Showing posts with label Enchanted Lenormand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Enchanted Lenormand. Show all posts

Friday, May 2, 2014

A Sudden Message

A couple of nights ago my husband asked me to lay out a Grand Tableau to see what things might be coming up for us in the next few months. I didn't pose a particular question as I shuffled, and held both of us as a couple in my mind as I laid out the cards. I noticed that we both fell in the first line, and I was four cards from the right edge. Directly next to me sat the Scythe (and yes, I did give an audible groan). Following the Scythe were the Letter and Bear. As a family member is a bit ill, my first concern was that I'd hear something rather sudden from my mother (Bear) related to that. But secondarily my thoughts went to my supervisor at work, and I was wondering what somewhat-unpleasant message she would possibly send to me. Scythe is pointing to me meaning that I'm the recipient of something semi-painful, and the pain itself would be coming from the written message (Letter) from my boss (Bear). I was due to have a comp day at home the next day, so I decided to just let it go and see what might transpire.

A re-creation of the line of 4 from the GT - C. Matthew's Enchanted Lenormand

Upon waking up the next morning it occurred to me to check my work email, but ultimately I decided against it - it was a comp day after all, so I should be spending it on "me stuff" rather than worrying about the office….right? I decided against it. (cue some dreadful soundtrack music)

Jorge was out running errands and I was just settling our youngest child down for a nap around midday when I received a text message. After a few minutes I checked it and it was from…my supervisor! The message went something like this: "We're all here for the meeting in room 204." I think my heart stopped briefly. Meeting????? I had no idea what she was talking about, but there's a student I'm teaching who's on academic probation, and I was afraid they'd scheduled a critical meeting about him and I'd somehow missed it entirely. So I wrote her back and told her I had no idea what she was talking about, but I'd be there in 30 minutes. I proceeded to call Jorge to tell him to return as quickly as possible, and the first thought that came flooding into my mind was….Scythe…Letter….Bear! Gah! She wrote me back to explain that she had scheduled a team meeting complete with food for all, and had invited the dean to attend as well….how had I forgotten? On one hand, I felt relief that it wasn't about the student, on the other hand, I still felt bad as I hate missing important events, especially when people such as the dean are in attendance! So I threw some clothes on and drove through the pouring rain to the meeting. In the end, it was all quite fine, thankfully. But the cards were remarkably quick!

This is a great example of how time is a bit wavery with Grand Tableaus (and most readings, I suppose). You intend to set a time frame of a month, two months, or more, but the cards play out how they will, and if that's in a day or two, then so be it. The Scythe was both extremely quick, and a bit painful, and the discomfort was due to the unexpected (also Scythe) message (Letter) from my boss (Bear). I gave myself a mental slap and reminded myself to act next time I see these kinds of messages in readings, rather than allowing them to play out and cause unnecessary displeasure. If I had checked my work email I would have seen the meeting reminder! ;-)

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

No Exchange for You!: Fortune Telling and Free Will

Back at the end of December I made a purchase (on a whim) of a book that turned out not to be what I was looking for. I considered returning it, but was a bit unsure about whether I should do that, or keep it and add it to my library. So for a few months it sat on a table in my kitchen, neither here nor there, its receipt tucked neatly into the pages.

Finally yesterday I decided to see about exchanging it for something I'd get more use out of. I'd bought it at a local metaphysical shop where I happen to be taking my weekly mediumship class, so it was great timing: I could arrive to class a few minutes early, browse a bit, then make the exchange and go to class. I was slightly anxious about it since, while the book was in pristine condition and I had the receipt, several months had passed, and I was worried that  there would be some 90-day limitation on returns that I wasn't aware of. But nothing of the sort was printed on the receipt, and nothing appeared when I checked their website, so I figured I'd just take it in and see what happened. When I told my concerns to my sister, she thought it was silly - of course they'd accept it as a return, and if I wanted an exchange, even better!

