Tarot Time Traveller

by Marcus Katz

  These in part, we might suggest, are also iconic for the Nuremburg area, as the ship in Hechtel’s deck features the flag of Nuremberg (half of a double-headed Eagle, a symbol used in the reading of coffee grounds), the Tower is modelled on the Nuremberg castle tower, the Stork and the Fox are both common and popular folklore creatures of the area (the tales of Reynard and the Frog-King tale), and the Book and Key may be simply personal choices.

  In a 1763 German list of the symbols of coffee grounds, the additional symbols are all present, other than the Book. 109

  Ship: Riches and Good Income

  Fox: Treacherous Person (or people)

  Stork: Moving (place of residence), travel

  Tower: Long life and happiness in old age

  Book: Not mentioned

  Key: Good career prospects (upright) and bad (reversed)

  We will add to our list of Lenormand card meanings across time by visiting upon three unlikely sources; Cicely Kent, A. E. Waite, and C. C. Zain. All wrote about cartomancy, even if one used an alias at the time. We will then summarise the card meanings and provide spreads for their deployment.

  Kent’s Lenormand

  Whilst not specifically writing about the Lenormand cards, Kent included a list of symbol meanings in her book Telling Fortunes by Tea Leaves (1922). We have selected out those which correspond to the Lenormand cards as currently used—some contemporary decks have added cards from the wide range of original coffee-grind symbols, dream symbols, or antique morality games which could have so easily been part of what is now accepted as a “standard” Lenormand deck. These include cards such as the Bridge card, the Dice, the Mask and others. 110

  Rider/Messenger: This brings good news from overseas of business and financial affairs.

  The Clover Leaf: A very lucky sign of coming good fortune.

  The Ship: News from distant lands; a successful journey; a voyage.

  The House: A successful transaction, a visit, a new home.

  The Tree: Good health and a pleasing assurance of coming prosperity and happiness.

  The Clouds: These denote disappointment, failure of plans, and dismay.

  The Snake: This is an unpleasant sign of treachery, disloyalty, and hidden danger, sometimes caused by those whom you least suspect; if its head is raised, injury by the malice of a man is predicted; it is also an indication of misfortune and illness.

  The Coffin: A bad omen of coming bereavement.

  The Bouquet: This is a most fortunate symbol of coming happiness, love, fulfilled hope, and marriage.

  The Scythe: This sign foreshows grief and pain.

  The Rod/Whip: To a woman this sign foretells vexation and trials in her marriage; for a man, it has much the same meaning, and severe disappointment will befall him.

  The Birds/Owls: These are significant of happiness and joyful tidings.

  The Child/Little Girl: This is a sign that you will soon be making fresh plans or forming new projects.

  The Fox: This denotes that you may have an unsuspected enemy, possibly disloyal dependents; sometimes it means theft and trickery.

  The Bear: A journey north, sometimes prolonged travel.

  The Stars: A lucky sign; [if surrounded by dots in a leaf reading], wealth and honour are foretold.

  The Stork: In summer, this bird tells you to beware of robbery or fraud; in winter, prepare for bad weather and a great misfortune; a stork flying predicts that whilst you hesitate in coming to a decision, a profitable chance is lost, the news of which will speedily reach you.

  The Dog: This symbol has many meanings which must be read in accordance with the other symbols; in a general way, this sign indicates adverse conditions, the thwarting of life’s chances, unfortunate love affairs, family misfortune and money troubles.

  The Tower: This predicts an advantageous opportunity through which you may rise to a good position in life.

  The Garden: Many pleasant meanings may be given to this symbol, good fortune, happiness, love, marriage, and a large circle of admiring friends, being among them. [We have used for this Kent’s interpretation for “flowers” as distinct to “bouquet” as it carries the same meanings as the usual interpretations for “Garden”].

  The Mountain: This gives promise of the realisation of a great ambition and of the influence of powerful friends; many mountains indicate obstructions and sometimes powerful enemies in your career.

  The Ways: This symbol must be read in conjunction with surrounding symbols; it usually emphasises the importance of other signs; a broken signpost indicates that you take a wrong turning in your life and afterwards have much cause to regret it. [We have used “Signpost” here from Kent as carrying the same meaning as “Ways” or “Crossroads”].

  The Mice: This invariably indicates that there is need for a trap to be set; it also gives warning that domestic worries are to be expected.

  The Heart: A sign of coming happiness through the affections bringing joy into your life, or satisfaction through money, according to other signs near.

  The Ring: [With dots around], a contract or a business transaction; with the figures of a man and woman, an engagement or wedding is foretold.

  The Book: An open book shows a desire for information and a mind ever on the alert to understand new theories and facts; a closed book is a sign of expectancy.

  The letter: These are shown by oblong or square tea leaves, initials near give the name of the writer; with dots around they will contain money.

  The Gentleman: You may expect a visitor.

  The Lady: [With bad signs, several women mean scandal]; otherwise, society.

  The Lily: A fortunate omen of realisation, love, and marriage.

  The Sun: This promises happiness, health, success in love, prosperity, and the beneficial discovery of secrets.

