LENORMAND MUTE CARDS PART 5: THE MOUNTAIN

Hi everyone, welcome back to the channel and thank you as always for tuning back in. If you're new here, welcome! I'm Layla, the Lenormand Reader, and I am one of the few people who focuses almost exclusively on the Lenormand deck. So be sure to check out the website and all the resources that I have for you so you can master this amazing deck.

Today we are doing the last part of the five-part mute card series and we are going to focus on the Mountain.

As I said in the previous videos, I ran a survey in the community asking you to tell me which ones you thought were the mute cards. Mute cards are cards that don't really speak, so it's not so obvious what to make of them. And we came out with the top five.

• Lily: 71.4%
• Tower: 60%
• Tree: 45.7%
• Moon: 42.9%
• Mountain: 34.3%

Today we have the last one: it is the Mountain and we are going to go through the Mountain like we did with the other cards.

THE MOUNTAIN IN THE RED OWL DECK

So as you know, I like to start with the Red Owl quotes because the Red Owl deck is one of the more classical decks that we believe we have for Lenormand. And so the Mountain card is card 21, as you can see, and the quote says,

"The Mountain is a foe and a cause for you to grieve. If not a true and smart friend, these problems will help relieve."

>> Download the complete list of Red Owl Quotes

So in this quote, it is clear that the Mountain is a challenging card. And indeed, most authors see the Mountain as a challenge, mainly an obstacle. That's obvious because of the shape and size and hardness of the Mountain. It is like a blockage that stands in our way.

In this quote, there isn't a reference to the near and far aspects of the cards, which tends to be pretty frequent in the quotes. The near and far aspect is something that figures in a Grand Tableau where depending on how far or how close a card is to the significant, which is either the Man or the Woman, then it affects how we interpret the card. But in the case of the Mountain, we don't have a reference to the near or far aspect of the Mountain and in general, it tends to be challenging.

It is not so clear what is meant by the second part of the quote. "If no true and smart friend, these problems will help relieve." So to back up to the quote, the Mountain is referenced as a foe. And then in the second part, it says a smart friend. So it seems that this can represent a person. A person who poses an obstacle to us, and if they are not true or smart, then they might not be such a big deal.

I think this is one of those quotes that can be interpreted in a few different ways. And that is totally fine. But I think the essence of the card is clear that the Mountain is an obstacle of sorts and nearby cards can affect whether this foe is someone we will be able to overcome or if they are in fact pretty challenging.

So that's my suggestion with how to interpret this Red Owl quote. With this said, let's move on to a couple of authors. Let's go with the Rana George and the Caitlin Matthews as examples of how you can look up different authors to come to a conclusion about what a card means.

THE MOUNTAIN ACCORDING TO OTHER AUTHORS

Because I find that they offer a lot of detail and written richness, and I think a lot of you are familiar with their work. So that will help anchor this in common. So I've got here Caitlin Matthews’s Handbook. And Caitlin Matthews suggests that the Mountain signifies something we can't get over easily. So, again, with many Lenormand cards, we can start with the symbol itself.

And because the symbols are from everyday life, it's easy for us to make associations with them. And obviously the Mountain is a big, hard thing that we can't get over easily, as Caitlin Matthews says.

So she continues: "It often shows itself as a blockage, an obstacle, a delay or a limit that we have to negotiate." So there is that need to overcome the Mountain. It can sometimes represent a pile of work or in fact a pile of anything.

When it comes to objects and things that we associate with the cards, the Mountain tends to be a pile of anything. It indicates a burden that weighs heavily. She suggests that when the Mountain comes to the right of a card it operates as a block.

So for example, the Bear and the Mountain can make you feel powerless or obstruct your plans. That's a good interpretation. Because it stands for borders. This card can also appear as border control and customs.

And for my part, this is where I feel that the Mountain can also suggest a place abroad, you know, that sense of going on the other side of the Mountain. So it is also is a card of location for me. She says it can also mean an enemy if describing a person.

We can compare the Cross with the Mountain. She suggests that a Cross is something that can not be worked around, but only undergone or faced, while the Mountain can be overcome with effort or strategy.

So I'm not sure what she means by "it can only be worked around by only undergone or faced." As opposed to a strategy. That's interesting. I guess it depends on the situation. The Mountain stands for inland, contrasting with the Anchor for coastal. So very interesting here when it comes to landscapes and you need to make this distinction, you can find nuances in the cards.

Let's read a few keywords from the many keywords that Caitlin Matthews has: Obstacles, strange boundaries, limit, enemy, weight, introversion, and distance. This is also another aspect of the Mountain that comes through. There is a sense of isolation and solitude that is associated with the Mountain. Emotionally, you can see why we think of it as cold. Another card that is like that is the Tower.

