Lenormand Cards! I’m sure, you must’ve read/heard that I do my readings using the Lenormand Cards along with my Tarot Cards! And I get a lot of questions about what the Lenormand cards are all about. In this series of blog posts, I hope to answer these queries to the best of my abilities.

Let us begin at the beginning, with how it all started…

A Brief History of the Lenormand Cards

Somewhere during the late 1700s, there was a game of cards called ‘The Game of Hope’ that gained some popularity in France. The symbols used in this game originated from the symbols used in coffee ground readings. Some of the interpretations were also derived from playing card (cartomancy) reading methods. This Game of Hope was a parlor game, but soon enough began to be used in ways similar to the Tarot.

 

A point to be noted here is that the Tarot as we know it today hadn’t really taken shape yet. The Marseilles Tarot Deck had been around since the early 1700s, but those cards were still very mysterious and didn’t have masses of interested students and practitioners/readers back then.

Anyhow, getting back to our Lenormand story… During the mid-19th Century, Marie Anne Lenormand (a.k.a. Madame Lenormand) was gaining quite the notoriety for being an amazing Cartomancer and psychic. She used cards similar to ‘The Game of Hope’ cards, having adapted them to her needs. Madame Lenormand read for some very famous people back then; her client list included notables such as Empress Josephine (the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte), Tsar Alexander I of Russia, and Robespierre (a well known French Revolutionary).

Mme Lenormand has had quite a colorful life, and you can read all about it here and here.

 

After she died, her name was attached with a pack of cards that were a combination of ‘The Game of Hope’ and playing cards. The cards were called ‘Lenormand Cards,’ and they became quite popular in Europe, Russia, and even Brazil. The western world was introduced to them in the early 21st century.

A Bit More About the Lenormand Cards…

1. A standard pack of Lenormand cards contains 36 cards. As is the trend, you’ll find a number of Lenormand decks in the market — some rooted in tradition, some based around a theme, and some with a modern twist.
2. Each card has a basic symbol depicted on it, which is the main, or central image of the card. Some decks may also feature an image of the related playing card inset within the card. Many who hail from cartomancy traditions, find it very useful to have the playing card image in there.
3. These 36 cards don’t follow any specific pattern or theme, unlike the Tarot Cards (which have the cards divided in Suits, that follow a progressive story-pattern). These 36 cards are quite random in their sequence, and therefore, for beginners, it can be a bit tough to memorize this sequence.
4. The spread of Lenormand cards across the world has given rise to various ‘Methods’ or ‘Schools’ of reading the Lenormand cards. You may often see people saying that they follow the German tradition, or some saying they follow the Dutch tradition, while others swear by the French tradition. Personally, I feel like you can attach yourself to a ’tradition’ that sits well with your sensibilities, and then stick to it. Kinda sorta like how you would with the various ‘must-dos’ surrounding Tarot. ?☺️
5. A very important point to note about the Lenormand cards is that despite the colorful or thematic imagery that you may find in the decks, the meaning of the card does NOT change based on that. Lenormand card meanings are dependent only on the main symbol of the card, and that’s it. Therefore the Card Story method of deriving the card’s meaning won’t really apply to these cards! ? This also means that the card’s imagery doesn’t really play much of a role in the card’s interpretation, which is very unlike the Tarot.
6. While interpreting the Lenormand, the Context makes a huge difference! A card may have several different meanings or interpretations attached to it, but only the context of the question determines which meaning will apply!
7. Another thing to know about the Lenormand is that the method of interpreting them is very linear — again, very unlike the Tarot Cards. The card placement matters in the interpretation, and the cards aren’t read just by themselves. At the very least, you must have a pair of cards to do a reading.
8. The tone of the Lenormand card reading is very different from that of the Tarot Cards. The Lenormand is direct, and to-the-point, and doesn’t look at the broader, big-picture scene of the reading story. It will answer your question in the most cut-to-the-chase way.
9. Most Lenormand spreads contain an odd number of cards, usually a line of 3, 5, or 7 cards, or in a 3 X 3 grid of 9 cards. Ultimately, all the 36 cards are used in a big spread, aptly called ‘The Grand Tableau’ which looks at various aspects of the big picture in a highly complex and involved manner. However, the Grand Tableau only covers a pre-decided time period.
10. Another point to note is that while many readers also read Reversed Tarot Cards, the Lenormand cards aren’t read Reversed. They are always read upright.
11. While the Lenormand Cards can be used to do an entire reading just by themselves, they do make a very awesome companion to the Tarot Cards. They add a very ‘practical’ layer to the reading, which truly helps the clients when they come in for a reading.

What’s Next?

I’m sure you are curious to know what these 36 Lenormand cards are, and what they are all about. ? Don’t worry, you’ll find out more about them in my next post! So, stay tuned! ✨