The Clouds (Lenormand): meaning, combinations and spreads

Introducing the card

The Clouds carry the number 6 in the Petit Lenormand. Most editions show a sky with grey and white clouds, often divided between a dark half and a light half. This detail matters to some readers: the side towards which the grey spreads would indicate the direction of the fog. Others ignore this rule entirely.

The card is one of the most famous in the deck, because it is "difficult": one meets it often, and rarely reads it with pleasure. It is not a misfortune, however, merely a fog.

Traditional meaning: fog

Glossaries retain these words: confusion, uncertainty, doubt, loss of bearings, sometimes a gloomy mood. Clouds are passing: the card often speaks of a moment, not a lasting state.

• What is not clear: an unclear situation, incomplete information.
• An inner state: hesitation, mild melancholy, tiredness.
• A period: a cloudy stretch that will clear, like any weather.
• An implicit piece of advice: do not decide in the fog.

This last point is mostly common sense: when you cannot see clearly, wait, ask, check. The card does not need any "power" to say so.

When the Clouds stand for a person

A few readers see in the Clouds a person whose behaviour is hard to pin down, evasive, or going through a temporary difficulty. The classic correspondence with the King of Clubs (a serious, sometimes reserved man) supports this reading, which remains a personal one. It is better to speak of a vague situation than of a troubled person: we avoid judging someone on the basis of a card.

In everyday life, work and relationships

• Daily life: a misty day, difficulty making up your mind.
• Work: unclear instructions, a poorly defined project.
• Relationships: a misunderstanding, silence, something left unsaid.
• Inner life: weariness, a need to take a break.

If you are going through a truly difficult period, no card is the right person to speak to: talk to someone close to you or to a professional.

Common combinations

A good way to read the Clouds is to look at the following card: it often says where the clearing will come from.

An example of a three-card reading

Question: "How should I approach this period of hesitation?" Spread: Clouds – Book – Sun. Possible reading: the fog (the Clouds) is linked to a missing piece of information (the Book, associated with knowledge and secrets), and the clearing will come once that information appears (the Sun). In practical terms: "What am I missing in order to see clearly?" The answer is most often a simple step: ask a question, reread a document, wait for an appointment.

If the Sun is replaced by the Coffin, one would read rather: "the doubt lasts because something has to end". Both readings remain hypotheses.

What the Clouds do not say

The Clouds do not say that someone is deceiving you, nor that you are going to suffer. A cloud is not a storm. If you fear a bad omen when you see this card, it is better to remember that the Lenormand is not a science, and that the card describes a feeling of blurriness that anyone may experience, one day or another.

Playing card and link with the tarot

In the classic convention, the Clouds are the King of Clubs.

The most natural link is the Moon of the tarot, which evokes the uncertain, illusions and fears. The difference lies in tone: the Moon is deep and mysterious; the Clouds are more everyday, like a grey sky that will pass.

An exercise for reflection

Write down, in two columns, what you know and what you do not know about a situation that worries you. Often, the Clouds boil down to a list of precise questions. Then draw the card and see whether it matches. Continue with the Snake.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Guide to the Lenormand oracle.