The Tree is also associated with solitude, but it's softer and it's a happier kind of solitude. The Mountain is more associated with that sense of distance and estrangement as Caitlin Matthews puts it. It can also suggest something remote, that's why I feel that the Mountain is the card of the online world. So that distance. Other keywords: The hermit, explorer, and Mountain climber in terms of people.

And in terms of timing, it might be delayed or far off. So again, all of these ideas are natural extensions of the essence of the Mountain. We've got a couple of combinations here that we can share with you.

The Mountain and Birds: Nervous about border control, talking remotely. I take it to mean remote communications in general, typically from abroad, but also online communications, I would suggest, and there can be that nervousness element because the Mountain is a challenging card. Often, the Bird can also bring up anxiety and nervousness.

The Mountain and Moon: She suggests keeping remote from the limelight and honorable retirement. So it's a curious interpretation. I think it's a bit specific, but it does make sense that the Moon, being that card of appreciation and recognition, with the Mountain can create that distance.

I'm not so sure why the retirement aspect comes through with either the Mountain or the Moon. I would suggest that the Moon and Mountain can mean an invitation abroad or possibly some adventures and also the Moon has a way of softening these harsh cards like the Mountain and the Tower. And I think that can work too with the Mountain. So that's for Caitlin Matthews' approach.

Moving to Rana George, let's see what we have from Rana George for the Mountain. She suggests it represents an impasse, but is never an absolute deterrent to action. I tend to agree with that because even though the Mountain is tough, it is not necessarily insurmountable.

But of course, I like to rely on card combinations and the bigger reading to see how it goes. She suggests that we think of the Mountain as a challenge to be climbed, a problem to be solved, a barrier to be skirted, and I agree with this approach.

I think Caitlin Matthews was saying that too. Which card was it? The Mountain can be managed with strategy. We're asked to suggest that the Cross is insurmountable or it has to be faced. You know, thinking about this suggestion by Caitlin Matthews, I think perhaps she's seeing the Cross as that destined thing that has to be faced, as opposed to the Mountain that needs to be that can be strategized. It's interesting. It depends, I guess, on your metaphysical beliefs.

To continue with Rana George, she suggests the Mountain brings all sorts of delays, postponements, and procrastination. That's very clear. The Mountain is a slow card. And being an obstacle card, it's going to slow things down and present you with these issues that you need to deal with.

It can also indicate a remote location, a Mountaintop, a resort, or a retreat in a faraway sanctuary. Again, I associate with that very much. I really read the Mountain as that place abroad in another place.

A few keywords from Rana George's dictionary. She suggests obstacles, a challenge ahead, stalling, being held back, expect delays, all we've seen. In terms of a person, this suggests someone strong, big, solid, stubborn, standoffish, formal, aloof.

Again, this Mountain energy is distant and cold, so you can imagine that that would be that type of person. She also suggests someone lonely, distant, and friendly and detached. Again, there is that coldness that we associate with the Mountain.

In terms of work, Rana George suggests a dead-end position or setbacks. Some blockages that hinder advancement, a hiring freeze. That's a really good, interesting way of interpreting the Mountain in the context of work. It can also mean unemployment, although I tend to think of the Coffin as more about unemployment. So very insightful keywords.

In terms of love, a stagnant relationship. Feeling indifferent, or opposing views, no harmony. Instead, a lot of coldness and rigidity. So these are really clear ways we can associate these ideas with the Mountain. It's obvious. And once you get into the essence of a card, it becomes easy to stretch it into all of these different correspondence areas: money, work, career, love, relationships, and health, etc.

In terms of time and timing, she suggests 21 days or three months. The third or 21st of the month. This comes from reading the card numbers. So we have the card numbers on many decks, and we have it here on the Red Owl deck.

So the Mountain is card 21. So a lot of readers use this number as a reference to the time, to the timeline. I don't think they are always accurate, but they can be approximate. So if you're flexible, it can work. And it's also associated with winter, obviously with coldness.

So you can see that there are easy ways to expand on the essential meaning of the Mountain. And I resonate with everything I've read so far and also with aspects of the Red Owl quote.

COMBINATIONS WITH THE MOUNTAIN

My primary interpretation of the Mountain is not negative, though. I think my primary interpretation is either neutral in terms of that cold, detached sense, or it points to a location abroad. With challenging cards, I tend to see it as an obstacle. I feel that obstacles and blockages come through better.

So with this said, let's go ahead and wrap up the video like I normally do. With the combinations, all pairwise combinations with the Mountain.

So the Sun + Mountain. I tend to read this as a summer vacation, you know, as going somewhere nice, going maybe by the beach, like, you know, like going beyond borders, and because of the Sun, which is associated with summer, it suggests that element of vacationing somewhere. Now, of course, this is a pretty specific interpretation.

