Some Mighty Fabric in Height: The High Tower Card

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
Proverbs 18:10 (RSV CE)

Thou wishest to be great, begin from the least. Thou art thinking to construct some mighty fabric in height; first think of the foundation of humility.
St Augustine, Sermon 69

Tower, announces a long life and a happy old age; but if it surrounded by clouds, it announces sickness, and in certain circumstances, even death.
Original Instructions

Card No. 19 in the Petit Lenormand, the High Tower, is represented by the Six of Spades. Few cards within the deck have undergone such a dramatic reinterpretation in modern times. For many contemporary readers, the High Tower is primarily a card of bureaucracy, government, institutions, and officialdom. Whilst such associations are not entirely without merit, I believe the older interpretation possesses considerably greater depth and offers a richer understanding of the card.

The Essence and Function of the High Tower

The traditional eikōn of the High Tower is especially important because it immediately reveals two significant characteristics. Firstly, it is clearly of an older architectural style than the other structures within the deck, such as the House or the Park. Secondly, it stands alone and rises to a considerable height above the surrounding landscape.

When discussing this card, some readers invoke images such as Alcatraz, the Bastille, or the Tower of London – or even the Tower of Babel. Yet the structure shown on the card is not a prison. It is far closer to a tower house (see below), a form of fortified dwelling once common throughout medieval and early modern Europe and one that would have been entirely familiar to the creators of the Petit Lenormand. Such towers were constructed as lookouts and places of refuge, particularly in isolated regions. Their purpose was not imprisonment, but observation. From their elevated position one could see across great distances and watch for opportunities or threats approaching from afar.

Nenadović Tower, Boksi, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The High Tower is therefore not shown as a place of confinement, but as a place of perspective.

The essence of the High Tower is longevity and its function is to provide perspective.

The significance of this perspective extends beyond the physical landscape. Standing atop the High Tower, one looks not merely across the countryside but across the course of life itself. Its great age speaks of endurance and survival. Unlike the fashionable château or ornamental park (see below), the tower has remained standing through the passage of generations. It has witnessed change, endured hardship, and survived the passage of time.

Longevity allows perspective. Perspective, in turn, allows us to understand the larger course of life.

This naturally links the card to old age, retirement, legacy, and life’s long-term trajectory.

It is for this reason that the original instructions speak of a long life and a happy retirement. Such promises carried far greater significance in earlier centuries than they do today. High mortality rates, illness, and economic hardship meant that few could take longevity for granted. To reach old age in comfort was a genuine blessing rather than an expectation.

Likewise, the traditional associations with widows and widowers arise quite naturally. The High Tower is not a malevolent card. Rather, one consequence of a long life is that we inevitably outlive some of those we love. Longevity carries its own sorrows alongside its rewards.

In practice, the High Tower frequently describes the seeker’s life path in general. Whereas many cards concern immediate events and circumstances, the High Tower takes a much broader view. It asks what the seeker is building and what their life is ultimately becoming. The surrounding cards often reveal the foundations, ambitions, accomplishments, and aspirations that will shape the years ahead.

For this reason, the High Tower is often concerned with legacy. It encourages us to look beyond present concerns and consider what will endure when today’s successes and difficulties have long passed. What are we building? What direction is life taking? What will remain when the immediate moment is gone? These are quintessentially Tower questions.

When the High Tower appears in a reading, it often encourages the seeker to adopt a long-term perspective. Immediate concerns are rarely its primary focus. Instead, it asks where one’s present choices are leading and what sort of future is being constructed through today’s actions.

Tower of Kurt Pasha. Nikolai Karaneschev, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The card can also reveal something about a person’s private definition of happiness and fulfilment. Beneficial cards surrounding the High Tower often indicate satisfaction with one’s circumstances and contentment with the direction life has taken. There is, however, a decidedly solitary quality to the card. From such a lofty vantage point one observes the world from a very personal perspective. Consequently, the High Tower can occasionally introduce a somewhat self-contained or even solipsistic outlook in which one’s own long-term concerns take precedence over the immediate concerns of others.

A useful distinction may be drawn between the High Tower and the Stars. Both cards involve looking into the distance, yet they do so in different ways. The Stars provides guidance and direction. It tells us where we ought to be heading. The High Tower, by contrast, provides perspective. It allows us to assess where the road may ultimately lead if we continue along our present course.

The High Tower also possesses important health associations. Like the Tree, Coffin, Birch Rod, and Mice, it frequently appears in questions concerning illness and physical wellbeing. The conditions it signifies are often long-lasting, chronic, or persistent rather than acute. In this regard, the card reflects duration more than severity. The illnesses associated with the High Tower frequently accompany the seeker over a considerable portion of life.

When adverse cards such as the Clouds surround the High Tower, the matter becomes more serious. Chronic conditions may worsen, independence may become compromised, and in rare circumstances the card can indeed contribute to indications of terminal illness. Such interpretations should never be reached lightly, but neither should the possibility be ignored when the wider spread supports it.

Some readers continue to associate the High Tower with governments, bureaucracy, and institutions. I can understand the rationale, and there are certainly occasions when such meanings prove appropriate. Nevertheless, I regard these interpretations as secondary rather than primary. Government is fundamentally a collective enterprise and therefore often appears more naturally under the Park, whilst authority frequently belongs to the Bear and regulation to the Birch Rod. The solitary High Tower speaks far more convincingly of perspective, longevity, isolation, and the long view of life than it does of bureaucracy as such.

Coda

At its heart, the High Tower is a card of longevity, perspective, and legacy. It encourages the seeker to look beyond immediate circumstances and consider the larger course of life. From its lofty vantage point, we are invited to reflect not merely upon where we stand today, but upon what we are building, what will endure, and where our present choices may ultimately lead.

Person and Description

Person

Like the Bear and the Hound, the High Tower can sometimes signify a person despite not being a court card. Unlike those cards, however, the High Tower’s significance derives less from authority or association and more from longevity, experience, and perspective.

When functioning in this capacity, the High Tower frequently represents an older relative, a family patriarch or matriarch, a respected elder, or someone whose life experience grants them a unique perspective upon events. What unites High Tower people is not merely age, but wisdom gained through the passage of time.

In my younger days, the card often represented a grandparent. For clients in later life, however, it can just as readily signify an elder sibling. This may seem unusual at first, yet it makes perfect sense. The older we become, the fewer people remain who remember the same events, places, and stages of life that we do. My youngest siblings, for example, were born when I was already a teenager and never knew our paternal grandparents. Only my brother, who is two years younger than I am, shares those memories of those “old days.” In this respect, the High Tower often signifies the person who remembers.

There is undoubtedly a masculine quality to the card, yet it may represent either a man or a woman. As always, the surrounding cards will clarify the person’s appearance, temperament, and influence within the reading.

Physical Description

Naturally, the High Tower often describes someone older than the seeker. Yet “older” is a relative concept. A person in their sixties may seem elderly to a client in their twenties, whilst appearing comparatively youthful to someone in their eighties.

For this reason, it is often more useful to think in terms of generations rather than specific ages. The High Tower frequently points towards our parents’ generation and, more commonly still, our grandparents’ generation.

Physically, the card tends to describe someone tall or at least above average height. Unless modified by cards such as the Child or the Mice, the individual is rarely short. There is often a sense of stature or presence about them, whether physical or social.

The High Tower also tends towards a vintage, traditional, or somewhat old-fashioned style of dress. Such people are seldom devoted followers of contemporary fashions. Instead, they often prefer clothes, jewellery, or possessions chosen for their quality, durability, and timeless appeal rather than their novelty.

There is frequently an air of dignity, reserve, or quiet self-possession about them. Like the structure itself, they often appear composed, self-contained, and somewhat removed from the bustle of everyday life.

Temperament

The High Tower describes someone shaped by experience and the passage of time. Such individuals often possess a broad perspective and a strong appreciation for stability, planning, and continuity. They are rarely impulsive and generally prefer to consider the long-term consequences of their actions before making important decisions.

There is frequently a conservative quality to the card, though not necessarily in a political sense. Rather, High Tower people value preservation. They respect traditions, family history, accumulated knowledge, and those institutions or practices that have proved their worth over time. They instinctively understand that not every problem requires reinvention and that some things endure for good reason.

The High Tower possesses a distinctly Saturnine temperament. At its best, this manifests as wisdom, prudence, discipline, patience, responsibility, and endurance. Such individuals are often relied upon for advice because they have already weathered many of life’s difficulties and acquired perspective through experience.

When poorly aspected, however, these same qualities can become rigidity, excessive caution, pessimism, or resistance to change. The individual may become isolated, aloof, or so focused upon preserving the past that they struggle to adapt to the future.

Above all, the High Tower describes someone whose greatest strength lies in perspective. They have seen enough of life to understand that today’s difficulties are merely part of a much longer story. From their elevated vantage point, they are often able to perceive patterns, consequences, and possibilities that others overlook.

Special Features

Grand Tableau

We have already discussed how the High Tower, free from the influence of the Clouds and other adverse cards, traditionally signifies a long life, comfortable retirement, and security in old age.

In practical terms, this usually indicates that the seeker is building a life capable of supporting future ambitions and long-term objectives. The card asks us to look beyond immediate circumstances and consider the wider course of life. For this reason, the surrounding cards frequently reveal what is being built, preserved, or invested in for the future.

Consider, for example, the combination Lady–High Tower–Stars, with the Stork above the High Tower and the Moon beneath it. Here we can see the Lady entering a significant new chapter of life. A change in status (Stork over Moon) enables her to make considerable progress towards her ambitions (Stars). The High Tower shows that this is not simply an isolated event but one that materially alters the direction and trajectory of her life.

These cards appeared for a female clinician who had recently been awarded a professorship.

A rather different example would be Coffin–High Tower–Stork, accompanied by the Scythe and the Tree. Here we see a warning that a sudden event (Scythe) involving illness or physical limitation (Coffin, Tree) will bring significant changes (Stork) to the seeker’s life circumstances (High Tower). The emphasis is not merely upon the illness itself, but upon the important long-term decisions and adjustments that follow.

In this particular case, the client suffered a serious fall that injured both her spine and hip. Surgery became necessary and, having lived for more than forty years in a third-floor flat, she was ultimately forced to relocate to a ground-floor property. The High Tower accurately described the profound alteration to the shape of her life rather than merely the accident itself.

