How To Read Lenormand 9-Card Box Spreads

As we’ve seen with other oracles like the Kipper, the 3x3 9-card “box” spread, or mini-tableau, is a staple of most classic reading methods, so I just wanted to write a post reminding/showing you the step by step way to read these, as they’re highly useful quick “deep dive” reads into an issue.

What Are 9-Card Box Spread Ideal For?

• A reading that gets to the heart of a particular issue or reads “around” a particular person.

• It’s definitely NOT a “yes or no” spread. It’s much more a “Tell me more about this” spread. It’s exploratory.

• As such, it gives a much deeper dive than a chain reading which essentially just goes from A to B on a timeline.

• Investigative and “deeper” readings, which look at the issue or person from multiple angles, including past, present, future influences plus conscious and unconscious influences.

• Readings that need to be focused on a particular thing or person

• You can use this as a general “What’s coming up for me?” type spread with yourself as significator if you don’t want the hassle of doing a full Grand Tableau. Think of it as a mini-tableau, only bringing up the most immediate and important issues.

It does require that you are comfortable with reading card combinations and triplets of cards also, to squeeze the most info out of it.

So let’s take a closer, step by step look at how to lay and read it. But meanwhile, if you’d like some ideas on which spreads to use for which purpose, regardless of oracle deck you’re using, take a look here: