Square of Nine: the serious Lenormand reading
The Square of Nine is the most complete Lenormand reading you can do without laying out all thirty-six cards. Nine cards in three rows of three: the top row is the past, the middle row the present, the bottom row the future. The centre card is at once the person asking and the question, and all the others are read in relation to it.
Write your question, shuffle and draw: the nine cards come from a thirty-six-card deck shuffled there and then, and the reading appears written out on the spot, row by row and then the whole square. It is free and needs no sign-up.
How the cards are laid out
What each position means
The root
The past, on the left — where the matter began.
What marked it
The past in the centre, the event that left its mark.
What remains of it
The past on the right, what still drags on to this day.
What pulls
The present, on the left — the force that holds you or draws you in.
The heart of the matter
The centre card, which is at once the person asking and the matter. Everything is read from it.
What pushes
The present, on the right — the force that moves things forward.
What is being prepared
The future, on the left — what is already taking shape.
What happens
The future in the centre, the main event to come.
Where it settles
The future on the right, the point of arrival.
When to use the Square of Nine
For matters that weigh heavily and deserve time: a relationship at a standstill, a change of job, a family question with many twists and turns. It is the spread closest to the Grand Tableau of all thirty-six cards, without its size.
For quick questions, Three Cards or Five Cards are enough. The Square of Nine is for when you want the full picture.
How to read the Square of Nine
Read the rows first, from top to bottom: past, present, future. Then the columns, which show the same theme running through time — the left-hand one, for example, links the root to what pulls and to what is being prepared. Then the diagonals, which cross through the centre and link the past to the future.
The centre rules everything. A person card in the centre — the Man, the Woman, the Child — puts that person at the heart of the question; a card for a thing, such as the House or the Key, puts that matter there. The four cards touching the centre are the ones that change it most.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards are there in the Square of Nine?
Nine, in three rows of three. The centre card is the most important.
What is the difference between the Square of Nine and the Grand Tableau?
The Grand Tableau lays out all thirty-six cards and reads a whole life; the Square of Nine focuses on one question with nine cards. It is quicker to do and to read, and very precise.
How are the diagonals read in the Square of Nine?
The two diagonals cross in the centre and link one corner of the past to one corner of the future. They show the lines of force running through the question from end to end.
See a sample report for this spread (PDF)
No sign-up · Reading written on the spot · Free