The Making Of: The Owls

©C. McCracken & W. Worthington

The creation of cards, the thoughts and ideas behind them, and how that eventually gets expressed, is something that has always interested me when looking at other people's decks.  That is the kind of insight I'd like to offer in this post...

Working with Will Worthington has been absolutely amazing.  He is a wonderful artist, with decades of experience, and an eye for animals, plants and nature that I have always admired.  When we started work on the Celtic Lenormand, I sent him through "storyboards" (which he later called briefs) on each of the cards.  In these, I included reference images taken from the internet, as well as a written description and suggestions of which aspects of the reference images would best depict that.  Most often, these were enough for him to create sketches, and later paintings, that expressed beautifully what I had been trying to put across.

©C. McCracken & W. Worthington

While Lenormand cards aren't read according to the images in the same way that tarot cards would be, we are still affected by images at many levels.  Art therapists, Jungians, and other psychotherapists, as well as neuroscientists, recognise that art affects us at the level of instinct, in visceral ways.  And many also talk about how images work with our intuition, tapping into cultural ideas that are often not conscious.  Due to this, unless you have a card with just a word on it you cannot avoid a "visual" response to a card image.  Even then, we react to the shape of words as though they were images, and respond to the meaning of words at a symbolic level! 

For this reason, although I am not trying to create cards which should be read by image alone, I still feel it is important for the image to offer the same sense as the card meaning.  For the Owls, I asked Will to draw three European owls sitting huddled together on a tree branch, looking in different directions.  When he sent me through the first sketch, though, it really didn't have the "feel" I was hoping for. 

©C. McCracken & W. Worthington

Originally, I wanted European owls because in French folklore these "eared" owls are considered wise, while the "earless" owls are seen as harbingers of death.  Will and I had an email discussion about whether European owls, with their tufty ears, could ever look wise and calm, and I finally agreed that in most photographs of these birds they do look rather grumpy and arrogant.  Photos of non-eared Barn Owls look much nicer, and they also seem more sociable, which fits with the idea of communication.  On that basis, we agreed to try them out in a sketch.

While this sketch was much "rougher" than the majority of those Will sent me, I decided I liked the feel of it, and gave him the okay to go ahead on that basis.  And I'm very glad I did! 

Although the final painting doesn't fit as well with French folkloric ideas, it fits perfectly with what I wanted the card to express.  I find the colours on the owls' wings beautiful and their expressions lovely.  The dark outline of the tree branches behind the owls lends an air of mystery and uncertainty, and their posture echoes this, a certain nervousness that requires them to sit close together and try to watch each other's back.

This painting, for me, expresses both the idea of communication as well as that of nervousness.  It supports an intuitive understanding of the basic keywords connected with this Lenormand card.  I hope that others will agree and enjoy using it in their readings.

Birchrods: Whip or Broom

©C. McCracken & W. Worthington

One traditional way of reading Lenormand cards suggests defining cards as positive, negative or neutral.  This can be a useful technique to help decide amongst alternative interpretations.  For example, if a negative card falls next to a neutral card, the latter will take a more negative meaning from the spectrum of possibilities associated with it.

Alongside this, though, it can be useful to see all cards as having both positive and negative interpretations inherent in them.  While some dismiss this as a New Age approach, there are good reasons to consider it.  Psychologically, all symbols (including words) can take more than one meaning, and can also be interpreted in nuanced ways. 

At what might be seen as a more practical level we can think in business terms, taking as an example the classic SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats).  In this, every strength implies an opposing threat and every weakness suggests opportunities.

Following these ideas, we find even within traditional Lenormand meanings that something similar is possible.  Take the card Birchrods, for example.  In some decks this is titled Whips, in others it is called Broom.  And if we take a look at the Celtic Lenormand image, we see how these are both potential uses to which a bundle of Birchrods can be put.  Lift those rods high and bring them down on someone, they are clearly a whip.  Hold them with the free tips down, and you can sweep the floor clean. 

