A Hardcore Tarotist's First Lenormand: Under the Roses Lenormand

I’ve been a tarotist for nearly thirty years. I am holding my very first Lenormand deck in my hands today. Well, that’s not quite right. What started my journey into card-reading originally was the Lenormand-based “Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Cards” that Santa brought me as a curiosity when I was eight years old.  It was those cards that first showed me the truth inherent in oracular divination.

My first Lenormand is “Under the Roses Lenormand” by Kendra Hurteau and Katrina Hill, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

The ‘”Sub Rosa” theme speaks to me. We can use the cards to create a sacred space where secrets are revealed. The rose theme plays into the lovely artwork of the deck.

The deck is the size of a small playing deck. There are thirty-nine cards and a Little White Book (LWB).

The LWB is clear, concise and informative. Within just a few minutes I was able to do some basic self-readings.

The thirty-nine cards include the thirty-six card deck, along with an alternate Gentleman, Lady and Child.  The second set of characters offers a choice in the characters’ ethnicity.

It’s no secret that European cartomancy, both tarot and Lenormand, can be rather classist, racist and sexist. Modern tarot artists and authors have made a real effort to allow tarot images to reflect all people and to depict relatable culture.  It’s nice to see this happening in the Lenormand world as well.

One of the first things we are instructed to do in the LWB is to choose which of the Ladies, Gentlemen and Children we will use. At first choosing between the black people and the white people felt a little forced, and even a little smarmy to me. It reminded me of the Lovers card choices, one lesbian and one sort of androgynous couple, in the ground-breaking “Daughter of the Moon Tarot.” Certainly anything that makes an effort to make cartomancy images more inclusive is a great thing. Some attempts just seem a wee bit clumsy to me.

Then I decided I was overthinking things. I looked at the two Child cards. Based purely on aesthetics and vibes, I chose the child with the yellow dress. Then I looked at the two Lady cards. I choose the Lady who was holding a rose. One of the two Gentlemen looked a little emo to me. I chose the other guy. Suddenly the cards looked very much like my own family – a hodge-podge of cultures and ethnicities. Then I saw the wisdom in offering the alternative card choices. The deck already felt more personally attuned to me.

An early lesson I learned from “Under the Roses Lenormand,” then, is this.

Not everything has to have grand socio-political implications. Sometimes you just have to look at the pictures.

Lenormand decks are typically visually different from tarot.  The Lenormand structure is based on a subset of a playing deck. In many cases, Lenormand cards feature the suit icons in the appropriate number, as well as the card name and some image associated with the name. In “Under the Roses Lenormand,” the number and suit icon appear in a small box in the lower right hand corner of each card.  Card numbers one through thirty-six appear in a circle in the upper left hand corner of each card.

“Under the Roses” is beautifully illustrated. Lenormand images are traditionally simpler than tarot images.  The “Under the Roses” images are lovely and evocative. As the LWB tells us, Lenormand is typically read analytically, rather than intuitively. However, the images of “Under the Roses Lenormand” have enough depth and texture to stimulate the intuition.

The cards are colored in brown and beige tones. This makes them look deliciously old-fashioned. The art has a Victorian feel. Some of the cards are significantly more colorful than others. The Dog is adorable, looking cuddly with a rose in its mouth. The Whip is a sexy redhead in a corset.

The card backs feature a red rose, stylized with curly-cue vines.

I had already done several practice readings, following the directions in the LWB, when I noticed that in the background of each card, in very light scroll, are key words. This is brilliant. The key words are not visible enough to be distracting, or to limit the deck’s usefulness. But, for a Lenormand beginner like me, they are certainly helpful.

The LWB offers small two-and three card spreads as a way of teaching card-combining, which is a cornerstone of Lenormand interpretation technique. The LWB also includes instructions for more complex spreads, such as the traditional Grand Tableau.

I can already see ways in which Lenormand cards could fit into my divinatory practices, both personally and professionally.

It’s evident that Lenormand is here to stay. I’m looking forward to a lot of great new Lenormand offerings over the next few years. No matter how many wonderful Lenormand decks are published, I believe that “Under the Roses Lenormand” is destined to become a well-loved classic, and one of my favorite divinatory tools.

