! But it was interesting to see that not everyone asks questions.

Thank you so much!
 

Padma

Hmmm - interesting situation you are in. As the Clover can indicate two of something, perhaps that meant your two men, as well.

I am thinking perhaps the end of both those relationships may be best thing for you!

Ring Scythe may also indicate the end of your marriage, and the Rider tacked on to the end of your first reading may mean that your lover from afar comes to visit you, thus causing the arguments and the disruptions of marriages etc.

I am sorry that your emigration to Canada caused you so many problems! :( being Canadian myself, I always think of it as the best place to live (I am temporarily in the States, and miss home like mad!) but if your relationship is not strong to begin with, then the change can be incredibly stressful.

I hope it works out...

Maybe you can throw another line of cards (in a new thread) in regard to your marriage, asking something like "what will be the next stage of my marriage" or maybe "what will the outcome of my marriage be"? And please remember that you can always seek marriage counseling, and perhaps save what you have! ;)

Remember that the power of change and outcome remains largely in your own hands - the cards can only show you what happens if you do not take action, really...you can change the outcomes if you wish, most of the time! Nothing is written in stone...
 

Kurenai

Hmmm - interesting situation you are in. As the Clover can indicate two of something, perhaps that meant your two men, as well.

I am thinking perhaps the end of both those relationships may be best thing for you!

Ring Scythe may also indicate the end of your marriage, and the Rider tacked on to the end of your first reading may mean that your lover from afar comes to visit you, thus causing the arguments and the disruptions of marriages etc.

I am sorry that your emigration to Canada caused you so many problems! :( being Canadian myself, I always think of it as the best place to live (I am temporarily in the States, and miss home like mad!) but if your relationship is not strong to begin with, then the change can be incredibly stressful.

I hope it works out...

Maybe you can throw another line of cards (in a new thread) in regard to your marriage, asking something like "what will be the next stage of my marriage" or maybe "what will the outcome of my marriage be"? And please remember that you can always seek marriage counseling, and perhaps save what you have! ;)

Remember that the power of change and outcome remains largely in your own hands - the cards can only show you what happens if you do not take action, really...you can change the outcomes if you wish, most of the time! Nothing is written in stone...

Thanks Padma!
Yeah, transitioning from the US to Canada was hard, especially when I had to give up my job to move here -- my husband's Canadian and he was offered a position in Ontario. It's been a very bumpy road from there. I just don't think me and Canada did not work out. :)

Yeah, let me do a reading on it, and see what the cards say!
 

tarotlova

As for just throwing the cards and letting them tell you stuff, I myself do not proceed in this fashion, as I find questions really help anchor them. It is my tarot who sidesteps and tells me stuff other than what I am asking. So I suppose everyone has their own experience with the cards. It may also be more helpful to allow the cards to tell you what is happening, and not to bend their meaning to fit the situation (at least I have found this to be the case, your mileage may vary).

But everyone has their own way of reading them.

Myself I experimented wildly with them, but in the end, I chose one way of reading (traditional German way) and it seems to work really well for me. So you must find the way that works for you out of the several schools of thought. :) Once you pick one way and stick to it, your results will be *way* more accurate, and you will truly understand what your cards are trying to tell you, imo. Consistency helps. :D

Yes very true everyone has there own way of reading! I especially agree with the not bending the meaning to fit the situation it is very easy to fall in to this trap something I was guilty of when I first started reading all those years ago. I really love reading everyone's interpretation of the cards. :thumbsup:
 

tarotlova

Wow, the layout looks complicated! But I should take some time to read it over again!

Funny thing about the coffin card -- today I did my daily 3-card reading in the morning (it's 8:10 am here in Toronto) and for fun I picked one more card as an additional information. I got the coffin card again!

But I know that the coffin card could mean headaches, and you know what? I had one brewing since very early this morning!

Hope you feel better soon! Yes this spread done my head in when I first started to learn it, but now it's water off a duck's back to me, hopefully the Grand Tableau will become like that for me to one day! :p
 

Padma

Yes very true everyone has there own way of reading! I especially agree with the not bending the meaning to fit the situation it is very easy to fall in to this trap something I was guilty of when I first started reading all those years ago. I really love reading everyone's interpretation of the cards. :thumbsup:

Yes, it really does help to have multiple points of view! One gets the best overall view that way - and learns a lot along the way, too! I am going to check out your spread, as well! ;) I love to learn.

