Lee
"Common Sense Lenormand" is a system for reading the cards which I created because I felt the need for a system which was logical, understandable, and easily explained, without the necessity for the reader to guess at how cards in a line should be combined.
There are four threads in the series:
Level I (this thread) - the basic 5-card spread
Level II - one way of expanding the spread to go deeper
Level III - another way of expanding the spread to go deeper
Keywords - you can certainly use your own meanings but these are the keywords I developed for this method.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about optimal ways of reading Lenormand. I've invested time and energy into learning and practicing traditional methods, but I've come to the conclusion that standard spreads like the nine-card or the Grand Tableau just aren't clicking with me.
So I've invented my own method. The basis of the method is a five-card spread with a firm structure/framework, which comprises the first level. This spread is good for providing basic and straightforward answers. There are two further levels which build logically on this spread to provide more nuanced and sophisticated readings. For those who fear this method will be too simplistic, the further levels may provide what you're looking for.
This method could obviously be used with any set of card meanings, but for those who are interested, I've posted a set of key phrases/words here. In the reading examples that I post, I'll be using these meanings, but if anyone wants to post their own readings with this method, feel free to use any meanings you like.
There is a lot of online drama about Lenormand these days, which I am frankly uninterested in participating in. Thus, while I'll happily post to discuss aspects of this method, I won't post in response to criticisms, complaints, putdowns, comparisons to other meanings/methods, etc. My card meanings are fairly traditional, my method fairly nontraditional, so people on both sides should find something here to dislike, should they be so inclined.
I'm calling my method "Common Sense Lenormand" not because I think other methods/meanings lack common sense, but because I've found that my methods/meanings make more sense to me than the others I've tried. I'm posting my system in case there are others who will feel the same way.
So here is the first level of my method.
It's a line of five cards:
1...2...3...4...5
Cause:
Cards 1 and 2 represent a Cause. Card 2 is the focus card of this combination. Card 2 "carries" card 1. What do I mean by "carries"? Card 2 brings with it some aspect or characteristic of card 1. Card 1 could be an advantageous or disruptive feature of card 2. The specific relationship will become apparent in the context of the reading.
Example:
My partner has an inexpensive cellphone on an inexpensive carrier. So far it has met his needs, but recently the carrier switched his service to a different cell tower and now he gets no reception at all. I've found a new carrier which offers a good but inexpensive smartphone at a very inexpensive rate. It's more expensive than the cellphone service but relatively very cheap compared to other smartphone carriers. I feel he'll enjoy the added features of a smartphone. Will he decide to go for the smartphone service I'm recommending?
8 Coffin.............10 Scythe
Scythe "carries" Coffin. Scythe obviously represents the decision by the cellphone carrier, which has the effect of "cutting" his reception, thus effectively ending (Coffin) his service.
Effect:
Cards 4 and 5 represent an Effect. Card 5 is the focus card, and "carries" card 4.
Example:
20 Park..............33 Key
Using the same question as above, we see that the new smartphone will certainly (Key) provide a solution (Key) to regain and improve upon his digital access to the outside world (Park).
So far we have a Cause (cell service suddenly disrupted and ended) and an Effect (a solution to the problem). But what about card 3?
The Pivot:
Card 3 is the pivot between the Cause and the Effect. It could represent the mechanism by which we get from the Cause to the Effect. It could represent a personal reaction to the Cause which helps bring about the Effect.
Card 3 is basically where the Cause and the Effect intersect, and thus contains elements of both Cause and Effect. You might think of it as a hinge or pivot between the one and the other.
Visually, you might think of cards 1 and 2 inhabiting a circle (labeled "Cause). Cards 4 and 5 inhabit another circle (labeled "Effect"). The area where the two circles overlap is where card 3 resides.
Example:
Card 3 for the above question is:
27 Letter
The capability of the smartphone to receive and send data (Letter), as opposed to the cellphone which only has phone and text, is what will make the difference in his decision to go for the smartphone.
