The principle: cards talk to each other
A single Lenormand card is a word – only the combination turns it into a sentence. The basic recipe from Britta's textbooks: the main card names the theme, the neighbouring card describes it in more detail. The Rider brings a message; if the Heart lies next to it, it's a message of love; if the Clouds lie next to it, the message remains unclear or raises questions.
Add to that three craft rules: person cards (Man, Woman, Rider, Bear …) show who it's about. Serious cards colour their surroundings – the same card can shine next to the Sun and stall next to the Coffin. And the direction of gaze of the person cards decides which cards describe their future and which their past.
108 combinations from Britta's textbooks
These interpretations come straight from Britta's books – each main card links to its detailed lexicon page:
| Combination | Britta's Interpretation |
|---|---|
| Anchor + person card | In this context, it often refers to someone from abroad – or to deeply rooted, well-grounded personalities. |
| Anchor vs. Ship | Britta's important distinction: the Ship means a short journey within your own country, the Anchor a long journey and foreign lands. |
| Anchor + emotion cards | Feelings with depth: these emotions and bonds reach deep and are lasting – stability you can build on. |
| Tree + person cards | Person cards next to the Tree indicate family members: the Snake the mother, the Bear the father, the Dog the brother, the Child your own child or a younger sister. |
| Tree + Whip | The Whip next to the Tree points to family disputes – tensions in your closest circle want to be resolved. |
| Tree as a future card | In a reading line, the Tree says: this matter will come your way with certainty – count on it firmly, even if it may take 9 to 12 months. |
| Mountain + Moon | This combination points to blockages in your emotional life – emotions are frozen and want to be thawed gently. |
| Letter + Mountain | A burdensome message: mail or news that sits heavily – examine it calmly before you react. |
| Mountain between person cards | A mountain between people inhibits all communication – a wall currently stands between these people. |
| Heart + Bouquet + Ring | The most beautiful constellation in the textbook: a love marriage. Love, joy and commitment come together here. |
| Bouquet + Fish | Luck meets money: this combination can indicate winnings and a financial windfall – gambling also belongs to this sphere. |
| Bouquet + negative card | The Bouquet softens and transforms: bad things turn out well again, and unpleasant matters develop to your happiness and advantage. |
| Letter + Sun | A positive message reaches you – good news you can look forward to. |
| Letter + Mountain | A burdensome message: the news sits heavily. Read it calmly and don't react rashly. |
| Letter vs. Rider | Not a combination, but Britta's most important distinction: the Letter stands for written contact, the Rider for the spoken word. |
| Book + person card | This person is keeping secrets or concealing things from you, consciously or unconsciously – give them time to open up. |
| Tower + Book | The clear study advice from the textbook: pursue further education and gather additional knowledge – it will pay off professionally. |
| Book + Moon | Here the feelings themselves are not yet clear: someone is not yet aware of their own emotions. |
| Bear + Tree | Next to the family card Tree, this refers to an older person from the family circle – such as a father, grandfather or uncle. |
| Bear + Whip + Garden | This combination can point to professions such as judges and lawyers – authority, dispute and the public sphere in one picture. |
| Bear in an advice line | When the Bear appears in a reading line, it often points to a person from whom advice or help can be obtained – make use of this offer. |
| Fish + Clover or Bouquet | Winnings and a windfall – gambling also belongs to this sphere. Fortune is smiling on your finances. |
| Fish + Mice or Coffin | Great caution: now is the time to review your expenses especially carefully – losses loom, or something is eating away at your savings. |
| Fish + Tower | Money meets work: salary questions, fees or the company's finances move into focus. |
| Woman + surrounding cards | Looking at the cards adjacent on all sides reveals the person's current state – her qualities and her outlook on life. |
| Woman + Stork + Clover | The textbook example: this woman is changing to her advantage – a fortunate transformation is at hand. |
| Woman + Heart + Man + Clouds | Love connects the two – but uncertainties cloud the relationship. A clarifying conversation brings the light back. |
| Fox + positive card | Here the Fox shows its bright side: shrewdness, intelligence and considered action lead you to your goal. |
| Fox + negative card or person card | Now the interpretation tips: cunning, deviousness and guile – someone may not be dealing honestly with you. |
| Ship + Fox | The Fox urges caution when travelling: keep an eye on bookings, luggage and all-too-tempting offers along the way. |
| Tower + Garden | Work or a building in the public sphere: government offices and public institutions come into the picture. |
| Garden + Mice | Here the shadow side shows itself: fears of not meeting society's expectations, or the feeling of being at the mercy of the public. |
| Bear + Whip + Garden | This combination can point to legal professions such as judges and lawyers – authority in the public sphere. |
| House + Stork | The most important combination in the textbook: a change in the domestic sphere is on the horizon – such as a move or a renovation. |
