Category: Spreads

Think of the universal substance, of which thou hast a very small portion; and of universal time, of which a short and indivisible interval has been assigned to thee; and of that which is fixed by destiny, and how small a part of it thou art.

Marcus Aurelius, The Meditations Book V (Long trans.)

Cartomantes have long favoured “star” patterns of varying sizes and operations. Here, we will look at a late nineteenth-century variation I refer to as the Dame’s Nowl.

Like Basil Ivan Rakoczi’s Coven of Thirteen – popularised by Dawn R. Jackson – the Dame’s Nowl employs 13 cards. Unlike Rakoczi’s variation, the Dame’s Nowl forgoes mirroring for positional contexts: charting the past, the present and the future alongside unhelpful influences or problems. Consequently, it is an excellent alternative to spreads such as the Celtic Cross.

“The Fashionable Fortune-Teller”

Between 1896 and 1913, “Minetta” authored two books on cartomancy and one on tasseomancy. Minetta also conceived a Bésigue-style deck, specifically for cartomancy, and provided the instructions for a Petit Lenormand published as the Gypsy Bijou Fortune Telling Cards.

Minetta’s identity has never been identified. Several names have been proposed. Caitlín Matthews has suggested that Minetta was Cicely Kent.

There are similarities between Cicely Kent’s text and Minetta’s; although they are not without differences. However, there are also differences between Minetta’s 1896 and 1913 books. Although both manuscripts utilise the same readings, there is some difference in interpretations, and Minetta gives different definitions for multiples in the two texts. It thus the current author’s feeling that two different authors might have written under than penname, one quite possibly being Cicely Kent. Of course, however, this could be development: as diviners, we all grow and change.

The Dame’s Nowl or Star of Fortune:

Minetta’s Star of Fortune appears in both books. It is, however, titled method II in 1896. As I know another spread with this title, I refer to Minetta’s as The Dame’s Nowl.

In her 1896 text, Minetta states to:

Place two at the head of the significator, two at the feet, two on the right, two on the left, one in each corner, and one on the significator, making in all thirteen cards.

What The Cards Tell (p. 26)

In Card Reading, Minetta states the specific order, as indicated in the diagram below.

Both Cicely Kent and Sepharial adhere to this order.

Minetta’s instruction for reading the spread is:

Those cards which crown the significator predict the near future; those at the feet, the past; those to the left, obstacles; those to the right, the distant future; the top corners, present details; those at the feet, the past details; the card on the top of the significator, the consolation.

What The Cards Tell (p. 26 – 27)

Minetta removes the significator before shuffling. It is placed centrally, with the thirteenth card placed upon it.

Adhering to standard sinister (left) and dexter (right) conventions, Minetta sees cards to the left as challenging and problematic. Those to the right can advise on remedy and assistance. These become more pronounced in her 1913 text which includes a table diagram.

Following the Nowl: Stacey’s Reading

Let us look at a reading with the Petit Lenormand. This reading was done just before Christmas 2019. Stacey is a young woman and wanted a general look at where her life was going. For general readings, spreads such as the Coven of Thirteen or the Astrological Wheel are often preferred. However, Stacey seemed quite unhappy, so I thought it was best to ascertain both her background and challenges.

The cards as they fell:

At the heart of the star, we find the Stork. Change is afoot. We will bear this in mind as we examine the cards’ different combinations.

We will start with the bottom section as these describe the past circumstances. Keeping the Stork card at the forefront of our mind, we see that there has been a difficult transition (Cross – Boat) in Stacey’s life.

With the Cross crowning the Boat card, we know that this will have been a significant shift in Stacey’s circumstance and marked a milestone.

Looking to the left and right of the Cross, we see the Hound and Path cards which sheds more light. Stacey’s decisions (Path) has seen her relocate (Cross – Boat), which has meant that she has lost her familiar surroundings (Hound – Cross). The presence of three tens further emphasises that.

Unfortunately, this has left Stacey feeling out in the cold, and a period of disquiet has ensued (Birds – Lilies). With the Lilies on the left and the Cross and Boat at the star’s feet, one was sure that Stacey had moved away from her family.

Both the Birds and Hound cards are near enough to the Lilies to be read as persons, but one was not seized to interpret them as specific individuals. However, the two queens and two kings do denote male and female acquaintance. With the Hound on the sinister side of the star, and the presence of two sixes in the spread, it is clear Stacey has struggled to form new relationships, and this has magnified her discomfort.