  The Moon: A crescent moon denotes good news, fortune, and romance; for a man, it predicts public recognition and honour.

  The Key: Circumstances will improve, things will become easy, and your path will be made smooth; you may hope for success in whatever you have on hand; a key at some distance from the consultant denotes the need for the assistance of good and influential friends in times of difficulty.

  The Fish: News from abroad; with other signs of movement, emigration.

  The Anchor: A pleasing symbol of good and loyal friends, constancy in love, and the realisation of your wishes; an emblem of safety to a sailor.

  The Cross: You must expect to meet with hindrances and obstacles in the way of your desires; sorrow and misfortune are also indicated by this symbol.

  We will next look at A. E. Waite and C. C. Zain and provide a summary of meanings for each Lenormand card.

  A. E. Waite’s Lenormand

  One of the advantages of time travel that we can see from the future are the small events in the past which at the time were barely noted but have now become something far more than their original ripple in the timeline. We are never the best judge of our own time; history provides us many examples of this fact. When A. E. Waite and Pamela Colman Smith created their tarot deck in 1909, they had no idea what would become of it; Waite in fact called it nothing more than “a delightful experiment.” 111

  Now that we are travelling back through time, with the benefit of knowing how the Lenormand deck will become a cartomantic favourite in the future, we can see the importance of Waite’s writing on the symbolism of coffee grounds in his “fortune-telling” book, written under the pseudonym “The Grand Orient.”

  Whilst not comprehensive, it adds to our stock of card-meanings for the Lenormand, long before the Lenormand became a “thing” across social media such as Instagram and Tumblr.

  A cross denotes news of death, but three crosses in the same cup are symbolical of honour. A ring means marriage; if a letter can be discovered nea
r it, that will be the initial of the name of the future spouse. If the ring be in the clear part of the cup, it foretells a happy union; if there are clouds about it, expect the contrary; if it chances to be quite at the bottom, the marriage will never take place. A leaf of clover or trefoil is a good sign, denoting speedy good fortune if at the top of the cup, and good fortune proportionately more remote as the symbol is nearer to the bottom. Flowers are commonly the signs of joy, happiness and peaceful life. A rose promises health; a lily at the top of the cup foretells a happy marriage, but at the bottom it portends anger. A shrub signifies delays; a single tree as a rule predicts a restoration to health, but a weeping willow is a portent of sorrow. A group of trees in the clear part of the cup betokens misfortunes which may be avoided; several trees wide apart promise that your wishes will be accomplished; if encompassed by dashes, it is a token that your fortune is in its blossom, and only needs care to be brought to maturity; if surrounded by dots, riches may be expected.

  A tree beside a house promises you the possession of a country seat or cottage, according to size. A house beside a circle shows that the former will come into your possession. If there be an X near it, it will be situated in a city or town. If accompanied by triangles, it will be inherited or given to you. If it be surmounted by a cross, you will die in it. Mountains signify either friends or enemies, according to their situation. The sun, moon and stars denote happiness, success; clouds, happiness or misfortune—according as they are bright or dark. Birds are good omens; the appearance of one in the cup, typifies a sudden stroke of luck.

  Quadrupeds—with the exception of the dog—foretell trouble and difficulties; reptiles mean treachery. Fish imply good news from across the water, but some authorities interpret their appearance as the presage of an invitation to a good dinner.

  A serpent is always the sign of an enemy, and if in the cloudy part of the cup, gives warning that great prudence will be needed to ward off misfortune.

  The figure of a man indicates a speedy visitor; if the arm be outstretched, he will be the bearer of a present. When the figure is very distinct, it shows that the person expected will be of dark complexion, and vice versa. A heart surrounded by dots signifies joy, occasioned by the receipt of money. A letter signifies news; if in the clear, very welcome ones; surrounded by dots, a remittance; hemmed in by clouds, bad tidings and losses; a heart near it, a love letter. An isolated line signifies a journey, its extent in proportion to the length of the line; dots or small branch-lines signify the obstacles which may be expected therein.

  A circle enclosing four points foretells the birth of a child, and this emblem has a profoundly occult significance. A dog beside a human figure always has reference to a friend. A man mounted on a horse presages a male person who will powerfully espouse your cause. An anchor at the bottom of the cup denotes success in business; at the top, and in the clear part, love and fidelity; but in thick or cloudy parts, it means inconstancy.

  A crown near a cross indicates a large fortune resulting from a death. A bouquet, composed of four or more flowers, is the most fortunate of all omens. 112

  A final stop in our time travelling overview of cartomantic meaning is with C. C. Zain, who we will meet later in our travels.

  The Brotherhood of Light Lenormand

  We are fortunate that Zain also wrote about the symbolism of coffee grounds and hence the modern version of the so-called Lenormand cards.