| House + Rider | Conversations take place at home. If the Sun joins in (House + Rider + Sun), these conversations go successfully – an example straight from Britta's textbook. |
| House + person card | The person in question belongs to your close domestic circle or will soon come to your house. |
| Heart + Bouquet + Ring | The most beautiful constellation in the textbook: a love marriage – love, happiness and firm commitment united. |
| Heart + Key or Lily | In Britta's interpretation, feeling becomes lived intimacy: this combination stands for the act of love itself. |
| Woman + Heart + Man + Clouds | A practice spread from the textbook: love stands between two people – but uncertainties cloud the connection and want to be cleared up. |
| Dog + Tree | Next to the family card Tree, the Dog points to a brother or a young man from the family circle. |
| Dog + older person card | The older person seems youthful and appears younger than they actually are – the Dog lends a youthful aura. |
| Dog + positive cards | A loyal friend or lover shows his best side – loyalty you can build on. |
| Man + Child | According to Britta's textbook, this combination can point to a younger mistress – a warning sign that makes a look at the other cards worthwhile. |
| Stork + Lily + Key + Child | The great constellation for a possible pregnancy – change, sensuality, consummation and child come together. |
| Tree + Child | Next to the family card Tree, the Child stands for your own child or a younger sister – new additions to the family come into the picture. |
| Clover at the end of a row | The matter takes a pleasant turn and ends well – even if the cards before it looked difficult. As Britta says: everything will be all right again. |
| Clover + Scythe | Caution: if the Clover lies directly before the Scythe, it means "the luck ends" – a happy phase is suddenly interrupted. |
| Mice + Coffin + Clover | An example from the textbook: an illness or burden is present – but fortunately it turns out well again. |
| Cross + cards to its right | The special feature of this card: whatever lies to the right of the Cross may be interpreted as a future event – a glimpse ahead. |
| Mice + Cross | This combination stands for anxieties about the future – worry about what may come gnaws at you and wants to be answered with confidence. |
| Cross + positive cards | Faith and hope are rewarded: the future holds good things – trust the path you are walking. |
| Lily + person card | This is a sexually active or attractive person – someone with charisma and charm. |
| Lily + Key | Stimulation becomes action: in Britta's interpretation, this combination stands for the act of love itself. |
| Lily + negative card | Now the meaning tips: instead of stimulation, agitation and hectic activity prevail – time to shift down a gear. |
| Man + surrounding cards | Britta advises: consider all the reading lines extending from this person card. The adjacent cards show his current state, qualities and outlook on life. |
| Woman + Heart + Man | Love lies between the partners – a beautiful sign for the connection between the two. |
| Man + Child | According to the textbook, this combination can point to a younger mistress – a look at the rest of the spread brings clarity. |
| Mountain + Moon | Blockages in your emotional life: the emotions are as if frozen and want to be released gently. |
| Book + Moon | Someone is not yet aware of their feelings – the heart knows more than the head has admitted so far. |
| Moon + Stars | The two cards reinforce each other: feelings and the state of the soul come to the fore particularly strongly. |
| Mice + Coffin | Directly next to each other, these cards point – according to Britta's tip – to a possible stomach or intestinal illness: two warning cards concerning the body. |
| Mice + Cross | This combination stands for anxieties about the future – the worry about what may come gnaws at you. |
| Mice + Stars | Depression, sorrow and emotional imbalance – a clear signal to take good care of your soul. |
| Rider + Whip | A harmless conversation turns into an argument. The Whip brings trouble and harsh words into the contact – weigh your answers carefully. |
| House + Rider + Sun | An example from Britta's textbook: conversations take place at home – and they go successfully. The Sun at the end lets the conversation end well. |
| Rider + positive cards | If the neighbouring cards are friendly, the conversations and contacts go positively too. You recognise the person concerned by the surrounding cards. |
| Ring + Heart | The classic combination: love and commitment come together – a partnership with depth and dedication. |
| Ring + Sun | A successful union of any kind – whether marriage or contract, this bond stands under a lucky star. |
| Ring + Tower | This combination can point to an employment contract – a professional bond is being sealed. |
| Whip + person card | All person cards in combination with the Whip are considered particularly quarrelsome and aggressive – this person is not easy to deal with right now. |
| Tree + Whip | Next to the family card Tree, the Whip points to family disputes – tensions in your closest circle. |
| Rider + Whip | Conversations turn into arguments: a contact or discussion becomes heated and contentious. |
| Mice + Coffin | Directly next to each other, these cards point – according to Britta's tip – to a possible stomach or intestinal illness: two negative cards that emphasise the theme of health. |
| Mice + Coffin + Clover | The textbook example for encouragement: an illness or burden is present, but fortunately it turns out well again. |
| Coffin at the end of a row | The theme of the row persists to the very end – a marriage lasts until death, a friendship until the end of life, but an illness, too, is not shaken off so quickly. |