One should never assume that adverse cards surrounding the High Tower indicate death or terminal illness. More often, they signify events that substantially alter the course of a person’s life. The challenge may be medical, financial, domestic, or professional; what matters is that it forces the seeker to reconsider long-term plans and adapt to a new reality.

If, for instance, we replaced the Tree and Scythe with the Fox and the Fishes, the reading would point towards a warning (Fox) concerning a significant financial loss or fraud (Coffin, Fishes, with the Fox). Such an event would necessitate considerable changes to the seeker’s lifestyle and long-term circumstances (High Tower–Stork). The principle remains the same: the High Tower is concerned with the broader consequences for the life path rather than the immediate event itself.

It can occasionally participate in indications of terminal illness, but far more often it signifies a major setback, challenge, or turning point that changes priorities and compels a reassessment of the future.

Age and Height

We have already seen how the High Tower can describe a person as older or taller. This descriptive quality, however, is not limited to people alone.

The High Tower’s characteristics of age, height, longevity, and endurance frequently transfer to whatever card it accompanies. Whenever the card combines with another significator, it often imparts a sense of historical importance, stature, permanence, or the passage of time.

Thus, Park–High Tower may describe a historic site or landmark such as the Great Pyramids of Giza or the Taj Mahal. These are public places (Park) that have endured across centuries and acquired historical significance (High Tower).

Similarly, Book–High Tower can indicate a long-kept secret, but more often it points towards a literary classic or historical work. Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, Dante’s Divine Comedy, or a scholarly work on history would all fall comfortably within the symbolism. The important point is not merely that something is old, but that it has endured.

With the House, the High Tower may indicate a period property, an older residence, or a dwelling of considerable height. In practical terms, the combination frequently points towards a house of three or more storeys.

Whilst House–High Tower can certainly indicate an apartment building, one should avoid assuming this too quickly. The same combination may equally describe a townhouse, converted period residence, or flat contained within an older structure. As always, context remains paramount.

Protection

The tower-house existed because people wished to protect what they had built. Before it became a vantage point, it was a place of refuge. Its height afforded visibility, whilst its construction provided security.

For this reason, the High Tower often brings a sense of protection, continuity, and long-term stability. It suggests that the seeker possesses—or is in the process of constructing—the necessary foundations upon which future success may be built.

When favourable cards surround the High Tower, there is often an indication that sufficient safeguards are in place. The seeker is protected, stable, and well-positioned to pursue long-term ambitions. Their foundations are sound.

The presence of adverse cards paints a different picture. The Clouds, Scythe, or Mice may indicate weaknesses in the foundations upon which the future is being constructed. Long-term plans become vulnerable to uncertainty, disruption, or gradual erosion. In such circumstances, the card warns that the present position may not be as secure as it first appears.

The High Tower therefore differs from both the Tree and the Anchor. The Tree provides roots, vitality, and constitution. The Anchor supplies grounding, permanence, and stability. The High Tower, by contrast, offers protection and perspective. It safeguards what has already been built and allows us to see further into the future.

Relationships

The High Tower has acquired an unfortunate reputation in matters of the heart because many readers focus exclusively upon its solitary qualities. In practice, the card is considerably more nuanced.

Strong relationships often flourish beneath the High Tower’s influence because the card naturally concerns longevity, planning, commitment, and the future. Relationships supported by cards such as the House or the Anchor frequently possess the strength and stability necessary to go the distance. The emphasis here is not romantic passion but durability.

The difficulties arise when adverse cards are present or when the High Tower stands between the two significators.

For example, if we encounter Lord–High Tower–Lady in a reading for a woman, the partner’s attention is often directed towards his own long-term ambitions, plans, and future trajectory. The High Tower rises between the two significators, creating emotional distance and leaving the Lady feeling excluded from that vision. In some cases this may contribute to separation, although the Ring and Anchor should always be examined carefully before reaching such a conclusion.

Likewise, Heart–High Tower can indicate loneliness. Yet this loneliness is rarely as straightforward as many assume. It need not arise through widowhood, divorce, or a lack of companionship. More commonly, it reflects a period in which the seeker’s focus is directed towards personal goals, career ambitions, retirement planning, education, or other long-term concerns.

The loneliness is therefore secondary rather than primary. The High Tower does not create isolation so much as it creates a perspective in which other priorities have taken precedence over romantic involvement.

One should never assume that solitude and loneliness are synonymous. The High Tower frequently describes periods of productive solitude in which the seeker focuses upon long-term objectives, personal development, study, or legacy. The card becomes problematic only when such distance begins to undermine important relationships or support networks.

Ultimately, the High Tower asks a simple but profound question of every relationship: will this endure? Its concern is not with the excitement of the moment, but with what will remain standing many years from now.

Wisdom

Like the Book, the High Tower can signify wisdom. The two cards, however, acquire their knowledge in very different ways.

The Book’s wisdom arises from study, scholarship, and specialised learning. The High Tower’s wisdom arises from lived experience. Its knowledge is gained through success and failure, hardship and triumph, endurance and survival. One learns from a book by reading; one learns from the High Tower by living.

The High Tower’s wisdom stems from perspective. Having witnessed the passage of time and weathered many of life’s changes, it is able to place present difficulties within a broader context. What appears overwhelming today often looks rather different when viewed from the vantage point of many years.

For this reason, High Tower people are often sought out for advice. They have already travelled roads that others are only beginning to walk. Their experience frequently helps us avoid mistakes, reassess our priorities, and regain our sense of direction.

If the Book teaches us what others have learned, the High Tower teaches us what life itself has taught.

Timing

In matters of timing, the High Tower is a decidedly slow-moving card. Its nature is long-term and it seldom describes developments that unfold quickly. The card encourages patience and reminds us that some objectives require years rather than weeks to achieve.

The High Tower is concerned with foundations, legacy, and the gradual construction of a life. Consequently, it often slows the cards around it and suggests that matters cannot be hurried. Like the tower-house itself, what is worth building takes time. The High Tower does not delay for the sake of delay; rather, it reminds us that substantial achievements require time to mature.

De Grey Hours, National Library of Wales, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

In timing questions, the High Tower often asks the seeker to think in years rather than months.

As a practical guide, the High Tower frequently indicates a period of between twelve and eighteen months. Whilst the surrounding cards may modify this, the card generally points towards substantial developments whose full significance is only revealed through the passage of time.

I have also found that it can also signify the period between 4 and 17 December. This is derived from the feast day of St Barbara.

Health

Anatomically, the High Tower is associated with the spine and the back generally. This connection is quite natural when one considers the card’s symbolism of support, structure, and standing upright.

More commonly, however, the High Tower describes the duration and impact of an illness rather than its specific nature. The conditions associated with the card are often chronic, persistent, or require ongoing management. Such illnesses become part of the seeker’s life and must be accommodated within long-term plans and expectations.

For this reason, the High Tower often appears in readings concerning rehabilitation, lifestyle adjustments, chronic pain, degenerative conditions, or prolonged recovery periods. The emphasis is usually upon endurance, adaptation, and long-term management rather than immediate resolution.

Importantly, the High Tower should not be regarded as inherently negative. Indeed, some of the strongest indications of eventual recovery occur when it is supported by cards such as the Sun, Bear, Tree, Stars, or Key. In such instances, the card suggests that the illness may be lengthy or significant, but that the long-term outcome remains favourable. The High Tower simply indicates that recovery is likely to be measured in months or years rather than days or weeks.

Ultimately, the High Tower reminds us that health is best measured over a lifetime rather than a single day. The card asks not merely how we feel today, but what direction our health is taking and what foundations are being laid for the years ahead.

The High Tower in Action

This is a Grand Tableau; however, we shall focus only upon the section relevant to the question.

In a traditional Grand Tableau (be it Petit Lenormand, playing cards, Bohemian cards…), the significator did not divide the reading into a strict past, present, and future scheme. Instead, the tableau primarily described the present circumstances and the immediate future. During a consultation, the cards might be laid two or three times, with each subsequent tableau extending further into the future.

Victoria had recently qualified as a nurse. A few days after the reading, she was due to travel to Greece, where her best friend, who was Greek, was getting married. Upon her return, she was due to begin a new position. It was already apparent that a man was poised to enter Victoria’s life.

The Lady appeared in the twelfth position (8 x 4 + 4), followed by the Ring, the Lord, the Sun, and the Stars. Above the Ring stood the Birds, whilst the Heart appeared above the Lord. To the left of the Lady were the Coffin and the House.

It therefore appeared that Victoria (Lady) was experiencing some upset (Birds) concerning her home life (Coffin–House). Victoria confirmed that she was shortly due to leave the house share and housemates with whom she had lived for the previous two years. This was understandably emotional, but the situation would soon pass. Because the House follows the Coffin the matter was still being mourned and had not yet been fully accepted/concluded.

Traditionally, the Ring falling to the right of the significator was said to forecast marriage. In practice, I have found it more often indicates that relationships, whether new or existing, are becoming a significant focus for the querent.

This interpretation is strengthened considerably by the presence of the Lord immediately following the Ring and facing the Lady. The Ring is crowned by the Birds card. Traditionally, the Birds indicates short-term agitation, nerves, and emotional excitement. As no particularly ominous cards surround the Birds, it seemed likely that Victoria would experience a mixture of anticipation, anxiety, and excitement regarding this developing relationship. It would quite literally make her heart race (Birds–Heart).

The relationship itself appeared promising. The Sun suggested warmth, happiness, and success, whilst the Stars indicated growth, continuity, and the spreading out of possibilities over time. The Bear beneath the Ring tells us of a strong bond.

Can we say anything further about the relationship’s trajectory?

Yes.

The first Lenormand book I ever read was The Oracle of Mlle Lenormand by the Dutch writer Erna Droesbeke, an English translation of her earlier Dutch work from the 1980s. It was the first book on the Petit Lenormand available in English. Another seventeen years would pass before Mario dos Ventos published a second English-language title.

In Droesbeke’s method, diagonal combinations are examined to identify causes on the left and effects on the right. Whilst she applied this technique primarily to the seeker’s significator, I have found it can be utilised successfully with other cartes maîtresses as well.

The Ring’s diagonal combinations were:

Left: Ship, Roads, Moon
Right: Heart, Key, High Tower

The left-hand diagonal explains how Victoria arrived at this moment.

The Ship shows that her life is moving in a new direction, both literally and figuratively. She is about to travel abroad, but she is also preparing to embark upon a new chapter in life. The Moon reveals the successful completion of an important personal ambition through qualifying as a nurse. The Roads demonstrates that she has arrived at a genuine crossroads, where important decisions can no longer be postponed. She is starting her career, changing home, travelling abroad, and preparing for a future very different from the one she has known previously.

