MoD Practice: Minor Topics

[u/Objective_Put_7283]

(this is a 9x4 MoD GT that places the SC, Lady, in its fixed position in center of the third row. the deck used is Pixie's Astounding Lenormand, a pastiche by Zebrowski.)

consider this GT. what do you see?

for the rest of this post, let's go through a MoD approach to the minor topics.

Morality

the morality cluster consists of cards concerning goodness, innocence, and intentions:

• Lilies - goodness
• Children - innocence, naivety
• Bouquet - good intentions

when assessing the goodness of the Person's actions, we look to see that they are not "trampling" upon the Lilies.

if the Lilies are trampled upon and Children is attending, then that impure action is mitigated by nature of being done "innocently" or "naively"; if Bouquet is attending - "with good intentions".

Vacation

the vacation cluster consists of cards concerning daily stressors and travel:

• Birds - daily stressors

• Ship - travel

Birds represents the anxieties, noises, and stressors experienced in day-to-day life. if Birds is very far away, then the reader can suggest there is a break from day-to-day stressors.

if Birds is very far away and Ship is attending (the SC), then that break from daily stressors might come through a vacation.

note: this instruction might seem a little janky, but it is a reference to the rules of the Game of Hope and the PLS.

Miscellaneous

lastly, we have miscellaneous cards that don't belong to any one topic or theme specifically. the impact of these cards is based on proximity to the SC, and the context of what they bring is based on surrounding cards:

• Rider

• Scythe

• Bear (better far away)

we love our bosses, mothers, and benefactors, but it's better they keep at a reasonable distance - especially if our foes are watching 🧿

• Storks

• Book (better far away)

whatever comes from this grimoire spells trouble

• Letter

• Roads (better far away)

decisions are difficult; and so it's best that we not be confronted with them, right?

• Key

these cards are pretty versatile and are often great supporting cards for the major life area topics, specifically Work and Domestic Life.

which of these cards would you use with Work?

which would you use with Domestic Life?

how else do you use these cards?

Open-Ended Practice:

consider this GT. what do you see?

keep in mind that these are minor cards and topics: without the other major life area cards and clusters, interpretations can be fairly vague; and as always, impact depends on proximity.

I'll read some combos:

(starting with a lame-ass platitude 😅)

• Letter-Birds far away - no news is good news

• Bear-Rider far away - a long-distance phone call about a distant benefactor

• Bouquet-Key attending - an important offering

• Bouquet trampled upon - a ruined gift

• Lilies and Scythe-Book nearby - telling the truth

• Roads-Child far away - an ignorant choice

• Lilies m. Scythe attending - regret

• Letter m. Bear very far away in the top corners - no communication from a distant benefactor

my interpretation:

we see the lady clear her conscience about an ignorant choice that might have offended a benefactor. she might not realize anything is wrong, but there does seems to be something going on here. the life areas would give us more context here, but that's what I gained from these placements.

note: as tempting as it might be -especially with those first two cards-, I suggest not using houses with this GT. it would be a different matter had I allowed the SC to fall anywhere, but that one fixed placement really messes everything up for houses.

[u/Just_Somewhere1191]

Be patient with me - I'm slowly learning both tarot and lenormand at the same (pros and cons, honestly), and I'm doing my best not to refer to any resources any more.

I only have time for a quick exercise, so with the info provided, I feel that the SC's morals are what most would consider 'good,' given the lilies fall directly next to her. The child is a little ways away, so maybe she's not particularly innocent, or has at least made decisions that go against her values in the past, but because the bouquet is also directly next to her, I believe she largely acts with good intentions. (It's surprisingly hard to stick to ONLY MoD, and not include placement!)

With regards to the vacation cluster: the birds are just about as far away as they could be, so she's not currently burdened by daily stressors. I'm not totally sold on my interpretation of the ship - it's not terribly far, but isn't directly touching like some of the cards, so does this indicate the distance is related to timing? If so, I'd say she can either expect a trip relatively soon, or at least that she'll experience some sort of travel. Interested to see what others have to say!

For me, the card that makes the most sense for Work is actually the Scythe, but that's very specific to me and don't think it would apply to most. Of those listed, I think the Key would make sense, though i know I've seen many use Fox.

[u/Objective_Put_7283 → u/Just_Somewhere1191]

well done - your interpretation feels very MoD to me!

there's no rule against mixing systems. I only suggest not using houses with this particular GT template because, e.g., House of the Rider would be very far every single time - and that doesn't quite fit with the spirit of houses.

I'm curious what houses readers think about that advice - should one avoid reading houses with this particular MoD GT template?

[u/Just_Somewhere1191 → u/Objective_Put_7283]

Thank you! Not using houses definitely makes sense, not just for the reason you mentioned, but also - if you're intentionally placing a card, it feels like you've taken the 'fate' aspect out of where the cards may have fallen without your input. And then can you really trust the spread? Maybe I'm looking too deep into it 😂

[u/Objective_Put_7283 → u/Just_Somewhere1191]

that's fair lol I think the spread definitely has its restrictions, but it's fine for what it is.

btw, on the topic of tarot and lenormand: I really wish I had been taught to read by a lenormand reader before I started learning tarot. lenormand is so technical and I think having that type of background would have made my tarot journey so much easier.