First of all, eagle-eyed readers will notice that this post is up on Saturday instead of the usual Tuesday. Yeah. It’s the usual problem. I got busy again. Two huge projects. Two tight deadlines. I actually remembered, guys. Then I freaking forgot. We had a Turtleduck meeting this afternoon and I had a brainwave. “Wait…is this third week of the month? Did I do my blog post? I DIDN’T DO MY FREAKING BLOG POST! CRAP!” So here we are, 7:35 pm on Saturday, with my blog post. At least I didn’t skip it altogether, I guess. And you aren’t missing the knowledge I am about to impart to you today.
So I’m pretty deep into Lenormand. If you recall from previous blog posts, it’s similar (and quite different) to Tarot in that they’re cards with pictures on them that you read. Thirty-six of them. The pictures are more simplistic and the method is completely different and quite complex. So I’ve been learning it now for almost six months. (Has it been that long? It feels longer). So anyway, there’s this one card that’s scary as hell: The Scythe. In some decks, like my first deck, it’s pictured with the Grim Reaper (pictured at left – small so no one has a heart attack). Yikes! The meanings are pretty scary too: a cutting, an ending, swift, quick decision, harvesting, final. So predictably, most readers, including me, get really jacked up when this card comes up in their spreads. I’ve gotten it A LOT, guys. But the thing about this card is that it depends on a lot of factors. It’s not always dire. Like, with daily draws – general card drawings I do at the beginning of my day to see how my day is going to go – if I were to get The Scythe (I haven’t yet, actually), it isn’t an earth-scattering thing. We’re talking one whole day here. Scythe can literally mean a paper cut. Now, in a love spread, it could mean a break up or separation. I’ve read that any kind of separation related by The Scythe card is usually permanent. Which of course ups the yikes factor in some cases.
But in some spreads, it can simply mean something is done suddenly or quickly. End of story. Or harvesting, although that’s more literal. A lot of readers like to water down their readings and are like, “You need to harvest such and such….” when really it’s a cutting. I’ve heard professionals say time and again that this is just not right. Harvesting is a very rare meaning. (I’ll admit to using this a lot when I started, probably out of fear).
So what can we learn from this card? Well, short of removing it from the deck, this sucker’s going to pop up eventually. And life is like that too – you can’t just remove the ugly parts, the scary parts, can you? This isn’t fantasy. Life is messy, visceral, tough, bloody, sad, scary. You have to face it. Just like whenever I throw a spread and that Scythe comes up, I have to lay it down. There’s a reason it’s there. Spirit wants me to see it. To put it back would disrespect and change the message I am receiving, right?
And in life, you have to roll with it. You can’t put stuff back that is scary or you don’t particularly want to see. You can avoid it, you can refuse to acknowledge it, but it’ll always come back. Like bad pennies. So as much as that card gives me the creeps, it stays in my deck and when it pops up in a reading, I face the sucker head on and see what message it has to relay to me. Sometimes it crappy news. (Usually it is.) Lenormand is known for its brutal, very sassy approach to answering questions. It’s really not for the faint of heart. I like it because that’s how I am – I am not the type to sugarcoat stuff and I can be very blunt. So we get on great.
So the next time you’re facing something scary, think of this: WWTSCTMTD? What Would The Scythe Card Tell Me To Do?