So more generally, the Sun warms up the Mountain. It can also suggest overcoming this obstacle, and it can also mean climbing that Mountain successfully. So the Sun is quite powerful, really, in any context.

Garden + Mountain. I think here, the element of place comes out well. So again, suggesting that place abroad or gathering abroad, it can also mean an online community if you go with my suggestion of reading the Mountain as referring to things online.

Letter + Mountain points to news from abroad and also contact and communication or maybe reaching out after a time apart. All of these are possible.

I think the Key + Mountain is finding solutions, maybe getting things moving, and facing up to the obstacle and overcoming it.

The Scythe + Mountain I take to mean this very well because I visualize the scythe as breaking down the Mountain. So this too can suggest breaking through an obstacle.

The Fish + Mountain can suggest a few things, and this is an example where I would like more cards. It can mean that funds are frozen on hold or stock somewhere. It can also suggest investments in a different place. I think the Mountain can block the flow of the Fish. So it might be a good idea to avoid spending and making big money moves for the time being.

The Heart + Mountain can suggest coldness in a relationship. It can also mean distance and being apart.

The Stork + Mountain can suggest a trip and also I feel the Stork can hop over the Mountain. So also helpful to get that stuckness from the Mountain moving.

The Woman + Mountain can mean someone who is cold. So a card always qualifies the Man or the Woman. So with the Mountain, it would be someone who's cold, detached, and distant. But you can also meet someone who's abroad.

With the Moon + Mountain I think the moon helps soften the hard edges of the Mountain. It can warm it up a little bit. It can also suggest an invitation to go abroad, but the Mountain is quite strong, so it can suggest that the evolution or the phases and the unfolding that can be associated with the Moon is not really moving forward. So again, that element of stuckness. But still, the moon calls for gentleness here.

The Snake + Mountain I always take to mean going around an obstacle as opposed to confronting it head on. I feel this is also a suggestion of something going on behind someone's back. You know, because the Mountain is like that back, you know, and the snake is winding. So I really see that in a visual way with the cards.

The Tower + Mountain can suggest the deep past. I get this idea from the Titania's deck, which, as you might know, is my first deck, so it imprinted me pretty deeply. But notice that we have the two solitude cards really coming together here. So it can really highlight that element of detachment and being lonely and alone. This too can come up here. At the same time, both cards have that elevation aspect.

So if there were positive cards or if the context called for it, it can also mean reaching the top.

The Bear + Mountain is another combination that I inherited from Titania, and it means someone who is based abroad. I think the Anchor also does this well, and maybe even better than with the Bear. But it is very much a combination of stubbornness and toughness. This can mean a competition or even an enemy. Not so much with the Anchor, but the idea of being stubborn also works well with the Anchor.

The Flowers + Mountain is probably a reunion or closing that gap of distance. The Flowers is another lovely card that can help warm up the Mountain a little bit. And you can also point to celebrations or traveling and a sense of freedom, I think, can come through potentially.

The Child + Mountain is another special combination that I get from Titania's approach to the cards. And this points to a very important chapter that is in the making. It can also work well with the Child and Cross. The sense of adventure I feel comes through here in terms of climbing that mountain or beginning a journey up that mountain. That's where I feel it can come through here.

The Coffin + Mountain is the combination that I think would suggest a dead end. Where did we see that in Rana George's suggestions? I think in the context of work, obviously with the Coffin and Mountain, it's like it's not going anywhere, right? It might be better to look in another direction or at least take time out and give it time.

The Whip + Mountain is definitely a confrontation. So a bit like with the Scythe, there is the need to confront this obstacle head on. I think this can be a pretty aggressive combination because the Mountain is pretty hard and the Whip is by itself aggressive, so you have these two difficult energies coming together.

The House + Mountain a bit like the Garden and Mountain can suggest a place abroad. It can also mean taking a vacation. I don't really see such a combination working. I'm not sure how you would read this in terms of obstacles like obstacles within the home or what like cold feelings within the home. That's possible, but I would want something else to qualify the Mountain in order to bring that feeling aspect.

The Mouse + Mountain is obviously delays and obstacles, and it tends to be of the smaller kind because of the Mouse. So here there are several issues that come in the way that delay you that distract you. Usually the Mouse is not a big deal, but if you let it get out of control, it can go into something much bigger. So this combination can also point to a warning.

The Ring + Mountain as with any relationship card can suggest someone has a connection abroad. Contacts abroad or ties abroad.

If it's not about a person, but again, with the relationship element, because the mountain is cold, there can be some issues here. A sense of detachment or a not too warm relationship.

The Clouds + Mountain can feel stuck. This is a pretty psychological card, where someone feels that they're not able to move forward. It might be the case in their actual physical circumstances or not. The Cloud tends to be a psychological card. So here there is possibly a rigidity, unable to see ways out, not able to think outside the box. You know, things like that. There is a sense of stuckness that needs to be dealt with.

