Lenormand Cards are named after the famous French reader Mademoiselle Lenormand, who was said to have such a great reader than Napoleon Bonaparte himself sought her out.
Despite the name, they are actually based off of a 36 pack of German playing cards. Not French at all, not having anything to do with Lenormand herself.
In any case, they have quickly become my favorite pick for divination.
They are much different than the tarot so many are used to. Lenormand is less about interpreting the images and more about knowing what the each card represents and then applying that to the context of the reading as well as its position and proximity with other cards. The cards are almost never read alone. They are always read in pairs to paint a more complete picture.
If you are trying to use these after being hooked on tarot, prepare to pretty much discard so much of what you know. By that, I mean don’t try to apply tarot rules or spreads to Lenormand. I tried with really bad results. Readings were incomplete or totally muddled. Very little sense. But I do recommend others to at least try these decks. There are many beautiful ones out there! To help you along, here are links to articles and videos that are immensely helpful.
Basic Three Card spread:
[url=http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r-Sf0-wknio]Three Card Lenormand Spread Tutorial (Beginner to Intermediate) - YouTube
Meanings and correspondences:
[url=http://lenormanddictionary.blogspot.com/p/helens-lenormand-dictionary.html?m=1]Lenormand dictionary: Helen's Lenormand dictionary
(Note that certain cards can have totally different meanings depending on the reader. For example, the Bear could represent a protector, attacker, or related to management/employment. This is where you should actually feel what works best for you and makes the most sense)
Thanks for sharing. I’ve thought about getting a deck but the prospect of learning another system overrides my desire to grab a pack. They have expansion packs as well if I’m not mistaken.
They’re very accurate but only work on the physical level, they’re very “here” and not at all spiritual or as mystical as the Tarot. My mother used to lay them, she had great results with the cards and could often predict very typical things. I personally didn’t like working with them, at first I didn’t understand why until I got my first tarot deck. I think I needed the intuition and the Magick the cards hinted at, I learned much later, I didn’t just want to know if I would get my desire, I wanted it to speak to me through the cards (and wanted the cards to smack me in the face if I was being really silly, which the Tarot is very good at).
In your case though TWF, I’d definitely consider them, for some clients with very Earth based questions you’ll find the system very useful. It’s also not really hard to learn as it’s mostly rule based, this plus that on this area equals a certain explanation or outcome. Combine the corners of a spread for such and such etc. Tarot really is more of an interface between you and your higher mind and as such requires much more practice and growth, I find that people who are really good at Tarot end up using the cards as a comfort thing or a visual aid, if they really wanted they could read without them.
Thanks for that input Yuri, because that was my impression when I looked at the cards and it’s great that you confirmed it. I’ve been looking for something that does precisely that, addresses the physical and not the spiritual - not because that’s bad but I already have those tools.
I agree with Yuri. They are very much.about your life with very little attention given to the spiritual.
One of my favorite spreads, the grand tableau, can be used to look into nearly every aspect of your life. So long as you can identify certain cards with facts of your life (the dog with friends, the heart with love etc.), you can then read around these signifiers to learn about that aspect of life.
Damn you guys! You know I’m probably (which actually means I am) going to pick up a deck now.
The Lenormand sounds very similar to bone reading in regards to the here and now of the readings. I find thise tyles of readings very beneficial as often one gets hung up on the spiritual and ignores the mundane aspects.
I also agree with your statement about Tarot Yuri, I often have a feeling before even turning the cards as to what I’m going to see. I used to make an effort to clear my mind so that my own notions don’t cloud the reading but I’ve learned to trust my intuition and just flow with the readings.
Yeah, Lenormand rocks for client work. In fact, my personal Pomba Gira (who is a card reader ) told me to stop using tarot and rely on this when reading for others.
She also advised me (and I’m repeating this because it’s great advice to learn Lenormand hands on) to do AT LEAST 3 readings per day. That way you get a bit of practice every single day with these cards.
They’re about 3 inches by 1.75 inches. Quite petite, but very easy to keep in a purse or pocket. The size also makes it perfect for doing the grand tableau due to that spread’s sides.
