{"id":17207,"date":"2018-06-01T01:10:41","date_gmt":"2018-06-01T06:10:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=18133"},"modified":"2018-05-29T16:17:59","modified_gmt":"2018-05-29T21:17:59","slug":"learning-lenormand-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2018\/06\/01\/learning-lenormand-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning Lenormand"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Line of Five<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Anyone who knows me or follows me on any of my WordPress blogs or Facebook or Twitter knows that I have been fighting a major depression \u2013 one of the worst depressions in over ten years. It\u2019s affected every aspect of my life \u2013 eating, sleeping, my ability to write \u2013 and it has affected my desire to use my divination skills. For years, I longed for a deck of Lenormand cards and now I have a beautiful set of oracle cards \u2013 actually two historic decks \u2013 and probably the best learning manual on the market, The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook: Reading the Language and Symbols of the Cards<\/a><\/u> by Caitl\u00edn Matthews \u2013 but for weeks, the cards have sat on the shelf and the book barely cracked. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, as depressed as I am, I feel guilty about this. I know that this guilt is a residue from my Catholic childhood but it\u2019s there. I know that I *should* be practicing with these new cards \u2013 and the Playing Card Oracle deck I just got \u2013 like I should have been practicing the piano all those long years ago when I was ten, eleven, twelve years old. But like the preteen Polly of the early 1970\u2019s, I sit and dream of other times. Of California and golden, wind-swept hills. Of Johnny Lancer. Of wild horses that couldn\u2019t drag me away. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My son has been very worried about me. His lease is up at the end of July and he decided that for his last year of college, he is going to move back in with me \u2013 it makes economic sense \u2013 for him, anyway. But he wants to watch over his Mama \u2013 make sure that she doesn\u2019t do herself any harm. Which is sweet \u2013 unnecessary but sweet. I don\u2019t mind him moving in. Like everything, there are pros and cons either way. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I got out the Lenormand deck and shuffled it. I wasn\u2019t even sure what I was doing but I thought \u2013 just lay out five cards \u2013 do a line of five. As explained in The Lenormand Oracle Handbook<\/a>: \u201cThis is a small, useful spread in which the most important card is the middle one, the main focus. It is the basis for any line of cards, whether it be 5,7,9,or 11 cards: the center card becomes the hinge or focus and the two sides are the wings.\u201d (Caitl\u00edn, 113). <\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I shuffled my cards and laid them out accordingly. I focused on the question \u2013 I\u2019m not sure if question is the correct term \u2013 but the issue \u2013 of whether or not it was a good idea for James to move back in with me. Although I am lonely, I do cherish and protect my solitude. And James can be stiflingly over-protective, like most men. Plus, he tends to treat me like I\u2019m much older than I am \u2013 like I am as old as my own <\/i>mother. Which is annoying, to say the least. I mean \u2013 I\u2019m only fifty-eight years old \u2013 and in quite good health! I just get depressed now and again! <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is what I got:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The middle card (card #3) is the main issue. 25 The Ring is about commitment. Think weddings and marriage but any kind of strong bond. If there is one thing about James and me, it\u2019s that there has always been a strong bond between us. He\u2019s my only child \u2013 the only one I was ever able to have \u2013 and I almost lost him early in pregnancy. James has a close relationship with his father but he lives in Florida and only visits a few times a year. James has been with me most of his life. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I know that when I got pregnant with James, I felt the he was the one. I had been pregnant numerous times before James \u2013 I was thirty-two when I became pregnant with James and my first pregnancy was at age seventeen \u2013 and I had suffered so many miscarriages that even my OB\/GYN suggested that I have an abortion. But I just knew \u2013 this was the one. And without Planned Parenthood in the early months of that pregnancy, I might have lost James, too. I have nothing <\/i>but great things to say about that organization.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Cards #1 and #2 tell what has led to or influenced this situation. #14 Fox and #30 Lily suggest that there is some kind of trickery going on (the fox) which could affect family welfare (the lily), which is why James is so concerned about me \u2013 I am not going into personal family affairs here, but suffice it to say that James is not happy with the ways things have been going with the family politics and he wants to be my defender! Which is seen with the King of Spades on the #30 Lily Card \u2013 holding his sword against the fox. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Cards #4 and #5 are the likely outcome. #15 Bear and #6 Clouds is a confused mother \u2013 me. #6 Clouds has another King \u2013 the King of Clubs \u2013 two black Kings means success in court but I am not sure if that applies here! But I might need all the help I can get! <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Like many Tarot readings, I do not see a true outcome here. The #6 Clouds card muddled up the whole thing. And yet \u2013 perhaps this is telling the whole story. I am not sure if it is a good idea for James to move back in \u2013 and yet, I can hardly wait for him to be here. I guarantee you, he feels exactly the same way. What virile young man wants to live with his witchy old mother? But \u2013 you can\u2019t argue with economics. If he is to graduate, he needs to live in a place he can afford. I do <\/i>understand that. At his age, I couldn\u2019t afford to go to college at all \u2013 I was working three jobs. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I am sorry that I missed you all last month. I will fight this depression harder and be here with another Lenormand lesson next month. Until then, Brightest Blessings to all of you. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