So I threw a few Lenormand cards to see what I might expect, and this is what I pulled:

Snake - Mice - Sun

Enchanted Lenormand - Caitlin Matthews

Ugh. I was hoping that with the Sun on the end there would be some sort of successful ending to the affair, but as they say, the Mice either eat up or poop on the cards on either side of it. And Mice was also the center card, which gave it extra importance. I figured that I'd interact with a woman (Snake) who would inform me that the exchange wouldn't be able to happen (my loss - Mice), which would cause disappointment (Mice - Sun). However the woman herself would likely be pleasant enough (Snake - Sun). Nevertheless, I decided I would still bring the book with me just to see how it would all play out. Just for curiosity's sake, I decided to lay out a line of 5 on the same topic, to check out the details:

Key - Heart - Fox - Cross - Whip

Enchanted Lenormand - Caitlin Matthews

Bah. The Fox told me there was something "wrong" about the situation, and I'd probably end up feeling deceived in some way. Key - Heart was about my deep desire to make things work in my favor, but Heart - Cross said, "Nope! That ain't gonna happen!" and Cross - Whip indicated I'd probably land in a somewhat awkward discussion with the lady regarding the situation. As it was about an event occurring that same evening, even the negative cards took on a far less intense energy than if this were a reading covering a several-month period of time. For daily draws, Whips usually indicates "an awkward interaction," in my experience, rather than the usual "strife, arguments (etc.)". I don't like awkward interactions, much less ones that occur in public places and in close quarters. So I had an option - I could call the store and ask about the possibility of an exchange, thereby avoiding any potential discomfort later on. Oh the brilliance!

So I gave the store a call, and a nice sounding lady answered. I explained that I was hoping to exchange a book I'd previously purchased but never read, and that I had the receipt. Then she explained  very kindly that they don't do returns or exchanges EVER for books, candles, incense, and a few other odds and ends. So there you have it. Why no returns on books? Maybe because they don't feel like becoming a library for people who buy, read, then return, I suppose. Who knows, and I'm not feeling motivated to inquire, either.  

But this reading illustrates an important aspect of fortune telling that I think is worth highlighting (despite the fact that the event itself was rather unimportant when all is said and done). I didn't have any reason to think that an exchange wouldn't be possible, but my cards indicated otherwise. By confirming a negative outcome using a second spread, I was able to make a decision about how to proceed with the situation, and in addition was able to prepare for a potential outcome that didn't reflect my wishes. Rather than deal with a slightly awkward interaction in the store, I was able to alter my course of action. So instead of bringing the book with me to "see what happens" I chose to call and inquire first, which gave me my (expected) answer, leading me to avoid the awkward situation portended by the second reading (in particular the Cross - Whip). When readers speak of Free Will they often consider this to mean that the future is not knowable, and that in each moment we can alter the course of our destiny. The latter is somewhat true, but I feel that it's not quite as fluid as people are wont to believe. As a reader who practices fortune telling, I've seen that the future is often very much "knowable." Rather than seeing this as disempowerment, I see this as an opportunity take some control over the things that may come to pass in my life. By understanding what is likely to transpire, we can make choices about how we will confront it, and therein lies quite a lot of power and agency - and Will. 

Monday, April 14, 2014

O Moon!

This morning I pulled my regular Lenormand line of 3, and also decided to pull a Tarot card of the day. In my intensive Lenormand study I've been somewhat neglecting Tarot, and as we say in Spanish: me hace falta!

Daily draws, whether you use Tarot or Lenormand, represent toned-down versions of whatever card you happen to pull. So let's say you pull the Tower, and your first instinct is to shrink back in horror, hide your face in the pillow and swear you'll never leave the house for the rest of the day. It probably won't be quite that bad. In fact I remember once I selected the Tower for a weekly draw, and my stomach did a flip or two….it turned out that my husband dropped his new phone and the screen cracked, and our car battery needed to be replaced. Not cool, it's true, but also very manageable and certainly not the end of the world!  A daily is along those lines, or perhaps even milder or more subtle if it covers the major energies in a single day.

