“Let the future follow your wishes.”
–Words spoken by fortune-tellers before giving coffee ground readings

In 2012 I attended an informative talk by author  Mary K. Greer  covering the historical origins of the  petit Lenormand  deck. The talk, held at the always fun  Bay Area Tarot Symposium  gave an overview of the petit Lenormand deck with its 36 divination cards dating back to the mid-19^thcentury. What caught my attention was the discovery of where some of the deck’s symbols may have originated.

Part of Mary’s research connected and paired symbols found in Tessomancy, or fortune-telling by coffee grounds, to several of the symbols found in the petit Lenormand deck. A detailed account of Mary’s recent discoveries can be found on her  blog,  or by downloading her excellent online webinar through Global Spiritual Studies.  In addition, Mary, along with Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin of  Tarot Professionals have published a wonderful book from Mary’s research called the  English Lenormand.

This casting sheet is inspired by Mary’s findings and offers a pictorial-graph of 36 coffee cups each brewing a Lenormand card symbol. The cups borrow their positions from a layout known to many in the Lenormand community as reading the Houses, where 36 cards are placed in numerical order and used for an additional layer of meaning in a spread called the Grand Tableau, or big picture.

Below is a non-traditional take on reading the house system. It suggests we read each house or position as individual homes— though in this case I have converted the houses into coffee cups.

When a charm lands on a cup it begins a conversation between the two symbols and distills them into a unified meaning.  If more than one charm lands on a cup it will simply encourage more dialogue, and when your charm and cup match, it amplifies the meaning of the two and invites extra focus.  For example if the Garden charm, which points to social gatherings, lands in the house of the Garden it could indicate a rather large gathering, or the possibility of more than one social engagement.

The idea is to view each position as 36 individual homes that your charms will visit. Each house will present a style and character that is somewhat unique. Take some time to observe the habitat, its inhabitants and the impression they leave on your charms.

Here’s how it works:

Take a moment to develop your question. The clearer the question, the clearer the answer.

Cast your charms over the casting sheet and watch where they land.  Each charm will land on a cup, or in some cases very near it.  Wherever a charm lands will hold specific meaning.  For example, there are several variations of reading the meaning of your charm’s location on, near or around a cup.  This casting sheet adopts an Arabic Tessomany method:

When the majority of the grounds gather at the bottom of the cup, it will indicate that certain events are based in the future. Grounds that gather in the middle of the cup or along the sides, reveal events coming up one month from the day of your reading, while grounds closer to the rim point to the present. Grounds that settle close to the handle are used to expect occurrences in your home life.

An easy way to warm up to the house system is to think of your charms as house-guests who, through conversation are influenced by the house they land on.  Let’s take the example of the visiting charm which is known as the Ring; this charm is involved with engagements, agreements, contracts, and often viewed as something round, or things that go in circles. When this charm lands in the house of the Ship, it may point to a future overseas engagement, or perhaps a trip around the world. The Ship charm is associated with travel, overseas business and transitions.

Invite each charm to stay as you would a house-guest. Encourage your guest to share their story giving a listening ear to what they have to say. In doing so you are linking the dialogue between two symbols— possibly more. In time you will notice that some guests are very welcoming company, particularly for their sage-like advice, while others may appear to be the dreaded guest that never seems to leave. Either way, look deeply into every visit for insights and clues, or how they might be relevant to your situation.

So, now why don’t you try it? Brew a pot of rich Arabic coffee and get yourself in the mood for some charm casting. Use some of the Magpie Oracle keywords to get your conversation going and let the future follow your wishes.