The Scythe: proceed with caution!
As an advocate of traditional cartomancy and authentic methodology, I think it’s very important to respect the logic of the system you are working with. Card reading implies the understanding of a coded message that needs to be correctly converted into a comprehensible language for yourself or your querent.
It is therefore logical to state that a card whose core meaning is negative, can never translate as a positive one. In this vein, the Scythe in Lenormand can’t ever be interpreted as a (positive) harvesting. The Scythe always implies a certain degree of danger or risk.
In a Grand Tableau, the risk that the Scythe embodies can be mitigated depending on its distance in relation to the significator and the presence of favourable cards nearby, but it will still express fear or uncertainty.
When the Scythe is being followed by a positive card such as the Clover, you could say that the danger expressed by the Scythe will be followed by contentment or small luck. In this case you will “harvest” satisfaction in spite of the risk. Considering the visual aspect of the card, the Scythe’s sharp side of the blade cuts into the Clover, posing a threat or danger to the positivity of the Clover even though the end result will be contentment in a storyboard type of reading. But as you can see, the element of risk is always there.
In cases where the Scythe is the conclusive or final card, it would be a terrible mistake to see it as a harvesting of some sort because then you would be turning it into a positive card, which it most definitely is not.
The only association that this card has with the harvest is the season that it represents: autumn.
Björn
Original Blog:
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Petit Lenormand Encyclopedia: Volume 1 https://goo.gl/xiPXQ1
Volume 2 https://goo.gl/AdRTLT
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Petit Lenormand Encyclopedia: Volume 1 https://goo.gl/xiPXQ1
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The Card Geek’s Guide to Kipper https://goo.gl/LPqP8V