Moving upward, the Anchor’s orientation poses a dichotomy. Stacey’s attempts to find a sense of place will continue to prove difficult and keep her moored to her present feelings. Fortunately, the Tree and the Stars bring a soothing solution.

Over the coming weeks, she will take some time out (Tree) and focus on herself and where she feels she needs to be in life (Tree – Book). We note the Stars are the Tree’s roots in this spread, and they seem to be guiding Stacey back home. But the Book falls adjacent to the Stars and crowns the significator. Stacey is urged not to rush into any decisions, which seem to have been the case in the past (Path).

Further into the future, Stacey will find herself moving into more comfortable times (Lady and the House). With the presence of both the Tree and the Lilies cards, it is likely this is a move back to familiar surroundings. Coming back to the Stork, we remember that it is a migratory picture: Stacey will go back home.

Stacey was in her first year at university but was not enjoying her surroundings and her course.

After some reflection, Stacey decided to transfer to a new university in her hometown. Due to the lockdown, Stacey returned home in the Spring. That fits with the Lady looking to the House card (last week of Spring).

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Images:

Featured Image, Morigan221, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Cards, Jeu Lenormand © Carta Mundi

References:

Kent, C., 1921. Telling Fortunes by Cards. 1st ed. Herbert Jenkins: London, pp. 90 – 96.
Minetta, 1896. What the Cards tell. (What the Cards told. A fact.) By Minetta. 1st ed. Downey & Co.: London, pp.26 – 28.
Minetta, 1913. Card-reading. A practical Guide. 1st ed. William Rider & Son: London, pp.39 – 47.
Rakoczi, B., 1970. Fortune Telling. 1st ed. London: Macdonald Unit 75, pp.30 – 36.

La cartomancy es tune profession au même titre que l’astrologie ou la radiesthésie. Il ne suffit pas d’avoir un don ! Ces techniques, comme pour tout, s’apprennent, se complètent, perfectionnent, avec patient et ténacité. (Cartomancy is a profession, just like astrology or dowsing. It’s not enough to have a gift! These techniques, as with everything, are learned, complemented, perfected, with patience and tenacity.)

Mary Marco & Jeanine Goffinet, Petit Lenormand: Méthode de Cartomancie

“But what other spreads are there other than GT or “box” spreads?”

It is a question that one often hears from curious cartomantes or existing students. After all, most examples of readings with the Petit Lenormand do centre on lines of varying sizes, the 3 x 3 or the GT. For some people, this rigidity can be off-putting.

Yet, there are indeed other spreads associated with the Petit Lenormand cards. It is quite a versatile deck.

So, I thought I would share some of my favourites. Some come from French literature, whereas others come from Basil Ivan Rakoczi (Coven of Thirteen) and Minetta (Star of Fortune).

We will start with a spread that I have not written about for some time. It is, however, a firm favourite of mine and one I discovered in the early 1990s: Mary Marco’s La Roue.

Mary di Marco is a Lenormand reader and psychic, based in Comines. In 1989, she published her Petit Lenormand Méthode de Cartomancie. It followed Erna Droesbeke’s 1987 Dutch text, which was translated into French, German and English. Sadly, Marco’s text has never been translated into English.

Marco, for me, has a significant impact. I did not adopt her meanings, but she offered me several methods of laying the cards. That is important. As students of divination, we must continue to challenge ourselves to further and deepen our relationship with the cards. Without this, we cannot hone, refine and better our skills. It is, for this reason, there are no experts. We are all students.

When I was first introduced to reading the Petit Lenormand, my Aunt knew only the “Grand Tableau.” That was never divided into the past, the present or the future. The full board referred only to the present and the future. From time to time, past events were described, but this was in the context of the evolution circumstances.

Erna Droesbeke described both the traditional “all future” convention and a method for examining the past, the present and the future (the cross and cross of destiny). However, I never added that method to my regular practice – especially after experimented with the Wheel Spread. I have genuinely found the Wheel Spread the best way for examining the evolution of a situation or client’s circumstances in detail.

However, it isn’t straightforward to explain the laying process! So, please, do bear with me.

Laying the Wheel:

1) Firstly, you remove the Significator and place it before you. If the Querent is under 21 or non-binary, you can use the Child card. For someone 21 years or over, use the Lady or the Gentleman according to their gender identity.  

