LENORMAND MUTE CARDS PART 1: THE LILY

Hi everyone, welcome back to the channel. Thank you as always for tuning back in. If you're new here, welcome! I'm Layla, the Lenormand Reader and I focus almost exclusively on Lenormand card practice. Today, I want to focus on mute cards.

Recently, I sent out a survey asking you what you thought were the mute cards of the Lenormand deck. Just as a reminder, a mute card is a card that doesn't seem to say much.

Now, typically, when we say a card or some cards are mute, it is in the context of a reading where it doesn't sound like the cards are saying so much. It's not clear what the reading is telling us. But before we get to a reading, before we do any layouts, there are some cards in the Lenormand deck that seem to be a little bit mute, especially when we're first getting to know the deck. We're not clear what to make of them. They don't stand out like other symbols like the Clover, Heart, and Ring, which speak very clearly.

So I ran this survey and it came back pretty much as I expected and I think as you would expect. So I have some numbers here I want to share with you based on the survey. The mutest card of the deck is the Lily. And the Lily got 71.4%. The second most mute card is the Tower. The Tower got 60%. The third one was the Tree. 45.7% responded that the Tree is a mute card. Number four is the Moon at 42.9% and number 5 is the Mountain at 34.3%.

• Lily: 71.4%
• Tower: 60%
• Tree: 45.7%
• Moon: 42.9%
• Mountain: 34.3%

After these top 5 mute cards, the other cards are sort of similar. Most people don't feel they're too mute. So for the purpose of looking at the mute cards, I'm going to stick with the top five. The Lily, Tower, Tree, Moon, and Mountain.

Note. I initially said that I would cover the Lily and Tower in this video, and the Tree, Moon, and Mountain, in the next video. However, covering each card turned out to be longer, so I decided to dedicate a video for card.

So let's go ahead and get into the Lily, the mutest of the cards. And honestly folks, I agree. I think the Lily is pretty mute. But I also feel that the Moon is pretty mute for my part.

THE LILY IN THE RED OWL DECK

I've got my own deck here, the Red Owl deck, and I also have the guidebook of the Red Owl deck.

We're going to look a little bit at some interpretations and we're also going to look at a couple of other resources that I'm going to pull up with my phone so we can explore a little bit what is the meaning of the Lily? What is its scope?

So starting with the Red Owl deck. The Red Owl deck is one of the oldest decks we know along with the Blue Owl deck, and I've reviewed these earlier.

So on the Red Owl deck, we have quotes that are associated with each card. And if you don't have this deck or can't get one, I do have a free resource for you where I've compiled all of the Red Owl quotes that you can refer to. These are shared with permission from AGM Urania.

>> Download the complete list of Red Owl Quotes

So the Lily card. This is the quote of the Lily card. It says,

"The lilies overhead of purest virtue speak. Lilies underfoot will mean that penance one should seek."

Now when they say whether the lily is overhead or underfoot, what they mean is if the Lily is above or below the significant card in a Grand Tableau. And there are some cards that have different meanings depending on where they are in a Tableau relative to the significator. The significator is either the Man or the Woman who represents the querent.

Now I personally don't really follow these occasional positions, above, below, sideways. I just go with the combinations and I read the lines, but you might find it interesting and I do think that some authors pick up this traditional interpretation.

Regardless of where the Lily is situated relative to the significator, we can tell from this quote that the Lily is a reference to virtue. It says, "The lilies overhead of purest virtue speak" and "underfoot will mean that penance one should seek," which means that one should seek fairness.

And so whether it's above or below, positive or negative, the common ground is that it's a reference to virtue.

Let's look at the guidebook that comes with the Red Owl deck, and it's also the same one that comes with the Blue Owl deck. The Lily card says, "This card signifies a happy and virtuous life. When this card is above the Key, it reveals good disposition and outlook for the questioner. If the card is below the Key, it foretells both uncertainty, grief, and possibly domestic troubles."

So this is a very specific combination with the Key, but the first line says, "This card signifies a happy and virtuous life." So again, there is a reference to virtue.