The right-hand diagonal reveals what follows.

The Heart indicates love, affection, and emotional connection. The Key shows that this relationship opens an important door in Victoria’s life. Heart – Key is often the combination that signifies someone falling in love with the “one.” The culmination of the sequence is the High Tower.

This is where the High Tower becomes particularly significant.

The card does not merely indicate durability or longevity. It suggests a relationship that becomes woven into the architecture of Victoria’s future. This is not simply a pleasant romance or a passing attachment. It possesses the potential to become one of the major structures around which her adult life will develop.

The relationship is not merely lasting. The High Tower tells us it is significant, life altering.

Whilst attending her friend’s wedding in Greece, Victoria met an English man who was holidaying with friends. The two quickly formed a connection and continued seeing one another after returning to Britain.

Eventually, Victoria made the considerable decision to relocate to Hove, where he was based, a choice that also affected the direction of her nursing career. More than fifteen years later, they remain together.

Here, the High Tower proved especially instructive. It did not refer to loneliness, separation, government or bureaucracy. It referred to Victoria’s life path. The relationship did not merely survive. It became one of the defining structures of Victoria’s adult life. This is precisely the type of permanence, longevity, and life-shaping significance that the High Tower so often describes in day-to-day readings.

Images:

Featured Image:

Lotrščak Tower, Zagreb. Avisadehh, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cards:

Lenormand Cards: Jeu Lenormand © Cartamundi, WanderWüst © Jorge/Wandering Oracle, Lenormand Fortune-Telling Cards © Zao-Gelli, The Lenormand Oracle © Verlag für die Frau, Leipzig, Nieuwe Lenormand © Amber Studio/Erna Droesbeke, Lenormand 36 Orakelspielkarten © Königsfurt-Urania,

References:

Boroveshengra, A., 2013. Cartomantes’ Cabinet: The Petit Lenormand Course.
Boroveshengra, A., 2015. Lenormand Thirty Six cards. 2nd ed. Create Space.
Ignatius Press (2005) Holy Bible RSVCE Compact Zipper. Ignatius Press.
Matthews, C. 2014 The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook: Reading the Language and Symbols of the Cards. Rochester, VT: Destiny Books.
Silvestre, C., 2003. Le Petit Lenormand. [Montpellier]: Gange éd.

22 August, 202623 August, 2026

Gathered Fish of Every Kind: The Fishes Card

Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish… When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
John 21: 5-6, 9-11 (RSV CE)

Far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it: many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above. There dwell the Sea King and his subjects. We must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow sand. No, indeed; the most singular flowers and plants grow there; the leaves and stems of which are so pliant, that the slightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as if they had life. Fishes, both large and small, glide between the branches, as birds fly among the trees here upon land.
The Little Mermaid, Hans Christian Andersen

Fish, prepares you to make a fortune by the sea, and series of happy enterprises; but if they are removed from the person, they are a sinister omen of the best of your projects being reversed.
Original Instructions

Card No. 34 in the Petit Lenormand, the Fishes, is represented by the King of Diamonds. Unlike many cards within the deck, its eikōn is remarkably consistent across the older patterns. Yet despite its apparent simplicity, the card has generated considerable debate amongst cartomantes. Is it merely a card of money and commerce? If so, how does it differ from the Bear? Why does it so often appear in questions concerning business and self-employment? And why have some readers associated it with addiction and excess? To answer these questions, we must first examine the image itself and the symbolism from which its meanings arise.

The Essence and Function of the Fishes

The traditional eikōn depicts a school of fish swimming through the sea. Depending upon the deck, the fish may be shown near the surface or within deeper waters. Some patterns substitute a pod of dolphins, most notably the Brepols, whilst the Schmid famously depicts a goldfish swimming within a bowl. Despite these variations, two elements remain constant: fish and water. The card therefore presents us with abundance moving within a fluid environment.

The essence of the Fishes is abundance and its function is to circulate.

I also prefer the title Fishes to the increasingly common Fish. The traditional image depicts numerous fish rather than a single specimen. More importantly, the sea itself contains immense variety. Within its waters exist countless species, sizes, and forms of life. This diversity is important. The Fishes does not merely signify abundance in the sense of quantity, but abundance in the sense of variety and opportunity. There is, quite literally, more than one fish in the sea. The card therefore speaks of plentiful resources, multiple possibilities, and a richness that arises from diversity as much as sheer volume.

Few resources were historically more important than fish. For centuries they represented a vital source of sustenance throughout Europe. Coastal communities depended upon fishing not merely as a means of survival but as a major source of trade, employment, and prosperity. Entire towns and regions flourished because of access to abundant fisheries.

Their importance was further reinforced by religious observance. During the medieval and early modern periods, Christians abstained from meat on numerous fast days, vigils, Fridays, and throughout Lent. Fish therefore occupied a privileged position upon the table, creating substantial demand and encouraging extensive commercial networks devoted to its supply. Although such restrictions were relaxed within many protestant traditions following the reformation, the customs often persisted in practice.

Advances in preservation, salting, and transport during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries transformed the trade still further. Fish could be transported across great distances, turning what had once been a local commodity into an increasingly lucrative commercial enterprise. The card’s connection with commerce and profit therefore has deep historical roots.

Fish also acquired positive symbolic associations beyond the dinner table. In parts of Europe, goldfish were traditionally presented to couples upon their first wedding anniversary, linking the creatures with abundance, prosperity, and future happiness.

The symbolism of fish was equally important within Christianity. Several of Christ’s disciples were fishermen, and fishing imagery appears repeatedly throughout the Gospels. In Luke 5 and John 21, miraculous draughts of fishes reveal divine blessing and abundance. Likewise, the miracle of the loaves and fishes demonstrates provision in abundance, where apparently insufficient resources prove more than adequate to meet the needs of many.

James Tissot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

These traditions help explain the card’s significance within divination.

The fish themselves signify abundant resources. The water in which they swim reveals how those resources move. This distinction is crucial. Fish stranded upon the shore soon perish. Equally, water without fish lacks the abundance suggested by the image. The Fishes therefore requires both plenty and movement. Resources must circulate if they are to remain useful and productive.

Edmund Dulac, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

For this reason, the card is naturally associated with money. The French phrase l’argent liquide is particularly instructive. Wealth achieves its greatest utility when it flows. Money enters and leaves our lives, changes hands, funds purchases, creates opportunities, and sustains commerce. The Fishes therefore speaks less of what we possess than of how resources are moving.

A useful distinction may be drawn between the Bear and the Fishes. Both concern
resources, yet they do so in profoundly different ways.

The Bear stores resources and accumulates reserves. The Fishes circulates them.
A pension fund, savings account, insurance policy, or investment portfolio may be shown by the Bear. A salary, invoice, dividend payment, sale, commission, or business transaction belongs naturally to the Fishes.

The Bear asks what resources we possess. The Fishes asks how those resources move.

Consequently, the Fishes possesses a strongly transactional quality. Buying, selling, investing, trading, exchanging, negotiating, and conducting business all fall naturally within its sphere. Resources rarely remain still under the influence of this card. They flow from one place to another.

A common feature of older Lenormand literature was the assignment of cartes maîtresses for salaried and self-employed work. Like the High Tower, the Fishes was frequently cited as the principal card for entrepreneurs, merchants, and the self-employed.

Whilst this approach remains popular, it never worked particularly well in my own practice. Whether a person is salaried or self-employed, many of the same concerns still apply. Both rely upon status and reputation, shown by the Moon. Both benefit from security and stability, represented by the Anchor. Both encounter competitors, signified by the Fox, and both must deal with colleagues, employees, clients, or professional associates represented by the Hound.

Most importantly, both depend upon the circulation of resources. Salaries, invoices, commissions, sales, contracts, and payments all fall naturally within the domain of the Fishes. Without that flow, neither the employee nor the entrepreneur can sustain their position for very long.

For this reason, I have never found it necessary to assign the Fishes exclusively to self-employment. The card describes the movement of resources that supports a livelihood, regardless of whether those resources arise from a wage, a business, a professional practice, or an investment. The distinction between employment and self-employment is often far less important than the question of whether resources are flowing freely and abundantly.

Yet the significance of the Fishes extends far beyond money.

Wherever it appears, the card introduces abundance and movement. In matters of love, it may indicate a deep and generous flow of feeling. In domestic matters, material comfort and plentiful provision. In friendships, an abundance of support and goodwill. The card’s underlying principle remains consistent: there is plenty, and that plenty is circulating.

St Peter Finds the Four Drachma in the Mouth of a Fish, Jacob Jordaens, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Some readers associate the Fishes with freedom and independence. This
observation is often correct, but I would regard these qualities as secondary rather than primary. Freedom and independence are not intrinsic meanings of the card. Rather, they arise as a consequence of its abundance. Those who possess plentiful resources generally enjoy greater freedom of choice than those who do not. Independence is therefore the result of abundance rather than the essence of the card itself.

Coda:

Ultimately, the Fishes reminds us that resources are of greatest value when they remain in motion. Wealth hidden away achieves little. Knowledge unshared stagnates. Feelings unexpressed diminish. Like the sea itself, the Fishes teaches that abundance thrives through circulation.

Person and Description

Person

Although the Fishes is not ordinarily used as a significator, its association with the King of Diamonds means that it can occasionally represent a man within a reading.

When functioning in this capacity, the King of Diamonds often signifies a man of a similar age to the seeker. He may be a brother, friend, business associate, or partner in some enterprise. On occasion, the card can represent a prospective romantic interest or potential partner, though I have found this considerably less common than its appearance as a friend, associate, or business contact.

The King of Diamonds also acquired military associations within traditional cartomancy. He is Caesar with his tenth and thirteenth legions. Consequently, the Fishes may sometimes signify a soldier, officer, veteran, or individual connected with the armed forces. As with all such court-card attributions, context remains essential.

When the Fishes is acting as a significator, the King largely sheds the descriptive qualities normally associated with the card. In such cases, one must look to the surrounding cards to determine the person’s appearance, temperament, and role within the matter under consideration.

Physical Description

When paired with a person card, the Fishes can contribute a number of descriptive features.

The eyes are often blue, grey, green, or otherwise reminiscent of water. There is frequently something bright, reflective, or fluid about the gaze. Hair is usually abundant and healthy, ranging from white and silver through lighter shades to dark brown or black. Baldness is relatively uncommon under this card.

