Little Lenormand type decks question

[Grizabella]

I hope this is in the right place. I don't usually use oracle cards so I'm totally out of my element here.

I have some little decks sent to me at various times. They are:

Art Deco Fortune Telling Cards
Gipsy Fortune Telling Cards (gypsy spelled "gipsy" on the box)
Lenormand

And one that says on the box:

Biedermeier Aufschlagkarten and on the back Cartomancy Deck Jeu De La Fortune Tres Fin

They seem similar, although only the Lenormand has the bear card I've seen mentioned in a thread here.

How does a person go about reading with these? Is it like with Tarot---you shuffle, lay out a spread, and then read? What's different from Tarot? Does anyone else have any of these decks? They're just so cute and they're the same size as my little fairy playing card deck, so I thought I'd explore them a little bit.

 

[MatPoint]

Hi Solitaire and welcome to the oracles forum.

Lenormand is a deck of cartomancy. The meanings are more specific than tarot and you would interpret combos instead of individual cards. Then there is a couple of original spreads that have become very popular with this deck but you can also use Tarot spreads using more than 1 card per position. That will let you read in combos.

A simple tarot spread:

1. Past, 2. Present, 3. Future

Imagine that you would like to get general information about yourself. We lay the cards out on the table using the previous spread but using 2 cards per position.

Past: 1. Horseman + 29 Lady
Present: 3. Ship + 27 Letter
Future: 6 Clouds + 17 Storks

The Horseman is not facing the 29 Lady so I would say someone close to you has left in the past. (Or, maybe, you left)

In the present (Ship + Letter) you have received news from this person or you are expecting them. It could be a letter, an email, etc..

In the future there is confusion about making changes. If I link to the past this could be interpreted as being confused about moving to another location in order to be closer to the person who left. The clouds is telling us that it will not happen overnight as there are many things to have on account.

King of clubs (clouds) + Queen of hearts (storks). This is about a man and a woman. And if he is the one who left then I would say it is related to work and career.

You have another spread here: http://www.thenewlenormand.com/index.php?pag=techniques&ext=.html&lang=en

I will post a demo reading for the Cross Spread.

Hope it helps.

 

[rachelcat]

From what I understand, a traditional spread for the petit Lenormand is one using ALL 36 CARDS! This has always confused and mystified me. I guess it has to do with the idea of reading the cards in combination. Which are closest to the significator, etc. I've even tried it, but if all the cards are there, how do you know what to emphasize??

Hmmm. (I have ordered Sylvie's book, hoping it, and her study group here, will shed some light on this subject!!!)

 

[faunabay]

I"ve been working with lenormand cards for about 4 or 5 months now. Pretty much a beginner and I haven't even tried a 36 card spread. Not a chance!
But I'm really hooked on this type of oracle. I love it. The bug has bitten me!!! LOL I know there's a few websites around that give you a small overview for how to read with them. They are so intricate though you could go years and learn new things all the time. Let me see if I can find a couple of the websites I know I ran across at one time.

Of course now that I'm looking for them I can't find them. I'll come back and post them if I run across them again. But here's a few older threads that talk about the cards and combinations.

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=36312
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=36616

 

[pippi]

For meanings, spreads and sample readings for the Art Deco and Lenormand decks, I highly recommend checking out Seaqueen's site: "Ask My Cards".

I just received the Art Deco deck myself, and her site has been very helpful! Have fun with your new decks!!

 

[LisaW]

mmm. (I have ordered Sylvie's book, hoping it, and her study group here, will shed some light on this subject!!!)

Hi rachelcat - I'm working my way through Sylvie's virtual workshop now, with her book and her help, and I can't say enough good about it.
She will help you be able to get very specific answers with the spreads.
I think you will enjoy it alot. I find that I'm thinking and dreaming lenormand alot now! lol much like my early studies with Tarot.
Look forward to seeing you on the thread..

LisaW

 

[Grizabella]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond on this thread. I'm going to explore the links and try to get the hang of using these cute little cards. They sound intriguing.

So basically, you use all these decks by looking at pairs?

 

[faunabay]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond on this thread. I'm going to explore the links and try to get the hang of using these cute little cards. They sound intriguing.

So basically, you use all these decks by looking at pairs?

They are just lovely little decks. I'm hooked now!

And yes, you do basically look at how the cards pair up. You can read them separately. Most of the readings though are done by looking at how they pair up.

 

[pippi]

It doesn't necessarily have to be in pairs of two. You can lay out as many cards as you like, but rather than having specific positions, you read them more like a story. You let the images talk to you, and see how they relate to each other. What cards are next to each other, which direction the people are facing, etc. If you lay out a number of cards, the proximity between the cards will also factor in.

 

[pippi]

That being said, I have also used the Art Deco deck with certain tarot spreads as well, with good results.