You probably already have some familiarity with lenormand decks but just in case you don’t, let’s start with what they are. Lenormand is a deck of cards developed specifically for cartomancy. Unlike tarot, which has origins in Renaissance Italy, lenormand is much newer, coming onto the scene in the early 1800s. The deck was named after the well-known fortune teller Marie Anne Lenormand although they were not created until after her death.
A key difference between tarot and lenormand is that while historical evidence suggests tarot originated primarily for game play, lenormand cards always had an intention to be used for divination.
I am far from an expert. For more on the history of lenormand I recommend this post from Benebell Wen and this one from Labyrinthos.
One of my favorite decks in my collection is Pixie’s Astounding Lenormand (pictured above). It’s actually the only lenormand deck I own. The creators combed through Pamela Colman Smith’s artwork and created collage images to form this 36 card deck. If you’re already familiar with Pixie’s tarot artwork, this deck makes a nice segue into the lenormand world. I wrote a brief review of the deck back in 2016.
But if the imagery of the aforementioned deck doesn’t do it for you, never to fear! Just as we’ve seen with tarot, there’s also been a huge boom in new lenormand decks on the market in recent years. I’ve had my eyes on the Green Glyphs Lenormand for a while (pictured below).
So! If you’re used to working with tarot, why or when might you choose to use lenormand instead? I have some thoughts and I’ve organized them into an internet friendly numbered list.
You are looking for a prediction. In my experience, lenormand is much more effective than tarot when it comes to straight up predictive readings. I famously don’t do predictive readings as a general rule. But I have a confession: I’ve done a few unabashedly predictive readings for myself using my lenormand deck and the results were SO spot on that it freaked me out. I rarely use lenormand cards myself for this reason. I’ve decided in most circumstances, I don’t really want to know the future.
This is a contrast to tarot: the few times I’ve tried to do predictive tarot readings the results are garbled at best. I find that tarot cards want to wander and meander through the hows and whys and get deep into the weeds of situations. Usually this is what I want. But sometimes, you just want an answer. I’ve found lenormand very effective for this. So if you are feeling brave and want to try your hand at prediction, lenormand might be the card system for you.
You want a clear, simple answer. I suppose this has some overlap with what I already discussed in point one. Sometimes you don’t want a transformative, psyche-stretching, soul exploring reading. Sometimes you just want something simple. Maybe even a yes or no answer. The humble lenormand deck is much more efficient for this than tarot.
I’m one of those people who is always harping on that there’s no such thing as positive and negative tarot cards. Each tarot card has a spectrum of meaning, blah blah blah. But if you look at books that accompany lenormand decks each card is clearly defined as positive, negative or neutral. This makes for a more straightforward reading experience.
You like unpretentious systems. Sure, systems can be a thing in tarot reading. You can read tarot using strict guidelines of astrological and elemental associations and so on. But even if you like this more analytical approach to tarot, the systems imposed on tarot cards can be clunky and confusing.
I find the lenormand system much more no-nonsense. There’s not as much of a heady occult influence. Instead, as I mentioned earlier, the cards feel folksy. Tarot can be a bit intimidating, especially if you’re new. It feels like you need to be an occult scholar just to pull a few cards. Not the case with lenormand. The vibe is more sitting around a kitchen table in a cozy shawl with some tea peeking into the future. There is a system to lenormand but it’s fairly no-frills and welcoming to beginners.
You don’t want to fuss with a huge spread. There’s a time and a place for an unwieldy beast of a tarot spread with ten plus cards. Hell, there’s even methods of reading lenormand cards that utilize all 36 cards in the deck! But the most common method of lenormand used today is a simple two card spread. Labyrinthos suggests card one serves as a subject, card two as a modifier.
Unlike tarot which tends to be mysteriously symbolic, lenormand cards are often much more literal. There’s many good resources online for how to interpret every possible two card pair you might encounter in the deck. Of course, just like with tarot, intuitition plays a role in interpretation as well! When interpreting two card combos in lenormand, my best advice is don’t overthink it.
You just want a change of pace from tarot. I mean, this is really the bottom line. If you love the tactile experience of holding cards in your hand and just want something with a different energy than tarot, give lenormand a try. If things have gotten boring or frustrating in your tarot practice, give lenormand a try. Sometimes you’re craving something that inhabits a simliar sphere but isn’t the exact tool you’re acclimated to. And in that case, give lenormand a try!