How Do You Read the Square of 9 in Lenormand (Baralho Cigano)?

In this spread, you shuffle and place nine cards in three rows of three. The top row is the Past, the middle row is the Present and the bottom row is the Future. In each row, the columns represent mind, emotion and action, in that order, from left to right.

This way, each position gets a name, like Past-mind, Present-action or Future-emotion. The center, the crossing point of everything, is the heart of the question, and it is usually where you start reading.

Start with the center card and describe in one sentence what it says about the theme. Then read the whole Present row, left to right, as a three-card sentence. Only then go back to the Past and move on to the Future.

Finally, look at the columns. If the emotion column has heavy cards and the action column has light ones, for example, the reading may point out that the feeling is harder than the actions you have already been taking.

The diagonals add a layer. One of them, in this spread's tradition, shows the underlying trend of the situation, and the other the outside influences, such as people and circumstances beyond your direct control.

Instead of treating these lines as predictions, treat them as questions: what is in the background that I am not seeing? What is coming from outside that needs to be considered? Write down the answers that come from you, not only from the cards.

The Square of 9 is a rich spread and, for that very reason, easy to overinterpret. Aim for a simple closing sentence, in three lines, summing up what you learned.

Lenormand has no scientific evidence of prediction. For health, finance or legal matters, the spread can help you reflect, but decisions should be made with the support of professionals.