Christiana Gaudet Reviews Under the Roses Lenormand

Video of Christiana Gaudet Reviews Under the Roses Lenormand

Beltaine Tarot Blog Hop: A Union of Opposites

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Welcome to the Bealteine 2014 Blog Hop!

Perhaps you are joining me from Arwen’s blog. When you finish here, please continue the hop by visiting Joy Vernon’s blog. If you find a break in the chain, our wrangler, Aisling, has the Master List for you.

Blessed Beltaine to you! Today, in the northern hemisphere, we celebrate the cross-quarter day between the vernal equinox and the summer solstice.  At this time of year we gather together to leap the belfire, drink from the maybowl and dance the maypole.

Our wrangler, Aisling, has identified Major Arcana 6, the Lovers, as a tarot card often associated with the lusty festivals of fertility celebrated at this time of year.

In modern times, many readers associate the Lovers with passion and romance. Aisling reminds us that there are older traditions for this card which discus the Lovers as a union of opposites.

I like to think of the Lovers in this way. In the Rider-Waite-Smith image, the man gazes at the woman, but the woman gazes at the angel. One focuses on the physical, the other, on the spiritual. The push-pull yin-yang energy of this card speaks to me of the reality of what it is to maintain a relationship.

The Lovers is typically associated with the astrological sign of Gemini, and therefore the element of Air. Not Water, for romance, nor Fire, for passion, but Air.

The union of opposing forces is created through the force of reason and logic.

There is power, too, in the union of opposites. This is a theme we see in a few Major Arcana cards.

As I think of the Major Arcana cards I might associate with this theme other than the Lovers, three come to mind.

The steeds in the Chariot, be they the black and white sphinx in the Waite image or the zebra-fish creatures of World Spirit Tarot, show the union of opposites in action.

Strength shows a union between the fierce, wild lion and the gentle, loving woman.

Temperance, the card of art, time and alchemy, shows the making of a perfect solution from imperfect parts.

For a few years now I have been working on my 78 Poems Project. That is, one poem (not necessarily a good poem, mind you) for each of the 78 Rider Waite Smith cards.

As it turns out, I had already written poems for these three cards.  And, in each poem, I had written something that now seems pertinent to our discussion about the union of opposites.

As I think about these cards I am struck with an idea. In bringing opposites together in harmony we create something both peaceful and powerful. At this time on our planet there are opposing forces seemingly unable to compromise or work together. In these tarot images we find the wisdom the world needs to move forward in peace.

On this Beltaine I send the power of the Lovers, the Chariot, Strength and Temperance to embrace the world in a new balance, a new cooperation and a new way forward, through the power we find in the union of opposites.

The Chariot

Opposites in union pull forward
Directed not by hand but by will.
The power of myth and the power of mind
The hero is traveling still.

Transportation and transformation
A singular vision and quest.
The warrior speeds commanding his steeds
Envisioning total success.

Swift motion and great calculation
Under the cover of stars.
Mastery conquering mystery
Whether ordeals or journeys or cars.

Strength

As water with patience carves into stone
So do hearts carve one on the other.
And when nature battles civility
New friends are drawn together.

 Each has more reason to fear than to love
The dangers beckon, not understated.
This war is waged not with bullets but blooms
And fine compassion, communicated.

The gentle maiden must be of mind fierce.
She has enraptured a fierce jungle king.
The beast submits not by violence but choice
To a union of forces opposing.

Strength then is found not in warfare or blood
Nor in doctrine nor laws to rely on.
True strength is found in faith and control
With your hand in the mouth of a lion.

Temperance

Water poured from cup to cup, and metal turned to gold
Sorrow turned to patience, and ego turned to mold.

One foot on the water, another balancing on land
Not a drop is spilt by the angel's gentle hand.

Caution guards the recipe, stirring grace with balance
Art and time make alchemy with these select ingredients.

Change forged of disappointment, mingling with hope
Built on tragic lessons learned that gave us skill to cope.

Expectation and assumption gone, accepting what will be
Still the angel blends the cups, creating perfectly.

Perfect are the cups' contents, and perfect is the measure
And perfect are the woes and joys, blended into treasure.

Now it’s time to hop over to Joy Vernon’s blog. Or, if you are working backwards, visit Arwen’s blog.  If you find a break in the chain, our wrangler, Aisling, has the Master List for you.