Let's look at the whole line:
..........Cause........................Pivot......................Effect
......1...............2....................3.................4..................5
8 Coffin.......10 Scythe.........27 Letter........20 Park.........33 Key
The carrier's actions cut (Scythe) his reception, thus effectively ending (Coffin) his service. After taking into consideration the added data features (Letter) that a smartphone brings, he'll decide that that option will be his best solution (Key), thus restoring and increasing his contact with the outside world (20).
Please note that the structure is only a general guideline, and in individual readings you'll find yourself straying from the specific framework as needed and desired. The framework doesn't stop you from considering three cards in combination, after you've done the basic steps.
For example, in this reading, we could say that it's specifically the data aspect (Letter) of online interaction (i.e. networking via websites, maps, etc.) (Park) that will provide the key (Key).
The structure/framework of Cause+Pivot+Effect is designed to be easy to read while at the same time allowing flexibility to handle any kind of question. In temporal terms, usually Cause will be past or present, and Effect will be future, but in a specific reading you might find that the Cause is in the future, the idea or fear of which influences the past, which would be the Effect. So in that case cards 1 and 2 would be the future, affecting cards 4 and 5, representing the past.
If anyone wants to give it a try, please let me know how it goes and/or post your readings here!
Man and Woman cards:
In this system, how do you know who the people cards (Man and Woman and extra people cards) refer to?
Before you do a reading, decide which people cards you will use (if your deck has more than the basic two), and then decide who they will represent, based on who are the important players in your question. For example, you could decide that one person card will be yourself and another person card will be someone else who is important to the matter. For decks that only have one each of Man and Woman cards, you can choose one of the alternate male/female cards to choose another person of the same sex, for example Rider or Dog for a man or Snake for a woman.
In this system we do not use the Grand Tableau, so if your deck has multiple people cards, you could even use more than two, if there are more than two important people involved in the matter.
In Level I readings, it's only five cards in the spread, so there's a good chance the people cards won't even come up. In further levels, though, there are more cards used so the likelihood will be greater.
There are four threads in the series:
Level I (this thread) - the basic 5-card spread
Level II - one way of expanding the spread to go deeper
Level III - another way of expanding the spread to go deeper
Keywords - you can certainly use your own meanings but these are the keywords I developed for this method.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about optimal ways of reading Lenormand. I've invested time and energy into learning and practicing traditional methods, but I've come to the conclusion that standard spreads like the nine-card or the Grand Tableau just aren't clicking with me.
So I've invented my own method. The basis of the method is a five-card spread with a firm structure/framework, which comprises the first level. This spread is good for providing basic and straightforward answers. There are two further levels which build logically on this spread to provide more nuanced and sophisticated readings. For those who fear this method will be too simplistic, the further levels may provide what you're looking for.
This method could obviously be used with any set of card meanings, but for those who are interested, I've posted a set of key phrases/words here. In the reading examples that I post, I'll be using these meanings, but if anyone wants to post their own readings with this method, feel free to use any meanings you like.
There is a lot of online drama about Lenormand these days, which I am frankly uninterested in participating in. Thus, while I'll happily post to discuss aspects of this method, I won't post in response to criticisms, complaints, putdowns, comparisons to other meanings/methods, etc. My card meanings are fairly traditional, my method fairly nontraditional, so people on both sides should find something here to dislike, should they be so inclined.
I'm calling my method "Common Sense Lenormand" not because I think other methods/meanings lack common sense, but because I've found that my methods/meanings make more sense to me than the others I've tried. I'm posting my system in case there are others who will feel the same way.
So here is the first level of my method.
It's a line of five cards:
1...2...3...4...5
Cause:
Cards 1 and 2 represent a Cause. Card 2 is the focus card of this combination. Card 2 "carries" card 1. What do I mean by "carries"? Card 2 brings with it some aspect or characteristic of card 1. Card 1 could be an advantageous or disruptive feature of card 2. The specific relationship will become apparent in the context of the reading.
