Intersection in the Lenormand Grand Tableau
AUTHOR’S NOTE: There is a technique for reading the Lenormand Grand Tableau known as “intersection” that is used when examining the interaction between two “topic” cards. Typically it comes into play in a romantic scenario where there are two emotionally-engaged parties to the situation, but it may be used with any two topic cards. It can stand in where proximity, mirroring and knighting don’t apply.
The idea is to locate the topic cards of interest and then run your eyes along the rows and columns leading from each card until you find the positions where they intersect. There will usually be two intersections, one on the horizontal run and one on the vertical run, except as noted below. The cards in these positions will reveal something significant about the nature of the relationship. Below is an example layout showing that, apart from the important fact that the Gentleman and Lady knight to one another, the rows and columns for these cards intersect at the Clover and the Bouquet, promising a pleasant “Hallmark” interlude that most likely won’t amount to a lasting connection. Great cards for a casual first date!
To take another example from the same spread, suppose a man is concerned about the trustworthiness of his business partner and wants to know whether he should be worried. The Bear is far away from the Gentleman, which does not bode well and, significantly, it is the first card in the reading, lending it additional weight. These cards intersect at the Fish and the Ship, implying that the partner may very well have his hand in the till (Fish) and could be running the enterprise (Ship) to his own advantage. The Gentleman might want to call his accountant and his lawyer!
Next, we might examine any health considerations affecting the Gentleman. The Significator (Gentleman) and the distant Tree intersect at the Coffin and the Bouquet, so we could surmise that he will receive lots of flowers (or flowery presentments) at his funeral. Yikes! But don’t take this too seriously, I’m saying it for effect even though there may be a sobering grain of truth in it. On the other hand, it could just mean his doctor (the Dog) proposes a new health regime (Bouquet +Tree) that will counteract his self-destructive behavior (Coffin +Tree, with a “side of Whip”).
The only time this falls apart occurs when the topic cards are in the same row or column where no intersection is possible; in such cases one is limited to looking at the cards between the two and any instances of mirroring or knighting for inspiration. In this layout, let’s propose that the Gentleman is wondering about the honesty of his best friend. The Dog sits directly above the Gentleman in the same column, showing that the matter weighs heavily on his mind, but they are too close to one another for an impartial appraisal (unless one invokes mirroring, although that could be precisely why they are best friends). No intersection is available, nor are most of the similar relational gambits other than proximity, so the only option is to examine the cards touching both the Man and the Dog (they are Snake, Lilies, Moon and Clouds) to see how supportive they are of a sincere bond. (Good thing the Gentleman didn’t ask whether anything is going on between his best friend and his woman. The Dog may be sneaking [or “slithering”] in the back door of the House with an offer she can’t refuse!)
In the fifth example we will assume that the Gentleman is expecting an important message but the Rider is in the same row, voiding the chance for intersection. We could look at the three cards between them for the verdict, but another way is “intersection on the diagonal.” Here both the Gentleman and the Rider intersect diagonally at the Fox (there is no “lower diagonal”), making it likely that an intermediary can’t be relied on to deliver the communication, or that it will suffer in the translation; the Rider will just have to navigate the intervening cards and could still run into trouble at the Clouds! Gentleman and Rider both knighting to Scythe is no help in making connections, while both knighting to Stork might mean they would make better progress with airmail (or carrier pigeon!) (At least in the US, whole satchels of mail have been found discarded along the roadside because the postal worker was too lazy or overburdened to complete the route.)
Also, revisiting the Dog, that card intersects diagonally with the Lady and the Stork so maybe she will run away with him, besmirching the Gentleman’s reputation (Moon) and giving him serious troubles (gathering Clouds)! Some friend, eh? The concept of diagonal intersection won’t work in every instance since it depends on the location of the relevant cards within the tableau, but it offers another tool for drawing inferences between topic cards.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on July 6, 2023.