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Tarot Facts in Fifteen Minutes

This past Sunday, I was honored to be a presenter at the “Something for Everyone” Library Open House at the Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library. I, along with experts on a variety of topics, presented a fifteen minute talk.  My talk was entitled, “The History of the Tarot.”

Just how much can you say about tarot in fifteen minutes? Actually, quite a lot.

Here’s some of what I covered.

• Tarot is the name given to a deck of 78 playing cards. Tarot has a specific structure, which includes two sections; a Major Arcana of twenty-two trumps and a Minor Arcana of four suits. Each suit has pips ace through ten and a court of four characters.
• The word “arcana” means “secrets”.
• Tarot originated in Italy in the 1400s as a trump-taking game created to commemorate important events.
• Tarot become the inspiration for poetry, called “tarocchi appropriati”.
• In the 1500s the trump-taking game of tarot included each player being assigned a trump. The assigner would have to delicately explain why the particular trump fit the player’s personality. This explanation as given in the form of a poem.
• The first written record of tarot as divination comes from the book written in the 1700s by Jean-Baptiste Alliette, known as “Etteilla.”
• In the late 18^th century a small group of Freemasons and Rosicrucians formed the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in England. Golden Dawn members included William Butler Yeats, and two men who became the designers of the world’s most popular tarot decks, A.E. Waite and Aleister Crowley.
• In the early 1970s, with the help of tarot authors Eden Gray and Mary K. Greer, tarot became a mainstay in popular western culture.
• Now, tarot is popular world-wide.
• Today, there are literally thousands of different tarot decks available.
• There has been a great effort to create new tarot decks that are inclusive. This effort acknowledges that tarot’s medieval origins inherently create a measure of patriarchy, classism, sexism and racism within the early images.
• Tarot is of interest to historians, artists, collectors, psychologists, writers, diviners and spiritual seekers.
• Tarot inspires popular movies, like “The Red Violin.”
• Tarot archetypes, like “Father Time,” remain prevalent in our culture.
• Tarot, as a unique art form, is inspiring to artists and contemporary fashion designers, including Dolce & Gabanna and Versace.
• Tarot is not the only type of card oracle. There are many other oracle decks, included another structured deck used specifically for fortune-telling, the Lenormand cards.
• Tarot enthusiasts see correlations between tarot and many esoteric systems, including astrology, Kabbalah, numerology and the Four Elements. There is no historical evidence that these correlations were intended by the original designers of tarot.
• In recent years, other interesting correlations have been discovered, including a correlation between the sixteen Court cards and the Myers-Briggs personality types.
• That these correlations exist is a topic of study and discussion for tarot enthusiasts, and influences card interpretations in tarot divination.
• Today, tarot cards are used as creative prompts in improvisational theatre and creative writing.
• Tarot decks are often designed by CCG (collectible card game) and fantasy artists.
• Tarot is often seen as telling the archetypal epic journey of the hero. Each card represents a universal experience, character, theme or lesson; which we experience on our own ‘hero’s journey” though life.

If you had only fifteen minutes to talk about 500 years of tarot, what would you say?

Tarot, Psychic Addiction and Emotional Illness: The Balance Between Free Will and Fate

Recently in my “Answers to your Questions about Tarot” YouTube video series I have fielded two questions that each touch on emotional illness and tarot.  One was about “Tarot Slavery,” or psychic addiction. The other was about reading for “Eeyore,” that is, people who are so negative about their lives they do not believe they have any power to make it better.

I’m also finally reading the book “Psychic Junkie: A Memoir” by Sarah Lassez. It’s been sitting on my bookshelf for years. It’s the story, told in the first person, of a struggling actress with a monster psychic addiction. One of the things I like about the way she presents her story so far is that she holds herself accountable for her psychic addiction, rather than blaming her tarot cards or her readers.

What she, and other recovering psychic junkies, may not realize, is that some psychic professionals are very concerned about psychic addiction. Sure, there are some psychic professionals who encourage psychic addiction. Many of us do our best to identify those clients who are likely to misuse our services and encourage them to find other ways of dealing with their anxieties.