So first I drew my three Lenormands and pulled:

Moon - Anchor - Cross

Enchanted Lenormand - Caitlin Matthews

Sigh. The Cross is not a pleasant card, and falling at the end of the line it gives a difficult little cap to my reading. These are the moments when remembering it's "just a daily" is actually a comfort. The Moon and Anchor are my two principal work-related cards - Moon is about your reputation and how people see you, while the Anchor is about job stability and security. So immediately my thoughts went to how my work day would go. I normally teach one intensive course each week, but this week due to limited faculty, I'll be teaching two, and today is my first day tackling this double schedule. In light of this, I can see this reading as being about the burdens (Cross) of work (Anchor), and the recognition by others (Moon) that I'm juggling this difficult schedule. 

Some see the Lenormand Moon as also representing emotions - I don't tend to see it this way usually, but thus far it actually makes sense. I'm a pretty emotionally steady person (Moon - Anchor) (my sister always called me "even-keeled"). Here then I see a difficult burden that impacts my emotional stability. Well I did have a very uncharacteristically intense argument this morning, so ain't that tha truth, Cross. In fact, I was pretty cross. My cross feelings disturbed my emotional stability. Yep.  And it's fair to say that my cross-ness definitely disturbed my reputation (Moon) for being relatively calm. And also that I was seen by another (Moon) to be cross. 

So there we have it! Both work out very well together.

Moving on to my Tarot daily: Moon!

Golden Tarot - Kat Black

Different cards, very different divination system, same symbol. Hmm….. The Tarot Moon (to me) is often about exploring the unknown, especially insofar as our deepest feelings are concerned. It, unfortunately, often carries difficult connotations of unhappiness and confusion (a bit more like the Lenormand Clouds). On the other hand in some cases it highlights deep wells of creativity that are accessible to the person being read. 

Given what I've already stated about my day, this Moon still fits. I don't like misunderstandings, or losing my cool. The person I argued with is most certainly feeling the dark side of the Moon, and a distinct lack of the creative energies that Moon offers, and that has definitely colored my morning, and left me feeling slightly melancholy (also a Moon-y trait). 

Two Moons in one morning! And a third tonight - the Blood Moon will shine, and they say that this eclipse is bringing some particularly challenging elements with it, so hey, it all fits nicely, now doesn't it? ;-)

Update: I also had quite a nice evening at mediumship class - very much the Moon it all its positive glory! And at 3am I was out under the dark sky watching that red moon! (Where's the second round of coffee???)

Monday, April 7, 2014

Goin' It Alone at a Birthday Party

The other day my younger daughter was invited to a birthday party for her very best first-grade friend and she was ecstatic. When I called the mother to RSVP she informed me that the party was open not just to the children but to their parents and siblings as well! Well that was really generous! Except for the fact that I'm pretty introverted and the idea of making small talk with other parents at a birthday party for two hours sounded like some kind of cruel and unusual torture. For the love of my child I would brave it…but not without dragging my husband along with me! I told him about the party and our invitation and he said "have fun!" I said, "No, no.. you misunderstand me… you're coming WITH me…" and let's just say he was resistant. However when all was said and done, I managed to get him to agree to come along. Whew! So the evening before the party I did a line-of-5 Lenormand reading to see how the party would go and pulled:

Garden - Child - Rider - Bouquet - Tower

Reading with Caitlin Matthews' Enchanted Lenormand
I love asking about a topic, and having it pop right up there in the reading! Garden - Child was the birthday party, and Child - Bouquet told me that it was going to be a positive experience for the kids in attendance (presents, an attractive atmosphere, the invitation of kids - lots of good stuff). The Tower made me sigh and grumble because that told me I was going to end up going to this party on my own, and Garden - Tower gave me the feeling of wandering around a busy party trying to figure out where I belonged, and not quite finding it. Gah. But the Rider was the card that wasn't immediately fitting into place for me. Rider is about news and messages, visitors and movement. Well, sure, there would be a lot of movement at the party with a bunch of kids running around. It could represent the actual receipt of the invitation (Rider - Bouquet) but I had asked about how the party would go, so that didn't really make sense. So I settled on "movement" and left it at that. The spread looked pretty nice, and the worst part about it was the fact I'd be flying solo, so I wasn't too concerned about the Rider.

