The Crossroads: meaning of Lenormand card 22

The card at a glance

The image on the card

In the Sol da Alma Lenormand, the Crossroads is a broad valley of green hills and golden fields, seen from above in the late afternoon. A pale dirt road climbs up from the foreground and, halfway into the landscape, divides in two: one branch winds down towards the bottom of the valley, heading for the horizon; the other climbs the hillside to the right. Between the two lies a green, heart-shaped field ringed with hedges. On the left stand dark pine trees; at the bottom, tall grasses and pink and orange flowers. In the distance there are bluish mountains, a low sun and a great rainbow that spans the whole sky. In the corner, the number 22 and the queen of diamonds.

In the Engraved Lenormand, the scene is a crossroads in the countryside, drawn with a sober line: a dirt track reaches the foreground and opens into two — one runs straight on to the horizon, the other turns right between hedges. In the angle between them, a post with two small signs shows the directions. All around are green and yellowish fields divided by hedges, under a clear, even sky. The two pictures agree on the fork and the fields; the Engraved Lenormand adds the signpost — there is information to help you decide — and the Sol da Alma adds the heart-shaped field between the two roads, as if every choice always had an emotional side.

The symbolism, detail by detail

The fork

The moment of choice. Up to that point the road was one; from there on it is two, and you cannot take both at the same time.

The two paths

The alternatives. The card does not say one is good and the other bad: it says both exist and that each leads somewhere different.

The road that arrives

The past, the journey that has brought the person this far. The choice grows out of the ground already covered.

The signpost

In the Engraved Lenormand, the pointer to the directions. It is the information available, advice, whatever helps you decide — although it decides for no one.

The heart-shaped field

In the Sol da Alma painting, the space between the two roads. It is a reminder that important choices stir the feelings, and that it is wise to listen to what the heart says as well.

The open horizon

Possibilities. The Crossroads closes nothing: it opens. The rainbow in the Sol da Alma card underlines the promise that there is a way out.

The queen of diamonds

A female figure and the suit of practical, material things. That is why some readers see a woman in the Crossroads, and why they point out that many choices have concrete consequences.

The history of the Crossroads

The Crossroads was already card 22 of ‘Das Spiel der Hoffnung’, the Game of Hope published by Johann Kaspar Hechtel in Nuremberg around 1799, with the queen of diamonds in the corner. It was a board game of thirty-six cards, moved across with dice, and the miniature playing cards meant the deck could also be used to tell fortunes.

The name of Marie Anne Lenormand was only attached to it after the fortune-teller’s death in 1843, by publishers who wanted to cash in on her fame; there is no evidence that she ever used it. In Portugal and Brazil the deck is known as the ‘Baralho Cigano’, the Gypsy Deck, a popular name with no historical Romani origin.

In English the card is almost always called ‘The Crossroads’. Whatever the name, the picture has been the same since the first decks — a road that divides — and so has the meaning: choice.

The meaning of the Crossroads

The Crossroads is the card of choice and decision. It says there are alternatives, that the person has reached a point where they have to choose, and that they cannot stand still at the fork for ever. Very often there are two concrete options — two jobs, two houses, two people, staying or leaving — but there may be more.

It also speaks of freedom and independence: the situation has not been decided by others, and the outcome depends to a large extent on what the person asking chooses. In a spread that looks closed off, the Crossroads is good news, because it shows there is another way out. In a spread full of doubt, it acknowledges that doubt — and invites you to resolve it.

The harder side of the card is indecision: spending too long looking at both paths, or trying to follow both at once. It can also point to paths parting — two people heading in different directions. In a more practical sense, the Crossroads stands for the short, frequent trips of everyday life, the commutes, the comings and goings.

The Crossroads in love

In love, the Crossroads speaks of choice. It may be the decision whether or not to take a relationship further, hesitation between two people, or a moment when a couple has to choose a shared direction. Sometimes it shows that the two want different things and that their paths are drifting apart; at other times, that there is still time for them to choose the same one.

For someone who is single, it says there are options — more than one person, more than one way of living love — and that it is better to choose clearly than to wait. Next to the Heart, it is a choice made with feeling; next to the Ring, a decision about a commitment; next to the Scythe or the Coffin, a parting of the ways.

The Crossroads in work and money

At work, the Crossroads announces a career decision: two offers, a change of field, staying or leaving, which direction to take a project in. It is a favourable card for anyone who feels stuck at an impasse, because it shows there are alternatives. It can also describe jobs with a lot of travelling about, or several activities at once.

With money, it calls for choices: where to invest, where to cut back, which option to follow. It can point to several sources of income, or to the need to decide between two expenses. Next to the Fish, business or income options; next to the Key, the right decision; next to the Clouds, a choice made without enough information.

The Crossroads in health and wellbeing

In questions about wellbeing, the Crossroads speaks of choosing between different habits, routines or approaches, and of the value of getting more than one opinion when there are decisions to be made. It is also associated with walking and going for walks. As always with the Lenormand, the reading shows tendencies and attitudes, and it is no substitute for any consultation or any kind of health care.

The Crossroads as a person

As a person, the Crossroads describes someone who has to decide — or someone indecisive, torn, who keeps changing their mind. It can be an independent person who likes to have options and will not accept being tied down. Because of the queen of diamonds, some readers see a woman in this card, practical and used to juggling several fronts at once. Sometimes it also represents someone who has reached a crossroads in life.

The Crossroads as advice

As advice, the Crossroads says: choose. Weigh up the options, find things out, listen to both reason and heart — and then decide. Do not try to follow two paths at once, and do not wait for the choice to make itself. And remember that there is always an alternative: if the path you are on does not suit you, there is another.

The timing of the Crossroads

The Crossroads has no timing of its own: the matter waits until a choice is made. The sooner you decide, the sooner things move forward. Next to the Rider, the decision has to be quick; next to the Mountain or the Anchor, the choice takes time, or the situation stays on hold for a long while.

In the Grand Tableau: house 22

In the Grand Tableau — the spread in which all thirty-six cards are laid out in four rows — the twenty-second position is the house of the Crossroads. The card that falls there shows what choice lies before the person asking, or in which area of life they have alternatives. And the Crossroads itself, wherever it falls, brings choice and decision to the subject of that house.

Combinations with other cards

• Key — The right choice; the decision that settles the matter.
• Clouds — Indecision, doubt, a choice made without clarity.
• Heart — A choice of the heart; deciding between feelings.
• Ring — A decision about a commitment or a contract.
• Scythe — A sudden, final decision; a parting of the ways.
• Fox — A career choice; two job options.
• Ship — A choice connected with a journey or a move far away.
• Stars — A choice made with clarity and a sense of direction.
• Mountain — A difficult choice; an alternative route around an obstacle.
• House — A decision about the home or the family; moving or staying put.
• Fish — Several sources of income; business choices.
• Rider — A quick decision; frequent short trips.