I'm taking you along with me as I create a new card deck for myself. I will create it with an American Indian theme as I did once before. What is Lenormand? - check out my previous article.
Card 11 Rattlesnake
This one took me awhile (three extra weeks of thinking) to figure out what I wanted to do with it. The original is the Whip - including both the disciplinary and the sexual connotations of the symbol. I really struggled to find something similar in Native American Indian symbology. There aren't really symbols regarding discipline!
(The more intimate your tribal circle becomes, the less crime there is because everyone genuinely cares for the well-being of one another as part of the whole tribe. Obviously, there's always a black sheep, but it's not quite the problem that we see in our modern society.)
Finally, I decided to look into the other angle of the whip - the sexual one including fertility. I found this page on Native American Symbols which reminded me of what I found weeks ago (for card 7 ) when I realized that the snake (the original card) didn't have the right symbolism in the indigenous cultures of the Americas. Rather, the snake had a strong link to fertility and reincarnation (due to the circle shape) - so life, not death.
The page just listed says the following:
The Snake. Usually found in healing and fertility rites. Connected with lightning, male organ, speed, and the ability to move undetected. He is usually shown with an extended tongue. Considered a hunter & and as a "first helper" in some emergence stories.
So, definitely phallic, and definitely very positive.
This Mythologian site added in the disciple/black sheep connotation.
The rattler is a creature to be respected, not necessarily feared. This is especially true when you realize that most rattlesnake bites are "dry" (no venom). It's meant to discipline you, not kill you. (The exception is when someone is actively antagonizing the snake.) Moral of story: respect the snake and you'll be fine. We can live in harmony together. But if you go after it, expect it to bite with all its venom.
So, let's take this to our card.
When we think of the Whip, we tend to think of:
- problems, stress, violence
- quick discipline, anger, hurt feelings
- harmful words, tongue, harsh discussions
- sexual fire, possible dishonest words, saying nice things without meaning it
When we move on to the Rattlesnake, we feel the:
- poison of harsh, dishonest talking, gossip.
- quick discipline issued against someone doing wrong
- think before acting when you hear the rattler's warning
- sexual temptation, but be cautious because there may be dishonesty/poison behind it.
For more information on what this card means, check out Lenormand1's interpretation - for combining the Whip with any other card, check out the site: [Learn Lenormand](http://learnlenormand.com/lenormand-whip-card-combinations/
For my new card, For my new card, I hit Google Images search, looking for something with CC0 (Creative Commons 0) licensing meaning that I don't always have to remember to credit someone - essential if I were to start doing paid readings with these cards.
I also had to find out which traditional playing card is associated with this card. So, here is my result:
(Base image source: The native is from Pixabay The rattler is also from Pixabay)
I felt this tribesman is thinking about the lessons of the rattler - maybe even lessons he has learned from the past. I did have trouble finding an image that did what I wanted, so this was what I came up with.
To create the image, I duplicated the Native layer, put the snake layer in between, then deleted/erased the background from the layer above the snake.
Note: Readings are entertainment only (legally). You are in charge of your own destiny.
Previous cards: 1 Rider; 2 Dreamcatcher; 3 Canoe; 4 Tipi; 5 Medicine Wheel; 6 Clouds; 7 Poison Ivy; 8 Burial; 9 Flowers; 10 Tomahawk; (11 skipped temporarily); 12 Hummingbird; 13 Child; 14 Coyote;
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Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
verified author on Goodreads
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also on: Whaleshares, WeKu
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