It is true that any tarot student could become “addicted” to the cards, turning to them to try to assuage anxiety rather than to find spiritual insight.

People who don’t understand tarot have lots of negative things to say about tarot. Most of those things are based on misinformation, misunderstanding and superstition. Sadly, there are some tarotists who perpetrate misinformation about tarot, either for their own gain or because they really want to believe that their future can always be both secure and predictable.

These are people who, like Sarah Lassez, have studied tarot and utilize professional psychics and have found the experience to be disempowering, rather than empowering.

How does this happen?

It happens when people have an unhealthy insecurity about their future, and about themselves. They come to the cards, and to psychic work, with one express purpose. They want to know what will happen in the future. It’s not curiosity, or the opportunity to be proactive, that drives them. They are driven, perhaps solely, by fear.

It may be laziness, misinformation or low self-esteem that causes them to believe that their future is something that awaits them, rather than something they could have a hand in creating.

Part of the problem is the reality that sometimes the future is set, and therefore predictable, and sometimes it’s not, and therefore changeable according to the choices and actions of self and others. It’s about the balance between free will and fate.

Many tarotists, including me, believe that it is sometimes better to focus on the areas where we can be proactive. Future predictions can be very accurate, and can also be fun, interesting and helpful. But it is not often in predicting the future where the healing nature of psychic work is realized.

There is zero introspection required when we believe the future is already set, and zero personal responsibility. Introspection and personal responsibility can be found in the wisdom of tarot, and are key components in healing from anxiety and depression.

Anxious people who fear their future, and depressed people who have no hope or faith in themselves, often lack the motivation to use a tool like tarot in the way that would actually be helpful.

It is so much easier to wait for a future that has been predicted than it is to work proactively at creating one’s life.

Future predictions can entertain us. Future predictions can give us hope. Future predictions can help us prepare for, and maximize, our potential. Tarot, and psychic work in general, can help us do that, not only by making the predictions, but by helping us choose our goals and stick to them.

Psychic addicts are looking for easy answers and quick fixes. Like all addicts, they want to make the pain go away but they don’t want to do the hard work to make change in their lives.

Often a good reading can help such a person change their perspective, get help for their emotional disorders, and realize that they are in charge of their life. A good reading should put the client in the driver’s seat as much as possible. Of course, this can only happen if the client is ready and willing to heal, and to take responsibility for their own decisions and goals.

Tarot can be incredibly helpful to people who are anxious and depressed, but only if they are willing to use the cards to heal.

Tarot, and psychic work in general, won’t turn an emotionally healthy person into a psychic addict. Potential psychic addicts are damaged before they get to us. As readers and teachers, we need to be ready to identify those who are likely to misuse our services to their detriment. Gentle redirection and referrals to psychological professionals are often appropriate.

Why is it easier for some people to believe that 78 pieces of cardboard could unfailingly predict their future than it is for them to believe that they have the personal power to create the future they want?

The sad thing is, if they could only adjust their thinking a little, they would discover that tarot can be the perfect tool to help us set our goals, make our plans and create the life we desire.

Three Tarot Cards to tell you the Future is Wide Open

I love the Tom Petty song “Into the Great Wide Open.” Sometimes I see cards come up in tarot readings in ways that remind me of this song. Sometimes, for some people, the future is truly wide open.

So often, people seek tarot readings because they want a glimpse of their future.  Often, the best tarot readings tell us that the Universe is ready to help us manifest the future we desire.

There are a few cards that indicate this state of being to me. Often they come up together in the same spread. When I see these cards I know it is very important to be clear about goals, intention and actions, because you are ready to manifest your future. What you do today will determine what your tomorrow looks like.

The three cards that specifically speak to me of actively manifesting your future are the Two of Wands, the Seven of Cups and the World. It is amazing to me how often I see these three cards together.

The Two of Wands is about dreaming dreams, setting goals and making plans. In this card we have the opportunity to decide what we want our world to look like.

The Seven of Cups reminds us that we have options and choices. With this card we need to choose what we want to manifest in life.

The World is the card of attainment. It comes up to say that we have the ability to create the world we want.

Inherent in tarot is the opportunity not just to gain knowledge and perspective, but also the opportunity to build the future we desire. When you see these three cards, be ready to set your goals and create the life you want!