Week at a Glance: Garden, Snake, Bouquet

Last week’s Lenormand pair – Choices (22) + Rings (25) – did not seem to relate to any actual event in my life, at least not that week. As an author, I do have book contracts with publishers, and I am married, so there is that “contract.” But I was not aware of any decisions or choices that needed to be made.

This week I am continuing my exploration of Lenormand style decks using Shaheen Mirro’s Tattered Nomad Oracle. (My spellcheck program insists that his name should be "Shaken Mirror"…)

I am drawing a line of three cards this time.

THE GARDEN (20). . . THE SNAKE (7). . . THE BOUQUET (9)
Okay, my very first reaction to the first two cards has to be the story of the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, and the Snake (serpent)! Then we add The Bouquet, which goes very nicely with The Garden. Yet there is that Snake in the middle. I get a sense of a lovely setting filled with flowers in which something false or deceptive hides, waiting for a chance to cause trouble. Instead of a “snake in the grass,” it’s a “snake in the garden.”

Let’s see what Shaheen says about each of these cards:

• The Garden (20) – gatherings, celebration, meetings, social events, public property, creation
• The Snake (7) – deception, attach, difficulties, envy, wisdom, bad omen
• The Bouquet (9) – gifts, offerings, affection, encouragement, happiness aesthetic

Well, here we are in the holiday season, with Christmas just ten days away, certainly a time of gatherings, celebration, gifts, etc. A lot of that going on all around me. But there’s that Snake. What is he up to, exactly?

In The Secrets of the Lenormand Oracle, Sylvia Steinbach offers similar interpretations of my three cards:

• The Garden (20) – the general public, groups and crowds, parties, meetings, social activities
• The Snake (7) – difficulties, disappointments, jealousy, manipulations and tricks brought on by familiar people
• The Bouquet (9) – beauty, grace, joy, gift, strong positive vibrations

Sylvie also provides possible interpretations for card combinations:

• Garden + Snake = trouble makers, disturbances, gang
• Snake + Bouquet = positive turnaround, repairs, corrections
• Garden + Bouquet = happiness, contentment, bliss

I like the overall “vibe” of these cards because they give me the sense that even though trouble may lurk, it is not likely to overthrow the happiness and beauty of the week, and that any damage is probably going to be repaired.