The next morning Lourdes (my 6-year-old) was up at dawn getting ready for her 1pm party, and I was right there with her, preparing to run into to work for a while (teaching a Saturday morning class). My husband mentioned to me that at some point his friend from out of town would make an arrangement to come drop off some camera lenses that Jorge (my husband) had left there a few weeks earlier. I said that was fine, and ran out the door.  I got home around noon and was working on organizing Lourdes' hair when the doorbell rang. "They're here!" What now? Turns out that morning announcement of the friend stopping by wasn't just a general notification - it was happening that same day. Oh dear. So his friend stayed the entire afternoon, meaning that I sure did go to that birthday party alone, and now the Rider made sense! Garden - Rider was the social visit of this friend, and Tower was me going to the party on my own as a result. 

Fortunately, while the party was indeed full of small talk and general awkwardness (for the adults), the kids had a wonderful time playing, splashing around in the pool, stuffing themselves with cake and chips, and bouncing around in a bouncy house. All worth it in the end!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Lenormand Predicts a Problem (and a Solution)

My husband left this morning for Cuba to visit his mother, sister and niece for a week. Two nights ago I pulled a line of five to find out how his trip would go, and drew:

Key - Birds - Fish - Crossroads - Coffin

Reading with Enchanted Lenormand
Caitlín Matthews

Everything seemed to make a lot of sense, but it concerned me because I saw him making calls to me to tell me about a problem with money, and decisions that would need to be made in regards to some financial issue. The Key underscored the certainty of the situation, but I had no idea what the issue would be. In Cuba credit and debit cards don't work so you have to bring cash. My fear was that either someone would steal his money, or it'd be lost, however the end card was Coffin, not Mice. So I wasn't sure how to envision the actual problem. I told him about the reading, showing him the picture I'd taken of the cards. I asked him to be extremely careful with his money, keeping it on his person, being careful not to be lured into going far beyond his originally planned expenses for any reason (or whatever the issue might have ended up being).  He was nervous, but I said "Look, at least by having an idea about what might happen, you have the opportunity to try to protect yourself." (Though to be honest, sometimes I feel like you can surely know the future, and still have no idea in what context it might occur, which does really put limitations on how well you can prepare for it. But I digress, kind of…)

So our principal bank is located out of state which means that to obtain larger quantities of cash it's necessary to use the ATM. He had taken out half of what he planned to bring with him several days earlier, but waited until he was near the airport, with the friends who were bringing him there, in order to stop to take out the second amount. So at 11:00pm I began to get frantic calls from him saying that the ATM wasn't working, and wouldn't let him take out any money. I checked our account and all was well, he checked his card's expiration date, and all was sound. He kept trying, and it just wasn't working. It was not within the same 24 hour period as the first draw. We had no idea what was going on, and then suddenly it dawned on me that my draw had predicted this exact turn of events. My question had been "Tell me about his trip." I didn't specify what part of the trip! I was thinking it would be about his actual duration of time in Cuba, and hadn't even considered his initial leg of the journey - driving to another city and getting settled at the airport. The reading very clearly stated what was transpiring, and now the Coffin was so obvious - the cancellation of a financial transaction!  

So what's the breakdown of the line? Key - Fish - Coffin = the cancellation of a financial transaction is certain. Key - Coffin = certain endings/cancellations. Birds - Crossroads = telephone conversations about a decision that needs to be made (about the financial cancellation). 

