Card Meanings

Okay....going out on a limb here...I know most people LOVE the book: The Secrets of the Lenormand Oracle...by Sylvil Steinbach....I ordered it and was amazed when I got it...but now after working with the cards and book for awhile...IDK....I think the meanings are well thought out and I am certain she is quite an expert...but when I think about it this way...

There are 36 cards...each card has a meaning based on the card it is next to (plus other things)...so 36 times 36 equals....1296 meanings...overwhelming...and then within each of those there are usually three or four to choose...and then adding the timing elements and other factors and thats just a TON of meanings...honestly too many to ever memorize effectively.

And yes I know she says in the book to trust your instincts but thats a little hard to do when you have 152 pages of card meanings....trusting your intuition is mentioned a couple times in the book but at the same time the meanings are protrayed as pretty solid...I'm not complaining (just reflecting)...I think the book has a lot of value BUT for me...it seems to have actually slowed down my process of learning the cards and reading with them intuitively...

For me...it is easier and seems to work quite well....to use just the basic meaning of the card...For example...The Horseman....new situations or people, news is coming, short time frame. OR The Dog: A friend or person you can trust, intimacy, closeness. ...then depending on the reading....and the surrounding cards elaborate on the meaning...IDK....for me it just seems more natural...otherwise I am constantly referring to the book and the meanings all become a jumble....frequently not very "indepth" but actual just a chaotic tangle.

I think the meanings she assigns the cards are awesome and have lots of merit and cover just about every possible situation in life....BUT honestly...they are HER meanings....developed over time and there is one thing I believe about the Lenormand cards and any other oracle cards...they are JUST cards....the meanings that the reader assigns to them are relevant for that reader and work for that reader...the meanings ARE NOT in the cards but INSIDE the reader....just as she suggests setting up some "mental conventions" or "internal rules" or boundaries by which you will adhere...in regard to the future...like how far out the reading will encompass (for her not longer than a year).....if those internal conventions or rules can be established than personal meanings for the cards can also most certainly be developed...I'm not menaing come up with opposite or unique meanings (if your doing that...just create your own deck of cards...serves the same purpose)...BUT INSTEAD.... a personal way for reading each card based on some very basic knowledge of the card. ....in doing this you create a strong bond and intimacy with the deck....you can relax and trust your intuition and the flow of the reading is better and it is my belief....more accurate.

There are several decks that I have worked with in this way and over time they are the decks that I read with the best....BEFORE I purchased the book...I did several readings in this manner and they were RIGHT on TARGET....

BUt I have learned many things from the book....the no layout spread, charging a card to represent the seeker or someone the reading is about...as well as the timing etc...those are valuable.....But I'm putting the book back on the shelf for a while and working intuitively with the basic meanings....I'll let you know how it goes...

I don't think you're supposed to memorize all the combinations, from any source or author. They are there to provide guidelines, and ideas for how one can combine the cards. A springboard while learning the cards.

Some authors have provided combinations that work for me, that I would have never thought of by myself, and I'm happy to incorporate these as I stumble on them. Or I've looked at specific combinations to understand how a card can work, such as getting a handle on the Cross. These things help me learn, but I'm not memorizing "laundry lists" on combinations.

It sounds like you're getting good results by combining the cards as they speak to you. I don't see a problem with that; it sounds perfectly normal to me!

Hi Dragonfae,

I would certainly suggest, and I'm sure Sylvie would too, to do as you are doing and read each card individually. Like Rif said, it wasn't her intention for everyone to memorise the combinations, that would take away the intuitive process. When you study the cards and see how the combinations actually came together, you would see key words, they are just a guideline after all.

I've been over the book with a fine tooth comb, only now after a year and a half, I have a better understanding of what she was trying to convey, I didn't see it at the beginning.

Sounds like you're doing well, and if your readings are on target then hey, what more better a result is that?

PR

Hi DragonFae,

Actually in practice you wouldn't have to keep all those meanings in your head bugeyed.

If you initially ask very specific questions, you need only concern yourself with the meaning(s) associated with it. At first this is what I did. Only 'asked' about a job, or something that only covers one area of life. Then it's amazing how soon the card meanings fall into place - in your head

Then later you'll do your own thing!

Bee

I combine the meanings of the cards for example... Fox-Horseman, In my eyes I see this a working with a good looking person. or good news coming to me from some person involving work.

It works best for me when I do this and use my intuition.