what is Lenormand ? How to use Lenormand Oracle cards
The Lenormand is a card system which has remained fairly well hidden in popular culture, unlike the tarot which gained notoriety during the rise of 19th and 20th-century occultism, the tarot remains highly popular today. There is minimal reference to the Lenormand in popular culture and it is rarely discussed or referenced amongst the witchcraft and pagan community. So what exactly is Lenormand and why is it still a relatively unknown system to so many witches? Lenormand simply does not hold the same occult significance and magickal dimensions as tarot, which is why it remains a more hidden art. The tarot is sexy like that, its interpretation bends and weaves with each spread and further study. The Lenormand on the other hand is the practical straight-talking friend we all need. I came to Lenormand recently as a divination tool and I was blown away. I have been reading tarot for 20 years. Lenormand felt like a different approach to cartomancy.
Examples of Lenormand cards using The magic folklore lenormand deck
“The tarot is sexy like that, its interpretation bends and weaves with each spread and further study. The Lenormand on the other hand is the practical straight-talking friend we all need!
Here is a brief introduction to the Lenormand deck oracle system and how it came to be. It was founded by the gifted prophetess Marie Anna Adelaide Lenormand. Not a lot is known about her, but we do know that the French-born Marie was an orphan who grew up in a convent in Normandy, northwest France, born in 1772. It was at the convent where her skills for prophecy were first recognised. When she came of age she moved to Paris and became a popular card reader. This is where she developed her system. Originally 54 cards, known as the grand Lenormand were a series of cards depicting animals, people and places as archetypes, each having a corresponding number. Her system was a no-nonsense form of divination, the pictures on the cards were to be taken literally and offer concise answers to her quadrants' questions. Unlike the tarot which has broad and multiple occult wisdom woven into the meaning of the major and minor arcana, in the lenormand system it relies on the simplicity of its imagery. The key card for example represents a literal key or the key factor in the situation. The Lenormand card also differs from the tarot as they don't rely so much on the position in the spread to determine their meaning. Instead, the cards represent words that then form sentences. For instance, the ship represents a journey, the bouquet represents a gift and the heart represents love, a sentence with these cards could read ‘A token of love is on its way to you’. The modern 36-card Lenormand deck most frequently in use today originated from a card game known as The Game of Hope, founded by JK Hechtel in the 1790s. This may be where Lenormand’s most famous spread originates, this spread is known as the Grand Tableau.
Images of the The magickal lenormand oracle deck
When I started to form a concept for my deck for the Magickal Folklore Lenormand deck, it was important to me that my cards stayed true to the meanings of the Lenormand system. I wanted it to be a functioning deck which could be used by everyone from beginners to professionals. It took me a while to find the right illustrator too, as I wanted the deck to express my pagan beliefs and practices without detracting from the format. I also didn’t want to create a purely aesthetic deck, it needed to have a strong theme with continuity throughout. This sounds like a simple task but it's been a real challenge to not get carried away and over-design the cards. Lenormand calls for simplicity, I am by nature a folksy maximalist. I approached artist Roma may designs, whose art resonated with my folk magick aesthetic and practice. This was the theme of the deck from the start, we both wanted to create a mystical place which felt like it was part of its universe. Like the original Lenormand system, my deck made use of simple images to represent each card. The difference is I chose to find these images in folk traditions and folk magic of Europe. We included runes in many of the cards, as well as elements of witchcraft, folk and pagan traditions which add additional information to the cards. This is particularly beneficial to those readers who are used to the more independent imagery of the tarot. There is only. The magickal folklore Lenormand takes you on a journey from card to card. From the beautiful yurt which represents the house card and appears on several others, to the mountain range which all so feature and give continuity to this enchanted world. Designing the back of the cards came from my love of repeat floral and patterned prints, which appear all over Europe, in traditional dress and folk art. Roma may suggest making a mandala pattern and we both love to fly Agaric mushrooms so including them was a must. As an experienced designer, Roma knew exactly how to interpret my designs and we chose a muted colour palette early on, which I based on another incredible Russian Lenormand deck called The Russian Fairy Oracle, by Ivan Bilibin. The entire project was crowdfunded which was a roller coaster, thankfully one which ended successfully. You can have a look at the full deck or purchase one over @ magical_folklore_lenormand on Instagram.
Lenormand deck, Magickal Folklore Lenormand Deck
How to use the lenormand and spreads.
The Lenormand must be read literally which is either metaphorical or a direct representation of that image, for example, the woman card means a woman, the key means a literal key or the key to a situation, and the child means a child or something to be taken care of. Each card has a specific meaning, when you get a deck it is always worth studying the booklets so check for variations in the meanings. Generally, all Lenormand decks stick to the source meaning. Because the Lenormand does not require designated card positions in a spread to define the meaning, an easy way to get to know this system is to pick three or five cards, line them up in a row and speak each card as if it was a word and from these words form a sentence. Lenormand must be trusted at face value, although decks such as mine do offer greater depth and room for interpretation. Another way to read the cards is using the grand tableau, which relies on the numbers on the cards as well as the images. This is a much more complex reading and you must know the deck and meaning of each card before you try this spread.
“Lenormand must be trusted at face value, although decks such as mine do offer greater depth and room for interpretation”
The grand Tableau using the Magickal Folklore Lenormand Deck
Learning the Grand Tableau
Lay the cards out in numerical order from 1 to 36. In rows of 8, the last row will be four cards and these are known as the key or theme of the situation. This is a grand tableau spread. The position of each card represents a house, for example, card one, The Rider represents the house of the rider. Card 29 The woman represents the house of the woman. Once you are familiar with the order of the houses, reshuffle the cards and lay them out in rows of 8 again, with the last four at the bottom. Looking at the new order of the cards, the first card is now in the house of The Rider, the second card is in the house of The Clover and so on until the last card is in house 36 the Cross. The reasoning behind this spread is it gives more structure to the sentence being formed and more context to the information being given by the cards. An example of this would be house 29, representing card 29 The woman. If card 3 The ship is in the house of the woman, this can be read as - The woman is going to seek something beyond her current situation, or will be travelling far away. Then look to house 3 which represents the ship, in this house is card 2 The Clover. We then check which house the woman’s card is in, let's say house 32 The Moon. The sentence would be ‘The woman is seeking her luck by following her dreams’. This is a complicated spread, getting to know each card's meaning and number before you begin is key. Lenormand isn’t designed for using a booklet to check the meaning while you read the cards. In essence, this is why the images are so simple. They are symbols we recognise and understand. I hope you feel inspired to learn more about the Lenormand and get you know your deck.