LENORMAND CARD CORRESPONDENCES

You might wonder how a small 36 card deck like the Lenormand deck can be used to answer any question we might have. The answer is that every Lenormand card, every Lenormand combination, and lines, and readings, can be used to answer all sorts of questions we might have.

This small little deck of 36 cards is very practical and very flexible and we can make sense of it in many different contexts. And in this video, I want to tell you all about how we do this.

Hi everyone! I'm Layla, the Lenormand Reader, and I have been reading Lenormand for over 20 years. I offer one of the few end-to-end courses and programs to master this amazing deck because I felt that we needed to bring together the Lenormand world into a coherent whole and one that is comprehensive.

If you're new to Lenormand, you have come to the right place. I have lots of resources from free resources to master guides to the courses that you can take advantage of. So be sure to sign up to the newsletter and to tune in to the other resources and the website that I have for you so that you can take advantage of Lenormand Reader’s plentiful resources.

LENORMAND’S CARDS ARE READ IN COMBINATIONS

The Lenormand Petit Jeu deck is made up of just 36 cards whose symbols come from everyday life.  So you might think, well, how can such a small deck with pretty simple symbols make good sense and offer lots of insights for the questions we might ask when we do readings?

The thing about Lenormand’s cards and the deck as a whole is that it is very flexible. And there are two ways that I think stand out that make this deck very flexible.

The first way is that the cards are read primarily in combinations. This means that we might have two, three, or more cards in a line or in some other configuration that we combine together to get deeper and more insightful meaning and meaning that is more specific to the question at hand.

What this does is that it creates a very different kind of layout approach when we read the cards in this way. That's why Lenormand has layouts like the portrait, like the Grand Tableau, and similar layouts where we have quite a lot of cards laid out in some kind of geometric configuration.

This allows us to read lots of lines in there, like the rows, the columns, and the diagonals, as well as other ways to combine the cards like you might have seen me do in the forecasts. And so this gives us plenty of detail that we can apply to the question at hand.

LENORMAND’S CARDS CAN BE INTERPRETED FOR ANY CONTEXT

And this leads me to the second way that the Lenormand deck is very flexible. And that's the idea and the fact that we can interpret Lenormand’s cards for any context. And this is really going to be the focus of this video: How we stretch a card’s meaning to apply to a certain context. And it's not just the cards individually, but it's really the cards in combinations, in a given layout that we're doing, to answer a question that we interpret for the question at hand.

I use the word correspondences to refer to the different meanings that a card can have in different contexts.

For example, the Fish is primarily about money, finances, business, enterprise, practical things, and things like that. But how do you make sense of the Fish for work, for relationships, and other areas of life? So I use the word correspondences to refer to these different interpretations across these different areas. 

You don't have to use this word, you can use any word you like, or maybe not use one at all. You will find that most serious Lenormand authors have an approach to correspondences. They have some kind of treatment of this idea that we can apply the card meanings to different contexts.

The two main authors that come to mind in this regard to me are Rana George and Caitlin Matthews. And if you've read their guides and their handbooks are the guides that accompany their cards, you will find that they have a pretty express approach about how to interpret the cards across different areas. I found that these two authors have a rigorous approach where they really articulate the different ways we can interpret the cards for different areas.

I use the word correspondences because to me it is part of this bigger network of associations that we can make across different things in the universe.

For example, astrologers associate planets with zodiac houses, they associate them with body parts, with plants with gems, with stones, and all sorts of things in the world and the universe, the same goes with numerology, every number is associated with a color, a body part, a sort of certain kind of energy, and things like that. So I call these correspondences, and I find that Lenormand cards have those sorts of associations across the different contexts that we might want to interpret the cards for.

You might be aware that In the Tarot, the four suits of the minor arcana correspond to the four elements. So the cups correspond to water, the wands correspond to fire, the pentacles correspond to earth, and the swords correspond to air. And each of these elements also has a secondary set of associations beyond the cards, like we said, possibly body parts and other elements within the universe.

