If you’ve ever looked at the Grand Tableau (GT) and thought, “Where do I even begin?”—you’re not alone.
Emily Rose reading a Grand Tableau.
If you prefer reading, continue on reading this post! If you’d prefer to watch a video, you can watch the five tips HERE.
Thumbnail Image of a Grand Tableau and Emily Rose
The GT can feel like a lot, with all 36 cards shouting for attention at once. But once you get comfortable, it becomes one of the most rewarding spreads you can work with giving you not just a glimpse, but core themes and important details on the past, present, and future.
I mean…this is WHY many of us want to learn Lenormand. Perhaps we’ve experienced the power of a tableau first hand and had a professional reading! Or…we’ve seen this epic spread in YouTube videos and dreamed of reading it fluently.
To help you tackle the GT with ease, I’ve put together five of my best tips to make this big, beautiful spread more manageable (Tip #2 is a total game changer for GT newcomers and Tip #5 is just plain fun).
If you’re reading this and wondering…
What is a Grand Tableau? Here’s my quick answer:
It’s what I call the big mama spread of Lenormand and it looks a little something like what is pictured below. We lay out ALL 36 cards on the table and it acts like a life map - showing us the past, present, and future for multiple areas of our life. It’s an impressive spread that most Lenormand readers want to add to their repertoire!
Grand Tableau using Titania’s Fortune Cards
Ready for your tips? Let’s dive in!
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Tip 1: Set the Stage with Intention
Take your time setting up your GT so you’re clear from the start.
Say a pre-reading incantation: Invoke your guides, establish boundaries, and set intentions around what you do—and don’t—want to uncover.
Charge a few cards: Assign personal meanings to specific cards ahead of time so you know exactly what they represent. We want to know EXACTLY what the cards are saying when they appear on the table.
Some of my favorite cards to charge are the person cards and my chosen work card (like the Fox or the Market card from the RG Lenormand).
Tip 2: Flip Cards in Sections to Avoid Overwhelm
When I first started reading GTs, it felt like a room full of people screaming at me. I hear my cards intuitively, and the noise was overwhelming at first! For the first year or two, I pulled GTs face down—and I can’t recommend this method enough. It makes the spread so much more accessible and easier to interpret.
When you pull the GT, try placing the cards face down and flip over just one section at a time.
Lenormand Tiles with the Sawyer’s Lenormand by Jamie Sawyer
Start by reading each section as smaller spreads, which makes the whole GT feel less intimidating. Afterall, the Grand Tableau is JUST a whole bunch of smaller spreads smooshed together that talk to eachother,
After interpreting all the sections, step back and look at the GT as a whole—watch for patterns and explore the method of distance more deeply.
Tip 3: Use Extra People Cards Strategically
Many new decks come with bonus cards and extra people cards—which can be both amazing and a challenge!
When you’re starting out, consider limiting the people cards so the reading stays focused. Too many people can overwhelm the spread or dominate the reading.
I only use extra people cards in situational tableaus (like love or work spreads), polyamorous relationship readings, or when the querent has adult children or lives with other adults.
When working with clients, I only include additional people in the tableau if they are VERY involved in the querent’s life. If they have questions about others who are not in their daily life, I offer to pull additional spreads!
There’s a time and place for those extras, but when you’re still getting comfortable with GTs, the original 36 cards are plenty! I love that we’re in the golden age of decks, but more isn’t always better—especially in a GT.
Tip 4: Read in layers
There are A LOT of components to a GT and the reason why it can become so overwhelming is when we try to add too many aspects at once. You may have heard of some of the advanced techniques such as crowning, knighting, and more. These are fabulous techniques but you don’t have to read them ALL to get valuable information from your Grand Tableau.
A GT is just a bunch of little readings all smooshed together. Take it bite by bite.
Add in reading houses later. What is a house? A house is a fixed position in the GT that colors the card falling into it. For example, if the rider falls into the house of the sun, the news delivered would be extra positive.
Tip 5: Pull GTs for TV/Movies!
Although I’ve pulled thousands of tableaus at this point for clients, this is probably THE main way I gained confidence reading tableaus as you get to see complex situations unfold in the GT in a lowstakes, low pressure way. Plus…it’s fun! This is SOOO fun to do with TV shows, movies, and books! Rana George introduced this idea to me and I just HAVE to pass it on.
You need to know what cards to charge and understand the context a little bit. Watch the first 20 minutes or so (or read just enough of a book to get the lay of the land) then pull your tableau.
Interpret your tableau BEFORE you finish watching/reading and make your predictions! Then, compare and contrast your predictions with the actual course of events in the series/movie.
Of course there is soooooo much more to reading a Grand Tableau…
SO much more that I have a whole 4 module course + bonuses on how to read the Grand Tableau! When you join the Lenormand Learner’s membership, you’ll receive a 3 day free trial, instant access to over one hundred lessons including the GT course and practice sessions PLUS next month we’re doing another Grand Tableau Hotline where you can ask me your GT related questions live!
Screenshot of the Module 1 Lesson 1 of the Grand Tableau Course
The doors to membership close on January 31st! Be sure to get in while you can.
Have a question email me: info@emilyrosedivination.com or drop a comment below!