GETTING STARTED WITH LENORMAND

[EDITED VIDEO TRANSCRIPTION]

If you’re starting out with Lenormand, or even if you had been reading for a while, you might be wondering how best to practice in a way that will actually help you grow.

So in this video, I want to give you some helpful tips and suggestions so you can start making tangible progress with Lenormand.

When we discover Lenormand we typically get all excited about it and want to dive in. But then we have no clue what to do.

We might go through the card meanings quickly, and start doing readings. And I think that’s just fine because the best way to learn is, after all, to just do. But then sooner or later we get bogged down with card combinations, reading longer lines, and getting genuine insights from our cards. So let me run you through some tips to help build your practice.

1. GET TO KNOW EACH CARD IN A GENERAL WAY

The obvious first step is to get to know the card meanings in a very general way. Take each card in turn and look up its general meaning. I’ve got a Card Keywords List that’s free to download. Why not download it and have a look through.

At this stage, I want to discourage you from reading through too many books. One problem that we have as aspiring Lenormand Readers is that Lenormand resources are a little all over the place and there can be some wide differences between authors.

Taking in too many different resources when you’re not that experienced with Lenormand and card reading in general, might slow down your progress because you’ll probably get confused about the range and sometimes contradictory card meanings out there. So stick with just 2 or 3 resources to start.

2. COME UP WITH YOUR OWN CARD MEANINGS

Once you’ve gone through the card meanings, come up with your own meanings. What I mean by this, is not that you come with keywords that are different from the ones you have in your resources - though you might!

I’m suggesting that you expand on them. So, find words that you can add to the list, and think of words that you think make better sense of the card or capture its essence in a better way.

One technique that you might find helpful here is mind mapping. Mind mapping is a popular brainstorming technique where you write down ideas that branch out of a central idea.

Write down the card or symbol name in the center of a piece of paper, come up with words that branch out of these, and with more words that branch out of the branches. 

You don’t have to use all the words you come up with in your mind mapping exercise as keywords for the cards - though you might like to. It’s really just an exercise to get you to flex your imagination. This kind of practice is very helpful for interpreting the cards in different contexts.

I also have a Card Keywords List that you can download for free to inspire your own list. Coming up with your own keywords is a precious step forward. It’s the beginning of a much deeper connection with the cards.

3. DO ONE-CARD READINGS

The next tip is to start doing readings, with just one card.

Readers will often start with open-ended daily card readings. But I must tell you, open-ended readings are tricky with Lenormand because the cards can be interpreted for any context. It’s easier to set some boundaries for the card meanings by asking a specific question. So ask a bunch of questions and see if you can answer them with one card.

Starting with one-card readings helps you become fluent with the individual meanings of the cards.

4. GO BEYOND ONE CARD

The next tip is to go beyond one card. I’m pretty sure you will quickly get bored with one card readings. And you will probably also feel that one card is not really enough to answer a question. That’s because many Lenormand cards are neutral topic cards that don’t say much by themselves.

If you feel like you’re not getting much out of your cards, don’t despair, it’s a good sign. A sign that you need to pull more cards. So try two- and three- card readings.

There is something balancing about an odd number of cards, so three cards is much more common than two, but do try your hand at two because the basis for stringing Lenormand’s cards into sentences is the two-card combination. So again, ask your questions, draw two cards and see what you come up with.

Reading card combinations is the cornerstone of the Lenormand practice.

You know you are an awesome Lenormand Reader when you can make sense of card combinations for just about any context or question. This is the goal. So spend time answering questions with 2 card pairs.

Card combinations are a big topic and we’ll get to them in more details in later videos. But I do have a blog post about it to get you started, so check it out.

5. TRY THREE-CARD READINGS

The next step for you as someone who’s getting started with Lenormand, is to do three-card readings.

Three cards are simpler than most people think. They often just involve stringing two pairs of together.

So think about one key term for cards 1+2 and a key term for cards 2+3, then see how you combine these two key terms together. It can be that simple. The cards don’t always have to be one whole meaning, they can represent a sequence of events for example.

So continue with asking questions and answering them with three cards.

At this point, you might like to try doing daily readings using three cards. Daily readings are a kind of open-ended reading, and you still might find that three cards is too little and produces too broad indications for your day.

But it’s still a good way to practice your interpretation skills with Lenormand.

6. USE YOUR JOURNAL

My last tip for you is to write it all down.

Write down your card meanings, write down your combination meanings, write down the keywords that you come up with for a specific reading, and keep a record of your questions and layouts.

See if you can make yourself go back to your notes later after they would have panned out. I’ve got a Journal Template for you, I’ll link it in the description box. It’s free and fillable.

Want To Master The Card Meanings?

With the Card Combinations Master, you will learn everything about Lenormand's card meanings. You will discover the cards in general and in depth, and you will learn everything about the pips and how they can be used in readings. Discover card correspondences and how you can interpret the cards for any context and to answer any question. The Master is also a complete pair-wise dictionary that will help you master card combinations.

Get your copy of Lenormand Reader's Card Combinations Master