08. Coffin – Lenormand Meanings and Combinations

The Coffin – Meaning

Outcome / in the end / an ending

Death

Illness

End of a cycle -> Transition time

Stagnation

Depression

A box or container of some kind

Depressed, negative or sick individual

Putting something to rest

For me, the Coffin card most often represents an ending, a transition period, an outcome, a box that opens or closes, or ill health. In extremely rare cases, it can mean a death (don’t jump to this conclusion though, repeat the spread and use different spreads to quadruple-check this).

I’m a very positive reader, so where the coffin is can be super helpful for identifying stagnation or endings for my clients. I use this information to help improve people’s lives, rather than give dramatic or spectacularised readings. Others are more pessimistic readers, and the Coffin card will eminate a more smothering, depressive meaning than mine generally do. Read around for different authors’ meanings for this card 🙂 

In a Grand Tableau reading, where the Coffin lands can describe the outcome. If the Coffin card is in the house of fish – expect prosperity and flow. If the Coffin card is in the House of the Mountain, expect a delayed outcome.

The Coffin can literally just mean ‘a box’ – in one reading it so obviously translated to a computer programming issue the Querant was having and became ‘an app’ (all the code was contained within that boundary, ‘inside the box’). The fact that a functional app was the outcome of a work project of the Querant helped get to that meaning too! A cool Coffin meaning can be a musical instrument case! 🙂

And remember, an ending does not always need to be accompanied by feelings of loss or sorrow, an ending can be happy! School term is over and Summer holidays are here!! Or, my project is finished, I have more spare time now! It can be completely neutral too, like finishing a run of the mill routine monthly business task.

In a health reading, or for a Querant for whom health issues are prominent, I would use this card and 5 Tree to find useful information for them (whilst stressing the point that I am not a medical professional and enthusiastically avoiding giving specific medical directions of course!!) 

If health is a big issue, normalising it in discussion (rather than fearing it or ignoring it) can assist with common mental health issues that can rear their ugly heads when our physical health is beleaguered, especially if it is a chronic issue. Increasing the comfort and quality of life for the Querant is a big part of a reading, and the Coffin card can assist by bringing Shadows to Light and providing a space for acceptance. People can often feel shame when their body is weak or vulnerable, and reducing or getting rid of it entirely is optimal.

For transition readings (recent break up or divorce, graduation from a educational course or qualification, new job, or house move) this can be extremely helpful in anchoring a Querant to a future vision of their new life. Transition times can leave us feeling unanchored and as though everything is up in the air, it can be hard to not let our fears and worries taint the wonderful aspirational vision of the future we COULD have. 

Here, the Coffin card can help to show what course corrections may be needed to reach that optimal vision. And it offers an opportunity to discuss with the Querant (or ourselves!) what that Vision is and if it could have anything added or removed to increase its awesomeness.

If the reading is about an event outcome, how an interview will turn out or an upcoming event that they are nervous about, I would use 8 Coffin in its outcome meaning. This can highlight important people involved in the outcome, other events or issues that are concurrent and have impact, and other worries that are tied into an event’s outcome that could be dealt with separately to ease the stress.

 Often there are people involved that the Querant is overlooking that the Coffin card can help us to see. A sister-in-law may have expertise in an area and be able to give good advice, or a peer may be related to or friends with someone involved and be able to give clues as to how to give a good impression – sometimes the oddest clues come out here!

When people are stressed about an outcome, they can often have their ‘horse blinkers’ on. Our focus can narrow, and we can become less able to see events or issues happening elsewhere in our lives that will impinge upon or assist our ability to deal with the outcome of concern. 

For example, a roster change or separate event close to the outcome they are nervous about may change the Querant’s available energy and time. But they might been minimised it and overlooked the impact of the time or energy available to prepare for the event of concern soon after. Try not to underestimate the edge that small bits of knowledge can give to stressed Querants whose hands are very full already.

As an example, in one reading I did, the Querant had a large amount of earnings coming in, as expected, in a certain month of the year. The following month however, the cards spoke of a nasty surprise from an institution or business of some kind – could it be the tax department?! By checking that their taxable earnings were in order, they were able to catch a misunderstanding with their accountant, and avoid an onerous mis-categorisation of their income that would have lost them a large amount of money in tax!

Remember: The ‘outcome’ card is powerful and extremely important for those Querants who are hyper-focused on a future event.

