monthofspreads

I Don’t Wanna Spread

I admit it. I don’t want to blog today. I don’t want to do much of anything. It is chilly outside, and all I want to do is hide under the covers with a good book. Well, other than nap. It is positively dreary outside. Still, I know there are a few things on my To Do list yet to check off. Unfortunately, I’ve put them so far out of my mind that I’ve forgotten what they are. To jog my memory, I’m using the I Don’t Wanna spread.

spread lenormand tarot divination monthofspread dontwanna

After shuffling your cards until you feel satisfied, set one out in the middle. This represents what you are ignoring. The other three indicate what will happen if you leave the matter alone, if you tend to it, and what you can do to resolve it right now.

“I Don’t Wanna” is a very simple reading for those moments when brainpower is running low and you feel like you need that fourteenth cup of coffee. Speaking of which, I am off for one now.

Inner Child Spread for Lenormand and Tarot

On Day 21 of Month of Spreads, we were asked to have a conversation with our inner child. Knowing that could cause me to fall down the card reading rabbit hole for hours, I came up with a more concise spread for Lenormand. It is another simple five card draw based on looking at two levels of the situation.

To read the Inner Child Spread, shuffle until you are satisfied and then flip it over to find the Child in your Lenormand deck. (If you are using the Tarot, you may wish to choose a different card to signify your inner child from one of the major arcana or court cards. One possibility is the Fool.)

Once you find the Child card or your signifier, the card on the left is what your inner child wants you to know.

The card to the right of the child represents what your inner child needs.

The top and bottom card of the deck indicate how your inner child consciously and subconsciously manifest in your life respectively.

For example, these are the cards I pulled:

What My Inner Child Needs Me to Know – The Anchor – Nine of Swords – This card shows stability or security in Lenormand, but in Tarot I commonly call it the “nightmare” card. It can refer to intense anxiety or severe fear. To me, this indicates an inner child who is insecure.

What My Inner Child Needs – The Clouds – Knight of Wands – in the Lenormand, this is the card of confusion or uncertainty. The Knight of wands, however, is it the younger force of male fire, with his energy not as well directed at the King. This implies action, but action that can be impulsive. It sounds like my inner child wants me to do something, but isn’t sure what.

How My Inner Child Manifests Consciously in My Life – The Tree – Seven of Cups – This card can have a twofold meeting in Lenormand, pointing both to physical health and an enduring legacy. That this card falls in the conscious area of my life would suggest to me that my inner child manifests in my physical body. The seven of Cups says that could arise in the form of temptations, even spiritual hungers that I try to fulfill by stuffing my face, or an emotional void I fill with “fiscal therapy.”

How My Inner Child Manifests Subconsciously in My Life – The Sun – Ace of Pentacles – This is an interesting card to turn over here, since the Sun is the card of the outer self in Lenormand. It typically represents your charisma and the face you show to the world. If I couple this with the Ace of Pentacles, then underlines that my inner child tends to show up in physical symptoms. It might even say that my inner child has great control over my outer demeanor.

If I read these two triplets as a sentence:

Anchor + Child + Clouds = The unchanging/secure child doubts, i.e. my inner child is insecure.

Tree + Child + Sun = The healthy child succeeds, i.e tending to the health of my inner child can help my success now, for I am the manifestation of that child in the present. And, truthfully, I think we all know this… Otherwise, why would we be doing these kind of readings?

Summary: I must watch the holes from my past that I am attempting to fill inappropriately in the present. Those can only be adequately fixed by addressing the needs of the child at the point when the loss actually occurred despite the fact that its needs manifest in the present. To do such work is the providence of the energetic healer, shamanic practitioner, and counselor( depending on the inclination of the individual, with these all acting as complementary modalities). I’ve already done a huge deal of work on this, but I don’t think anyone is ever completely finished. Moreover, psychic hygiene is an ongoing process. A tune-up never hurts.

Tradition Spread for Lenormand and Tarot!

On Day 19 of Month of Spreads, we were supposed to explore The Power of the Tower Tarot card. Unfortunately, I was using the Lenormand. While it has a Tower card, it means something different than “breaking free and rebuilding.” In Lenormand, the tower is all about policy, institutions, conventions, laws, and traditions. With that in mind, I came up with the following spread called “It’s A Tradition!”