In regard to the many meanings involved with Coffin, for me, it has come up mostly as a small place (like the inside of my vet's clinic truck) or like the tarot card inside its borders; or a small, dark house where not much happens; or as rest; as depression; as the end of something. It has a lot of different meanings, really, but the words I associate most with it are small space dark place lack of movement and definite ending.

ETA in relationships - no sex no love
 

MandMaud

I wrote quite a complicated post yesterday and my computer ate it. :(

Anyway...

Here http://learnlenormand.com/lenormand-cross-card-combinations/ for cross with coffin, the list gives "grief, depression, spiritual transformation".
Spiritual transformation makes sense, transformation being "end" and spiritual being the "religious" part.

However, at the elementary level I'm at, I always take the second card in a pair as the "adjective" and the first as the "noun". Which would make it "a coffin kind of cross" rather than "a cross kind of coffin".
(visual image of a grumpy coffin with a big frown, shaking a fist... sorry! :D)
That was something I was going to ask you, Padma - in your BRILLIANT interpretation, it seems that you take a pair sometimes one way round, sometimes the other.
(For example:
"Sun/Lady: Lady feeling optimistic about it all." = sun kind of lady, ie an A kind of B;
but "Man/Cross: Depressed man" = cross kind of man, ie a B kind of A.)

Since I'm the beginner and you have much more experience, I'll assume this is ok to do! But how do you know which way to choose?

I like the cramped space version of cross - and I love how many options there are for each card, though that's exactly what makes Lenormand so difficult! :)

Still, Kurenai, knowing now that there are two men you have relationships with, I feel that the man is your husband and the rider is the other man in your life.
Man is knighted by clover and cross.
Rider is knighted by house and sun.
I'm too tired this evening to interpret that... but thought I'd point it out! :)
 

Kurenai

Yes, it really does help to have multiple points of view! One gets the best overall view that way - and learns a lot along the way, too! I am going to check out your spread, as well! ;) I love to learn.

In regard to the many meanings involved with Coffin, for me, it has come up mostly as a small place (like the inside of my vet's clinic truck) or like the tarot card inside its borders; or a small, dark house where not much happens; or as rest; as depression; as the end of something. It has a lot of different meanings, really, but the words I associate most with it are small space dark place lack of movement and definite ending.

ETA in relationships - no sex no love

Ah, so the coffin can be interpreted as a small space! So many meanings!!! So it can be that I will meet the next man in a small confined place?? Hmm.... I am thinking maybe the subway or the train?
 

Kurenai

I wrote quite a complicated post yesterday and my computer ate it. :(

Anyway...

Here http://learnlenormand.com/lenormand-cross-card-combinations/ for cross with coffin, the list gives "grief, depression, spiritual transformation".
Spiritual transformation makes sense, transformation being "end" and spiritual being the "religious" part.

However, at the elementary level I'm at, I always take the second card in a pair as the "adjective" and the first as the "noun". Which would make it "a coffin kind of cross" rather than "a cross kind of coffin".
(visual image of a grumpy coffin with a big frown, shaking a fist... sorry! :D)
That was something I was going to ask you, Padma - in your BRILLIANT interpretation, it seems that you take a pair sometimes one way round, sometimes the other.
(For example:
"Sun/Lady: Lady feeling optimistic about it all." = sun kind of lady, ie an A kind of B;
but "Man/Cross: Depressed man" = cross kind of man, ie a B kind of A.)

Since I'm the beginner and you have much more experience, I'll assume this is ok to do! But how do you know which way to choose?

I like the cramped space version of cross - and I love how many options there are for each card, though that's exactly what makes Lenormand so difficult! :)

Still, Kurenai, knowing now that there are two men you have relationships with, I feel that the man is your husband and the rider is the other man in your life.
Man is knighted by clover and cross.
Rider is knighted by house and sun.
I'm too tired this evening to interpret that... but thought I'd point it out! :)

Thanks ManMaud! I'm sorry about the computer eating your post. It sucks when that happens.... :(

I have yet to try the knighting technique. I thought it could only be done for the Grand Tableau or the 9 card spread (where there is more than one line of cards).

Can someone enlighten me a bit more with the knighting? I am guess for this particular example,

clover-cross: that there is burden and heaviness around the happiness me and my husband once shared. (man)

sun-house: I have no idea how to interpret this... :(