More about the Lenormand Deck

Because I posted a Valentine's Day card spell yesterday, illustrated with Ciro Marchetti's "Gilded Reverie" version of the Lenormand deck, I thought I'd say a few more words about this deck.  The Lenormand was actually the first fortune telling deck I got to know, long before I heard of tarot cards, because my grandmother owned a version of this deck.  For purposes of comparison, below is what yesterday's Valentine spell would look like with my grandmother's deck:

An interesting thing about the Lenormand deck is that the card reading technique (as described in the booklet that came with this older version of the deck) involves laying out the entire deck in rows of 8 cards, with 4 cards centered in the bottom row.  This layout isn't too unwieldy, because there are only 36 cards.  (This differs from most tarot techniques, where you're dealing with just a few selected cards.)  You then interpret the different cards in terms of how they are positioned in relation to the "key" card, which is card 28 (a man), if reading for a man, or card 29 (a woman), if reading for a woman.  Cards closer to the key card carry more weight.  Cards are also read in relation to each other, so favorable cards close to card 27, the Letter, would foretell good news, whereas challenging cards may warn of news that is not so welcome.  Graphic relationships also figure in interpretation, So, card 6, the Clouds, has a dark side and a light side, and it makes a difference whether events denoted by other cards are to the side of the dark clouds or the white clouds.  In seeing how card meanings are modified by how they stand in relation to one another and their graphic features, my early experience with the Lenormand helped me to appreciate ways that tarot images can interrelate. 

Persons who are intimidated about studying tarot because they're concerned there's so much to learn might want to try the Lenormand instead.  I've used it very effectively, and it offers a different selection of images for those who want to do more with card spells.

A BELATED VALENTINE

As February 14th is a day for hearts, flowers, and messages of love, it's also a good time to send a magical Valentine in the form of a card spell--something for which the Lenormand deck is uniquely suited.  The Lenormand is not a tarot deck, but it has 36 cards with symbolic pictures, and has been around for a long time, with some attributing it to the famed Napoleanic era card reader, Mlle. Lenormand.  I have recently acquired Ciro Marchetti's "Gilded Reverie" version of the Lenormand, and below is the basis for a spell that you can use to send your good wishes to a loved one on Valentine's Day or any day.

Lay out card 9, the Flowers, which signifies "happiness and contentment in all things," while you think of the good wishes you want to send your loved one.  Then card 27, the Letter, further emphasizes the idea that you are sending a message.  The good wishes are then redoubled with card 24, the Heart, which foretells joy and good fortune, as well as romance.

In the Lenormand deck, card 28 signifies a gentleman and card 29 a lady, so if you want to send your love to a special man or woman, you could set the appropriate card below card 27, the Letter.  (For further magical action, you could also fill a cup with a heart or hearts on it with water or wine, and blow on the surface of the liquid as you think of your loved one.)  Of course, Valentines don't have to be just for lovers, they can also be used to reconnect with old friends.  You could even put card 13, the Child, under the letter, with the idea of sending a Valentine to your Inner Child of the past--remembering how when we as children received Valentines, it created a warm feeling of "inclusion."

P.S. Special Valentines Good Wishes to Javier, whose holiday greeting I overlooked, because I went for a period without checking the posts.