| Ship + Tower | The Tower is Britta's work card: together with the Ship, it indicates travel – you are on the road a lot for work. |
| Ship + Clover, Bouquet or Sun | These luck cards cast the journey in a positive light: the outing or trip will be pleasant and enjoyable. |
| Ship + Fox | The Fox urges caution when travelling – check offers carefully and keep an eye on your belongings. |
| Snake + negative card | Here the Snake can become a rival, a competitor or an ex-wife whose influence still burdens the current relationship. |
| Tree + Snake | Next to the Tree, the family card, the Snake stands for the mother – or a motherly woman from the family circle. |
| Snake + positive cards | Then her finest side shows: a wise, experienced confidante whose advice is of great use to you. |
| Key + Heart or Lily | Feeling and allure become action: this combination stands for the act of love itself. |
| Stork + Lily + Key + Child | The great constellation that can indicate a pregnancy – the Key brings the act into the picture. |
| Key + task cards | Activities connected with the Key are not merely considered, but carried out – now something really gets done. |
| Clover + Scythe | If the Clover lies before the Scythe, the luck ends – a happy phase is abruptly interrupted. A warning straight from the textbook. |
| Scythe + person card | The person in question has an assertive, dominant character – for better and for the more strenuous. |
| Position of the Scythe | Depending on its position in the combination, the Scythe expresses a sudden beginning or a sudden ending – look closely at where it falls. |
| Sun at the end of a row | The matter in question comes to a good and successful end – a radiant conclusion. |
| Ring + Sun | A successful union of any kind – marriage, partnership or contract stand under a lucky star. |
| Letter + Sun | A positive message reaches you – good news, in black and white. |
| Stars + Mice | A serious combination: it indicates depression, unfulfilled longings or the danger of losing touch with reality. |
| Moon + Stars | The two cards reinforce each other – feelings and the state of the soul are emphasised particularly strongly. |
| Stars + career cards | With a corresponding connecting card, the Stars point to spiritual paths – from esoteric professions to the arts. |
| House + Stork | The important constellation from the textbook: a change in the domestic sphere – such as a move or a renovation. |
| Woman + Stork + Clover | Britta's practice example: this woman is changing to her advantage – the Clover makes the transformation a happy one. |
| Stork + Lily + Key + Child | In this great constellation, a pregnancy may be announced – the Stork lives up to its reputation. |
| Tower + Garden | Work or a building in the public sphere – government offices or other public buildings come into the picture. |
| Tower + Book | The clear advice from the textbook: you should pursue further education and gather additional knowledge – learning pays off now. |
| Tower + Ring | This combination can point to an employment contract – a professional bond is being sealed. |
| Birds + Clouds | Worries meet uncertainty: you are brooding over something still shrouded in fog. First gain clarity, then think further – that's how the knot unravels. |
| Birds + person card | The person in question is a brooding character, tends towards melancholy and is often preoccupied with their thoughts. |
| Birds + positive cards | The effort pays off: your exertion changes the situation to your advantage – the worries prove to be temporary. |
| Clouds + Crossroads | The classic combination: a decision is pending, but the situation is unclear. First lift the fog, then choose the direction. |
| Crossroads + positive cards | The new path leads in a good direction – you may trust the route you have taken. |
| Ring + Clouds + Rider + Whip | A practice example from the textbook: uncertainty reigns in a partnership, conversations turn into arguments – wise choices in how you treat each other are needed here. |
| Clouds + Crossroads | The classic combination from the textbook: a decision is pending, but the path is unclear. Take your time before committing to a direction. |
| Clouds at the end of a row | Here the Clouds reverse their meaning: something is dissolving again – confusion and worries disperse like fog in the morning sun. |
| Birds + Clouds | Worries and brooding meet uncertainty: you are racking your brains over something you cannot yet see clearly. First create clarity, then decide. |
How to practise combinations
Draw two cards and form a sentence out loud: "[Card 1] means …, and [Card 2] turns that into …". Only once two-card combinations flow easily, add a third. The online training is built in exactly the same way: over 1,000 interpretation exercises, from pairs to the advice line – with instant solutions following Britta's method.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you interpret Lenormand combinations?
The main card names the theme, the neighbouring card describes it in more detail – like noun and adjective. Example: Rider (message) + Heart (love) = a message of love.
Which card is the main card?
For a specific question, the card that corresponds to the theme (the Heart for love questions, the Fish for money questions). In spreads, the position your question relates to.
Do I have to memorise all the combinations?
No. Once you have mastered the 36 basic meanings and understood the principle of main card + description, you can work out any combination yourself. The examples here are practice material, not a vocabulary book.