CARDS IN COMMON WITH THE TAROT
[EDITED VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION]
Hi everyone! Welcome back to the channel, thank you for tuning in. If you're new here, welcome, I'm Layla the Lenormand Reader, and today folks, I want to Start a video series that has to do with how you translate Tarot to Lenormand and how you can translate anything really into Lenormand.
And so I've had this idea in mind for a while because I know that most of us come from a Tarot background into Lenormand. But also recently, when I opened up the Q&A platform, I had a question from Nina Jade asking me to do this. So I was really delighted that there was interest out there that aligned with my intuition of wanting to do something like this.
So in this first video about how to speak Lenormand, I want to do the most obvious first step in this area, and it's looking at the cards that are in both decks - so the symbols that are found in both decks. And we've got a few of these and this is what I want to talk through in this video.
OVERVIEW
Okay. So, I've got the five cards that have symbols that are in common to both Lenormand and the Tarot deck.
The first one is maybe not a direct similarity in symbols: We've got the Coffin from Lenormand, and the Death card from the Tarot deck. And these are pretty close because the Coffin is pretty much associated with the idea of Death. So I've pulled these and I have them as part of this set of cards with common symbols to both decks.
The next one is the Star. This is a very obvious similarity. As well as the Sun and Moon. It's really interesting that all three cards are celestial cards. I mean it's hard not to look at the planets and the influence they have on us right? So it shouldn't be a surprise that we see them in both decks.
And we also have the Tower in Lenormand and in the Tarot. The exact same symbol figuring in both decks. So let's go ahead and take these cards and turn and compare their meanings between the two decks.
THE COFFIN
The first one is the Coffin and the Death card. So the Coffin is very much about endings as is the Death card.
The thing about the Death card is that, apart from it being a major arcana - like all of them are interestingly enough - the Death card is very much about deep personal transformations in the Tarot, so it does have a really spiritual indication that comes with it.
And most Tarot Readers will see the Death card as an important ending and as a deeper spiritual transformation than the day-to-day stuff that might be captured in the minor arcanum.
With Lenormand’s Coffin card the idea of transformation is not so much indicated but the idea of an ending is very much indicated.
In Lenormand, transformation would probably be best captured by something like the Stork and possibly in other combinations as well. And the Coffin in Lenormand is more directly about endings, but it also has an indication of a waiting time and patience, things not really going anywhere.
In the Tarot, I don't feel this is so much about the Death card. Possibly if it were reversed in the Tarot, it can represent this idea of things being stalled. There is also the Wheel of Fortune. When it shows up reversed, it can mean that things are stuck and not really moving forward - at least some authors will look at it this way.
But in general the Coffin and the Death card are very similar. This is an ending, time to turn the page, and to move on to something else.
THE STAR
Okay, let's move on to the Star cards. So the Star is very similar in both decks.
In both decks it has to do with wish-fulfillment, inspiration, faith, and healing.
It is really an archetypal meaning of the Star and you see that it underlies pretty much any deck it would show up in. You know, like “wishing upon a star”. You know, this archetypal association that we have with the Star exists in both the Tarot deck and the Lenormand deck.
Sometimes the reverse Star in the Tarot can suggest that wishes aren't fulfilled and that there could be a delay in manifesting our desires, and things like that. In Lenormand, I think that is possible.
I think in some combinations like the Star and Whip for example, can sort of downplay the goodness of the Star. It can mean that we don't get our wish exactly as we wanted, and I think the order of the cards can matter.
So for example, if we had the Whip before the Star, it would suggest that we're able to heal from challenges, we're able to get our wishes after a period of challenge. But if the Whip came after the Star, it can mean that our wishes don't materialize in the way that we want or there is a compromise that is made.
And I use the example of the Whip because I do need a strong negative card to challenge the Star - that's because the Star is one of the most positive cards of the deck and so it's really hard to challenge it unless it's a, you know, one of the more negative cards like the Whip.
THE SUN
Moving on to the Sun. The Sun is like the Star, very similar in both decks.
It is a very bright card in both decks. It also has to do with achievement and wish-fulfillment, the sense of victory, and achieving the highest level of our goals. You know, that level of victory all the way up is very much indicated in both cards. So again, just like the Star, this is very similar in both decks.
The Sun in the Tarot is sometimes taken to represent children because of the Rider-Waite - and this is the Rider-Waite deck - because of the Rider-Waite illustration of having children on the Sun card.
I've seen many authors, many Tarot authors, interpret the Sun as bringing up this idea of children and also creativity, you know, by extension of the Sun that is a source of life on earth and things like that.
Those sorts of archetypal associations with the Sun are further taken through the representation of children in the Tarot card of the Sun.
Children are not so much represented by the Lenormand Sun. Instead there is a Child card in Lenormand specifically, and that is what would represent children. But in terms of the positivity and wish-fulfillment and achievement both of these indications are captured by both decks through the Sun symbol - just like the Star.
THE MOON
The Moon in Lenormand and the Moon in the Tarot, this is where we find a difference between the two decks.
The Tarot Moon is a very tricky card. It has a lot of shades, and it's often tricky to interpret. It's one of those cards that students and practitioners spend a bit more time on because it has a few layers.
In general, and as far as many authors that I've seen or read about the Moon in Tarot, tends to be more negative than positive. It is associated with intuition, the psychic world and all of that area. But it is also associated pretty strongly with illusions and so this is where the negative implications of the Moon come through.