 

The Body Part that Coffin represents is the large intestine and anus.

The Type of Person the Coffin card represents can be: someone with black hair, a negative person, strong angular features.

Timing: August, 8 days/weeks/months/years, Winter (Southern Hemisphere) / Summer (Northern Hemisphere)

Associated playing card: Nine of Diamonds

The Coffin Combinations

Primary	Secondary	Combined Meanings
8 Coffin	1 Rider	A box arriving soon. An ending will come soon. Imminent illness. A sick visitor. Illness of the muscles or tendons. End of a news cycle.
8 Coffin	2 Clover	A happy ending. Sick from partying. Green around the gills. An ending brings good fortune or joy. A box full of something green.
8 Coffin	3 Ship	End of a journey. A sick person from overseas. Cancelling a Stock Exchange order. A boxy-looking vehicle.
8 Coffin	4 House	Sickness in the household. A safe ending.
8 Coffin	5 Tree	Health of the large intesting or anus. Health outcome. End of a family matter.
8 Coffin	6 Clouds (light)	An ending brings clarity or cheer. A box of something that will make you feel better! (Hahaha, think chocolates). Depression clearing up.
8 Coffin	6 Clouds (dark)	An ending/outcome creates confusion or is depressing. A sickness that fogs your mind. Depression itself.
8 Coffin	7 Snake	The outcome of doing yoga or stretching! Peeling skin (illness meaning plus skin shedding snake meaning).
8 Coffin	7 Snake (Negative)	An outcome that is not for your best. Stop someone malicious. Mental illness that causes sudden abusive mood swings or the person to lash out, e.g., Borderline Personality Disorder, some PTSD.
8 Coffin	8 Coffin	End of an illness.Outcome is becoming sick. A box of some sort of product becomes unavailable. An illness of the anus!
8 Coffin	9 Bouquet	Box-shaped gift. Beautiful outcome. An illness pertaining to your face or lips.
8 Coffin	10 Scythe	Something that ends very quickly. Cancellation of an expected outcome. A disease/illness of the gums/teeth. A box with a knife in it. The consequence is illness. Surgery on the anus! [Remember, you can always clarify with other cards to get which meaning it is – that’s why I prefer to do three card spreads instead of just two when possible].
8 Coffin	11 Whip (and the Broom)	The outcome is painful. A painful rectum! A box with a broom (or whip-like thing) in it.
8 Coffin	12 Birds	The outcome of a discussion. In the end, it’s all talk or hot air. The end of a couple’s love relationship.
8 Coffin	13 Child	A small consequence. A slight illness. Playing dead. An ending creates a new beginning.
8 Coffin	14 Fox	A mortician. A general practitioner. The outcome or end of a career or job.Painful change or transformation in how you make your money.
8 Coffin	15 Bear	Nest egg (a box of hoarded treasure). The illness of a parent/guardian. Danger/illness/death of your boss.
8 Coffin	16 Stars	Illness interferes with your hopes and dreams. Destiny/Fate. Extremely glum/unable to hope.
8 Coffin	17 Stork	End of a house move (migration). Stillborn child. Improvement or renovation of something that is box-shaped (coffin shaped). Relocation of a sick person to a more helpful place or team of healthcare professionals. The cycle of birth and death. Rejuvenating transformation.
8 Coffin	18 Dog	Illness in a pet or friend. The carrier container for an animal. A sickness regarding loyalty or friendship, e.g., obsession or narcissism.
8 Coffin	19 Tower	A company is closing down. The end of isolation. A sickness from being isolated for too long. Life sentence in prison.
8 Coffin	20 Garden	Paralysing social anxiety or social dysfunction. The ending of a social group or public forum. A toxic friendship group. Your reputation isn’t so good. Literally a funeral. If asking about an individual, either their reputation isn’t good or they are the kind of person that poisons other peoples’ reputations. Someone who is still in the closet (add extra cards to see what they are ‘in the closet’ about).
8 Coffin	21 Mountain	Illness causes a delay. An illness will be sticking around for a long time. A big sleep. A very tall or muscular person with black hair! Constipation.
8 Coffin	22 Crossroads	Multiple possible outcomes. Feeling ill but not knowing which of several things could be the cause. Thinking things are at an end but actually having more options. A spreading (multiplying) illness (my COVID combo). The underground railroad.
8 Coffin	23 Mice	An illness related to anxiety or nerves. Lots of small endings. An illness related to diet / food contamination. Arriving so late that the event is already over. An outcome that brings anxiety. Death by a thousand cuts. Illness related to starvation or food.