The Fishes also tends to impart a well-groomed and carefully presented appearance. The individual often dresses well and may favour tailored clothing, quality fabrics, or attire that subtly signals prosperity and success.

Дмитрий Фомин (Dmitry Fomin), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Interestingly, older cartomantic traditions sometimes associated the King of Diamonds with Caesar. Likewise, representations of the King of Diamonds and the Ober of Bells frequently depicted them wearing turbans or Eastern dress. Whilst one should not press such associations too far, they have often been reflected in practice. It is therefore not unusual for the Fishes to describe someone with an exotic style, cosmopolitan appearance, or a manner that appears slightly foreign to the seeker.

The Fishes rarely describes someone austere, deprived, or threadbare. Even when not especially wealthy, there is often an impression of comfort, plenty, or ease about their appearance. The card tends to convey the sense that the person has access to sufficient resources and knows how to present themselves accordingly.

Occasionally, the card may also point towards family connections, ancestry, or cultural ties originating in south-eastern Europe, the eastern Mediterranean, or West Asia. As always, such observations should be treated as descriptive tendencies rather than rigid rules.

Just as fish move comfortably through water, these individuals often appear entirely at ease within their environment and social circumstances. There is frequently something fluid, adaptable, and relaxed about both their bearing and manner.

More generally, the Fishes often describes someone who appears comfortable, prosperous, and at home in the world around them. Just as the fish moves naturally through water, so too does the individual seem well suited to their surroundings.

I think the core of the temperament should flow directly from your chosen essence (abundance) and function (to circulate). The Fishes person is not merely wealthy or interested in money. They are comfortable with movement, exchange, and opportunity. Unlike the Bear, which accumulates and preserves, the Fishes keeps resources moving.

Temperament

The Fishes describes an individual who is adaptable, resourceful, and comfortable navigating changing circumstances. Like the fish moving through water, they possess an ability to adjust to their environment and make the most of whatever opportunities present themselves. They are often a blend of sanguine and choler.

There is often a strong streak of independence associated with the card. Fishes people prefer the freedom to direct their own affairs and can become restless when they feel constrained by unnecessary rules or limitations. Many enjoy travelling and exploring new places, whilst others satisfy this same impulse through business ventures, investments, or the pursuit of new opportunities. Whether physically or metaphorically, they dislike remaining in one place for too long.

The card frequently appears in the lives of those drawn towards commerce, finance, trade, sales, investment, and other occupations involving the movement of goods, services, or money. Owing to its association with the King of Diamonds, it may also describe those serving in the armed forces or occupations connected with defence and security.

Fishes people are often motivated by the desire to achieve financial independence and material comfort. Unlike the Bear, however, they do not usually accumulate resources for their own sake. They understand that money derives its value from circulation and use. Consequently, they are often far more interested in generating opportunities and maintaining cash flow than building static reserves.

Most enjoy the finer things in life and appreciate quality, comfort, and occasionally a touch of luxury. Yet they are seldom miserly. Indeed, Fishes people are often surprisingly generous, particularly when they feel resources are flowing freely. They tend to view abundance as something to be enjoyed and shared rather than merely hoarded.

Above all, the Fishes describes a person who thrives through movement, opportunity, and exchange. Whether in business, relationships, or personal development, they are happiest when life continues to flow forward and new possibilities remain open before them.

Special Features

Grand Tableau

The original instructions placed considerable emphasis upon the proximity of the Fishes to the significator. When nearby, the card promised that one would “make a fortune by the sea and enjoy a series of happy enterprises.” When distant, it warned that “the best of your projects” would be “reversed.”

Like many traditional instructions, these statements become clearer when considered within their historical context. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, trade, commerce, and enterprise remained among the principal avenues to prosperity. The sea was therefore not merely a geographical location but a symbol of commerce itself. Goods, money, and opportunity flowed through ports and waterways much as resources flow through the Fishes.

For this reason, the expression “make a fortune by the sea” should usually be understood figuratively rather than literally.

When the Fishes falls close to the significator, it suggests access to resources and a healthy circulation of abundance. Money, opportunities, customers, and support are all able to reach the seeker. This does not automatically indicate sudden wealth or dramatic financial gain. More often, it points towards stability, reliable income, and the confidence that resources will continue to flow when required.

Should one be seeking evidence of a substantial increase in wealth, additional cards such as the Sun, Stars, Key, or Cloverleaf are generally required.

When the Fishes falls at a distance from the significator, the opposite applies. The seeker becomes separated from the resources represented by the card. Opportunities may exist, but they are difficult to access. Income becomes uncertain, projects struggle for support, and abundance no longer flows as freely as it should.

It is in this sense that the traditional instruction warns that “the best of your projects” may be “reversed.” The underlying issue is not necessarily failure, but an interruption to the flow of resources upon which success depends. An idea may remain sound, a business profitable, or a plan achievable, yet without access to the necessary resources progress becomes difficult.

The surrounding cards will often explain the cause. The Clouds introduces a disturbance creating uncertainty regarding resources. The Coffin may indicate their cessation altogether. The Mice gradually erodes them through loss, waste, or theft. The Mountain blocks access, creating barriers and delays. The Fox warns of dishonesty, fraud, or resources being diverted away from their intended purpose.

Viewed in this way, the traditional instruction remains as relevant today as it was two centuries ago. The Fishes asks a simple question: How freely are resources flowing through your life? The answer often tells us far more than the amount of money currently sitting in a bank account.

Water

Before it became solely associated with money and commerce, the Fishes was a card of water. The abundance and circulation that underpin its financial meanings arise directly from the image itself: fish moving through an extensive body of water. To understand the card fully, one must therefore understand both the fishes and the water in which they swim.

The Fishes is the Petit Lenormand’s natural significator of water. The fish derive both life and movement from the water in which they swim. Consequently, the card frequently signifies the sea, oceans, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, harbours, and other substantial bodies of water.

This interpretation often proves surprisingly literal. Thus, Park–Fishes may indicate a location beside the sea, harbour, marina, riverfront, or lake. It may also describe maritime events, sailing competitions with the Ship, public gatherings by the water, and other activities connected with large bodies of water.

A useful distinction may be drawn between the Fishes and the Anchor. The Anchor belongs to the coast; the Fishes belongs to the water itself. Whilst there is frequently overlap between the two cards, the Anchor more naturally signifies beaches, shorelines, and coastal locations, whereas the Fishes points towards the body of water.

The water represented by the Fishes is not always calm or beneficial. Like any natural force, it can become excessive, polluted, restricted, or destructive when influenced by adverse cards.

Thus, Clouds–Fishes may indicate heavy rainfall, coastal flooding, flash floods, poor visibility at sea, or other situations in which water becomes a source of disruption and uncertainty. The Clouds obscures whilst the Fishes supplies the water itself.

Likewise, Serpent–Fishes may point towards contaminated water, pollution, toxic spills, sewage discharge, or other forms of corruption affecting waterways. Here, the Serpent introduces impurity into what would otherwise be a healthy flow.

Other combinations are equally revealing. Mice–Fishes may signify leaks, water damage, or the gradual loss of a resource through wastage. Coffin–Fishes can describe stagnant, polluted, or lifeless water. Mountain–Fishes may indicate dams, blocked waterways, restricted supply, or barriers preventing water from flowing freely.

Viewed in this way, the literal water meanings remain entirely consistent with the card’s broader symbolism. Whether it manifests as money, opportunities, emotions, or water itself, the Fishes remains fundamentally a card of resources in motion. The surrounding cards merely reveal the nature of the resource and the condition of its flow.

Depth

The Fishes not only signifies abundance and circulation but also depth.

This meaning arises naturally from the eikōn. The sea is not merely vast; it is deep. Much of it remains unexplored, hidden beneath the surface, and beyond ordinary human experience. It is from this image of the unfathomable sea that the Fishes acquires its association with depth, intensity, and richness.

A useful distinction may be drawn between several cards associated with increase. The Park multiplies, the Stars expands, but the Fishes deepens.

The card therefore describes the depth, intensity, richness, and extent of a thing rather than its quantity alone. Whatever the Fishes touches tends to acquire greater substance and penetration.

In matters of love, Heart–Fishes often indicates profound emotions and strong emotional investment. The feelings run deep and are seldom superficial. Should the Clouds also be present, those emotions become disturbed and unpredictable, producing emotional turbulence, uncertainty, and constant fluctuations of feeling. The depth remains, but its expression becomes clouded and unstable.

In a more literal sense, the card can also describe physical depth. Thus, Coffin–Fishes may indicate something situated deep below ground level, such as an extended cellar, basement, vault, or subterranean chamber. The Coffin provides the enclosure; the Fishes emphasises its depth.

Likewise, Cross–Fishes often signifies deep faith, religious conviction, or a spiritual life that profoundly shapes the individual’s outlook and conduct. Yet the same combination may equally indicate profound suffering, hardship, or burdens experienced with unusual intensity. The Fishes does not judge; it simply deepens whatever it touches.

This principle can be applied throughout the deck. Deep knowledge, deep pockets, deep loyalties, deep roots, deep grief, and deep convictions may all be indicated by the card when supported by the surrounding combinations.

Whether the subject concerns emotions, beliefs, finances, physical locations, or life experience, the Fishes frequently asks not how much there is, but how deep it runs. In this respect, the card reveals another aspect of abundance. True abundance is not always measured by quantity alone, but by richness, intensity, and depth.

Liquids

Because the Fishes is the deck’s natural significator of water, its symbolism readily extends to liquids more generally. Just as fish depend upon water for life and movement, the card frequently draws attention to substances that flow and circulate in liquid form.

In everyday matters, the Fishes may signify beverages of all kinds including water, tea, coffee, milk, fruit juice, wine, beer, spirits, and soft drinks. It often describes what is being consumed rather than what is being eaten.

The most familiar application of this meaning concerns alcohol. The Fishes alone may simply indicate drinking, hospitality, celebrations, or social occasions involving alcoholic beverages. It should not automatically be taken as a sign of addiction. Such conclusions require supporting cards. When afflicted by cards such as the Clouds, Mice, Coffin, or Cross, however, the card may point towards alcohol misuse, dependency, or the consequences of excessive consumption.

The symbolism extends beyond alcoholic drinks. Liquid medicines, fuels, chemicals, solvents, and other fluid substances all fall naturally within the sphere of the Fishes. Thus, Serpent–Fishes may indicate contaminated liquids, toxic substances, poisons, or illicit liquid drugs. Here the Serpent corrupts the otherwise healthy flow represented by the Fishes.