The same holds true for the interpretations of the card.  It can indicate a tongue lashing, physical abuse, or a pattern of negative behaviour.  And what might be a solution to these situations?  Performing some kind of cleansing: of your mind, behaviour or life.  You may need to sweep out your own negative patterns, or brush someone out of your life, if you want to break free of the unpleasantness indicated by the Whips aspect of the card.

©C. McCracken & W. Worthington

This solution-within-the-problem approach can be taken to many cards.  For instance, the Fox can represent someone deceitful.  In which case, you may need to trust your instincts or bring particular skills into play in order to deal with the situation.  Likewise, if you see someone poisonous in the Snake, you may need to take a winding route to your destination in order to avoid them.

In the same way, there can be difficulties inherent in positive cards.  The Sun can represent optimism and energy.  Yet displaying these can encourage others to want to harness our energy to their projects, and our sunny nature could make it hard to say no.  Still, if we are aware of these potential threats, we may be better equipped to deal with them.

This way of looking at the cards as having their opposite pole - or their solution - within them is not a blind denial of the difficulties life can throw at us, nor of the generally positive or negative nature of particular cards.  Far more, it is intended as a proactive and empowering way to use their messages to navigate our lives.

Card-Reading Traditions

©C. McCracken & W. Worthington

Whether you've jumped here from the beautiful and wise Tierney Sadler, or found your way here another way, I bid you welcome to another Tarot Blog Hop.  And if you should lose your way at any point, you can find the Master List here.

The question our wonderful wrangler Arwen set us this time round was: What traditions are important to you in how you read Tarot?  I'll adapt it to reading Lenormand cards, though ;)

It may surprise some people to hear me say that tradition is important to me.  Admittedly, the Celtic Lenormand has non-traditional aspects: extra cards and a 'theme'.  And yet, the fundamental structure, and the basic way of reading the cards are totally traditional, while the meanings and keywords simply expand on the traditional Lenormand perspective, rather than throwing it out the window.  The images, though, are admittedly very different to what is found on 19th century cards...

What it comes down to is that being wedded to a single tradition does not suit me.  In this, as in many things, an integrative rather than a purist approach is my preferred route.  So, this deck honours the Lenormand tradition, but also honours pagan traditions.  And the melding of those two different approaches mean the deck expands on tradition, rather than following it absolutely.

©C. McCracken & W. Worthington

For example, today is Beltane or May Day.  To represent this spoke on the Wheel of the Year, I chose the card traditionally called Bouquet or, as in this case, Flowers.  This is no bouquet plucked by a florist and arranged to give as a gift to a pretty girl one is wooing.  No, this is the gift that nature offers us every year when flowers blossom anew after the winter snows.  The meanings of beauty and a gift remain, but the perspective is somewhat different, and the connection to Beltane is something that is not a traditional Lenormand association.  Yet, as the saying goes: April showers bring May flowers.  This card was, for me, the obvious choice to meld these two traditions - Lenormand and a nature-based spirituality.

So, to answer the question asked, it is important to me to follow the semantic approach of Lenormand reading.  I don't read Lenormand cards the way I read tarot cards.  I allow my intuition to be sparked by the range of keywords, rather than by particular elements in the image.  And those keywords start from the traditional basics, expanding out in somewhat different directions because when I read my focus is almost always on personal development, psychology and spirituality.  That is what I work with on a daily basis, so that is what I bring to my readings. 

Yet, each reader will have their own keywords, and so your words don't have to be the same as mine.  Another tradition I follow is that of honouring the person doing the reading: if you read with these cards, then your interpretation is the one that counts!  And I hope you will read with these cards... :)

In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the blog hop.  Next stop is The Cauldron Born, for some more purely pagan wisdom and tradition.

TABI Interview

©C. McCracken & W. Worthington

A little while ago, I was asked to give an interview about the Celtic Lenormand deck, which was published in the Spring edition of the TABI Ezine (a members-only perk).  The questions are from Sara Donaldson, who used to create the TABI Newsletter (Tracker - the sign-up is on the left at both of those links), and who is now applying her considerable talents to the Ezine.

SD: So first of all, can you tell us a little about the project, your vision and how you came to be working with Will Worthington?

CM: Coming from a tarot background, I was struck by the relative lack of themed Lenormand decks (though that has changed a lot in the last year or two).  Having always loved decks with pagan elements, and having celtic roots myself (hence the McCracken), it seemed a natural fit.  I’ve spoken with another deck creator, Kendra Hurteau, who also had this idea, but hadn’t come up with a clear plan for it (too busy with her many other ideas!)  Though I think there is plenty of room for more than one celtic/pagan Lenormand deck...

The Lenormand system is already very nature-based, with cards for various animals and plants, as well as tools and elements that fit easily with pagan concepts, and so it wasn’t a huge leap to envision a pagan-themed deck.  Once I had the first idea, the rest of it came together pretty quickly in my mind.  I created “briefs” for all the cards, describing what I imagined the card would look like, and what elements I wanted in them.

As for working with Will, I had long had the idea that if I ever created a deck, his art would be my first choice.  Actually approaching him, though, was terrifying.  I decided to ask Alison Cross how to contact him, as she has known Will for years, being his web person.  She just forwarded my email straight to him, which at least stopped me agonising about it for ages.

And why Lenormand?

Part of the answer is just that I got inspired.  I’d been reading with Lenormands (well, originally with Titania’s Fortune Cards) since 2007.  I love the semantic approach these decks encourage, being a bit of a linguist (I speak four languages fluently, another to upper intermediate level, as well as having a smattering of a further five).  As the Lenormand craze took off, I had a sudden inspiration - why not a pagan-themed Lenormand?  It seemed to me to be a perfect fit, as there are already so many nature-based cards in the deck.

©C. McCracken & W. Worthington

And what’s it like working with Will? How do you convey your ideas to him, and do you give him free reign with the images?

Working with Will is absolutely great.  He’s a real professional, with an eye for detail, as well as being a wonderful artist.  As for conveying my ideas to him, I sent him “briefs” at the outset, which included both a written description of what I wanted in the card, as well as images taken from the internet to give a more visual idea of colours and perspectives.  I know some authors send sketches, and I did send Will two where he had remaining questions, but overall my drawing skills aren’t up to showing what I was looking for! 

After that, he sent me back “rough” (his word, not mine) black and white sketches to check whether he’d understood what I was looking for.  In most cases I just emailed him back saying “Perfect!”  A few times I asked him to alter something, and sometimes he queried some detail, and we negotiated how to best express the idea within what he knew to be possible artistically.  That kind of back and forth has definitely improved the cards, and I’m very grateful to him for it.

Now, this Lenormand is set in Brittany…why not the UK, what’s special about Brittany?

Well, there’s nothing particularly special about Brittany, per se.  However, I wanted a Celtic theme, and also to be true to the “theoretical” French heritage of the Lenormand.  So, as one of the six remaining Celtic nations, Brittany seemed the natural choice.

©C. McCracken & W. Worthington

And why have you strayed from the 36-card form of the Lenormand to add new cards.

While I agree that extra cards aren’t necessary, I have long been a fan of them, both in tarot and Lenormand decks.  With Lenormands, in particular, I honour the idea that many people don’t want additional cards changing the structure of the deck, which is why I created extra cards that can be substituted for each other.  So, for example, there are three Birds cards, two Snake cards, and so on.  You can read with all of the extra cards, as they are clearly different from each other - Songbirds, Owls etc - or you can choose which card you prefer, and the numbering will remain traditional - all the Birds are still numbered 12. 

Can you tell us a little about the extra cards and how they fit into the deck?

Well, there are extra people cards, so you can choose if you chime more with one version of a particular person or another, or include several depending on your question.  There are also two extra Bird cards, an extra Snake card, and a Cat card!  These extra cards express ideas which felt important to me, and they seemed to fit well with the deck’s theme.  As I said above, you can include any or all of them in your readings, or pick which one you prefer and stick with traditional Lenormand numbering.  I always want to give people choices, rather than imposing my own ideas.

So far the images I’ve seen have been beautiful black and white sketches. Were you ever tempted to keep them as black and white?

Not really.  When I originally negotiated with Will, it was always our intention for the cards to be in colour, and having seen quite a few of the colour images now, I don’t think people will be disappointed!  I admit I was surprised by the power of some of the black-and-white images, but it would have been incredibly complicated to re-negotiate with Will, as well as interfering with my contract with US Games.

©C. McCracken & W. Worthington

I think my favourite card so far is the Choices card…do you have a favourite so far?

Funnily enough, in sketch form I had to ask Will to re-do the Owls card, as his first draft really didn’t chime with me.  He then sent me a very rough sketch of his second idea (far less detailed than the images I posted on-line), and I decided to just trust him on it.  When the final painting came through a little while ago, it was one of the most beautiful cards I’ve yet seen, which is saying something!  Still, as we’re only up to 12, I may yet change my favourite...

Now, the Lenormand has become fashionable in the last year or so, what advice would you give to someone who has never used them?

Start out by creating a set of keywords that make sense to you for each card.  It’s best to base that on some of the standard interpretations, rather than just going anywhere you like with it, but the keywords do have to make sense to you personally.  I like understanding the history of the images, as that often helps explain why the traditional keywords exist. 

Ultimately, this is just another tool to tap into your intuition.  It connects more with the semantic brain than the symbolic brain, which allows a different perspective to tarot.  Intuition is still vital, though!

There are also lots of good resources out there, especially on the internet.  And soon there should be more books in English for those wanting to study the cards.  Or if you can read German there is a wealth of material already available ;)

These days social media is incredibly important for getting your vision out there. You have a fb page and a blog page, are you finding these a good way to communicate with the community? What has the feedback been like so far?

Most of the feedback has been very positive, and both pages continue to garner new likes, though I’m not very active on them.  Since signing with US Games, I feel less pressure to publicise the deck myself, and that’s a relief in many ways.  I’d rather spend my time writing the companion book than doing marketing.

©C. McCracken & W. Worthington

So who is publishing the deck, and were there any discussions as to whether you should self-publish.

I definitely considered self-publishing!  However, in the end the deck will be published by US Games.  Although it will take longer to come out, I decided that their distribution network and experience in card printing and creating quality products outweighed that.  I was also glad not to have to do the marketing myself, nor struggle to find a decent way to self-publish - some indie authors have had very disappointing experiences with printers and so on.

Will there be a guide-book with the deck?

I certainly hope so, I’m writing one, anyway!  And given that there are 9 additional cards, Wheel of the Year timings, moon phases and other pagan elements incorporated into how the cards can be read (although none of this detracts from it being read as a standard Lenormand), I think the explanations would be helpful.

And when is the deck due to be available.

That is in the hands of US Games, now.  I’ll be providing the completed card images and accompanying text by August at the latest.  However, the editing and so forth will take a while, so I’m guessing some time in 2014.

Finally Chloë, thanks talking to us…is there anything else you’d like to add?

Thanks for the opportunity, Sara.  It’s been, and continues to be, an amazing journey creating this deck.  So I guess I’d just say, if anyone has an idea, they should go for their vision and try to make it a reality!

Thank you!

Couples

©C. McCracken & W. Worthington

In a previous post, I talked about the two different Woman/Lady cards that are to be found in the Celtic Lenormand deck.  The same is true for the Man/Lord cards, which likewise can be used for same sex readings, or to give the querent a choice of which card resonates more with them.  They can also be read somewhat differently: what associations do you have to an opulently dressed warlord, as opposed to a gentle-looking man carrying a farm tool?

Having asked for the Lord and Lady/Man and Woman to be painted as though looking at one another across the doorways of their respective homes, one of the delightful touches which Will Worthington came up with was to actually paint each couple as a single image!  So, when placed together (and I'm hoping the deck will be printed borderless), it will be obvious that the two are in the same place, that they are two halves of a whole.  Whether that is taken in terms of a relationship, or in terms of the masculine and feminine sides of our personality will depend on the reading.  And of course, the cards could still fall so that they are back to back... 

©C. McCracken & W. Worthington

The directionality of the cards is an interesting question in the world of Lenormand.  Different people give importance to the directionality of some cards, but not of others.  For example, while the system I follow gives importance to which way the blade of the Scythe is pointing, it doesn't examine which way the Rider is looking, just the position of the card in relation to the question.  Some people interpret the direction in which the Court cards face in the playing card inserts, while others ignore it, and many decks don't have playing card inserts, nor any reference to them at all.  The Celtic Lenormand will be a halfway house between those two approaches to the Court cards, but that's a story for another day...

Ostara Blog Hop

©McCracken & Worthington

The Wheel is turning, as it always does, and so we come to Ostara, Easter, or the Spring Equinox: time for another Tarot Blog Hop.  Welcome to those popping in from New Paths Tarot, and if you found your way here by another route, you might think about heading back there.  Otherwise, the path forward is signposted at the bottom of this article, or you can get an overview from the master list.

Morgan Drake Eckstein, our wrangler, suggested that at this time we think about the dance between dark and light, and the ambivalence that we have about cards and their different meanings, their light and dark poles.

Although Yule is seen in pagan terms as the point when the Sun is reborn, and the Oak King once again begins to come to prominence, that isn't when I really feel the return of the light.  Yule is the darkest time of Winter, after all.  And though it is when the hours of daylight gradually begin to increase again, I notice more the turning point of the Spring Equinox (or thereabouts, depending on your geographical location), when the hours of daylight finally overtake the hours of darkness.  For me, this is far more the time to celebrate the Greenman, the Oak King, the rebirth of vegetation and light and warmth.  This is when light reasserts itself over darkness, and growth is to be seen in fields and woods.

The Lily card is a lovely representation of this, and the card I chose to mark this sabat in the Celtic Lenormand deck.  Lilies are perennials that live as bulbs in the earth during the winter months, starting to peek their heads out again when spring comes.  It indicates new, green growth after the dark of winter.  And though it is just a small beginning, it is found in the woods where grand, old trees show the more powerful face of the Greenman.

In Lenormand terms, the Lily is also a card of quite ambivalent meanings, fitting once again with the theme of this blog hop!  It is a card that varies considerably: from passion to purity; from sexuality to harmony; from an older man (supported by the playing card association with the King of Spades) to an older woman to elderly people in general.  How we interpret it in a given reading will depend on a lot of factors: what card combinations it forms; what the question is; where the card falls...  As is so often the case in divinataion, it's a delightful dance of intuition and learning.

Hopefully, you've enjoyed this peek at another card from the Celtic Lenormand.  Next stop on the blog hop is with Shonna at the Ace of Stars Tarot blog!

Woman or Lady?

©McCracken & Worthington

More and more new decks offer several different Lady/Woman cards to choose from.  Whether you want to use them for same sex readings (not necessary, but an option), or simply decide which chimes most with you or your querent, I think these are interesting cards to have. 

There can be many reasons why one card might feel more relevant to us or our querents.  For example, in the Postmark Lenormand Melissa Hill chose to put different ethnicities on the optional Man and Woman cards.  Carrie Paris and Roz Foster offered historical delights, with Napoleon and Josephine as one possible couple in the Lenormand Revolution.  Ciro Marchetti also offers two versions of the Man and Woman cards in his Gilded Reverie Lenormand (soon to be released by US Games in a mass market edition!), one set more pensive, the other more up-front and personal, both beautiful!  The Shabby Chicness Lenormand offers multiple versions, from business-like to casual to famous :)

Given the Celtic Lenormand's theme of being based in the past of Celtic Brittany, having different ethnicities wasn't really an option.  Instead, I decided to go with a more activity-based differentiation - one more of a craftsperson or worker, one more of a leader or socialite. 

©McCracken & Worthington

If you choose to leave both cards in when doing a reading, having the first come up (shown above) might suggest what is going on around your work-life.  Or if you are a white collar worker, perhaps it would show the influences around your craft-based hobbies or your family and home-life.  If the second came up (shown right), then that might indicate what is going on in your business, social or spiritual life.

If you are reading for a same-sex couple, you can decide which card resonates more with each partner, to quickly find them in the spread.  And you can always choose to just use whichever card feels most appropriate to the person having the reading, which might even change from one reading to another for the same person!

I'd love to hear if you have used any decks with multiple people cards.  What do you make of them, do you use them, and how do you choose?