On this note, when you are doing a Tarot reading, and suppose you're doing a love reading and you get cards from the pentacles and the swords, you would still be able to make sense of these cards for the context of the question that you're asking about. And that too is what I would call a correspondences.

And so what you're doing with Lenormand is exactly the same thing. You are taking the cards, whatever cards came up for your question, and you are making sense of them for the context at hand.

So now that  what I mean by card correspondence is, you might wonder, well, okay, how do we exactly interpret the card across different correspondences? And the answer is, well, you come up with it. You become creative with the cards.

EXPANDING CARD MEANINGS

The way to do this is to get a good sense of what individual cards mean on their own. So, their main theme, their essence, what they mean. Once you have a good understanding of what individual cards mean, then you can start working on stretching your imagination to interpret them across different areas.

So really, it is an exercise in creativity and also intuition. I call this the interpretive imagination, the idea of how you can go beyond a card to interpret it across different areas.

To expand on your interpretive imagination, you can do different kinds of exercises. You can do things like brainstorming and mind mapping exercises. On this note, I have an upcoming workshop where we are going to do several of these exercises so that you can really stretch your interpretation of a card. So be sure to look at the description box and sign up because it is coming up pretty soon. (Workshops and masterclasses are free with Community membership).

And so with these different kinds of exercises, you really start to go beyond the box outside the box. You can also come up with your own exercises and do whatever resonates with you so that you can stretch your imagination.

You will find that one idea leads to another and next thing  you have a whole lot of ideas about what a card can mean and you can use some of these ideas for some context and others for another context. It depends on what you came up with.

If you're stuck and you need some kind of inspiration to get started with this, you can really just start with a basic card keyword list and I have my own which I'll also link in the description. You can download it for free and use it as a launch pad to expand your vocabulary of the cards.

So with such exercises, you would have stretched your thinking, your creativity, your imagination, a little bit. And the next step would be to actually do a little bit of the opposite and zoom in into a more specific area.

LIFE MAPS AND CONTEXTS

So now that you have brainstormed a card's meaning, you've expanded what it can mean, you want to zoom into a more specific area so that you can interpret it more specifically for that context. So the first step in doing this actually is to identify, well, what are those different areas that you might want to interpret a card for?

And of course, there are the very common ones like love, money, relationships, home, work, education, etc. You want to start by thinking about what those different contexts are, and the kinds of questions we ask when doing a reading.

I call these contexts life maps, and I find that there are several systems out there in divination and spiritual systems that have some kind of life map. These life maps help guide the different areas that you can interpret the cards for. I am planning a masterclass on life maps, so be sure to stay tuned.

This is a wonderful tool to use really for any divination method, any card you might read. So of course, Tarot readers are welcome. So stay tuned for that. Some of the life maps that I use include the zodiac life map, which are the 12 houses of the zodiac.

And if you joined my first masterclass, the one on Astroclocks And Astromapping Secrets, you might know that I've actually covered this a little bit. There are also other life maps. There are the ones from numerology, for example, the numbers 1 through 9 and what they tell us about. And there is also the Feng Shui life map that I like to use. This is the bagua. But there are also other areas that are not necessarily covered in the life map that we can actually use to interpret the cards for.

if you've gone through the Caitlin Matthews book or the Rana George book or my own Master Guides, you will find that we can interpret the cards for time, location, appearance, personality, and all sorts of different areas.

So the idea is that you want to have a set of contexts that you are going to zoom into. Once you have the system of context, then you're ready to take the cards and interpret them for each of these contexts. So you can get started right away. Why don't you take out your journal and brainstorm a list of contexts, different areas that you might want to interpret the cards for? Leave me your comments. Tell me what you come up with.