Whether the card signifies water, wine, medicine, or poison, the underlying principle remains the same. The Fishes represents a liquid resource in circulation. The surrounding cards reveal whether that flow is healthy, beneficial, excessive, harmful, or compromised.

Timing

In matters of timing, the Fishes is generally a slow-moving card. The abundance and depth associated with the card naturally encourage a longer time frame than one finds with cards such as the Cavalier, Birds, or Stars.

The card’s function is to circulate, and circulation rarely occurs all at once. Just as rivers, currents, and tides move according to their own rhythm, the Fishes often suggests that events must be allowed to develop naturally. Attempts to rush the process may prove ineffective or even counterproductive.

For this reason, the Fishes frequently slows the cards around it and emphasises the importance of patience. Resources, opportunities, and outcomes must be allowed to flow at their own pace.

In short-term questions, the Fishes can occasionally be read literally as thirty-four days. This is most useful when timing practical matters such as the arrival of a parcel, the settlement of a payment, or the completion of a transaction. In most timing questions, however, the card points towards periods measured in weeks or months rather than days.

Over the years, I have also observed an occasional association between the Fishes and Friday, as well as the Lenten season. This is not a traditional attribution, but one that arises naturally from the card’s fish symbolism. Historically, Fridays were days of abstinence and penance upon which meat was prohibited, whilst fish remained permissible. Similarly, fish played an important role throughout Lent. Although not a primary meaning, the connection has appeared frequently enough in practice to merit consideration.

Health

Within the body, the Fishes is associated with the urinary and renal systems and, more broadly, the regulation and circulation of bodily fluids. This connection arises quite naturally from the card’s symbolism of water, abundance, and flow.

The card also possesses a strong connection with fertility. As a traditional symbol of abundance and fruitfulness, the Fishes frequently draws attention to a person’s reproductive potential. The card differs from the Birds in an important respect. The Birds concerns conception, pregnancy, nesting, and unborn children. The Fishes concerns fertility itself: the capacity to conceive rather than conception as an event.

Consequently, where fertility issues are under consideration, particular attention should be paid to the Fishes. In larger layouts such as the Grand Tableau, it can be especially useful to examine the relationship between the Fishes and the Tree, together with any cards forming a chain between them.

More generally, the Fishes often indicates matters relating to hydration, nutrition, diet, and the balance of fluids within the body. Because the card governs liquids generally, it may also appear in connection with alcohol consumption, liquid medication, intravenous fluids, and other substances entering or leaving the body.

The surrounding cards will often refine the interpretation. Fishes–Bear may indicate fluid retention, oedema, or excessive accumulation of fluids. Fishes–Mountain can point towards restricted circulation of fluids, dryness, or conditions such as Sjögren’s syndrome, where the body’s normal moisture production becomes impaired.

As elsewhere in the deck, the Fishes is primarily concerned with flow. Healthy circulation of fluids supports health and vitality; disruption to that flow frequently corresponds with illness or discomfort. The card therefore often says as much about the body’s ability to regulate and distribute its resources as it does about any specific condition.

Ultimately, the Fishes reminds us that health depends upon movement as much as abundance. Just as resources must circulate through life, fluids must circulate properly through the body. Where that flow is healthy, the body functions effectively; where it becomes restricted, depleted, excessive, or obstructed, difficulties often arise.

The Fishes in Action

If one reads for others regularly, it is useful to have a spread capable of identifying both remedies and pitfalls. The Mundane Cross arose from precisely this necessity. I wanted a compact layout that could reveal not only what the seeker should do, but also what they should avoid doing.

The latter is often overlooked. Faced with a difficulty, most people feel compelled to do something. Far less attention is given to actions that may be unnecessary, unhelpful, or even counterproductive. The Mundane Cross was designed to illuminate both sides of the equation.

The spread is particularly well suited to questions focused upon a difficulty, obstacle, or challenge that the seeker is presently experiencing or anticipates encountering. I employ it with all the systems I work with, including the Petit Lenormand, Tarot, Oracle Belline, Oracle de la Triade, the Victorian Flower Oracle, and playing cards.

The cards are shuffled, cut, and dealt in the following manner. The first card is placed at the centre. The second is placed below it, the third above it, the fourth to its left, and the fifth to its right. The resulting layout appears as follows:

03
04 – 01 – 05
02

Position 1 — The Present.
Position 2 — The Past.
Position 3 — The Future.
Position 4 — Unhelpful Influences or What to Avoid.
Position 5 — Helpful Influences or How to Act.

The positions derive from older cartomantic principles. The past lies beneath because it forms the foundation of the present, whilst the left-hand side, or sinister side, traditionally represents complications, challenges, and disruptive influences.

Example

I had known Siân for several years through work. Having married in 2022, she and her husband had been trying to conceive for approximately six months without success. Increasingly concerned that time was “running out”, Siân wanted to know whether she should consider IVF or pursue private fertility treatment. The reading was done in early 2024.

The cards drawn were:

Position 1 — Child
Position 2 — Cloverleaf
Position 3 — Heart
Position 4 — Fishes
Position 5 — Tree

The message of the spread was remarkably clear.

Reading the vertical column first, we see Cloverleaf – Child – Heart. The Cloverleaf often describes something recent, temporary, or of relatively short duration. This immediately suggested that Siân and her husband had not, in the grand scheme of things, been trying to conceive for very long.

The Child reinforced this observation. Here the Child does not primarily signify a child in the literal sense, nor should it automatically be interpreted as a card of something “new.” The traditional eikōn depicts a child of approximately six years of age. The card therefore describes something young, immature, developing, and still requiring time to grow.

The Child also possesses a spontaneous and playful quality. In many traditional decks, the child is shown playing, reminding us that not every problem must be approached with anxiety, planning, and constant scrutiny. Sometimes the card encourages a lighter touch, greater spontaneity, and the ability to enjoy the present moment.

In Siân’s case, the Child suggested that the process was still in its infancy. Not enough time had passed to justify treating the situation as a crisis. The card further implied that she and her husband would benefit from approaching the matter with less pressure and more spontaneity. What had begun as an expression of love was in danger of becoming a source of stress and worry.

The Heart in the future position was encouraging. It suggested that the matter would ultimately be guided by love rather than fear. At the centre of the question was not infertility itself, but a couple’s desire to create a family and share their love with a child. The Heart therefore indicated that hope, affection, and emotional fulfilment remained the likely destination of the story.

The real insight came from the horizontal axis.

The Fishes occupied the position of unhelpful influences. As we have seen throughout this article, the Fishes governs the flow of resources, including money, time, energy, attention, and emotional investment.

In this context, the card suggested that Siân risked pouring too many resources into solving a problem that had not yet demonstrated a need for intervention. The issue was not financial ruin, but disproportionate investment. Too much emotional, mental, and financial energy was beginning to flow towards a situation that was still in its earliest stages.

The combination of Fishes and the Child was especially revealing. Together, the cards suggested an attempt to solve a problem before it had fully emerged. The process was still developing, yet anxiety was already encouraging increasingly drastic solutions.

The Tree, by contrast, occupied the position of helpful influences.

As the card of health, growth, and natural development, the Tree pointed towards patience, wellbeing, and allowing processes to unfold in their own time. Combined with the Child, it strongly suggested that Siân needed to give the situation longer to develop before considering more significant interventions.

The contrast between the two cards was striking. The Tree showed where her attention should be directed; the Fishes revealed where that attention was becoming excessive.

The Tree also emphasised the importance of caring for herself. Rather than focusing upon fertility treatments, the cards encouraged her to prioritise her physical health, emotional wellbeing, and overall quality of life. Rest, relaxation, and reducing stress were likely to prove far more beneficial than pursuing increasingly expensive solutions.

Taken together, the Child and Tree counselled patience, natural growth, and a return to spontaneity. The Child and Fishes, by contrast, warned against investing excessive resources into something that was still at a very early stage of development. Rather than medical intervention, the cards suggested that time, relaxation, and a degree of playfulness would prove of greater benefit.

The spread therefore answered the question in a manner that was both practical and reassuring. Nothing suggested a need for immediate medical intervention. Instead, the cards indicated that Siân and her husband had simply not been trying long enough to justify drastic measures. The Child and Tree both counselled patience, whilst the Fishes warned against investing unnecessary resources into a process that was still very much in its infancy.

The outcome vindicated the reading. Five months later, Siân conceived naturally. In due course she gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

In this reading, the Fishes demonstrated that a card of abundance can become problematic when resources are directed towards the wrong objective. The issue was not a lack of resources, but the temptation to devote too many of them to a problem that still required time rather than intervention.

Images:

Featured Image:

Fish at Molasses Reef, Jim Stuby, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Cards:

References:

Andersen, H.C. and Hersholt, J. (2005) The Complete Tales of Hans Christian Andersen. London: Folio Society in association with the British Library.
Boroveshengra, A., 2013. Cartomantes’ Cabinet: The Petit Lenormand Course.
Boroveshengra, A., 2015. Lenormand Thirty Six cards. 2nd ed. Create Space.
Ignatius Press (2005) Holy Bible RSVCE Compact Zipper. Ignatius Press.
Marco, M. and Goffinet, J., 1989. Petit Lenormand. Bruxelles: Servranx.
Matthews, C. 2014 The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook: Reading the Language and Symbols of the Cards. Rochester, VT: Destiny Books.
Meuris, B., 2018. Petit Lenormand Encyclopaedia: Volume 1. Create Space.
Silvestre, C., 2003. Le Petit Lenormand. [Montpellier]: Gange éd.

21 August, 202625 August, 2026

A Painful Correction: The Birch Rod Card

The following article has been revised and expanded, incorporating additional material and restructured to provide a more coherent exploration of the card.

He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
Proverbs 13:24 (RCV CE)

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our grief and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53: 1 – 5 (RSV CE)

Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe; they came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands
John 19:1 – 3 (RSV CE)

A second blow followed the first, then a third, and another and another, and still others. The wheel did not cease to turn, nor the blows to rain down.

Soon the blood burst forth, and could be seen trickling in a thousand threads down the hunchback’s black shoulders; and the slender thongs, in their rotatory motion which rent the air, sprinkled drops of it upon the crowd.
Victor Hugo, Notre Dame de Paris

Birch Rod, signifies family quarrels and domestic trouble, dissension between spouses, fever and long illness.
Original Instructions

Card No. 11, the Knave of Clubs or the Birch Rod, often provokes debate. Does it signify something that happens repeatedly? Is it a card of correction or sexuality? Or does it primarily concern conflict and discipline?