So I decided to pull another line of five to find out how this situation might develop:

Rider - Child - Owls - Anchor - Lady

Reading with Blaue Eule Lenormand

What I saw here was continued, rapid communication with me (Rider - Owls - Lady) about this issue, and support that helps stabilize the situation (Child - Anchor). Okay, so it might be alright after all. 

I pulled a final line of 5 to see how this might impact his actual follow-through with his trip, and pulled:

Lady - Dog - Scythe - Man - Stars

Reading with Blaue Eule Lenormand

Lady - Dog suggested to me both my own loyalty to do whatever I could to help, and also Ariana*, one of our friends who had driven my husband to the airport. Scythe was about very rapid decision-making in order to clear out the confusion and find a solution, and Man - Stars told me that my husband would find a way to make his flight when all was said and done. In fact Lady - Dog had me wondering if it would be some sort of teamwork between Ariana and me (which is indeed what happened).

(I am editing this post to add a note about the Scythe. The Scythe sucks - no way around that. The rapid decisions did allow for the trip to take place - a good thing - but certainly there was some stress and also some unpleasant consequences).

As I went to bed my husband was still waiting for midnight in order to try one more time at the ATM. I drew three cards to see if this final attempt would be successful, and it didn't look promising (Letter - Man - Mice). So as I drifted off, I decided to put my faith in my draws, that all would work out okay.  When I woke up the next morning I had a series of texts telling me that the final attempt had not worked out after all. My husband and our friends had arranged a plan where Ariana was able to cover the money that wasn't able to be withdrawn from the ATM, and I would then send the same amount to her in the mail to replace her loan. Quick thinking, and a successful conclusion. 

*I changed this name to protect privacy

Thursday, February 27, 2014

My Favorite Lenormand Deck (so far!)

My very first Lenormand deck was the Gilded Reverie, by Ciro Marchetti, an early Christmas present from my husband. I loved it. And I still love it. Not only are the stylized images very clear and beautiful, the size of the cards is perfect. Many Lenormand decks tend to run a bit small because the largest common spread is the Grand Tableau (GT) which utilizes all 36 cards; if you have large cards, there are few large-enough work spaces aside from the floor in which to set them out (and the floor is a'ight but not ideal!). The Gilded Reverie card size is larger than most Lenormands, but still small enough to be workable in a GT. And I love cards produced by US Games - they are by far my favorite in terms of the quality of card stock.

I have two other Lenormand decks - soon to be four (I can't wait to receive the Vintage Lenormand by Kendra Hurteau very soon!). One is Caitlin Matthews' Enchanted Lenormand, and the other is the Blaue Eule, a very traditional deck. Both of these decks are pretty small - not much larger than a mini-Tarot deck I have - and in my case this is not always preferable for shuffling because I have hands that are a bit on the larger side of average!  I must admit I never use my Blaue Eule, and don't really like it very much. Despite its size, I really like the Enchanted Lenormand, and the card stock is really high quality - it's durable, thick, smooth, easy to shuffle - all the good stuff.

Enchanted Lenormand - Caitlin Matthews

So in a fight between Gilded Reverie and Enchanted Lenormand, which would win?

The Enchanted Lenormand gets the gold. One of my main complaints about the Gilded Reverie is that after some use the golden edges have started to split apart on some of the cards, forcing me to resort to super glue (and narrowly avoiding laminating to card to my skin in the process!) - what's up with that, US Games?? It's been really the biggest let-down with this deck, which is sad because its small carrying box is excellent and so portable. While the Enchanted comes in a large box, I'll simply have to dig up a little bag for it. Furthermore, I really enjoy the hand drawn artwork on the Enchanted deck. The Sun really leaps off the card, and the expression on its face is of pure joy.

Perhaps my favorite deck will change as I accumulate more, but for now, the Enchanted Lenormand gets two, un-Superglued thumbs up.