Bird + Mountain is a bit like with the Letter, can point to news from abroad or to someone abroad. The Bird is sometimes about short trips, so with the Mountain we could be seeing that. But also there can be some challenges here, feeling stuck or wanting to have a conversation and not being able to.

You know, it's like the Mountain blocks the communication that is normally associated with the Bird. So here you might feel like what you're saying is landing on deaf ears, for example. You can see it this way.

The Cross + Mountain are a bit like the Child and Mountain, there can be a destined path here. The Cross can be a challenge as well. So here are some big decisions that could be at hand. Someone might feel stuck in life and not sure how to move forward. Maybe additional cards can suggest if you overcome this or not.

But I think the element of stuckness is coming through here. But also, because the Cross is a card of destiny and lessons and things like that. Maybe it's important that the querent understands what has come to pass before moving forward. So it's like life is blocking you because you need to learn a lesson.

The Anchor + Mountain, like we said with the Bear, is someone based abroad, roots, and a base in a different location. But the Anchor being a stubborn card, it can suggest that you need to stick with this and make sure you overcome the obstacle, like don't give up on climbing that mountain as it were.

The Man + Mountain, like what we saw with relationship cards and the Woman. The Man can represent someone who is cold, distant, and detached.

The Book + Mountain can mean that an obstacle is ahead and it's still not known. It can also mean a discovery of sorts. So here the adventure, the travel element can come through. It can also mean something like a mountain of knowledge or having a lot to learn and things like that in that metaphorical sense as well.

The Lily + Mountain can suggest a life abroad, but it could also be a bit difficult for health if we looked at the health card. It can mean rigidity or needing to stop, take a break, and things like that. I do think that a life abroad is the more likely interpretation, but again, the context can drive that. And you know, the Lily being associated with phases, there can be a tough phase ahead where we need to climb that mountain. This too can come up.

Dog + Mountain. The Dog is another relationship card, so the same idea can apply. The Dog tends to be about friends and colleagues and acquaintances, so not so much the tight-knit one-on-one. But it is good with friends. So the pair can suggest people abroad. But in a negative context or with negative cards, it can mean that communication is sort of cold and distant and that this person is not really warm.

Star + Mountain. I think we can make an allowance for the mountain to show through as a positive card or at least working well in a positive combination with the Star. It can mean that we overcome the obstacle. Maybe here, directionality is relevant, where we have the star on the other side of the Mountain.

Fox + Mountain. A cautionary note. Obviously, with the Fox being a trap or someone tricky and deceptive, with the mountain, it's important to be strategic about how to overcome this obstacle. And I think diplomacy and tact and an indirect route, a bit like with the snake, is probably best. It can point to jobs, maybe a job online or elsewhere. You can consider that.

The Clover + Mountain I think helps overcome a little bit the challenges of the Mountain. We could get a lucky turn of events to help us overcome an obstacle or perhaps an opportunity abroad can come through.

Rider + Mountain. Again, communication here, as with the Letter and Bird, and the rider is also a travel card sometimes, so it can mean a trip.

Tree + Mountain can suggest patience and needing to take the time to overcome this obstacle. It can also suggest roots in a different location. So a bit like with the Anchor. The Tree brings wisdom and like we said, it is one of the solitude cards.

The difference is that the Tree is warm. The Mountain is cold. So the solitude that we associate with the Mountain is not typically a positive one, but the Tree is. So maybe the Tree helps suggest taking time out for a different perspective.

Ship + Mountain, and actually, Road + Mountain both can suggest that element of travel. I think these cards really bring up physical travel more than anything else. So you need this in your vocabulary and this would be a really good card for this.

So this can be travel. This can mean going someplace, but also it can mean that there are obstacles in your journey and you might need to find ways around these obstacles. So this has to do with navigation, right? How do you navigate these obstacles? How do you get around them? Again, additional cards can help, but I think as a basic initial understanding of the combination, I feel it's pretty straightforward.

So these are my suggestions for how to read the Mountain and all of these different combinations. Again, I feel we have good reason to think that the mountain is initially mute, but it is eventually accessible.

Do practice, you know, these high-level combinations with the cards and then do a few readings. And you'll see that you'll become more familiar with the different ways we can interpret the mountain. So it's not so mute anymore, and it's not giving you problems with or making you stuck in your interpretations.

Let me know how you enjoyed this video and this whole series. I look forward to your comments as always. And I'm looking forward to our next tutorials together. If you have thoughts or ideas about what we should cover on this channel, please be sure to get in touch. All of the links are in the description box. Thank you as always for tuning in and until next time, take very good care of yourself.

NOTE. There are additional resources about the Mountain and other cards.

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