The Essence and Function of the Birch Rod

It is not uncommon to see a broom depicted upon modern versions of the card. Traditionally, however, the emblem is a bundle of birch twigs and a scourge. Both were instruments of corporal punishment and discipline, immediately bringing to mind the scourging of Christ prior to the Crucifixion.

This imagery is important.

The essence of the Birch Rod is correction and its function is to discipline.

The scourge was not simply an instrument of pain. It was intended to punish, chastise, and correct behaviour through suffering. Whether one agrees with such methods today is beside the point. The symbolism would have been immediately understood by the people who first played and interpreted these cards.

The Flagellation of Our Lord, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Birch Rod therefore appears whenever something has drifted off course and requires correction.

Some readers regard the Birch Rod as neutral or mixed because correction can ultimately improve a situation. Whilst there is truth in this observation, I nevertheless consider the card fundamentally negative.

Corrections do not occur without cause.

A relationship requires difficult conversations because problems already exist. A student receives criticism because mistakes have been made. A criminal receives punishment because laws have been broken. A warning is issued because somebody has already strayed too close to danger.

Supplice du Grand Knout, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The process may ultimately help.

It is rarely pleasant.

The Birch Rod is therefore a sign that remedial action is required. It forces us to confront circumstances directly, take responsibility, and regain control before matters deteriorate further.

Depending upon the question, this may involve the topic under discussion or the carte maîtresse attended by the Birch Rod.

Occasionally, the card functions pre-emptively.

It may encourage the seeker to redraft a letter, seek additional quotations before employing a tradesperson, gather further references, prepare more thoroughly for an interview, or otherwise address weaknesses before they become problematic.
More often, however, matters have already begun to go awry.

The Birch Rod then becomes a final warning: Act now. Address the problem. Correct the mistake. Or risk receiving a harsher correction later.

One of the most important lessons of the Birch Rod is that neglected problems rarely remain small. The card frequently appears when circumstances have reached the point where action can no longer be postponed. The earlier an issue is addressed, the less painful the correction tends to be.

Contrary to popular belief, quarrels are not the primary essence of the Birch Rod.

Rather, they are one of its most common manifestations.

Two people argue because one or both believe something must change. A disagreement emerges because there is tension requiring resolution. The quarrel is therefore merely the method through which correction attempts to occur.

This explains why matters under the card’s influence often escalate so rapidly.

People become defensive.

Tempers flare.

Somebody says the wrong thing.

Another person reacts.

Soon we find ourselves amidst the disputes and heated arguments for which the Birch Rod is so well known.

Left unchecked, trouble can rain from all sides.

Or, as Björn Meuris succinctly observes, the seeker may have no choice but to throw themselves into battle.

In more difficult combinations, particularly Scythe – Birch Rod, there can occasionally be violence or the threat of violence.

Yet conflict is not the only way the Birch Rod seeks correction.

In several traditional decks, including Das Spiel der Hoffnung, the birch rests quietly upon a table rather than being actively wielded. I have always been fond of this motif because it hints at another dimension of the card.

Not every dispute requires a battle.

Sometimes correction occurs through discussion, negotiation, counselling, mediation, arbitration, or simply sitting down with another person and talking things through honestly.

Tempers may flare. Emotions may run high. Nevertheless, a firm hand and willingness to address the problem directly can often restore order.

Because the Birch Rod concerns correction and discipline, it naturally extends to institutions responsible for enforcing rules and standards.

Thus:

Bear – Birch Rod may indicate a police officer, lawyer, judge, or other authority figure.
Park – Birch Rod may indicate a police station, courthouse, tribunal, or public institution.
Letter – Birch Rod may suggest a writ, summons, warning notice, citation, or fine.
Hound – Birch Rod may reveal a union representative, advocate, mediator, or someone acting on another person’s behalf.

The Birch Rod is often misunderstood because modern readers focus upon the quarrel whilst overlooking its purpose.

The card does not appear simply because people are fighting.

It appears because something is wrong and requires correction.

Arguments, punishment, criticism, discipline, warnings, legal sanctions, and even the scourging of Christ are merely different expressions of the same underlying principle.

Something has gone astray.

The Birch Rod arrives to set it right.

Coda:

The Birch Rod appears when something requires correction.

Arguments, criticism, discipline, illness and even punishment are simply the means through which that correction is achieved. But just as the Clouds card does not mean confusion, the Birch Rod doesn’t mean quarrels. These are symptoms.

It urges us to consider what has gone wrong and how can it be right?

Heed the warning early and the remedy is often mild, ignore it, and the correction is usually far harsher.

Person and Description

Person

As the Birch Rod is also the Valet of Clubs, it can occasionally function as a person card.

This is relatively uncommon. Most often, the Birch Rod appears alongside social cards such as the House, Park, or Hound, where it may identify a specific individual rather than simply describing conflict or correction.

Nicolas-Marie Gatteaux, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

When functioning as a court card, the Birch Rod sheds much of its more negative symbolism. Rather than automatically signifying arguments, punishment, or hostility, it becomes a person whose character must be determined through the surrounding cards.

Traditionally, the Valet of Clubs describes a younger person, usually under the age of thirty, although age should always be interpreted relative to the querent.

He may represent a step-sibling, a younger former partner, a junior colleague, apprentice, employee, trainee, or any younger person whose actions have a bearing upon the question. Sometimes it could be used to signify a rather challenging child.

In the folklore of the playing cards, the Valet of Clubs is often identified with Lancelot du Lac. Whilst remembered primarily as a knight of great courage and skill, many versions of the Arthurian legends also portray Lancelot as impulsive, passionate, and prone to moments of anger, frustration, and conflict. These qualities sit comfortably alongside the nature of the Birch Rod itself.

Physical Description

The Birch Rod frequently describes someone who appears tired, stressed, or under pressure.

The individual may look physically worn down, flushed, agitated, or emotionally strained. It is not uncommon for the card to describe someone whose responsibilities, workload, or personal circumstances are placing them under considerable duress.

Because corporal punishment leaves marks upon the skin, the Birch Rod can sometimes indicate redness of the face, neck, or complexion. Likewise, one occasionally encounters people who perspire easily or appear physically overheated.

The build is often lean rather than heavy. Whilst some modern readers associate this card with fitness and athleticism, I have never found exercise to be one of its primary meanings. Personally, I prefer to associate athletic activity with the Cavalier.

Nevertheless, the Birch Rod does frequently describe individuals who possess a wiry, energetic, or slightly restless appearance.

More than anything, the card often depicts someone who appears as though they are carrying tension.

Temperament

The Birch Rod corresponds most closely to the choleric temperament and possesses strong martial qualities.

These individuals are energetic, direct, driven, and action-oriented. They dislike inactivity and generally prefer confronting a problem to avoiding it.

Choleric, Rijksmuseum, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

At their best, they are courageous, decisive, disciplined, and willing to tackle difficult situations that others would rather ignore. They often become the people who challenge injustice, address problems directly, and force uncomfortable issues into the open.

At their worst, these same qualities become irritability, impatience, aggression, and recklessness.

They are quick to anger and quick to act.

The difficulty is that they do not always consider the consequences before doing so.

Their speech is often blunt and forceful. Diplomacy is rarely their strongest attribute. Whilst others may spend time carefully choosing their words, Birch Rod people have a tendency to say exactly what they think and deal with the consequences afterwards.

When supported by positive cards, this produces honesty, determination, and strength of character.

When surrounded by negative cards, however, the temperament can become argumentative, confrontational, or even violent.

Like the card itself, Birch Rod people are rarely subtle.

If there is a problem, they will usually confront it. Whether that improves the situation often depends upon how much discipline accompanies their passion.

Special Features

The Birch Rod in the Grand Tableau

The original instructions provide the following augury for the Birch Rod:

“Birch Rod, signifies family quarrels and domestic trouble, dissension between spouses, fever and long illness.”

At first glance, this appears rather severe.

Yet once we consider both the traditional eikōn and the principle of proximity, the instruction becomes remarkably logical.

The traditional image depicts a scourge and a bundle of birch twigs. Both are instruments designed to strike at close quarters. Unlike the Mountain, which obstructs simply through its presence, or the Clouds, whose darkness can spread across a reading, the Birch Rod must physically reach its target in order to have effect.

Consequently, just as the Serpent cannot bite unless she is close enough to strike, neither can the Birch Rod inflict correction unless it falls within reach of the significator.

For this reason, we generally prefer to see the Birch Rod at a distance.

When the Birch Rod falls far from the significator, it is not neutralised. The tensions, disagreements, and difficulties it represents still exist. However, they are removed from the seeker’s immediate experience. The querent possesses sufficient distance to reflect, recover, and address matters more rationally. There remains space in which to breathe.

In practice, this often means that family tensions, domestic disagreements, arguments, or other sources of friction remain in the background of life rather than dominating it entirely.

When the Birch Rod falls close to the significator, however, matters are very different.

Here the correction is experienced directly.

Arguments become personal. Tempers flare. Long-standing frustrations reach a breaking point. Depending upon the surrounding cards, this frequently manifests through disputes involving partners, children, family members, close friends, or other individuals with whom the querent maintains an ongoing relationship.

The source of this disharmony can usually be identified through the cartes maîtresses surrounding the Birch Rod, particularly those within one or two cards of it.

For example:

Roads
Lady – Birch Rod – Fishes
House

Here the Birch Rod falls close to both the significator and two cartes maîtresses.
From such a configuration we might reasonably conclude that financial decisions (Roads, Fishes) or domestic finances (House, Fishes) are creating tension within the home (House). In practice, I would expect both to contribute to the situation.

Interestingly, whilst combinations such as Moon – Birch Rod can indicate professional ambitions, career pressures, examinations, or job searches becoming a source of stress, it is comparatively rare for the Birch Rod to manifest in the workplace itself outside disciplinary procedures, grievances, complaints, or formal correction.

It has been my consistent experience that the Birch Rod manifests primarily within the home and the seeker’s close circle rather than in professional environments.

Where disciplinary action appears possible, I would look for corroborating testimony from cards such as the Bear (authority figures, managers, employers) and Lilies (conduct, propriety, standards of behaviour).

It is also important to remember that the Birch Rod does not create conflict.

The problem already exists.

