If you liked what you read about the Lenormand Cards, then you are probably excited to get started on your magnificent Lenormand adventure! And that means you are excited to buy your first Lenormand Deck! ?I totally understand where you are coming from, believe me!

Starting out with Lenormand Cards will be quite an exciting journey, I promise you! Regardless of whether you come from a Tarot background or not, learning and working with the Lenormand system will be a brilliant adventure. ? 

These cards will challenge you and inspire you in a way that is direct, practical, and on-point. So get ready for some straight-up messages from the Universe!

Your First Lenormand Deck

Choosing or buying your first Lenormand Deck can often be a difficult decision, just like that for a Tarot Deck. I am not aware of any superstitions attached with whether you can buy it yourself or not, but just like the Tarot, I will go ahead and say that you can totally buy your Lenormand Deck for yourself. ? 

Naturally, this brings us to the point where we ask about which deck is the right one to buy — especially for a beginner.

Buying Your First Lenormand Deck: Some Tips to Consider

Here are some practical tips to consider while buying your first Lenormand Deck:

• As we’ve read earlier, in the Lenormand, the imagery doesn’t really add any value to the interpretation. Each card essentially contains a symbol which has several meanings (depending on the context of the question asked), and that’s about it. Therefore, it makes sense to get a deck where the imagery is clear and doesn’t contain excessive elements which may confuse the reader. If the images are too busy, you won’t be able to spot the main symbol as easily. The main symbol should be seen very clearly and easily in the card image.

This is the Heart card from the Celtic Lenormand. If you look at the image carefully, you will notice the heart-shaped leaf at the bottom of the image. But the image is quite dominated by the bright cloud-covered sun and the seashore. It takes a moment to spot the heart in there. And during a reading, this may cause a bit of confusion.

• The card image should not cause confusion with other card images in the deck. If the image looks very much like another image in the same deck, it can really be a big source of confusion. Especially when you are doing the Grand Tableau reading, where you need to be able to quickly spot the image from among several in the spread, and keep going with the flow of the reading without having to double-check everything to do with the look of the card.

These are the Fox and Bear cards from the Middia Lenormand. The images of the fox and the bear in these cards look quite alike — especially if one is doing a quick reading. I’ve often ended up confusing one card for the other — only realizing my mistake when I’ve noticed the card numbers. Of course, those numbers aren’t the focal point of the card, so I don’t tend to notice them as swiftly. 

• If you are looking to form a tradition-based connection with the cards, buy a deck that has images of the playing cards inset within the card image. Most Lenormand card meanings owe their origins to the original playing card meanings. If you are coming from a Cartomancy background, these image insets will give you a familiar feeling. 

Here you can see the Rider card from the French Cartomancy Lenormand Deck. We can see the Rider and also the playing card inset (9 of Hearts) quite clearly in there. In Cartomancy, the 9 of Hearts depicts the fulfillment of a wish. In the Lenormand, the Rider is a bringer of good news. The news could, therefore, be about a wish that was fulfilled. 

• Another advantage of getting cards with playing card image insets is the presence of Court Card images. Traditional playing cards include the Court Cards of Jack, Queen, and King. In the Lenormand, seeing these can also remind you that these cards can also represent people, of course within the context of the question.

Here’s the Snake card from the French Cartomancy Lenormand Deck. The playing card inset shows us the Queen of Clubs. In a very simplistic way, the snake card represents betrayal. The presence of the Queen in the image tells us that this card can also represent a woman who will be a betrayer. 

• This one is my personal preference. I like it when the card numbers are (at least) displayed to the top-left of the card image. It helps me easily locate the card when I arrange them in their proper order so I can store them in their box. Now, this is what I prefer being a right-handed person. A left-handed person may prefer the opposite, and quite rightly so! Therefore, ideally, a deck where the card numbers are displayed on both sides, the top-right and the top-left would be the best! 

