Week at a Glance: Ship, Anchor, Mountain, Stars

For my Week at a Glance this week, let’s see what we can find out using Tierney Sadler’s _Deck of Lenormand Houses_ with the French Cartomancy deck (Lo Scarabeo).

My two draws from Tierney’s deck will show me areas that may require my attention or focus this week, and the draws from the Cartomancy deck will provide additional information. I will also explore the interaction between the cards.

As suggested in Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin’s Learning Lenormand (Llewellyn Publications), I decided in advance how I would interpret the relationship between the two cards. I am reading the second card drawn as impacting the first card drawn.

From the Deck of Lenormand Houses:

In this pair, ANCHOR impacts SHIP. I see the Anchor exerting a stabilizing influence on the Ship, which signifies travel and movement. In a very literal sense, an Anchor holds a Ship back, keeps it in place, prevents it from moving forward. This can be seen as a handicap, yet also can be seen as providing needed security and safety.

Now let’s add two cards from the French Cartomancy deck:

THE STARS impact MOUNTAIN. In brief, optimism, clarity, and focus on the destination exert influence on obstacles to progress or thwarted ambitions.

Using Learning Lenormand, I explore the relationship between each Cartomancy card and the House in which it is placed.

The House of the Ship (Adventure) “is about your purpose and the processes you will go through to fulfill your true destiny.” To me MOUNTAIN in the House of the Ship suggests an obstacle to a departure or travel, an adventure curtailed, limited, or blocked in a discouraging way. I may need to “climb a mountain” in order to get where I want to go.

The House of the Anchor (Standstill) “is where the reading may be held firm or fastened, depending on the questions and the interpretation’s context.” To me THE STARS in the House of the Anchor suggests dreams, hopes, and desires being tethered, stabilized, or held back. It’s as if the Stars are held in place or “fastened” where they are. But isn’t it interesting that there is a ship at the bottom of The Stars card?

I find it fascinating that the relationships between these cards reinforce the same message, i.e., limitations or obstacles impacting travel, adventure, and the fulfillment of dreams -- and vice versa. I see both the Anchor and Mountain as representing steady, strong, secure energy as well as the concept of obstacle or limitation. Interestingly, if I can climb to the top of the Mountain, I will (in a sense) be closer to The Stars than before.