  He also provided good direction for those wishing to read coffee grounds or tea leaves, which suits the tarot reader as well as the Lenormand reader of today:

  The skilled cup diviner, however, does not leap from one symbol to some other on the far side of the cup. He starts in with those symbols nearest the brim of the cup, and nearest the handle. Often there will be a chain of symbols reaching from near the brim down into the bottom of the cup; reaching from the present into the very distant future. He permits his attention to follow these symbols in the order in which they occur, and strives to perceive the exact relationship of each symbol to the next one in the series, and perhaps how the symbols on one or both sides influence it. As he passes from one symbol to another, observing the influence of adjacent symbols, he endeavours to weave the whole into a connected story. He seeks to point out how one event follows another, and what causes each. Instead of a disjointed account he strives to knit together the influences and persons and events represented into such a connected narrative of the future that it brings out all the important facts and relationships. 113

  He also makes a fascinating observation in that class that some people will have specific experiences with common objects, animals and events used as symbols which give those things specific meaning to that one person. Zain suggests that the soul uses these specifics in communication, over and above the more commonplace meanings—making every oracular moment unique.

  He then returns to the common or universal meanings, saying:

  The tree, because of its strength and long life, is usually interpreted as a symbol of health and vitality. The dog, because of its faithful companionship with man, is usually interpreted as a friend. And a railroad train, because it is commonly used for transit, is usually interpreted as a journey. 114

  Regarding these meanings, Zain notes that:

  To the soul, in its code messages to the physical, an emblem symbolises that which it is most strongly associated within the unconscious mind. This usually, though not always, is that event, or quality, or thing, which most readily comes into the mind next after thinking of the emblem. Usually, as in most of the above examples, the relationship between the symbol and that which it signifies is quite clear after a moment’s reflection. 115

  Here are the specific symbols Zain gives that relate to Lenormand:

  Cross: Hardship & Suffering

  Fox: Trickery & Cunning

  Bird: A message or messages

  Mouse: Small difficulties & petty annoyances

  Fish: Gain & Money

  Baby (Child): A new enterprise (project)

  A Ship: Approaching wealth

  Ring: Marriage

  Flowers (Bouquet): Expression of goodwill and kindness, happiness.

  We can now use our Lenormand meanings with a model derived from Zain, and provide a method of reading Lenormand in three minutes. In a similar manner to how we engineered the tarot into three aspects in our orientation guide at the front of this present book, we can also see every Lenormand card in three ways: as an influence, an agent, or an event.

  If we consider the Tree with its usual meaning of health, then its influence is a healthy one, promoting growth and stability; if it is acting as an agent, it would be someone in the family tree or a healthy diet, and if it were an event it would be something long-standing and seasonal, or something healthy like a spa day or retreat.

  We provide below a key to these three aspects for every card and an oracular sentence to easily place these cards together into a three-minute instant reading.

  Lenormand in Three Minutes

  We have used the core cartomantic meanings of 1796 and extended these into the three aspects and provided the meaning of the card most popular through the little sheet that often accompanied the “Lenormand” deck under the name “Phillipe Lenormand.”

  1. Rider/Messenger: News.

  Influence: Novelty, Newness, Originality.

  Agent: A person revealing something or carrying a message on their own behalf or that of another.

  Event: Receiving News, a new proposal or a delivery (but of something totally unexpected, unlike the Stork).

  2. The Clover Leaf: Good luck.

  Influence: Luck in a little sense (compared to the Sun, which is bigger fortune and opportunity).

  Agent: The right person at the right place at the right time, lucky meeting (with the Park/Garden).

  Event: A chance occurrence, a piece o
f good luck, slight unexpected change for the better.

  3. The Ship: Wealth, investment, travel.

  Influence: Exploration, Discovery, Adventure, Risk, Investment (with Fish).

  Agent: A traveller or someone outside your usual circles.

  Event: Journey (Holiday with Sun, Business trip with Fox).

  4. The House: Prosperity, the home.

  Influence: Home, security.

  Agent: family member.

  Event: Family gathering.

  5. The Tree: Health.

  Influence: Health.

  Agent: Doctor.

  Event: Health check.

  6. The Clouds: Trouble, delay, confusion.

  Influence: Uncertainty, confusion.

  Agent: Change; with Fox, it would be job uncertainty; with Mouse and Fox, job uncertainty and loss.

  Event: Redundancy if with mouse and fox, job redundancy.

  7. The Snake: Misfortune, betrayal.

  Influence: Betrayal, traitorous behaviour. Snake, heart, ring = commitment, union and betrayal.

  Agent: Tempter/temptress, traitor, a hypocrite.

  Event: Betrayal, Marriage/relationship breakdown.

  8. The Coffin: Serious illness.

  Influence: Endings.

  Agent: Time.

  Event: Leaving home, with the House/coffin, with Heart/coffin, is endings of love union.

  9. The Bouquet: Happiness, gift, proposal.

  Influence: Gift, generosity: Bouquet/ring = marriage proposal.

  Agent: Giver, suitor, lover. Bouquet/whip = trouble maker.

  Event: Birthday, anniversary, engagement, presentation.

  10. The Scythe: Danger.

  Influence: Shock, surprise, change, Stork/scythe = Shock/surprise pregnancy, mountain/scythe = sudden obstacle, Tree/scythe = shock with health, Tower/scythe /fish = Money shock from bank.

  Agent: Competitor, rival, ill health, stock market, banks, politicians.