Example:
My partner has an inexpensive cellphone on an inexpensive carrier. So far it has met his needs, but recently the carrier switched his service to a different cell tower and now he gets no reception at all. I've found a new carrier which offers a good but inexpensive smartphone at a very inexpensive rate. It's more expensive than the cellphone service but relatively very cheap compared to other smartphone carriers. I feel he'll enjoy the added features of a smartphone. Will he decide to go for the smartphone service I'm recommending?
8 Coffin.............10 Scythe
Scythe "carries" Coffin. Scythe obviously represents the decision by the cellphone carrier, which has the effect of "cutting" his reception, thus effectively ending (Coffin) his service.
Effect:
Cards 4 and 5 represent an Effect. Card 5 is the focus card, and "carries" card 4.
Example:
20 Park..............33 Key
Using the same question as above, we see that the new smartphone will certainly (Key) provide a solution (Key) to regain and improve upon his digital access to the outside world (Park).
So far we have a Cause (cell service suddenly disrupted and ended) and an Effect (a solution to the problem). But what about card 3?
The Pivot:
Card 3 is the pivot between the Cause and the Effect. It could represent the mechanism by which we get from the Cause to the Effect. It could represent a personal reaction to the Cause which helps bring about the Effect.
Card 3 is basically where the Cause and the Effect intersect, and thus contains elements of both Cause and Effect. You might think of it as a hinge or pivot between the one and the other.
Visually, you might think of cards 1 and 2 inhabiting a circle (labeled "Cause). Cards 4 and 5 inhabit another circle (labeled "Effect"). The area where the two circles overlap is where card 3 resides.
Example:
Card 3 for the above question is:
27 Letter
The capability of the smartphone to receive and send data (Letter), as opposed to the cellphone which only has phone and text, is what will make the difference in his decision to go for the smartphone.
Let's look at the whole line:
..........Cause........................Pivot......................Effect
......1...............2....................3.................4..................5
8 Coffin.......10 Scythe.........27 Letter........20 Park.........33 Key
The carrier's actions cut (Scythe) his reception, thus effectively ending (Coffin) his service. After taking into consideration the added data features (Letter) that a smartphone brings, he'll decide that that option will be his best solution (Key), thus restoring and increasing his contact with the outside world (20).
Please note that the structure is only a general guideline, and in individual readings you'll find yourself straying from the specific framework as needed and desired. The framework doesn't stop you from considering three cards in combination, after you've done the basic steps.
For example, in this reading, we could say that it's specifically the data aspect (Letter) of online interaction (i.e. networking via websites, maps, etc.) (Park) that will provide the key (Key).
The structure/framework of Cause+Pivot+Effect is designed to be easy to read while at the same time allowing flexibility to handle any kind of question. In temporal terms, usually Cause will be past or present, and Effect will be future, but in a specific reading you might find that the Cause is in the future, the idea or fear of which influences the past, which would be the Effect. So in that case cards 1 and 2 would be the future, affecting cards 4 and 5, representing the past.
If anyone wants to give it a try, please let me know how it goes and/or post your readings here!
Man and Woman cards:
In this system, how do you know who the people cards (Man and Woman and extra people cards) refer to?
Before you do a reading, decide which people cards you will use (if your deck has more than the basic two), and then decide who they will represent, based on who are the important players in your question. For example, you could decide that one person card will be yourself and another person card will be someone else who is important to the matter. For decks that only have one each of Man and Woman cards, you can choose one of the alternate male/female cards to choose another person of the same sex, for example Rider or Dog for a man or Snake for a woman.
In this system we do not use the Grand Tableau, so if your deck has multiple people cards, you could even use more than two, if there are more than two important people involved in the matter.
In Level I readings, it's only five cards in the spread, so there's a good chance the people cards won't even come up. In further levels, though, there are more cards used so the likelihood will be greater.