References<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Matthews, Caitl\u00edn. The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook: Reading the Language and Symbols of the Cards<\/a><\/u>. Rochester, VT: Destiny Books: 2014. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Polly MacDavid<\/b><\/span>\u00a0lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan and she is solitary.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She blogs at\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>silverapplequeen.wordpress.com<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Line of Five Anyone who knows me or follows me on any of my WordPress blogs or Facebook or Twitter knows that I have been fighting a major depression \u2013 one of the worst depressions in over ten years. It\u2019s affected every aspect of my life \u2013 eating, sleeping, my ability to write \u2013 and it has affected my desire to use my divination skills. For years, I longed for a deck of Lenormand cards and now I have a beautiful set of oracle cards \u2013 actually two historic decks \u2013 and probably the best learning manual on the market, The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook: Reading the Language and Symbols of the Cards by Caitl\u00edn Matthews \u2013 but for weeks, the cards have sat on the shelf and the book barely cracked. Yes, as depressed as I am, I feel guilty about this. I know that this guilt is a residue from my Catholic childhood but it\u2019s there. I know that I *should* be practicing with these new cards \u2013 and the Playing Card Oracle deck I just got \u2013 like I should have been practicing the piano all those long years ago when I was ten, eleven, twelve years old. But like the preteen Polly of the early 1970\u2019s, I sit and dream of other times. Of California and golden, wind-swept hills. Of Johnny Lancer. Of wild horses that couldn\u2019t drag me away. My son has been very worried about me. His lease is up at the end of July and he decided that for his last year of college, he is going to move back in with me \u2013 it makes economic sense \u2013 for him, anyway. But he wants to watch over his Mama \u2013 make sure that she doesn\u2019t do herself any harm. Which is sweet \u2013 unnecessary but sweet. I don\u2019t mind him moving in. Like everything, there are pros and cons either way. I got out the Lenormand deck and shuffled it. I wasn\u2019t even sure what I was doing but I thought \u2013 just lay out five cards \u2013 do a line of five. As explained in The Lenormand Oracle Handbook: \u201cThis is a small, useful spread in which the most important card is the middle one, the main focus. It is the basis for any line of cards, whether it be 5,7,9,or 11 cards: the center card becomes the hinge or focus and the two sides are the wings.\u201d (Caitl\u00edn, 113). I shuffled my cards and laid them out accordingly. I focused on the question \u2013 I\u2019m not sure if question is the correct term \u2013 but the issue \u2013 of whether or not it was a good idea for James to move back in with me. Although I am lonely, I do cherish and protect my solitude. And James can be stiflingly over-protective, like most men. Plus, he tends to treat me like I\u2019m much older than I am \u2013 like I am as old as my own mother. Which is annoying, to say the least. I mean \u2013 I\u2019m only fifty-eight years old \u2013 and in quite good health! I just get depressed now and again! This is what I got: The middle card (card #3) is the main issue. 25 The Ring is about commitment. Think weddings and marriage but any kind of strong bond. If there is one thing about James and me, it\u2019s that there has always been a strong bond between us. He\u2019s my only child \u2013 the only one I was ever able to have \u2013 and I almost lost him early in pregnancy. James has a close relationship with his father but he lives in Florida and only visits a few times a year. James has been with me most of his life. I know that when I got pregnant with James, I felt the he was the one. I had been pregnant numerous times before James \u2013 I was thirty-two when I became pregnant with James and my first pregnancy was at age seventeen \u2013 and I had suffered so many miscarriages that even my OB\/GYN suggested that I have an abortion. But I just knew \u2013 this was the one. And without Planned Parenthood in the early months of that pregnancy, I might have lost James, too. I have nothing but great things to say about that organization. Cards #1 and #2 tell what has led to or influenced this situation. #14 Fox and #30 Lily suggest that there is some kind of trickery going on (the fox) which could affect family welfare (the lily), which is why James is so concerned about me \u2013 I am not going into personal family affairs here, but suffice it to say that James is not happy with the ways things have been going with the family politics and he wants to be my defender! Which is seen with the King of Spades on the #30 Lily Card \u2013 holding his sword against the fox. Cards #4 and #5 are the likely outcome. #15 Bear and #6 Clouds is a confused mother \u2013 me. #6 Clouds has another King \u2013 the King of Clubs \u2013 two black Kings means success in court but I am not sure if that applies here! But I might need all the help I can get! Like many Tarot readings, I do not see a true outcome here. The #6 Clouds card muddled up the whole thing. And yet \u2013 perhaps this is telling the whole story. I am not sure if it is a good idea for James to move back in \u2013 and yet, I can hardly wait for him to be here. I guarantee you, he feels exactly the same way. What virile young man wants to live with his witchy old mother? But \u2013 you can\u2019t argue with economics. If he is to graduate, he needs to live in a place he can afford. I do understand that. At his age, I couldn\u2019t afford to go to college at all \u2013 I was working three jobs. I am sorry that I missed you all last month. I will fight this depression harder and be here with another Lenormand lesson next month. Until then, Brightest Blessings to all of you. References Matthews, Caitl\u00edn. The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook: Reading the Language and Symbols of the Cards. Rochester, VT: Destiny Books: 2014. *** About the Author: Polly MacDavid\u00a0lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic. Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan and she is solitary. She blogs at\u00a0silverapplequeen.wordpress.com. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17207\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}