(Wow. I am so not… traditional. How about you?)

To read the Tradition spread, shuffle your deck until you feel satisfied and then delivered to such:

Bottom card of the deck – What policies, habits, or traditions drag me down?

Top card of the deck – Which lift me up?

Now turn the deck over and find the Tower card if you are using Lenormand or Tarot. If you’re using a different sort of card oracle, pick an appropriate card from the deck to signify traditions the concept of tradition and find that in the deck.

The card to the left – Which traditions do my ancestors want me to preserve?

The card to the right – What new traditions should I begin?

PS – This spread goes out with special thanks to my friend, D, who recommended a different spread last night that had me falling down the Lenormand reading hole! LOL

Evolving Self Spread

Inspired by the last two Month of Spreads‘ posts, I came up with a combo spread called the Evolving Self. It aims to give you a deeper look at your personality and point you in the direction of improving your life. Thanks, Tarotprose!

The first thing you need to do to read the Evolving Self spread is choose a temporary significator. (I picked the Lady because it usually refers to me in my readings.) After that, clear and shuffle your card until you are satisfied. Pull the top and bottom cards of the deck. These became your outer self and shadow self respectively. Finally, turn over the deck to look for your significator. The card on your left becomes what you need to let go of, with the card on your right becoming what you need to embrace.

Here’s what I got for the Evolving Self Spread, combining the Lenormand and Tarot meanings inherent in each card:

Outer Self – The Child – Knight of Swords – a good speaker; communicative; willing to speak up spontaneously and share my opinion at any time, sometimes even when it’s not wanted; eager; playful, open to new ideas

Inner Self – The Book – 10 of Pentacles – studious; dedicated to knowledge, secrets, and the occult; truly need personal space; works well alone

What I Need to Let Go – The Anchor – Nine of Swords – anxieties and insecurities that keep me anchored where I don’t want to be, stuck in a nightmare I choose not to leave because it is become the stable norm

What I Need to Embrace – The Tree – Seven of Cups – dreaming of the future; thinking of the long term; planning for my legacy

Read as a triplets:

Anchor + Lady + Tree = “A stable self endures.”

Child + Lady + Book = “A playful self knows.”

Summary –

If I was reading about someone else, I would say this is someone who comes off as being playful and funny in public but must then retire for time alone. The image of the Child playing with his hoop and the Wizard in his library are that different in tone to me. This says being able to play with a crowd well, but then sometimes kicking myself for what I say or commit to during that play, or for the gap between my dayside and nightside persona.

Perhaps it’s that gap that brings up the anxieties mentioned with the Anchor / Nine of Swords. It’s hard to have a secure self when you are afraid of showing your face, right? These cards suggest that I stop letting these anxieties hold me back and think about my long-term legacy instead. How do I want to be known? How do I want people to speak about me?

In reality, the personality that people describe will be a combination of the both my outer self that they sense consciously and the shadow sense that they sense only in half-formed and often ignored vibes. Sounds a lot like the First Impressions Spread I came up with a couple days ago. As I said in that entry, you could flip that spread around to take a look at your own personality. The Evolving Self spread hopefully explains how to do that.

Yet just because many people dismiss their intuitions doesn’t mean I have to discount mine. Perhaps we are only truly tuning into our highest selves when we can manifest the gifts our unconscious has to offer in day-to-day life.

First Impressions Spread

I took the weekend off from writing here again. Although this may not be good for my reader rate, it certainly benefits my family life. I got to see my son laugh until he cried on Saturday, and it made my heart sing. Sadly, it’s time to get back to work and back to my Month of Spreads posts. Today we were asked to create a spread for a fictional person named Kareem. He is worried about an upcoming job interview. Strangely enough, I came up with the spread for a similar situation just the other day. It is based on a layout I use regularly for the Lenormand called The Above and Below Spread. If you read that entry you may see the similarities. This one, however, focuses on First Impressions.

The First Impressions Spread

Clear your divination device of any prior readings. For example, I’m using Lenormand. That deck is made up of 36 cards and therefore easily dealt into three, four, or six piles. If you’re using Tarot, three or six piles will work well. (For runes or dice, simply shake your set well, either in your hand, bag, or rune cup.) When you are done dealing out your cards, collect the piles in any random order you wish.

Shuffle your deck while thinking of the meeting or interview that is about to take place. Stop when you feel satisfied.