THE LILY ACCORDING TO OTHER AUTHORS

Now let's look at a couple of other authors. I'm going to pull up the one by Caitlin Matthews in her handbook. She suggests the Lily is the card for age, peace, protection, and maturity. It can also mean the welfare of the family, by extension, social work.

Matthews tells us that the Lily gives us cleanliness or purity, again in alignment with this "purest virtue" element that we see traditionally in the Red Owl deck. This is why brides carry lilies and why they are the flowers most associated with funerals. I think it is not so much the virtuous element, but there is also that element of life changes and life milestones that we associate with the Lily, which is why we use it in funerals and in other major occasions in life.

Matthews also adds that the Lily is the card of the father and grandfather or an older man, and actually the pip card that is associated with the Lily is the king of spades. The Lily is also sometimes associated with sexuality. Matthews states that some Lenormand Readers see the Lily as sexuality, meaning a meaning that is derived from the erotic perfume of the Lily, but this would be comfortable, familiar sex or relations between faithful partners since the Lily also has the meaning of constant or chaste from its reputation for purity.

So you see here, Matthews does the correct association between virtue on the one hand and sexuality on the other hand. The reason these two seemingly unrelated elements are associated with the Lily is because of an older interpretation of these relationships. Previously, virtue and chastity were pretty much one and it was virtuous to be chaste. So that's why sexuality is often associated with the Lily.

But I think that bringing the Lily into today and even into sexual relationships, there is a bit of a contrast in between the fact that the Lily is a card of longevity, seniority, and maturity, as opposed to flirting or dating or casual relationships, right?

So any relationship, sexual or otherwise, that we are going to associate with the Lily is going to be of the more serious type. That's why I personally feel that sex as in just sex is not really the card of the Lily. It's rather the quality of the relationship, sexual or otherwise. The Lily brings a quality of steadiness and commitment and the idea of the long term.

But again, we see with Matthews many of the keywords that are typically associated with the Lily: The idea of peace, calm, old age, again, this idea of seniority, maturity, and so on.

Let's move on to Rana George. So Rana George offers similar ideas that we associate with the Lily. She says the card represents maturity and wisdom, it shows someone with gray hair, again, this association with someone older. It also denotes happiness and protection.

It is usually attributed to an older man again because of this king of spades, but it can show up for a female as well. I agree. And Rana George also adds that because the Lily card stands for maturity, it corresponds with all things needing a gestation period or time to mature, develop, or grow. And so the Lily stands for longer periods of time. It also brings peace, tranquility, and serenity.

So you can see here that just from looking at a few authors, a few ideas - and Rana George and Caitlin Matthews are really well established authors in Lenormand - that the Lily is that element of peacefulness, tranquility, that comes with a sense of maturity and the sense of confidence that comes with time.

MY TAKE ON THE LILY

So it doesn't have to be a complicated card. It can just suggest that aspect of being established, mature and more senior. It also brings the quality of peace. So it really helps you find your ground, slow down, be more contained, and be more mature when you're dealing with any situation that comes up in your reading.

For my part, because of all of these ideas that we associate with the idea of the long-term and things like that, I tend to see the Lily as longer phases in life, and it also points to this idea of the life path and where things are heading.

So when I see the Lily in a reading, I tend to associate it with a phase of life. And I find that this simple idea of a phase combines really well with just about any card. I'm going to go through several combinations right now.

But before I do, I also want to add that the Lily, having to do with old age and seniority, I feel can be associated with health. It is not the standard way I look at the Lily. For me, health is more strongly associated with the Coffin and Tree, but the Lily can also represent health at times.

COMBINATIONS WITH THE LILY

So let's go through a few combinations here. I'm just going to pick up the deck and see what else we can combine the Lily with.

And I want to say that when you do card combinations, they help you get a better sense of what a card means. Sometimes when you practice combinations, it gets you thinking about the essence of the card meaning, not just the combination meaning.

