An Unsentimental Look at the Lenormand Lilies
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Here I’m taking a stand against the non-traditional* view that the Lenormand Lilies is the “sex” card of the pack. In my opinion, this belief leans too heavily on a whimsical Freudian assumption that touts as its basis the reproductive organs of the lily blossom, a premise that relies more on “free-association” from the botanical architecture than on sound historical derivation. When approached rationally, it clearly falls into “Gimme a break!” territory.
I’m not convinced that Lenormand even needs a specific sex card in that too many people confuse sexual attraction with romantic compatibility and empathy; they’re looking for an intimation of “sex” in their readings when what they really crave is an assurance of “love.” In my estimation, 18 of the 36 cards in the deck are “department-of-life” cards, at least one of which (the Heart and the Ring come to mind) is sure to adequately cover the subject from both angles. The rest — perhaps led by the Bouquet or the Whip (my personal choice as discussed below) — will act as “process variables” that nudge any relevant characteristics of the chosen candidate into the spotlight.
I’ve studied almost every major English-language book on Lenormand reading, and the majority of the more traditional literature only connects the Lilies to sex in a roundabout way. When well-favored (that is, when lying close to and above the Significator and also free of Clouds), it signifies happy family relations, a reputation for fidelity, and a long life attended by good fortune; there is an admirable purity and nobility to it. When joined by the Clouds, it brings grief in family affairs, and when nearby but below the Significator (particularly if it is afflicted by the Clouds) it can besmirch the querent’s reputation (which may or may not have anything to do with licentious behavior). It’s quite a leap of imagination to shift the card’s less-auspicious focus from ethical impropriety to serving as a general symbol of sexual conduct. I, for one, don’t buy it.
At its least sentimental (and most clinical), sex is a biological function featuring energetic, repetitive motion intended to induce orgasm and by extension generate offspring. Only when it is overlaid with relationship dynamics and interpersonal expectations does it take on emotional dimensions. When that occurs within a marriage or similar stable environment there is nothing about it that warrants being singled out in a card reading unless infidelity or dysfunction are indicated (in which case I wouldn’t be looking for a “sex card” but something more temperamentally volatile or stressful — it has been said that conjugal sex is the last thing to go sour in a failing marriage).
In my own practice I see the Whip (aka Rod) as having the most to do with recreational or noncommittal sex since it is athletic, aggressive and unmoved by the finer points of social etiquette. Nobody has ever said that sex (not to be confused with love) in the present era is only about idealistic overtures of affection ending in a consensual liaison; sometimes it exhibits raw animal passion and measured pugnacity on both sides, and it admits to less savory forms of the act. But It can also be more of an impromptu “carrot-and-stick” (i.e. “Bouquet-and-Rod”) allurement than a scenario depicting two wrestlers intently circling one another looking for an opening. I find all of this to be more in the spirit of “sex for its own sake” than as an accessory to romantic intentions, and it’s the only reason I can think of for even bothering with an overt “sex” card such as the Whip. Anything more sentimentally intimate belongs not in a one-off rendezvous but behind the closed doors of manifest commitment, where the superior nature of the Lilies holds sway.
I recently came across a quote by Aleister Crowley — certainly no Lenormand master — in The Law Is For All that seemed to condone bondage (within limits) as the “highest and noblest” expression of love in that it emulates the “sex-conflict” among animals (by which I think he meant the dominant-submissive nature of male-female relations [with certain exceptions] in the animal kingdom). I won’t dignify this weirdly misogynistic notion with a comment except to say that it strikes me as a good justification for the Whip as the Lenormand sex card. Then there is George Carlin’s joke about the “missionary position” signifying “man-on-top-get-it-over-with-quick,” which also suggests the Whip (perhaps in the hand of the officious Tower). I’m afraid these digressions have taken me far afield, but I didn’t plan on circling back to the Lilies anyway since there is even less sexual disrepute to be found there.
*The Philippe Lenormand Sheet (the original “Little White Book”) made no explicit mention of sex (and offered very little that was implicit although I looked hard for it); only our modern, culturally-driven preoccupation with it makes having a “sex” card in the deck almost de rigueur. Therefore, I consider its inclusion “non-traditional,” and we’re probably overreaching to insist on it now.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on January 7, 2025.