Lay of the cards in the following order:

The Top Card of The Deck – The Conscious Impression You Will Make – This is your outer self. This includes such things as your appearance, your style of speaking and general manner, any references or credentials you might have, etc.

The Bottom Card of The Deck – The Subconscious Impression That You Will Make –This includes subtle signals they will pick up from you such as body language, hints you might not have noticed you dropped in conversation, “vibes” and your general energy.

Now layout three more cards. In order, these are:

The Events That Led to The Meeting (The Past)

The Meeting Itself (The Event)

The Likely Outcome (The Future)

You can also turn the spread around and ask the cards what you will think about the party you were about to meet. This can be especially important if you are considering some sort of contract or union, i.e. dating, employment, purchase agreement, etc. You can also focus on what your strengths are, whether these are those you’re consciously aware of or those that remain hidden in your psyche. If the meeting is of particular consequence, you want to concentrate on how you can call up your strengths to bring about the outcome you wish to happen.

Regardless of the system of divination you are using, the last three cards, runes, or dice can be read chronologically. If you’re reading this spread with Lenormand, the triplet can also be read as a sentence. The vertical line can be read in the same fashion. Of course, Tarot correspondences could be added to your Lenormand meetings for additional insight.

Continue reading First Impressions Spread

Thirteen – Lucky or Not?

Today’s Month of Spreads prompt was exactly what I needed. It asked us to look for the good in Friday the 13^th. Since I have a fairly important appointment today, I wanted to know what I should look out for in the day ahead. I shuffled my deck until I was satisfied and then drew four cards. From there, I interpreted the standard Lenormand symbols along with the playing card inserts as they corresponded to Tarot cards. This is what I got.

What energy does today bring for me?

Lenormand – The Child – newness, a new beginning, being an amateur
Tarot – Knight of Swords – quick to move and speak mind, spontaneity for good or bad

Is there anything of which I need to be aware?

Lenormand – The Birds – rumours, discussion, my own anxiety
Tarot – Seven of Pentacles – investment, profit, reward

How can they maximize today’s potential?

Lenormand – The Scythe – and do something, quick cutting
Tarot – Knight of Pentacles – efficient, routine, methodical

What should I focus on?

Lenormand – Lily – wisdom, peace, tranquility
Tarot – King of Swords – using intellect, straightforward thinking, possibly a male using these traits

Conclusion?

The cards I dressed my concerns clearly. Not only is my appointment about a new beginning, but I must deal with both a lack of experience and possible technological problems during it. Despite this, it is one step in a long line of many and an investment in my future. I must be quick to get over my anxiety and immerse myself in the routine of the work itself. I must focus on the purpose of the appointment, to calm any anxieties I have about it.

Tarot and Lenormand: The Second Layer

A recent post by S. Connolly has inspired me. I want to take a look at yesterday’s Lenormand spreads using the cards’ Tarot correspondences. Maybe they will give me more insight into why the Coffin card is stalking my readings. Yesterday, I attributed it to the fact that my practice has focused on the Death Daemonic this month, but there could be more to it than that.

First of all, when I peek at the Coffin card I see it matched up with Nine of Diamonds, which in Tarot becomes the Nine of Pentacles or Disks. This immediately brings to mind material wealth and self-sufficiency, both of which have been on my mind of later. In the Lenormand, this card has to do with endings and financial hard times.

Spread 1:

Reason the Coffin is stalking me – The Snake – Queen of Clubs / Queen of Wands – This card signifies fiery female in the Tarot. Fire can warm or burn you, of course, but the Lenormand emphasizes the negative side of this kind of personality. However, instead of the Snake being about other trying to “steal your fire,” the Queen of Wands reversed indicates that a fear failure hampers my self-expression / activity. That is definitely true in relation to my making money.

How I can better understand the Coffin’s message – The Bear – 10 of Clubs / Ten of Wands – This card also emphasizes the negative side of power, i.e. the burden of responsibility and hard work. If I want to achieve anything, I have to go out and get it.

Spread 2:

Reason the Coffin is stalking me – The Birds – 7 of Diamonds / 7 of Pentacles – I’m investing in my future. I know I have to persevere if I want my vision to manifest in reality as long-term, sustainable wealth.

