by
~*~Velvet
Angel ~*~
Tarot
Lenormand
This
deck is suitable for any question you would like to ask of the Tarot.
by
~*~Velvet
Angel ~*~
Tarot
Lenormand
This
deck is suitable for any question you would like to ask of the Tarot.
Deck artwork by Ernest
Fitzpatrick
© 2006 Lo Scarabeo
This is a 78-card Tarot deck based on the Madame Lenormand oracles that were printed in the 19th century. Marie Anne Lenormand was a French fortune-teller who was born in the mid-nineteenth century. She was famous for having been a fortune-teller to Napoleon Bonaparte's first wife. The setting of the cards are placed in the French Napoleon era. They depict pleasant scenes of daily life experiences.
Some
of the cards can easily be associated with traditional Tarot imagery, but
other cards are very different from tradition. For example, the Three
of Swords doesn't portray the classical image of heartbreak. Instead,
a woman is standing on land near the ocean. Birds are flying above,
and a white dog is looking up to her expectantly, as if to say, "What next?"
But the woman had a rather dreamy expression on her face. To her
left is a large anchor, and in the distance, a sailboat is sailing away
in the ocean waters. Typically, the Three of Swords expresses heartbreak,
but you don't get that with this card from the Conman Tarot. Even
the little booklet puts this card in a happy light:
"Hope. Optimism. Confidence about the future. Good omens. Positive presentiments.Reversed meanings of the LWB (little white booklet) are denoted with a "U" in italics, meaning "upside-down." I don't think I could read the Three of Swords in that sort of positive light, because it's just not known for that kind of interpretation. In looking at the image, I think I would take note of the heavy anchor beside her which could indicate a heavy heart, despite the dreamy appearance on her face. The sailboat moving away might be carrying the lover that she hopes will return to her . . . so she may be set up for a heartbreak without even realizing it. She is "anchored" to the land while the man of her desires has his freedom on the open seas. The little white dog in the scene is interesting, too, as it reminds me of the dog that we often see in traditional images of the Fool card. This dog looks up to her expectantly, possibly barking a warning to prompt her to come to her senses. That is my take on the scene of the card and how I would read it -- despite what the LWB tells us. I am not overly fond of the brief information in most LWB's anyway, and sometimes they are written as if someone who knew little or nothing about the Tarot sat down to write an instruction booklet for the cards.
U: Resignation. Pessimism. Negative signs. Abandoning to chance.
There are other cards that can be a little difficult to identify with, but once you have worked out the meaning in your own mind -- how you see the card and what the imagery represents to you -- it's a lot easier to use these cards. As I went through the deck, I only found about 11 of the cards that seemed to significantly stray from traditional Tarot messages. One such card is the 3 of Swords above . . . but I have found a way to work with that card (and the others) that feels right to me. Of course, meanings do not have to be the same from one deck to another, but it can be hard to break with tradition when we are accustomed to seeing a certain type of scene or setting for a particular card. I am an open-minded reader, and I can adapt to these things in most cases.
Another
example that I really had to ponder in my own mind is the 9 of Wands from
this deck. It features 3 mice on a table. They seem to be going
after the bread or cake that is on the table. Traditionally, I think
of the 9 of Wands as being guarded, protective, and defensive. The
walls or barriers are in place to protect oneself from getting hurt again
in the future. One is proceeding with caution. Here is what
the LWB says about the Tarot Lenormand's 9 of Wands:
"Saving. Ability to anticipate problems. Inspired intuition. Mental quickness.This one wasn't so completely different, because with the 9 of Wands, one needs to be able to anticipate the potential for problems -- and basically be prepared. Mice are very quick, so I could relate that to the concept of "mental quickness." In the card scene, it looks as if the 2 mice in the background, perched on a shelf, are guarding or keeping watch in case anyone comes to catch the mice on the table with the bread or cake. So even though we don't see a man with a bandage in front of 9 Wands in this card scene, I did kind of like this presentation once I explored it. It's definitely different, although the meanings for this card in the LWB are reasonably easy to relate to.
U: Waste. False friendships. Wrong investments. Bad advice.
So
with that said, I can't help but to include one more example of these variances.
The Five of Pentacles is another interesting difference to traditional
Tarot. In this card, the upright version is considered positive,
while the reversal is considered to have a more negative interpretation.
The Tarot Lenormand's Five of Pentacles shows a man who is pulling out
an unexpected reward or resource from the water with his net. He
certainly doesn't feature the typical 5 of Pentacles expression of hardship
and desolation. In the LWB, the card's interpretation is presented
as follows:
"Surprise. Unexpected income. Profitable find. Recovery of something lost.So with this in mind, I will read the 5 of Pentacles upright more positively with this deck, and if the card comes up reversed in a reading, then I will incorporate more of the traditional hardship interpretation for the card. In this card, it seems he has chosen to search for something that can help him, versus letting pride get in the way as we would see in a typical 5 of Pentacles representation. But with the reversal, then we might be looking at those unexpected or unpleasant surprises that can make a person feel alone and out in the cold.
U: Unpleasant surprise. Discovery that proves useless or damaging."
So the Tarot Lenormand does have some interesting twists in it, but one can adapt to these variations if they feel attuned to the deck otherwise. I actually do like this deck a lot, and it surprised me to find that I rank it among my favorite decks. When I initially looked through it and saw some of the variations that seemed to catch my eye quickly, I wasn't sure I could or would be willing to really work with this deck much. But I've found instead that it's a very enlightening and accurate deck. I attuned to it much more easily than I expected.
Each of the cards are bordered with a green design and a white border on the outside. The pip cards (1-10) of each suit have the arabic number of the card centered at the top in the white border. The top left indicates the suit that the card is from, written in the English language. Below that and at the right side on the top, the suit name is noted in other languages as well. The bottom of the white borders also denote the suit name in two additional languages at the left and the right. The major arcana are similarly presented, except roman numerals are used instead of arabic numbers.
As with most Tarot decks, there is some minimal nudity in the Tarot Lenormand, but nothing provocative. It is done in a tasteful manner. For example, the Two of Chalices features a baby nursing at his mother's breast, Judgment features a nude woman rising from her grave, and the Devil card features a nude Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden as they confront a horned serpent wrapped around a tree. That's a particular card that does a great job in expressing the concepts of temptation!
The cards have been produced on a good cardstock and have a smooth matte finish. They are a good size for shuffling, are flexible, and shuffle smoothly in the hands. The backs of the cards are reversible with an inverted design in tones of red and gold.
Because of the significant contrasts from a traditional Tarot deck, I wouldn't recommend a beginner to the Tarot to try to learn with this deck. But an experienced reader may find this deck to be an enjoyable one to work with. The scenes are pretty and pleasant, not overly busy, and can also offer some new perspectives in one's interpretations.
Velvet
Angel
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Number of cards in deck:78
Size of Cards: 2.6" x 4.72"
Included with deck:64-page instruction booklet, written in English, Italian, Spanish, French, and German
Major Arcana:
The Fool, The Magician,
The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers,
The Chariot, Justice
(#8), The Hermit, The Wheel, Strength (#11), The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance,
Devil, The Tower, The
Stars, The Moon, The Sun, Judgement, The World
Suit Names: Chalices, Pentacles, Wands, Swords
Court Cards: Knave, Knight, Queen, King
Back Design of Cards:
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 TAROT
LENORMAND
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