The card merely indicates that matters have reached the point where correction can no longer be postponed.

This is one of the reasons I prefer correction as the card’s essence and to discipline as its function. The quarrel, punishment, criticism, intervention, or sanction is not the purpose of the card. It is simply the mechanism through which correction is achieved.

The Birch Rod arrives because something has already drifted off course.

For this reason, the card may sometimes indicate preventative action designed to avoid harsher consequences later. It is often the final warning before circumstances deteriorate further.

Whenever the Birch Rod appears, examine the surrounding cards carefully and advise the querent to address those matters before they evolve into a more serious problem.

Close to the Ring, the Birch Rod frequently indicates a relationship being tested.
Long-suppressed grievances, unresolved disagreements, or incompatible expectations finally demand attention.

Nevertheless, the Birch Rod alone rarely destroys a relationship. Its purpose is correction rather than termination.

Before forecasting separation, I prefer to see corroboration from cards such as the Coffin, Scythe, or Mice acting upon the Ring.

One aspect of the Birch Rod frequently overlooked by modern readers is illness.

Yet the original instructions explicitly mention both fever and prolonged illness. This relationship should not be dismissed.

For this reason, I generally prefer to see the Birch Rod away from the Tree, High Tower, and Coffin.

When the Tree or High Tower falls close to the Birch Rod and near the significator, the severity of illness frequently increases:

With the Tree often points towards conditions affecting the constitution and overall wellbeing. Illness may diminish vitality, require treatment, or place considerable strain upon both body and mind.

With the High Tower often extends the duration of the problem. Recovery may prove prolonged, discomfort persistent, or the seeker may find themselves enduring an extended period of treatment, rehabilitation, or medical supervision.

Should the Clouds also become involved, the severity frequently increases still further.

When all three cards cluster around the significator, illness is often painful, exhausting, or particularly difficult to endure.

At a distance, however, the manifestations are generally less severe. One is more likely to encounter fever, influenza, laryngitis, throat infections, minor inflammatory conditions, or other ailments which, whilst unpleasant, remain comparatively manageable.

Ultimately, the Birch Rod asks a simple question: what requires correction?

Its proximity to the significator reveals how directly the seeker experiences the problem. The surrounding cards reveal whether that correction manifests through argument, discipline, illness, legal intervention, mediation, or some other form of confrontation.

Whatever form it takes, the purpose remains unchanged.

Something has drifted off course.

The Birch Rod has arrived to force it back into line.

Correction Rather Than Repetition

One of the most persistent modern interpretations of the Birch Rod is that it signifies repetition.

I do not subscribe to this interpretation.

The Birch Rod does not indicate repetition.

It indicates correction.

Admittedly, the confusion is understandable.

When something must be corrected, one is often required to do it again. A document may need redrafting. An examination may need resitting. Repairs may need revisiting. A treatment plan may need adjusting. In each case, an action is repeated.

Yet the repetition is merely the consequence.

The correction is the cause.

The Birch Rod therefore does not signify events occurring over and over again. It signifies a situation in which an existing effort, decision, action, or plan has been judged inadequate and requires amendment.

This distinction is important.

If repetition were truly the card’s function, we would expect to see endless cycles and continual recurrence. Yet this is not how the Birch Rod behaves in practice.

Traditionally, the card depicts two corrective instruments: a bundle of birch twigs and a scourge. Likewise, it is Card No. 11, a number composed of two identical digits. At most, the card may therefore suggest a second attempt or effort intended to rectify a mistake.

The emphasis remains firmly upon correction rather than recurrence.

The true card of repetition within the Petit Lenormand is the Ring.

A ring is a circle without beginning or end. It binds, joins, and perpetuates.

Consequently, it naturally signifies cycles, habits, routines, commitments, and circumstances that continue indefinitely through repetition.

The Ring repeats because the cycle continues.

The Birch Rod repeats because something has gone wrong and must be put right.

The Birch Rod corrects.

The Ring locks us in and we keep going round.

Whenever the Birch Rod appears, the question is not: “What keeps happening?”
but rather: “What needs correcting?”

The answer to that question will reveal why a second attempt has become necessary.

What Angers the Birch Rod?

In most readings, the cartes maîtresses surrounding the Birch Rod will reveal the area of life requiring correction.

The Birch Rod tells us that something has drifted off course. The neighbouring master cards tell us where.

Thus:

Heart frequently indicates heightened emotions, emotional tension, hurt feelings, or a situation where emotional responses require moderation.
Fishes often points towards financial pressures, cash-flow difficulties, spending habits, or disagreements concerning money.
Child commonly identifies issues arising through a child or children or about children.

In many cases, this is sufficient.

Occasionally, however, one seeks not merely the area affected but the underlying cause or trigger of the difficulty. This becomes particularly important when several cartes maîtresses surround the Birch Rod or when the card appears without an obvious master card nearby.

In such circumstances, I frequently examine the card towards which the Valet of Clubs is looking.

For me, the playing cards are not decorative embellishments but an integral component of the Petit Lenormand. The Birch Rod is the Valet of Clubs and the Valet of Clubs is the Birch Rod. Traditional cartomancy frequently employed the concept of regards, that is, observing what a court card sees or faces. It remains one of the most useful techniques available to the reader.

I often told my students that the card the Valet of Clubs looks towards is: what angers the Birch Rod.

In other words, it reveals the source of the dissatisfaction, frustration, tension, or error that requires correction.

This approach proves especially valuable in smaller line readings of three or five cards where the Birch Rod may not fall directly beside a carte maîtresse.

For example, if the Birch Rod is looking towards the Letter, the problem may arise through a document, message, correspondence, or administrative matter.

If it regards the Fishes, financial concerns may be the source of the tension.

If it looks towards the Heart, emotional matters become the likely cause.

The principle remains remarkably consistent.

The Birch Rod identifies the need for correction.

The card it regards frequently explains why that correction has become necessary in the first place.

Understanding this distinction often allows the cartomante to move beyond identifying the quarrel and instead identify its cause. After all, no argument emerges from nothing. The Birch Rod appears because something has already gone wrong, and the card it regards often reveals precisely where the trouble began.

The Birch Rod and Sexuality

Some modern readers associate the Birch Rod with sexuality.

Part of this interpretation derives from the French title of the card, « la verge », which can refer both to a rod or switch and to the male member. This linguistic overlap has led some authors to conclude that the Birch Rod should be regarded as a sexual card. Others have gone further still, interpreting it as representing casual encounters, recreational intimacy, or sexual activity distinct from the more affectionate or reproductive symbolism they assign to the Lilies.

I do not find these interpretations particularly persuasive.

Whilst la verge can certainly refer to the male member, the fact that a word possesses multiple meanings does not automatically make every meaning relevant to the card’s function within the Petit Lenormand.

Indeed, where anatomical symbolism is concerned, the system already possesses more appropriate significators. In my own practice, the Lord naturally corresponds to the male genitalia and andrology just as the Lady corresponds to the female genitalia and gynaecology. Consequently, I see no compelling reason to transfer those functions to the Birch Rod simply because of a linguistic ambiguity.

In addition, it seems strange—even chauvinistic—to associate human sexuality with a card that shares its name with the male member.

More importantly, I do not believe there is a single card within the Petit Lenormand that inherently signifies sexual activity.

Questions concerning intimacy are answered by the cards according to their own nature.

Marquis de Sade, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Thus, if a reading concerns sexuality, the Birch Rod will respond in accordance with its essence of correction and function of discipline. In such contexts, it may describe issues involving power, control, dominance, submission, punishment, restraint, sadomasochism, fetishes or other dynamics naturally arising from the card’s symbolism.

That does not make the Birch Rod a sex card.

It merely means that, when the subject is sex, the Birch Rod responds as the Birch Rod.

Like every other card in the deck, it remains faithful to its own nature regardless of the question being asked.

Tables

One feature of the Birch Rod that is often overlooked originates directly from the traditional eikōn. Beginning with Das Spiel der Hoffnung, the birch and scourge are commonly depicted resting upon a table. This motif survives in several later patterns and provides a number of useful practical interpretations.

Most obviously, the Birch Rod can signify a table, desk, secretaire, escritoire, or other item of furniture associated with writing, study, administration, or work.

This meaning most commonly appears in practical readings involving the location of lost objects. When the Birch Rod appears, I am inclined to look on or near a desk, writing table, work surface, office furniture, or wherever stationery, paperwork, correspondence, or administrative records are normally kept.

In decks that depict a besom or broom rather than a scourge, the card can occasionally indicate places associated with cleaning equipment. One might therefore inspect cupboards, utility rooms, or areas where brooms, mops, brushes, vacuum cleaners, and cleaning products are stored.

The table, however, contains a deeper lesson.

The Birch Rod signifies correction through discussion as much as through conflict.
The table serves as a reminder that correction need not always come through punishment or argument. Problems can often be resolved by bringing them to the table before tensions escalate into open conflict.

When the card appears in this way, it advises the parties involved to sit down and speak honestly. Grievances are aired. Misunderstandings are addressed. Difficult conversations are allowed to occur before resentment hardens into hostility.
In more serious situations, the card may even suggest the involvement of an impartial third party whose role is to mediate, arbitrate, or otherwise keep matters from escalating.

Not every problem requires a battle.

Sometimes the Birch Rod asks us to take a seat and resolve the issue before tempers turn disagreement into discord.

Doubling

One of the more useful descriptive functions of the Birch Rod is its ability to indicate two of something.

Whether this meaning arises from the eikōn, which traditionally depicts both a scourge and a bundle of birch twigs, or from the card’s number, 11, is a matter upon which cartomantes disagree. My own view is that both contribute to the symbolism.

Certainly, most of the decks I work with regularly, including the Brepols, Wüst, and Piatnik patterns, visibly depict two corrective instruments. Yet for many years I also kept the Glück edition of the Leipzig Lenormand on my desk at work, where the imagery is considerably less explicit. The card nevertheless continued to describe pairs and doubles with remarkable consistency.

It is important, however, not to confuse doubling with repetition.

The Birch Rod can indicate two of something. It does not indicate something occurring endlessly or repeatedly.

Thus:

Letter – Birch Rod may indicate two telephone calls, letters, e-mails, or messages.
Child – Birch Rod may indicate two children.

One reason this association may have arisen is that the Birch Rod is fundamentally a corrective card. If something has gone wrong, it may need to be done a second time in order to be put right. This fits with the Roads and Key – two paths, a key which locks and unlocks.