So don't just examine what the card means by looking at different authors, but also think about the different combinations that the card really combines with and use these combinations as a way to reflect back on the essential meaning of the Lily.

So let's look at some combinations here.

The Lily and Stork would mean changes, possibly life changes.

The Bird + Lily, I would say it points to an important conversation. It can also be a sense of anxiety about where life is heading.

The Flowers + Lily is a very bright combination suggesting a happy time in life, same with the Clover.

The Lily + Tower, and we are going to look at the Tower in a bit, clearly points to the long term. This can even be the lifetime.

The Man + Lily points to someone who is mature, possibly also someone professional.

The Whip + Lily points to challenges, a challenging phase, possibly a rocky kind of foundation and possibly also issues with health.

The Anchor + Lily clearly points to pursuing the current path we are on and to establish ourselves. It is a very good combination for being established and having really good foundations.

The Coffin + Lily can point to the end of a phase or possibly illness or maybe a time when not much is happening.

The Moon + Lily, and the Moon is another one of those mute cards. It can't point to a phase of life or a change because of the phases of the moon. So this can be an evolution.

The Snake + Lily can be a tricky combination, but I think it does bring wisdom, the idea of being calm and calculated, and also being aware that there are some people who could be playing to win. So when I see the Lily and Snake together, it really speaks to this wisdom that involves silence, diplomacy, and discretion.

The Sun + Lily is another positive combination, very obvious.

The Lily + Garden can be a professional environment. It can also be something like a hospital, but it could also be a metaphorical sense where one is established. The Lily and Book I feel has much to do with learning and knowledge and possibly expertise.

The Fish + Lily is a lucrative career. It can also be a sense of financial independence.

The Lily + Mountain can be a life abroad.

The Lily + Cross can be important life decisions.

The Lily + House can be the family home.

The Lily + Fox can refer to the job.

The Lily + Heart  can point to love. And the Heart and Ring, let's look at this triplet. It's definitely a relationship, a committed relationship. Without the ring, it could be happiness and a sense of fulfillment.

Lily + Mouse can be a bit of a bumpy phase, maybe not feeling too well, maybe having some doubts about life in general, that sense of not feeling too easy, but again, the Mouse is not very dramatic.

Ship + Lily can point to the life direction in a metaphorical sense or possibly going somewhere, maybe for the longer term. Migration, immigration, and moving countries can also be suggested, although I think being a bit specific, maybe more cards are a good idea here.

The Letter + Lily can be legal, anything legal, administrative, or something that's pretty serious in terms of communication and documents.

The Dog + Lily can be the senior/junior contrast. So this can point to your kids or people who are younger than you, or maybe someone who is learning the ropes, to become more senior. So this can be a good combination for mentorship.

The Rider + Lily are great for that sense of direction and life goals.

The Woman is like with the Man.

The Scythe + Lily would be a radical change. And some people read this as challenging. I would want more cards to suggest that. But if we were going to look at the Scythe as a challenging card by itself, this can bring to some danger here or a risky situation or possibly something that is falling through that is broken off.

The Child + Lily is wonderful for, I would say possibly pregnancy. Also, the idea of a new phase in a new direction. And of course, this can point to children. I would say also grandchildren would be well represented by this combination.

The Bear + Lily can point to parents, seniors, and anyone who is in a position of leadership. The Bear is typically the mother, the House is typically the father. See how you like these nuances.

The Lily + Clouds is a bit like with the Mouse, some challenges here.

The life path is represented with the Road + Lily.

Another beautiful combination for growth and evolution with the Lily + Tree.

And the Lily + Star, wish fulfillment and life goals.

And I would say with the Key, these too can apply. Some breakthroughs here, lots of success, but also I think a sense of self-reliance and resourcefulness.

So you see, with a bit of practice, we can come up with some pretty good combinations and the Lily does not have to be so obscure.

So do read a few resources, do make up your mind about the scope of the Lily. But I think the idea of peace, tranquility, and for my part, the idea of a life path and a phase works really well in combinations.

NOTE. There are additional resources about the Lily and other cards.

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