The Lenormand deck is a great balance of good versus evil! We have a decent amount of "OMG this is going to be awesome" cards that balance up "HELP I am going to eat my head" cards. What a lot of people struggle with is what happens when the latter command a read, is there any way to put lipstick on a pig of a situation? Can we lighten up the load a little with our reads? Or do we just have to bite the bullet and accept it is going to be one hell of a mess?
Let's delve into some of the difficult cards that have been raised as "problem cards" in the World Lenormand Association group on Facebook.
10 Scythe has been named a few times as a perpetrator! Many comments that the reaping versus cutting proves troublesome to the reader. The name of the game with the Scythe card is to understand it ALWAYS brings danger in with it. Let's have a look at the original instructions:
"Scythe, omen of great danger only avoided when surrounded by auspicious cards."
Notes Scythe is a dangerous card, it only lessons when surrounded by positive cards. When close to the Person Card it shows danger, when far away it can show danger to somebody within your life. Whether near or far it lessens the meanings of cards around it.
Key: Danger, Aggression, Break, Accident, Warning
If we take this as our baseline understanding we understand that both reaping and cutting are dangerous - a warning of danger!
If you have positive cards around Scythe it lessens the cut a little, in the same way that a negative card will amplify the danger. My advice is to see Scythe as a danger to the situation, something that rocks a situation heading to the querent and stop seeing it as a "cutting implement" or a "reaping" - a danger brought to the querent's doorstep. If you do wish to use the directional cue of the scythe cutting on the blade side you can see the card to the blade side as BEING CUT or being in danger. The card to the opposite side then will be "reaped" - it will still be a danger, but it will be amplified by the reaping.
8 Coffin brings fear and dread to many a reader, so much in fact that I have seen readers actively try to put a positive spin on its negativity! As a reader we need to understand that life is not always a bed of roses, querent's come to us for help in navigating difficult situations. If we begin to use language that is not befitting of a single card then we are not serving our querent in their best interest. For example. Coffin alone DOES NOT mean "Transformation" - in order to see transformation in a spread you would need 17 Stork to follow! Coffin alone does not mean "rest", you would need 30 Lily or 24 Heart in the mix for more substantiation.
Coffin is the bringer of Doom, very close to the person, invariably means serious illness, death and the total loss of fortune. Further from the person this card is the less dangerous.
Notes: In the Game of Hope whoever lands on this Coffin, will be deemed to be dead.
Key: Death, Loss, Illness
Coffin is a bad omen in a read, we need negative cards to determine when a situation will be difficult. It brings a difficult situation, one which will feel very heavy and real to a querent. If there are no other difficult cards around then it lessens somewhat, but if 36 Cross is nearby then watch out for a painful and difficult situation! Use the Coffin card as a placeholder for doom - what is around it? What can you see from the placements? How is the Coffin bringing it's doom into the querent's life? If it is a daily draw then think about little "meh" type occurrences, it doesn't have to be the harbinger of death (in fact to see death in a spread I would want the Coffin card to be close to a person card who is exiting the spread and who has substantiating cards nearby (see my video on death here).
My final advice is to always know the direction in which you are reading - the Person card will always show you the narrative and predictive future, if your difficult and challenging cards are followed by the awesomeness of Bear or Sun or Anchor then it will be a difficult situation that works out anyway ... if it is the other way around and your read is ending with difficult cards then it could be a good situation turned bad ... it all makes sense if you just apply a little "life" into the mix.
Want to learn more on Lenormand and maybe even become an Endorsed reader? Check out the World Divination Association courses for home study!
Helped clarify my 2 card draw I pulled today. Thanks.😊
Loved readding this thanks