How I can better understand the Coffin’s message – The Heart – Jack of Hearts / Knight of Cups – Listen to my creative process and imagination. Listen to my heart. Perhaps consult my loved ones.

Conclusion?

In all likelihood, devoting my practice to the ancestral worship and the Death Daemonic is drawing those energies closer to me. That’s the way these things are supposed to work, after all. However, I think it is far more likely that the Tarot interpretation is the primary reason why the Coffin card keeps showing up in my readings. We just moved so that I could have an office, and money is problem on my mind a lot of the time since then—even when I don’t know it! Much like the Above and Below spreads, reading the Tarot as well as the Lenormand helped my figure out what what was on both levels of my psyche.

Coffin Card – Why Is it Stalking Me?

As you may have noticed, I took a couple of days off. It was Thanksgiving up here in Canada, and while my family doesn’t get overly excited about that, I blogged now for nearly 40 days in a row. I needed some time to myself if only to get the beginning of my next book in order. I’m pleased to announce the ideas behind it are starting to solidify!

I didn’t abandon my cards or my work with the Death Daemonic during my time away, however. I continued daily personal readings and contemplation. Today’s Month of Spreads doesn’t interest me terribly much, though, so I think I will skip it too and go back to Day Nine: Stalker Cards. It’s aimed at helping you figure out why certain cards so up over and over in your readings.

During the month I devoted to the nine Daemonic Divinities, both the Snake and the Coffin card showed up repeatedly. While I think the situation involving the Snake card has been put to bed, I want to make sure that the Coffin card is appearing purely due to my work with the Death Daemonic this month. It is one of those challenging Lenormand cards I’ve mentioned a few times, and can point to upcoming misfortune. I want to be careful!

To find out why a particular card has been stalking you, shuffle your divination of choice until you feel satisfied, and then turn your deck over and find your stalker card. In this case, I looked for the Coffin card. The card to my left represented the reason why the Coffin card keep showing up in my readings. The card to the right of the Coffin indicates what I can do to better understand the Coffin’s message.

Reason the Coffin is stalking me – The Snake – a difficult person, jealousy, arrival, envious behaviour, complexities, lies, pride, upset

How I can better understand the Coffin’s message – The Bear – boss, power, influence, capital, protection, empowerment, benefits, accumulation

The Coffin itself – end, finish, misfortune, illness, final, unlucky, redundant, declining, silent

If I read this as a sentence, it could mean that silent complexities are piling up. Since we read towards the bear, it could also be read as an end to complexities brings protection. I think it is more likely that I’m being told to end the some of the complexities of my life, and that Death has entered my life as a protectorate. I often pray to the Death Daemonic in this way.

As suggested by Tarotprose, I checked with another deck to find out why the coffin card was stalking me. These were what I pulled:

Reason the Coffin is stalking me – The Birds – discussion, talks, gossip, rumour, anxiety, nervousness, phone calls, busyness, disquiet

How I can better understand the Coffin’s message – The Heart – love, romance, affiliation, connection, attraction, connects, loves, flirts, desires, favours

The Coffin itself – end, finish, misfortune, illness, final, unlucky, redundant, declining, silent

To me, this would indicate that I’ve drawn the Death Daemonic to me simply by talking about it so often. The best way to understand the coffin’s message is to open my heart to this energy. I’ve been doing that already, but must continue to do so. This interpretation is supported when reading the triplet as a sentence, which comes out as, “Discussions about death attract.”

Spirit Communication Spread for Lenormand or Tarot

This morning’s Month of Spreads’ prompt encourages us to have a conversation with our divinatory tools and have a conversation with them. After shuffling your deck until you feel satisfied, pull six cards you ask some version of:

The Deck Conversation Spread:

How are you feeling?
What is the foundation of our current relationship?
How can I become more open to the messages given through your use?
Are there any types of readings you prefer?
What limitations do you have as a deck?
How can I improve our relationship in the long run?

This is definitely a valuable spread, but it left me wondering… What about those of us who also use the cards as a way of communicating with deities or other spirits? With minor adjustments, this spread can easily be used to deepen our relationship with Spirit as well. Just as the following questions instead:

The Spirit Communication Spread:

What is the foundation of our current relationship?
How can I become more open to your messages?
What is limiting or blocking our communications at this time?
How can I improve our relationship in the long run?
What is the most important thing you need to tell me right now?