USING LIFE MAPS FOR CORRESPONDENCES

So now you have your bigger list of keywords and ideas about what a card means and you have your list of contexts, you're going to do a bit of a matching between the two, roughly speaking. So take a card and choose a context and see if you can interpret what the card means for that specific context.

So for example, if we are looking at the Letter and we're looking at the context of a legal situation, you might want to interpret the Letter as suggesting documents or contracts or the fine print, sensitive matters, like those related to legal areas.

How about the Heart as a second example? And in the context of work. Now, the Heart by itself is typically about feelings, it's about relationships. It tends to be a bit more personal. But in the context of work, the Heart can be about feeling happy on the job, there can be a positive vibe between people, the team feels good, the whole place feels good. You could be happy doing what you're doing. So this is how we would apply the Heart in a work context.

How about a third example? The Whip. The Whip is one of the most challenging cards of the deck, if not the most challenging card. How would you apply the Whip in a context of health, for example? Obviously, the Whip is a bit risky here, so it's important not to strain and to be careful about injuries. That's a possibility.

But the Whip is also a very active card. So it might call for a bit more exercise, maybe a bit of cardio, upping the energy if you like. So these are different ways we can interpret the Whip specifically in the context of health. And of course, it's going to come down to the question that you're asking exactly. So the question is furthermore, going to guide how you interpret the cards.

And this leads us to the next step in building your vocabulary specifically for different contexts.

Now that you have a rich vocabulary about what the different cards mean, and  of the different contexts that we can apply them to, you want to answer specific questions using a certain number of cards, two, three, or more, depending on what you're comfortable with at this stage.

And what that's going to do is to refine your interpretation skills further. So I think doing all of what we did so far really helps to expand your imagination. It helps you go beyond the simple two dimensional meaning of a card and having gone through these interpretations exercises you have a more agile interpretation ability, you have a lot more creativity, and you see how it's possible to stretch a card's meaning.

So now the key is really to do it to answer questions. And this is the most valuable thing. It is the goal, really, of being able to interpret the cards across different areas. You might like to start with two or three cards and then build your lines as you go on.

GOING DEEPER WITH SPECIFIC QUESTIONS & COMBINATIONS

The idea is really to keep on interpreting the cards for the questions. And what that does is that it goes beyond the general meaning of a card into a much more specific interpretation that gives a much more insightful reading.

Another goal is that you want to become spontaneous with the cards. So there are infinite questions, there are infinite contexts, and there are infinite combinations and lines that you are going to get in readings.

It is not possible to memorize all the combinations, and it's actually not useful because at the end of the day, you are taking that combination and making sense of it for the question. So your goal is really to become spontaneous with the cards.

Of course, practice is what helps with that, but also these exercises that I mentioned and those that I offer in the workshop as well as in the master courses, all of these are helpful to see how you can really go beyond the basic two dimensional meaning of a card. So let's try a few examples now, maybe going beyond a one card reading.

Earlier, I mentioned the Heart, and I said that the Heart is generally about feeling happy. It is a positive card in and of itself. It points to good vibes between people or just in an environment. Let's add another card to the Heart.

Let's add the House. The House is obviously the card of home and family. It has to do with where you live, your foundation, your base. It is what is basically closer to home, but it can also refer to other contacts like outside your family life. It can point to the team on the job and other groups of people that you're part of in some activity. It can also represent different spaces, like a shop, like a retail store , something that's a bit more closed and smaller and intimate.

So with the Heart and House together, obviously this can refer to a happy home, especially if we're talking about family.

Suppose we're talking about work, then a bit like what we said earlier, the Heart and House points to a happy team where people get along and there's probably positive collaboration. I also think there's a sense of security. This can also apply for the combination in the context of money. So the Heart and House would point to feeling at peace and at ease, having a sense of security, having strong foundations.

