about lenormand

#status_complete

what is lenormand?

Lenormand is a cartomancy system that uses a 36-card deck, sometimes called the Petit Lenormand. The Lenormand card system is based on a German card game Das Spiel der Hoffnung (The Game of Hope)^[1] and named for Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand, a notable French fortune-teller of the 18th century (though she herself did not employ this system in her practice).^[2]

Lenormand cards tend to be smaller than standard playing cards and typically have the following features:

• A name and number. The cards are numbered 1 through 36 and follow an ordered sequence.
  • Example: 1. Rider
• An image/symbol. Card images are more decorative than functional in Lenormand. The image on the cards do not affect the reading.
  • Example: A silhouette of a courier on horseback.
• A corresponding playing card insert. These are often included because of the cards' close association to card games. Some readers use the inserts for yes/no questions or to calculate timing of an event.
  • Example: 9 of Hearts ♥️

reading the cards

In a Lenormand reading, a card is never read on its own. Rather, they're read in pairs or sequences. The first card carries the base meaning; think of it as the noun or the subject. The next card then modifies the base card; it's the adjective or verb. So, for example, you draw Rider + Clover:

• Rider is the subject. It can represent messages or arrivals.
• Clover is the modifier. It can represent good luck or an opportunity.
• So, Rider + Clover could mean "a message of opportunity."

When reading cards as sequences, you can read them as an ordered set of pairs or as a more complex phrase or sentence. For example if you drew Rider + Clover + Fox, where Fox can represent employment:

• As sets of pairs this could be read as, "A message of opportunity. Good fortune at work."
• As a sequence this could be read as, "The arrival of a job offer."

By stringing together cards in this way, you can build a card spread that provides many details about a situation as well as an overall message.

differences from tarot

Unlike tarot, card images themselves are not used in a Lenormand reading. They are just visual symbols. Interpretations instead come from a card's relationship to the cards that surround it.

Tarot and Lenormand share several cards of the same name, namely the Tower, Star, Sun, and Moon cards. Their meanings in tarot and Lenormand are different and should not be confused with one another. For example The Tower in tarot represents a sudden, dramatic end; whereas the Tower in Lenormand represent institutions, authority, or a high place.

my approach to lenormand

I like Lenormand for casual, "everyday" readings. Unlike tarot, whose language is built for deep, introspective readings, Lenormand is quick and snappy and sometimes quite literal (e.g., Clover = leafy greens). If I were to offer fortune-telling as entertainment for a party or something, I'd reach for a Lenormand deck, not a tarot deck.

That said, I find that it's best to match the Lenormand in seriousness and curtness when it comes to questions. I save my deep, spiritual questions for tarot. I save easy, fun questions for Lenormand. Things like:

• I got big paycheck. What should I spend it on?
• What chore/task do I need to tackle today?
• What do I need to watch out for?

Lastly, I have just one criticism of Lenormand: the cards reflect 18th century life and therefore many aspects of modern life are not represented. That's not exactly the fault of the system itself; it's just that you need employ some extra creativity when it comes to interpreting modern things in Lenormand.

For example, what card combination would represent the Internet? I'd say Paths + Stars; Paths representing a network and Stars representing signals. But if you wanted to get more technically accurate, you could go with Snake + Ships to represent the underwater cables that the Internet runs on. Because Lenormand doesn't have "words" for these things, I think it's important to define combinations for them ahead of time so that you can recognize them later in a reading. See my --card combinations-- page for ideas.

learning and practice

Because reading Lenormand depends a lot on memorization and creative connections, I like to do the following exercises to practice:

1. Expand my keyword list
   • My --card keywords-- page is pretty expansive, but I like to revisit it often to add new ones, especially if I think there's "words" missing from the cards' language.
2. Define card combinations
   • Forwards: I draw two cards and come up with a reading for them. For an extra challenge, I try to come up with a reading within a certain theme, such as romance, work/school, finances, emotions, etc.
   • Backwards: I think of a random concept and identify two cards to define it. For example, for "lack of sleep," I'd use Coffin + Mice, where Coffin represents rest and Mice represents depletion.
3. Interpret others' readings on r/lenomand
   • Peering into others' readings is a way to practice without the inherent bias of your own personal feelings about the cards and the circumstances surrounding the reading. It's also a way to check your interpretations of the cards against others'.

helpful references

Reading Lenormand by Prisma Visions

The Essential Lenormand by Rana George