Lenormand Versus Tarot
Cartomancy is my thing. Of all of the divinatory tools, cards are the tool I find most useful and what I reach for at the start of every single session with a client. It’s always been this way, and while I started this journey with tarot specifically, and still use it most often, there is another lesser known card system out there that is extremely useful for me.
You guessed it. It’s Lenormand.
The Lenormand system of cartomancy never really caught on quite the same way tarot did, especially here in America where I live. As a matter of fact, most people I speak with about it have never heard of it. It’s much more popular in Europe, but still not quite as well known as its good friend, tarot. So what is it? How is it different? How is it similar?
It’s the same basic principal as tarot in that it is a deck of cards that have an accepted set of interpretations. Tarot has 78 cards and Lenormand has 36, and some of the cards between the two decks even share common names, but this is where the similarities between the two systems end for me.
In tarot, it is possible to perform a one card reading often with a great deal of meaning and insight. Each card has a stand alone value all by itself that can then be layered with the meanings of the cards around it if the reader chooses to use multiple cards. This adds to the depth and complexity of the message, and most readers will use multiple card spreads, but it is not a requirement. Lenormand, however, can only be read in combinations. I equate this to a sentence. In order for the sentence to make sense it needs, at minimum, a subject and a predicate. Because of this, a two card combination is the starting requirement for a Lenormand reading. As you add more cards, your sentence then becomes more descriptive and complex. Think of these as adjectives, adverbs, direct objects, etc. A card by itself without the context of any other card is essentially useless. While the use surrounding cards can be helpful for tarot, for Lenormand it is not possible to interpret a card at all without the consideration of its neighbors. A one card Lenormand reading simply does not exist when the system is used correctly.
Another important distinction between Lenormand and tarot is the consistency in which the cards are interpreted. In tarot, there is a tremendous freedom to be found within the interpretation of each card. Tarot creators often take huge artistic liberties that can alter the traditionally accepted interpretation of the imagery of that card to make the card more meaningful to them. This is why some decks will deeply resonate with an individual while other decks will not. In short, different tarot decks will “read” very differently, while Lenormand remains very consistent across decks. The artwork may look very different, but it’s always going to be the same 36 cards in the same order with the same meanings. The art does not alter the foundation or interpretation of a Lenormand card the way it often does in tarot. It is also of note to mention that, interestingly, the meanings of the Lenormand cards and the tarot cards that share the same names are not interchangeable. Each system must be learned individually, but the consistency and simplicity of Lenormand interpretation makes it a very approachable system for beginners.
I use these two systems very differently. I most often refer to Lenormand decks as my “prophecy” decks. A Lenormand combination will throw out a clear prediction with STUNNING accuracy. These are usually very succinct one sentence readings for me. While this can be quite useful at times, I often find it disempowering as a stand alone reading and I like to focus my readings on empowerment and options. Because of this, I usually use Lenormand to get quickly to the root of what’s going on and what is likely immediately coming up, but I rarely stop there. I like to get deeper into a situation and talk about why something is happening as well as options for how to deal with it, and for this I will always turn to tarot. Tarot is often like having a therapist in front of you helping to uncover those deeply rooted patterns and behaviors that hold you back and then lovingly giving you an action plan to change things. You just don’t get that level of depth from Lenormand alone so I almost always prefer to use the two together. This gives me incredible insight due to the structured clarity of Lenormand in combination with the deep intuitive complexity of tarot. It’s almost like I’m talking to two different people about a situation where one is telling me about that situation with a tough love-no bullshit approach, while the other is holding my hand and helping me figure out how to process the information in the most useful way possible.
What is your experience with Lenormand? Do you combine card systems or do you use Lenormand and tarot separately?