Not so in the Lenormand Moon. Lenormand’s Moon is generally a very positive card. It is a soft card of beauty and attraction. Yes it does bring up intuition and psychic abilities and all of that, but there are no negative associations with the Moon, in and of itself, as it stands.
Now, when the Moon shows up with negative cards in Lenormand for example, like the Whip and Scythe, I'm also thinking of the Clouds or the Mouse, and the Fox and the Snake. You know, the more subtle cards when it comes to the negative cards.
These are the cards that I feel bring out best the idea of illusion, the idea of things not being what they appear to be, especially with cards like the Snake and the Fox which are by themselves cards that lack transparency, that often represent someone who is tricky and false to your face.
So when we see the Moon with such cards, that side of the Moon can come through. And so that's when the Lenormand Moon is a bit more similar to the Tarot Moon.
And I think it applies as well when the (Tarot Moon) is negative. I mean, in the Tarot deck, the reversed Moon, I feel doesn't really add value to the main meaning of the Moon. Some people read it as releasing illusions and things like that.
So the opposite of what it means when upright. But honestly, I'm more tempted to read the Moon upright as positive and then as negative when reversed - that's where I feel the more negative aspects of illusion can come through.
So that is my take on the differences between the Lenormand Moon and the Tarot Moon. The Lenormand Moon is, on its own by default, a positive card. It generally points to attraction and beauty. Whereas the Tarot Moon in and of itself, tends to be associated with illusions a lot more strongly than in Lenormand
THE TOWER
And then we have the Tower in each deck. This is another symbol that is interpreted very differently in the two decks.
The Tarot Tower is, you know, very hard to misinterpret when you have an illustration like this one. It has to do with the lightning that hits the Tower, and the people are falling out of the of the Tower. So it's being struck by lightning, and there is that sense of suddenness and speed that comes through the Tower.
So this often means that your illusions are shattered, the status quo is going to be shattered, things are no longer going to be the same, and it often comes aggressively.
It can bring a very challenging phase, but also, many authors see it as beneficial - the idea of being thrown out of a status quo that is no longer working, the idea of being forced out of ideas that are no longer valid.
You know, there is that sense that life is forcing you in a certain direction. But there can be relief that comes through this, and it's worth noting that in the Tarot, cards in the major arcana, the sequence of the major arcana, is relevant to the story of the soul because that's what the major arcana are, right?
I'm sure you Tarot Readers out there know that it has to do with the unfolding of the journey of the soul, and this is how the Tarot cards and major arcana are also associated with the Tree of Life.
So the Star comes after the Tower. The Star is number 17 and the Tower is number 16. And so after this shattering that we see in the Tower card, there is a healing. This is where we see the idea of release and relief.
So that's why a lot of authors see this as positive, and I would certainly align with that because, I am... I guess it's a personal thing. I support change, I think it's important to release things almost constantly because life is ever-changing. I like the idea of having insight. Even if it's challenging, I'm good with it because on the other side of it there often is relief, and a good thing - a good new place that comes through.
Now, the Lenormand Tower is really different. It has nothing to do with what the Tarot Tower is about. The Lenormand Tower is also one of those cards that is not so obviously clear in what it means.
It tends to not mean much to people when they first land on the deck, so it's one of those cards that you need to sort of work on a bit more. And the definition of the card is a bit more, how do you say, a bit more forced possibly.
You have to decide what the card means, but in general the Lenormand Tower has to do with time, the past, and it also has to do with authority and expertise. It's often associated with the law and administration at that level. So, as you can see, this is very different from what the Tarot Tower is about.
What can possibly be in common to both is the notion of wisdom. The Tower in Lenormand is very much associated with, you know, the idea of having high levels of expertise. It's associated with experts and consultants and people who have a lot of experience over time. And so these are people you go to for wisdom and expertise. They can be mentors and, you know, consultants at that level.
Now it's not really what we get through the (Tarot) Tower... but the insight that we get from the Tarot Tower can be aligned with the kinds of insights we can get through the Lenormand Tower. So this is the one point in common that I see figuring between the two.
So overall these are the main cards that are in common to both Tarot and Lenormand. Okay, and in the coming videos, when we are looking at how you speak Lenormand, how you translate the Tarot into Lenormand, how you translate natural language into Lenormand, we will examine how to create equivalences in the meanings and not so much at the level of the symbols.
Please leave me your comments and your questions. Maybe you have suggestions for specific cards and combinations that we can look at and see how we can sort of match them and translate one deck to the other, or even just anything you might come across like your personal story or some newspaper headlines. It's always fun to do this exercise of how you say it in Lenormand.
So I hope you've enjoyed this video folks, I hope it makes sense for you to compare the Tarot with the Lenormand. If you have questions around which cards you would like to translate into Lenormand do send them my way. We can take them up in this video series. And it's not just Tarot to Lenormand, it can be any other deck that you work with and you're wondering what would be the equivalent in Lenormand. I'm also happy to look at that.
And on top of that, any other idea, any newspaper headline or movie title you want to translate into Lenormand, do send it my way and we can take them up in this video series.
So I hope you like this idea of how-to-say-it-in-Lenormand videos. If you have other suggestions and ideas for videos, do send them my way. I'm happy to think about them.
Until we meet again, thank you so much for tuning in. And take very good care of yourself.
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