New to Lenormand

[Ioldanach]

Hello,

I've only recently started learning Lenormand, and right now I'm memorizing the numbers and the cards, for example 1 is Rider, 2 is Clover...all that.
What I don't understand is "why?"

Why am I doing this? I mean, there will be a picture of a Rider, some Clover...all that on every card. Why am I memorizing the numbers associated with each card?

Thanks,
~I.

[Charlie Brown]

Who told you you have to do that? It doesn't seem especially necessary to me. The numbers really only ever come in if you 1) use houses, which is kind of an advanced technique that lots of high skill readers don't even necessarily think much of or 2) use them to calculate quintessence cards in which case, a) you don't have to memorize the numbers, just look at them and b) quints in lenormand is, in my opinion, ridiculous.

[Ioldanach]

Who told you you have to do that?

Here ye go:
https://www.divinewhispers.net/apps/blog/show/21190215

[Charlie Brown]

Well, reading a GT is pretty heavy work and your link says that reading a GT is what knowing the numbers is good for. I'm sure she must be teaching houses. In any case, it doesn't strike me as a good use of time when you're just learning. You'll probably learn most of it unconsciously after doing lines and boxes for awhile.

[Grizabella]

It's the playing cards that I've not even tried to learn yet. I will maybe, but not at this time. The numbers on the cards---1 thru 36 in most decks---I just learned along with the names of the pictures on each card without making it a "I have to learn these" very conscious thing, if that makes sense. For me, it's the playing cards printed on the cards that I haven't relied on at this point, but I do understand how that's a little boost to the intuition when reading.

Your question is why do we need to know the numbers and I think that will be more clear to you as you go along. When doing a Grand Tableau with Houses or following the chain of cards in a Grand Tableau, then it just kind of simplifies the process, I think. If you're using an unfamiliar version of the cards, just seeing the number on each card will quickly translate into which image you've learned and you won't have to waste time trying to understand an unfamiliar image. One of the characteristics of Lenormand reading is being able to quickly recognize each card on first look. Of course, we go on to learn many other correspondences over the time we use the cards but that first look and immediate recognition of what's in the spread is still very important.

Coming back to say that I love the Grand Tableau and also the Grand Tableau with Houses. Those are what I use the most. I also sometimes follow the chain of cards in the GT. I think all readers of Lenormand just find their comfort level and I know there are many like me who use GT happily and love it.