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  Gilded Reverie Lenormand: Ship Card

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  French Cartomancy Lenormand: Bouquet Card

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  Clair De Lune Lenormand: Sun Card

Here you can see the perfect examples of each! The first card, with the number clearly displayed on the top-left, is the Ship card from the Gilded Reverie Lenormand Deck. The middle one, with the card number on both sides (the ideal one!), is the Bouquet card from the French Cartomancy Lenormand Deck. And the last one, with the card number on the top-right, is the Sun card from the Clair de Lune Lenormand Deck. 

Buying Your First Lenormand Deck: My Recommendations 

Now that you know what to look for in a good Lenormand Deck, here are a few of my recommendations. Just to clarify, there are 2 types of decks in here, one with the playing card image insets, and one without. The reason is simple: some of us may not want to learn about the cartomancy connection. Or some of us prefer to have just the Lenormand Card image in there, without anything else on the card. Whatever your preference, here are some of the Lenormand Decks that I absolutely love, and would totally recommend to beginners.

• The French Cartomancy Lenormand Deck

This deck has several historic connections, and it also fits well within the parameters listed above. I love this deck because of the simplicity of the card images.

• The Rana George Lenormand Deck

Created by one of the greatest teachers of Lenormand, the Rana George Lenormand Deck is perfect for beginners and advanced students alike. It pairs well with the awesome book that Rana George wrote! It does have some extra cards in there, but their meanings (and their presence itself) is explained properly in the book that accompanies the deck.

Click here to go buy this awesome deck for yourself!

• Maybe Lenormand Deck

In my humble opinion, this is probably as perfect as you can get with a Lenormand Deck. The symbol / card image is clearly drawn and easily spotted. There are no additional distractions in terms of imagery. And it includes the playing card image inset as well. 

The deck does contain several extra cards — however, you can choose to not use them at all (which is what I do, as of now). And should you be interested, the book that accompanies the deck can tell you more about those extra cards as well. 

Click here to buy your copy of this fantastic deck!

• Blue Bird Lenormand Deck

This is also a good deck for beginners — especially the second edition of this deck! The card image / symbol is drawn to be clearly visible. The playing card inset is also included. Additionally, each card contains a poem that briefly tells us what the card is all about. What more could a beginner want? 

Your First Lenormand Deck: Additional Recommendations 

• Pixie’s Astounding Lenormand Deck

The images of this deck were drawn by none other than Pamela Coleman Smith, the illustrator of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Card Deck! Don’t they look mighty familiar? ? When you pair this deck with the Rider-Waite-Smith deck and do a reading, the images really go so well with each other! 

Click here to get a copy of this astounding deck for yourself!

• Dreaming Way Lenormand Deck

This deck is illustrated by Kwon Shina, the same artist who also illustrated the Dreaming Way Tarot Deck. Just like the pairing above, the Dreaming Way Lenormand Deck can easily be paired with the Dreaming Way Tarot Deck to give you lovely, cohesive reading spreads that are a ‘dream’ to read! ☺️

Click here and buy your copy of this dreamy deck!

• The Gilded Reverie Lenormand Deck

This deck is one of my personal favorites. It contains 44 cards — that is 8 extra cards, that add a ton of value to the reading, if you choose to include them in your reading. I like the clear imagery. The playing card connection is included, albeit in a corner in the bottom-right, and not very prominently. The deck also features extra Gentleman and Lady cards, which can be used to read for same-sex couples. 

Click and buy a copy of this lovely deck for yourself!

• Under the Roses Lenormand Deck

This deck also has very clear imagery, without any distracting background imagery. The cards feature the playing card connection in the bottom-right corner. The best part of this deck is that it contains 3 extra cards for the Gentleman, Lady, and Child cards which make it easy to read for same-sex couples or clients that are not of Caucasian origin. 

Click here and get a copy of this amazing deck for yourself!

Your Thoughts…

Of course, there are a ton of decks out there that will fit the bill and can be included in this list! But these are the decks that I have. ? So if you have any more decks that you can recommend, please do share their names (and links to buy them) in the comments section below! It would be awesome to have such a lovely list going on!