Mary Marco recommends ascertaining the Querent’s name and Sun Sign to create a link between the Querent and the Cards.  

2) Shuffle the cards. Mary Marco recommends we shuffle seven times (in honour of the seven lights), but I recommend shuffling however you feel comfortable.  

 3) Once shuffled, cut the deck in two. The cut is the first indication of the reading, describing the atmosphere or tone in my experience.

4) Reconstitute the deck and deal from the top of the deck as follows:

• the first card is dealt below the Significator;
• the second is placed to the left of the Significator;
• the third is goes above the Significator;
• the fourth is set to the right of the Significator;
• the fifth card is placed below the first card that was dealt.

The cards should be dealt face-down.  

5) Repeat this process twice. You will be left with five stacks of three cards around the Significator.

6) Now, deal five cards face down on top of each other. Put these aside along with the remaining deck.  

7) Turn your attention to the five stacks of three around the Significator. Flip each stack over so that the first card dealt in each position is on the right and the third card on the left.

8) Take the five cards you dealt on top of each other in step 6. Deal these cards (from the top) into the five positions (below the Significator, to the left of the Significator, and so on). These will become the fourth card in five packets of three.

9) Now, pick up the remaining cards. These are dealt from the top of the deck as follows: below the Significator, to the left of the Significator, and so on. Eventually, you will end up five lines of seven cards as below:

In the illustration above, I have numbered each card based on the order it is dealt. As you can see, the first three cards in each position end up being read in reverse order. Here, Marco follows several older cartomantic methods where one has to count out cards or rearrange them. So I would encourage you to follow the process.

Starting with the row of cards beneath the Significator, we move around clockwise.

The five rows of seven each have a specific context:

• The cards immediately below the Significator refer to her present circumstances.
• Those to the Significator’s left refer to the recent past.
• Cards above the Significator refer to her thoughts.
• The seven cards to the right of the Significator are the near future.
• The final row of seven cards, dealt beneath the first row, is the more distant future.

Depending on preference, one can start with the past cards and then read the seven signifying the present. You can also note the cartes maîtresses and playing card values in each section.

Traveling the Wheel:  Dolores’ Reading

Dolores is a 33-year-old woman who came to me via a regular client. Due to Covid-19, the consultation was done via telephone.

After removing the Lady card, I shuffled, cut, and then laid out the Wheel Spread in the manner mentioned above.

The Cut:

.After riffling the cards, the deck was cut as below:

The Lilies – Ring refers not just to relationships characterised by mutual respect but also dealings with social security and other protective agencies.

The Wheel:

The cards as they fell:

The Present:

The present is made up of the Sun, the Clouds, the Tree, the Mice, the Cross, the Ship and the Letter.

Health worries dominate Dolores’s present circumstances. Not only is the Sun and Tree clouded, but we have three sevens (the Tree, the Mice and the Letter), which forecast illness. Not great.

Right now, Dolores’ energy levels are fluctuating with sudden drops (Sun — Clouds), meaning she is physically and mentally fatigued (Clouds — Tree). It is quite likely she has dizzy spells and visual disturbances. She cannot find the necessary respite, which is further undermining her constitution (Tree — Mice) and causing her physical pain (Mice — Cross).

With the Mice in such a prominent position, this could also be financial and I felt this was so. Dolores has experienced a significant loss of comfort (Tree — Mice —Cross), creating both physical and material hardships.

However, the Cross is the abcissor. Dolores is at her lowest point. The worst is done.

As we advance, the Ship— Letter indicate a communication from someone living at a distance which will necessitate (Cross — Ship) Dolores travelling.

The Past:

In the past, we have: the Mountain, the Coffin, the Cavalier, the Heart, the Park, the Child and the Birds.

Let us turn to Dolores’s past and see just what bought about the current situation.

Straight away, we find the Mountain – Coffin. Dolores has faced a number of significant problems which proved nigh impossible to overcome. Her life stagnated. Eventually, she was forced to walk away (Coffin – Cavalier) – incurring a loss (Coffin).

The Cavalier – Heart reveal that at this time, Dolores’ love life came to the fore with a new man appeared. It was not too serious (Park), but there were a number of dates (Heart – Park) and callings on her (Cavalier – Heart).

Considering the presence of the Cavalier – Heart, the Child – Birds is a clear indication Dolores fell pregnant in the last few months. This has caused her considerable worry (Birds) and could be the cause of her current health issues.

