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THE CARTOMANCER

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WHAT TO DO WITH LITERALNESS

WHAT TO DO WITH LITERALNESS

Last updated on: August 25, 2018 at 6:42 pm by Camelia Elias

WHAT TO DO WITH LITERALNESS 2018-08-25T18:42:08+02:00 Camelia Elias

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Bamse, the Bear, and Frigg (Photo: Camelia Elias)

Last night I had dinner with friends on top of the mountain. The lady of the house has a very tiny dog, while her partner has a very large dog. Both dogs kept very close to their humans, and although the large dog allows me to kiss him when he’s visiting me, in his own house, he was ready to bite me.

No one comes near his human, or the large mutton ham on the bone on the table. To avert the challenge and real danger, I quickly got the cards out of my bag, and we started having fun.

After several sets of Marseille cards and the spookiness of their precision that was more dangerous than the dog’s entitlement, the Lenormand cards fell on the table.

Her cards were clear: Woman, Mountain, Man.

lenormand

The Lenormand Oracle: Kohlmann & Volkamer, Leipzig 1982 (Photo, Camelia Elias)

Hmm. Here we were with the literalness of this image. Leave it to that, or say more?

His cards as part of the grand tableau: Man, Bear, Ring.

The Lenormand Oracle: Kohlmann & Volkamer, Leipzig 1982 (Photo, Camelia Elias)

Also here, truth on the table. Leave it there, or say more?

The special status of the obvious is that it needs no further explanation.

But on occasion, the obvious needs defending.

In acknowledging that things are as they are, there’s humility.

This humility can extend to the joy of playing detective: Is there more? A diviner always wants to know that. If she didn’t, how is she to exercise the art of compassion, and offer wisdom?

Some like to argue that the Lenormand cards are more literal than the Marseille. This is, of course, nonsense.

All cards can show a level of literalness that goes beyond the need for further explanation.

What’s interesting is what you do with this literalness, how you take it to the investigative realm so that your reading acquires a fascinating and interesting aspect, and finally, how you allow for the literalness of the situation to speak the language of wisdom.

If you must say, ‘yes, but’, when the literal hits you, you must also be prepared to explain without offense, defense, or general rhetoric that you put on the table for the sake of letting words sing the song of eloquence.

As with everything, balance is the key. Or else, you never know when the dog that kisses you is also ready to bite your head off.

Photo: Camelia Elias

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The Lenormand Foundation Course opens for registration on Monday, August 27. Class starts on September 8. Hop on board and learn more about the Lenormand cards. Stay tuned for the call.

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IN A LEAGUE OF YOUR OWN

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August 31, 2018 The problem with deciding for decision's sake

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