Writing and Conversation

The Birch Rod possesses a longstanding connection with both conversation and writing.

Of the two, conversation is by far the more common manifestation in my experience. Discussions, debates, criticism, mediation, counselling, difficult conversations, and even heated arguments all arise naturally from the card’s corrective nature.

Writing remains a perfectly valid interpretation, but it appears less frequently.

Historically, birch bark served as a writing surface in parts of both Europe and Asia.

Likewise, twigs and similar implements were utilised as primitive pens and writing instruments for centuries. It is therefore not difficult to see how the Birch Rod acquired an association with the written word.

In practice, however, writing under the Birch Rod almost always serves the same purpose as conversation.

It is corrective.

One might encounter amended documents, revised reports, redrafted contracts, written warnings, disciplinary notices, formal complaints, legal correspondence, or letters intended to resolve a misunderstanding.

The card is rarely concerned with writing for its own sake.

Rather, it concerns writing undertaken because something requires correction, clarification, criticism, amendment, or resolution.

Both conversation and writing therefore perform the same function under the Birch Rod.

They are not communications undertaken primarily for pleasure, entertainment, or casual social interaction.

They occur because something must be addressed.

The Birch Rod is consequently less concerned with communication itself than with the reason that communication has become necessary in the first place.

Timing

In matters of timing, the Birch Rod is generally a card of moderate or steady pace. It is neither especially swift like the Stork nor particularly slow like the Tree or Mountain.

Instead, the card tends to indicate that matters unfold at the pace required for correction to occur. Attempts to rush the process often create additional complications, disputes, or mistakes which ultimately require further attention.

This is entirely consistent with the nature of the card.

A disagreement cannot be resolved before the underlying issues have been discussed. A mistake cannot be corrected before it has been identified. A disciplinary matter cannot conclude before the facts have been established.

For this reason, the Birch Rod often rewards patience and careful attention rather than haste.

In general timing questions, I typically associate the card with a period of approximately eleven days to three months, depending upon the nature of the matter and the surrounding cards.

My second teacher associated the Birch Rod with “39.”

Over the years, I have also observed the Birch Rod occasionally referring to the season of Lent, particularly the period between Holy Thursday and Good Friday, and often the morning of Good Friday itself.

The symbolism is readily apparent.

According to Christian tradition, it was during this period that Our Lord was scourged following His condemnation by Pilate. Given the Birch Rod’s association with correction, punishment, chastisement, and the scourge itself, the connection feels entirely natural.

Saint Clare of Assisi and Saint Colette (c. 1520), by the Master of Lourinhã, RickMorais, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

More broadly, Lent is a season of penitence, self-examination, and amendment of life. It is a period during which Christians are called to reflect upon their shortcomings and correct that which has gone astray. These themes resonate strongly with the essential nature of the Birch Rod.

Whilst Lent is a movable season and does not fall on fixed calendar dates, it generally occupies portions of February, March, and April. I have occasionally wondered whether the card’s association with this period is reinforced by certain saints particularly connected with the Passion.

One such example is St Colette of Corbie (6 March), who, according to tradition, bore marks corresponding to Christ’s sufferings, including the scourging. Likewise, St Gemma Galgani (11 April) was renowned for her mystical experiences and stigmata, again which included the scourging, which similarly connected her with the sufferings of Christ and the events of the Passion.

St Gemma Galgani, SeraphicVirginLucca, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Whether these associations are merely coincidental or represent a deeper current preserved within the card’s symbolism is impossible to say with certainty. Nevertheless, both these Holy Women embody themes of suffering, correction, penance, and spiritual discipline that sit comfortably within the symbolic world of the Birch Rod.

Ultimately, timing under the Birch Rod is less concerned with speed than with resolution.
The question is not: “how quickly will this happen?” but rather: “how long will it take to put this right?”

For that is the purpose of the Birch Rod: not simply to mark a problem, but to ensure that it is finally addressed.

Health

Anatomically, the Birch Rod is associated primarily with the throat and the body’s connective tissues.

This correspondence is entirely consistent with both the traditional instructions and the card’s broader symbolism. The Birch Rod concerns irritation, inflammation, aggravation, correction, and conditions that require proper management before they worsen.

Unlike the Coffin, which often signifies deterioration, decline, or breakdown, the Birch Rod more commonly describes conditions that flare, irritate, inflame, or repeatedly demand attention.

The emphasis is not upon destruction.

It is upon the need for correction.

In practice, when the card points towards health matters, usually because it falls close to the Tree, High Tower, or significator, I most often find it describing inflammatory conditions.

These may include:
inflammatory bowel disease,
connective tissue disorders,
psoriasis,
reactive arthritis,
inflammatory joint conditions,
chronic irritation or inflammation.

The exact manifestation will depend upon the surrounding cards and the nature of the question.

The original instructions also mention fever, a correspondence that remains one of the card’s most reliable health expressions.

When the Birch Rod appears at a distance from the significator, particularly alongside health cards, one is more likely to encounter conditions such as influenza, fever, laryngitis, throat infections, sprains, strains, or other painful but comparatively minor ailments.

Distance tends to reduce the severity.

It does not necessarily reduce the need for treatment.

One of the recurring lessons of the Birch Rod is that failure to address a problem properly often results in a second correction becoming necessary later. An illness that is ignored, poorly managed, or insufficiently treated may return demanding further attention.

For this reason, even relatively minor complaints should be taken seriously and allowed sufficient time to heal properly.

The card therefore carries a cautionary message.

Attend to the problem now.

Follow the treatment through diligently.

Correct the issue before it requires a more forceful intervention later.

The Birch Rod rarely rewards neglect.

What is left untreated often returns demanding further correction.

Like the card itself, health matters under the Birch Rod improve not through avoidance, but through discipline, management, and timely correction.

Birch Rod in Action

This reading was performed in 2010 using the Wheel Spread developed by Mary Marco and Janine Goffin.

Whilst the spread provides a comprehensive overview of the seeker’s past, present, near future, and more distant future, we shall focus solely upon the relevant section of the Present. These are the cards immediately beneath the significator and start with 11 in the diagram above.

The cards were:

Fishes – Hound – Birch Rod – Anchor – Cavalier – Heart – Scythe

The first feature that immediately attracts attention is the Birch Rod positioned between the Hound and the Anchor.

Quite frequently, the combination Birch Rod – Anchor indicates a lingering resentment, grievance, or source of frustration that the seeker continues to carry with them.

Although the Anchor is generally regarded as a favourable card, it can occasionally indicate a blockage or obstacle. It differs significantly from the Mountain. The Mountain represents an obstacle imposed from outside. The Anchor, by contrast, often represents burdens, loyalties, resentments, attachments, and obligations that we continue to carry ourselves.

Here, the querent is carrying (Anchor) an ongoing source of anger or frustration (Birch Rod).

The obvious question is: what is causing it?

As discussed earlier, I often examine the direction in which the Valet of Clubs is looking.

Looking in the direction of the Valet’s regard, we find the Hound. Following the principle outlined previously, the Hound therefore reveals what is angering the Birch Rod.

From this, we can be reasonably confident that the querent is involved in a quarrel (Birch Rod) with a member of her entourage (Hound) and continues to carry the emotional burden of the dispute (Birch Rod – Anchor).

The Fishes preceding the Hound reveals that money lies at the root of the disagreement.

The cards therefore suggest a dispute involving a friend, acquaintance, colleague, or trusted associate in which financial matters have become a source of tension.

The querent confirmed this interpretation immediately.

She had loaned a friend a considerable sum of money which had not been repaid. The resulting disagreement had become increasingly serious and was beginning to affect her own financial situation.

Because these cards appeared within the Present section of the spread, we know the matter remained active and unresolved.

The Birch Rod also revealed the corrective measures she was being forced to implement.

The Hound can signify familiar and recurring obligations. Combined with the Fishes, it showed regular expenditure that now had to be managed more carefully whilst she absorbed the financial loss and sought to maintain her security.

The latter portion of the line was equally revealing:

Anchor – Cavalier – Heart – Scythe

The resentment represented by the Anchor was not going away.

Indeed, the Heart feeding directly into the Scythe suggested a sharp emotional rupture. Feelings that had been building beneath the surface for some time would eventually reach a breaking point.

Both the Birch Rod and the Scythe possess a distinctly choleric quality, and together they frequently indicate situations where tensions escalate rapidly.

The presence of the Cavalier suggested movement, contact, or a visit. My suspicion at the time was that matters would come to a head when the friend next approached or contacted the querent.

Sadly, this proved accurate.

The loan was never repaid. The friend insisted that the money had been intended as a gift rather than a loan, and the disagreement intensified dramatically.

The querent ended the friendship that very week. The Cavalier and Heart also forecast a surprise date (Scythe). This also occurred and reminds us that in a reading cards can signify several things.

When working with spreads containing four or more cards, we can often gain additional information from the playing-card values by observing repeated ranks.

In this reading, we find two valets and two nines.

The primary reading had already established the likely outcome, but these repetitions provided additional confirmation.

Traditionally, two valets often indicate that something goes wrong or fails to proceed as expected. The repeated Valets therefore reinforced the difficulties already visible within the line.

The two nines, however, suggested money received. This proved equally accurate. Shortly afterwards, a family member provided financial assistance which helped the querent overcome the immediate difficulties created by the loss.

Events therefore unfolded almost exactly as indicated by the cards.

The Birch Rod had correctly identified not merely the quarrel itself but its underlying cause. Money had strained the relationship beyond repair, and correction ultimately took the form of separation rather than reconciliation.

This serves as an important reminder about the Birch Rod.

Correction does not always restore a relationship.

Sometimes it simply forces the truth into the open and compels those involved to act accordingly.
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Images:

Featured Image:

Flagellation of Christ, Peter Paul Rubens, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons

Cards:

References:

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Boroveshengra, A., 2015. Lenormand Thirty Six cards. 2nd ed. Create Space.
George, R. 2014 The Essential Lenormand: Your Guide to Precise & Practical Fortunetelling. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications.
Ignatius Press (2005) Holy Bible RSVCE Compact Zipper. Ignatius Press.
Marco, M. and Goffinet, J., 1989. Petit Lenormand. Bruxelles: Servranx.
Matthews, C. 2014 The Complete Lenormand Oracle Handbook: Reading the Language and Symbols of the Cards. Rochester, VT: Destiny Books.
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Silvestre, C.a, 2003. Le Petit Lenormand. [Montpellier]: Gange éd.