Interestingly, there are two present and touching in the past. Dolores will have received some money, possibly as a loan (two eight). Unfortunately, the two knaves do issue a warning that could have a negative consequence later on in Dolores’s affairs.

Dolores confirmed that she was pregnant and had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Thoughts:

We find the Fishes, the Birch Rod, the House, the Ring, the Path, the Gentleman, and the Bear cards for Dolores’s thoughts.

Unsurprisingly, Dolores’s thoughts are preoccupied with her financial difficulties (Fishes – Birch Rod). These are the cause of several arguments with her nearest and dearest (Birch Rod – House).

The presence of the Ring alongside two kings (an agreement) indicate Dolores has been attempting to find a resolution to correct some error (two aces). Often two aces can indicate lies. However, if we remember the past, there were two knaves, eights and nines. The Birch Rod is a corrective tool. We can see a more nuanced picture. Dolores’s financial problems stem from some error that has a significant effect as it is rectified.

Dolores is also questioning the future of her relationship (Ring – Path). She is uncertain (Path) whether she and her partner (Gentleman) are heading in the same direction. The Gentleman – Bear show he is somewhat strong-minded and overbearing in her opinion. Consequently, she is unsure if this will be sustainable (Ring – Path – Gentleman – Bear).

Near Future:

We find the High Tower, the Moon, the Stork, the Hound, the Serpent, the Fox, and the Scythe in the near future area.

It seems Dolores will start her maternity leave soon (High Tower – Moon – Stork). Naturally, it will usher in long-term (High Tower) significant changes (Moon – Stork). She will miss her colleagues (Stork – Hound). She also seems to be worried that her job might not be safe (High Tower/Scythe & Moon/Fox).

Fortunately for Dolores, there appear to be new friends (Stork – Hound) on the horizon, too. The presence of the two queens confirms this. As the queen of clubs touches the Hound card, it would seem this friend is likely female.

Unfortunately, Dolores might soon be tempted (Serpent – Fox) to take advantage of a sudden (Fox – Scythe) offer of help (Hound – Serpent) that comes her way. Fox – Scythe can be a loan shark or an unregistered agency. She would be wise to resist as it will put her in severe difficulties and further losses (Fox – Scythe).

She just needs to hold in. Any help must come from the proper channels not the Fox — Scythe.

Distant Future:

For the more distant future, we see:  the Book, the Anchor, the Flowers, the Cloverleaf, the Stars, the Key and the Lilies. 

With time Dolores will find she has a better understanding of her circumstances (Book). She will access advice from either a charity or social care (Book/Lilies). This information will help her stabilise her situation and give her a firmer footing (Book – Anchor). That will allow her to arrangements which mean her life is easier and more comfortable (Flowers).

Dolores can expect a lot of merriment, gifts and a lot of short visits, which she will enjoy (Flowers – Cloverleaf). For the first time in a long time, her joy is unclouded (Cloverleaf – Stars).

In addition, Dolores will find she has a better sense of where she wants to go in (Stars – Key). This will likely lead to new projects or a focus on education (Key + Book/king of spades).

All of this will bring her a greater sense of peace and security (Key – Lilies).

Dolores inquired about how far in the future the reading covered.

The Lady card faces the High Tower. In the Petit Lenormand, spades or leaves are associated with autumn. The High Tower is the 6 of Spades, which means no further than the 3/4 October.

Dolores explained that she had started a new relationship and her partner had moved in. Unfortunately, she did not notify the appropriate authorities of this change in circumstances. She was overpaid in benefits and was now in financial difficulties. Her pregnancy was difficult, and she was not well.

Hopefully, as the cards show, she will find that once the baby is born and she can seek appropriate advice, her situation will improve.

§

References:

Droesbeke, E. 1987, 1989, & 1998. The Oracle of Mlle Lenormand. Königsfurt-Urania Verlag/David Westnedge Ltd.
Marco, M. and Goffinet, J., 1989. Petit Lenormand: Méthode de Cartomancie. Bruxelles: Servranx, pp. 35, 179 – 186

Illustrations:

Cards: The Wanderwust Lenormand © Wandering Oracle
Spread Illustration: Marco, M. and Goffinet, J., 1989. Petit Lenormand: Méthode de Cartomancie.
Featured Image: Wheel of Fortune: Ages of Man. William de Brailes, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons