Nip, Nip, Nip

I decided to bring something special to the blog today. I did write about this deck some years back, but in those days, I always ended up deleting my blogs and starting new ones, so it disappeared amongst all of that. It is called The Illustrative Lenormand Oracle by Judith A. Johnston, a good friend of mine. As far as I am aware, there are only two copies, mine and hers, so I am very honoured to own one of them. It arrived in it's very own tuck box with a beautifully hand-embroidered bag and hand-bound book. To say I was overcome when I opened the package is an understatement. It's one of the most special sets in my collection, since I watched the project and hard work unfold through email conversation and attachment.




Even though decorative and beautiful, the cards have an ever-so-slightly masculine edge to them which I like. It might be that they are bordered in a boyish blue that makes it feel this way for me. There is a wonderful juxtaposition of bold images in the foreground with more intricate and refined illustration behind. It's an interesting deck because it has a very modern and punchy outlook, but with an antiquated mood running throughout. The artist has a wonderful eye for both colour and placement.

For today, I have drawn The Owl (or Birds), The Tower, and The Dog. I haven't worked with a Lenormand deck for some time so I am a bit rusty with interpretation, but I always used to look at the bird as a bad omen. I saw him as being nit-picky and gossipy, tearing apart at his prey in small nips. This made me think about yesterday's post. I love my friends with all of my heart, but in not giving one of them what she probably wanted, I wonder if I come under any criticism. Connected with the other cards, this could be the case, since we have the dog at the end of the line, regarding friendship and faithfulness. Is it him that the owl is picking away at? The Tower is an old structure and sometimes hints at things from the past. I wonder if when connected to The Dog, it suggests this old friend. I am not too worried about this as I think that keeping out of the squabbles as much as I can is the right thing for me to do.

My father is going into hospital for an operation today. As with before, he had to get up at 7am and wait for a phone call, letting him know that a bed is ready. It is now 1am and he hasn't had the phone call and isn't allowed to eat or drink. Bless my mum, who has also not eaten or drunk anything either, so he is not alone in his fasting. He is expecting to stay there this evening and recuperate after it's all over. I should think it will all be okay, but I do worry all the same.


Illustrations from The Illustrative Lenornand by Judith A. Johnston