Since I am concentrating on working with the Death Daemonic this month, I decided to use the second version of this spread instead of the first. (You’ll notice I use only five cards too—one four each of the four elements, plus spirit. It simply sat better with me than the original six.) Here are my results:

What is the foundation of our current relationship? The House – home, family, familial relationships, foundation– haunted houses have special symbolism to me yes, but I also have a mentor like relationship with a face of the Daemonic and pay homage to her everyday

How can I become more open to your messages? – The Letter – Writing, written messages – either journa;ling about it, writing out my thoughts, finishing the novel without end

What is limiting or blocking our communications at this time? – The Bear – power, influence, force, protection – Ignore what I sometimes do not want to hear, or listen to the opinions of others when I don’t want to hear my own intuition? This card can also mean patron or matron, so this one baffles me a bit

How can I improve our relationship in the long run? – The Sun – grow in confidence, listen to myself more

What is the most important thing you need to tell me right now? – The Lady – Female energy, but usual denotes myself, listening to my intuition

If I read this as a run of five, the Bear would be the topic, meaning the main issue with the Death Daemonic right now is protection and power. Again, this card can mean patronage, so this has me wondering a bit. It seems they want to look after me and steer me towards something. Basis of our relationship is summed up in House + Letter, which I read as a “deed to a house” or writing about a house. Given the topic of the novel that won’t leave me alone, this is a little eerie. On the other hand, my readings are becoming a tad repetitive when it comes to ways I can improve my connection to Spirit. Sun + the Lady can be read as “feminine confidence or charisma…” or that I need these things. I definitely need to work on listening to my intuition.

***

Death Daemonic Card for Meditation and Contemplation – Bifrons – Bifrons is said to invoke and light candles on the graves of the dead. This makes him especially useful in ancestral work. When contacting Bifrons, you are supposed to wear a lamen bearing a drop of your own blood. Note the long horizontal line in his sigil, which could represent a funerary barge or procession honoring the family line to which you wish to connect. Traveling the red thread of a family’s blood line is much easier when you have Bifrons to guide you. He is also known as Janus Bifrons, a two-headed god able to look in backwards and forwards at once. He can direct you along the path of ancestral line should you seek out his wisdom.

Don’t Pay the Ferryman?

Today’s Month of Spreads prompt encourages us to discover our strengths as readers and how we can grow in the area of divination. Shuffle your deck until you feel satisfied and deal five cards for the Reader’s Journey. Here are the Lenormand cards I pulled today:

What are my strengths as a reader? The Gentleman – myself, personal intuition is strong;

What makes my reading style unique and special? The Letter – writing, understanding of symbolism as a writer;

What other skills can I develop to become a better reader? The sun – my outer self, be less afraid to share my intuition, just go with it;

How can I grow further in my divination journey? The Birds – discuss more with other readers;

How can I become more confident in my divinatory skills? The Clover – do more daily readings, rely on quick thinking and intuition, again just go with it; could refer to luck; could refer to lucky charm

One way you can read five cards in a row with Lenormand is to choose the card in the centre as the topic, with those on either side giving you more information. In this case, the Sun is the heart of the matter. It refers to warmth, confidence, electricity, goodwill, cheerfulness, optimism, a comedian, and a charismatic person. I definitely think I read better face-to-face than I do via text. Gentleman + Letter is “a man of letters,” or a writer. Again, got that. Birds + Clover = fun or spontaneous discussions. That also underlines what the main reading said.

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Death Daemonic card for meditation and contemplation – Aken – Determining exactly what Aken did in the mythology of ancient Egypt is somewhat difficult. He was not directly worshipped but was mentioned often in funerary texts, usually as the custodian or ferryman of a boat called Meseket, which transported souls to the land of the dead. When the boat was not needed, Aken remained deeply asleep. When his services were required he would be awakened by a god called Mahaf. At other times in Egyptian mythology, however, Mahaf himself was the ferryman.

Both became conflated with the ram-headed god Kherty, whose name may have meant “the slaughterer.” Kherty was not only believed to act as a ferryman like the other two deities, but was also feared as an incarnation of death that could stop the hearts of men. Egyptians prayed to Kherty to ward off his touch, for modern day magicians could attempt to contact for cursing of the strongest type. If you make that kind of bargain, just make sure to pay the Ferryman.