8 Coffin	24 Heart	The end of love. Very quiet sex life. Quitting your hobby. Illness of the heart. Heart-shaped box. Losing passion for your hobby. Transformation time for a relationship. For a new lover: toxic, avoid. Can just mean an outcome in the romantic area of your life, rather than an ending.
8 Coffin	25 Ring	End or outcome of a contract. An unhealthy agreement. A treatment regimen. (A bit specific but…) A box or packaging contract.
8 Coffin	26 Book	The ending of a story or literal book. Secrets revealed (ending of secrets or outcome of secrets really). Death of an author. Getting rid of a book/s. Closure of a school. The end of your school life (here I’d expect bouquet as well, as that’s my skills/appreciation – graduation – card. But sometimes we don’t graduate, we just decide to discontinue our studies.)
8 Coffin	27 Letter	Appendices or Notes at the end of a book or written project. The end part of a letter or list. Final edit of a document. Final resting place of a letter or package (e.g., the filing cabinet or unidentified mail storage at the post office). Certification of completion document. Ending of written communications.
8 Coffin	28 Man	[Any gender for the following – take the Man as a “Person” card if you prefer]. An executioner! A mortician or someone who officiates at funerals. Outcome of dealings with a person. Ending of behavious / actions / processes stereotypically attached to males in your culture. A person with aesthetic characteristics like: skeletal, thin, tall, sombre. A box with a masculine aesthetic. Illness specific to male bodies. In very rare cases, a death can be predicted – but seriously, don’t jump to this meaning and check in five different other spreads before deciding it MIGHT mean this if nothing changes. A significant male in your life goes silent unexpectedly.
8 Coffin	29 Woman	[Any gender for the following – take the Woman as a “Person” card if you prefer]. An executioner! A mortician or someone who officiates at funerals. Outcome of dealings with a person. Ending of behavious / actions / processes stereotypically attached to females in your culture. A person with aesthetic characteristics like: skeletal, thin, tall, sombre. A box with a feminine aesthetic. A significant female in your life goes silent unexpectedly. Illness specific to female bodies. In very rare cases, a death can be predicted – but seriously, don’t jump to this meaning and check in five different other spreads before deciding it MIGHT mean this if nothing changes.
8 Coffin	30 Lilies	A harmonious or peaceful outcome. OR the ending of harmony. A box covered literally in lilies (or shaped like them – long and thin). Outcome or ending of dealings with a retired person. Ending something restores harmony. Ending of retirement – heading back to work. Stagnation caused by too much peace and harmony. Depression or illness in the elderly.
8 Coffin	31 Sun	A happy outcome OR an end of optimism. (The mood of Coffin and Sun are opposites!) Optimistic about the outcome. Toxic positivity. A usually happy healthy person gets sick. An extrovert becomes sombre or silent. Can indicate a need to “get back on the horse” (after being bucked off).
8 Coffin	32 Moon	End of a moon cycle or month. Emotional or psychic transformation. Sleeping, dreaming or emotional illness.  End of a spiritual cycle. A ghost. Emotional outcome. A cyclic or seasonal illness, e.g., PMS or SAD.
8 Coffin	33 Key	The outcome is a success or death of success. Deleting a password. Illness around the concept or success or about solving problems. Outcome or finalization of the opening of something. An ending/outcome which solves a puzzle. A key cabinet.
8 Coffin	34 Fish	Outcome is OR ending of financial abundance. Buried treasure. …can be bankruptcy. An expensive box or container (e.g., a Faberge egg). An expensive coffin. An illness to do with money. Illness related to the kidneys or water.
8 Coffin	35 Anchor	Being buried at sea. The outcome is stability. An illness about stability or daily routine. Really staying put. Being too set in your ways to the point of ill health. This combo can indicate pessimism. Illness of the pelvis or hips. Long-term storage.
8 Coffin	36 The Cross	Serious illness. An ending to or an ending that brings burden. Illness relating to suffering, guilt or duty. Destined outcome. Someone closes the door on religion. Coffin in the house of the cross = the outcome is burdensome or requires adherence to strict rules or dogma. Illness of the lower back.