For a long time, I have been completely opposed to using positional spreads with Lenormand. Well, kind of. While it’s true that I don’t use them much, they can have some utility. But I strongly believe that for most questions, using lines and tableaus are better as cards can be used in association.
Positional spreads still have their use, even if limited. When desiring a quick response, for a simple, or yes – no question, they can give a very precise answer, and at the same time provide enough details to make an informed decision.
The spread I like the most for a quick answer is the french cross. It is a spread well known in the Tarot world, and of course it can be used with any kind of oracle too.
The version I use is close to the one I use with the tarot.
Position 1 describes the situation, what is important to know now. Position 2 is what can help or hinder the situation. Position 3 is the extended present moment. Position 4 is the result, the response. Position 5 is the synthesis.
The positions 6, 7, and 8, are 3 additional cards that can give more detail on the response. These are optional if the response is clear. The idea to use these 3 additional cards was first expressed by Mary Marco’s book, a great book describing a few classical cartomancy spreads.
To give an example on how to use french cross, I asked a simple question to my cards, “what does Lenormand bring me?”
We start with the key, a tool that is important, that can bring solutions to the questions asked. The letter can represent the cards, but also how they communicate with me. Right away, we can already see how important this tool is for me. And especially with the birds in between these two cards, we can also see how the message is expressed becomes crucial.
The whip is interesting in the extended present. In addition to fighting for something, the whip is also the card of debates, once again that is reinforced with the proximity of the birds. So, the concept expressed is that the debate about how the cards communicate is key; what is important, is how I use my experience and wisdom (lily) to express the message (birds).
Let’s have a look at the last 3 cards, they should give clarity on how that wisdom is expressed. As I am a man, what could express the woman here? If we look at the period when Lenormand was invented, men were traditionally seen as the rational side, and women as the more intuitive side. So, in this spread, I will take the woman as my intuitive side. The Paths and scythe show that multiple directions, multiple choices, are cut.
These 3 cards taken together, show how sharp the intuition is among the multiple choices, how the intuition brings the right choice. Once again, this is clarifying the response, how our wisdom can express itself.
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