So it's actually pretty straightforward and you're not really doing anything so extraordinary with the cards, you're really just making sense of them for the different contexts. So if you have a question about money, for example, and you get the Heart and House and suppose you're reading only these two cards together, then obviously it points to a good situation to be in. There is a sense of security, your assets could be doing well. It can be a good investment, like a property investment. All of these interpretations can apply depending on the more specific situation for the person that you're reading for, their background, and what they're after.

Now, suppose we add a third card to this combination, let's say we added the Scythe. Wow, that is a more heavy handed combination, isn't it? The Scythe is an aggressive card. It is taken to be a challenging card. Most people read it as outright negative. I read it as often challenging, but I also see it as having good aspects. So again, it depends on the combinations it is in, other cards around it, and the context of the question. 

For example, I can take the Scythe as suggesting a release and the kind of freedom that can come with that, having been stuck and then the Scythe comes in, it really helps to release and even create some kind of freedom.

So suppose we have the Heart, House and Scythe. With the Scythe on the other side of the House, it can mean some kind of separation or  change is happening within the environment represented by the House. It can point to a group breaking up. It can point to a radical change. It might even point to a House move.

So again, how do you decide which of these interpretations apply? Well, it depends on the context that you're reading for. Suppose you're reading about someone who wants to move jobs. Well, with this combination, it might actually work out for them to leave and to make a change.

Suppose we're talking about relationships. In this sense, the Scythe would typically be a bit more challenging. It would point to a breakup of sorts, or the team breaks off, or someone or some people, break away from it. That is very likely, especially since the Scythe is on the other side of the Heart. Yes, they are not so close to each other, but still the Heart and Scythe together can be pretty challenging when it comes to feelings and relationships because it often just means a heartbreak. We have the House in between, so it points to this environment as well.

What about with finances? Well, here again, there might be some serious issues that we need to look after. Perhaps we need to cut some costs, or sacrifice some things that we want. Maybe we have certain expenditures around the home, but we have to sacrifice them and remove them.

So these are all different ways that we can interpret the cards for different contexts. And again, what really guides the specific interpretation is going to be the question and the background of the question.

SUMMARY

So these are my tips for how you can expand your Lenormand dictionary across different areas or what I call correspondences. Let's recap them here before we close the video.

First, you want to get a pretty good understanding of what the cards mean on their own.

And then you want to be able to expand on the card meanings. And for this, you could do any number of exercises like the ones I mentioned. The ones you might find in the course and also the ones that are coming up in the workshop that I'm linking below. So practice brainstorming, mind mapping, and other exercises you might come up with to branch out a little bit from this basic card meaning.

Once you've done that, you want to think of the different contexts that you want to read for. So these are contexts like love, relationships, work, money, family, any other areas that you might want to come up with. So create some kind of list of contacts or what I call a life map.

Now that you've done these three steps, you want to take the cards and interpret them for these contexts. So this is where you are becoming more specific. You went from expanding your imagination and now you're going to zoom into a context because you have a list of contexts that you can interpret the cards for. So pick a card, pick a context and see how you make sense of the card for that context.

And then the next step is to expand on the single card and go for combinations, two, three, or more cards, and go through the same exercise.

What does this combination mean? How can you expand on it and then how can you interpret it for a specific context? And based on this, you can read the cards for any question. And in time, you will become spontaneous because this is plenty of helpful practice.

Being spontaneous is really the goal because this is what enables you to make sense of the cards quickly and intuitively with flow as you interpret them to answer a specific question, and practice is really what's going to help you do that, in addition to spending a bit of time being creative with these fun exercises.

The more you practice, the better you'll become at this, the more spontaneous you're going to be and in time you will be doing your own way of doing Lenormand.

So these are my tips for you for how you can expand your Lenormand meanings and card interpretations across the different correspondences. Be sure to tune in to the workshop. It is going to be abundant with all sorts of amazing exercises that really help stretch your interpretive imagination.

And if you like this video, then give it a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel with the bell notifications so that you are up to date with the tips that I share about this amazing Lenormand practice. Thank you so much for watching and until next time, take very good care of yourself.

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