The Lenormand fortune telling cards were developed by a 19th-century French prophet. The use of these cards is similar to the Tarot cards, although there are also specific rules. The following article will give you an overview of how to use Lenormand cards as a fortune-telling tool and problems when combined them with Tarot.
Related Article: The Overview of Lenormand
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Basic methods to read Lenormand cards:
1. First method – “Chain” Card Reading:
a) Definition “Chain”
This reading method is called the “chain”. It is when you place the cards in one row from left to right. These strings usually are used to give guidance for one question, and usually, it includes about 3 to 5 cards in a spread. This is a common spread and used by many people.
b) Basic rules to read a “Chain”
- First: Read the cards from left to right
- Second: Use their basic meaning of each card and combine them in pairs.
For example, you can read these cards as below:
2. Second Method – Grand Tableau spread of Lenormand cards
a) Definition Grand Tableau spread of Lenormand cards
The second reading method of Lenormand cards is to use one table to place the cards in rows, therefore it can also be called the Grand Tableau spread. Usually, with the Petit Lenormand, we can place all the cards on the cloth in 4 rows with 9 cards in each row (9×4 spread) or 4 rows with 8 cards and 4 destiny cards (8×4 spread + 4). This is the two spreads that are used the most, but there are also other spreads, which could be simpler such as 3×3 spread, the one which includes 3 rows with 3 cards in each row and create a square.
NOTE: Some people may use the spreads which could be similar to when they use Tarot. But I recommend you should not do so and only follow the spreads I suggest here. In another article, I will explain why this is important.
b) Basic Rules to read 9×4 or 8×4 + 4 spread:
– First: The row which the cards that represent the person who asks lies are the Present.
– Second: The Past is reflected by the cards which lie on the left side of the person who asks (in the same row).
So in the example above, the third column represents the female guest present (black). And any card on the left side of the third column talks about her past (red) and all the cards on the right are the future (blue).
Therefore, in the above-mentioned example, the third column represents the Present of the female guest (black). And any card which lies on the left of the third column can be about her Past (Red) and all the Lenormand cards which lie on the right are her Future (blue).
02-21–29–32-04-15-24-17-26
03-19-22-31-14-11-25-07-27
30-20-34-01-12-16-33-06-35
36-13-18-23-05-09-28-08-10
If the spread is for a man it will be:
02-21-29-32-04-15-24-17-26
03-19-22-31-14-11-25-07-27
30-20-34-01-12-16-33-06-35
36-13-18-23-05-09–28–08-10
– Third: The Impact Level
A card is considered to be controlled by the person who is read is when it is under him or her. In other words, they can do something to influence things. A card above the master card will affect that person. It can be said that the card is an objective factor that is hard to be influenced by that person.
III. How to read Lenormand cards and combinations
The combination of Lenormand cards depends on your experience with
them. The more you learn about Lenormand, the easier it will be to link the
cards together into a story. If you are a beginner you should practice with a
single spread – to learn the meaning of cards.
The combination of cards is like adjectives and
nouns in a sentence. Just as adjectives supporting the nearby nouns, each card
describes its nearby card. The first card in the pair is a noun, and the next
card is the adjective that gives you more information about the first card.
For example, you can draw Rider (1) which is followed by Clover (2). If Rider is a noun and Clover is an adjective, it provides more information about the Rider. You already knew that Rider leaves often means news and the followed Clover means luck. Combining these two words we will get the meaning of this pair which is “good news”.
If the duo you have is Rider (1) and Clouds (6), then like that, Rider will be the noun and Clouds is the adjective, it provides more information about the Rider. So, what do you think will be the news that the Rider card brings to us, based on what the Clouds card says? Clouds are vague and uncertain. When we combine Lenormand cards with the Rider cards, you will have uncertain news or news that brings ambiguity.
Here we have a combination of Rider (1) – Scythe (10). Since Scythe cards cut everything quickly, this Lenormand card tells us that Rider’s news can be news that will come very quickly about an ending or separation.
Remember there is no limit to the combinations you can think of all depends on your imagination.
II. The combinations between Lenormand cards and Tarot cards
If you are interested in Tarot, then surely you will try to
combine Lenormand cards with
Tarot cards. Don’t falter! You are in a very special state, which allows you to
mix Tarot’s experiences with new knowledge about
Lenormand cards! Here are the tips when you
want to challenge yourself by mixing the
Lenormand and Tarot systems together.
Tarot comes from Mars! First, the Tarot system
assigns specific meanings to each location of the cards in the spread. For
example, in a Celtic Cross lesson, if a card is in a certain position, it will
represent what others think of you. In another place, it represents what you
hope or fear, etc.
In fact, what you do in Tarot is to tell the meaning of the cards if you stop at # 9, you are talking about your hopes and fears, if you stop at # 5, you are talking about the near past. Cards will give you an understanding of your current position.
In addition, you have 78 cards, so you will have a wider range of explanations because each card has its own unique characteristics. You can also take advantage of the symbols on the cards and hidden sets, and you can also learn about Karma in the main Hidden cards. As you know, there are many things that can be taken from Tarot!
But Lenormand cards don’t work that way! It comes from Venus!
The Lenormand deck has only 36 cards, less than half of the Tarot deck! Not only that, the Lenormand set is not a complete deck! While the Subversion of the Tarot series can be considered a modified Western deck (from 2 to Aces). Lenormand is based on a simplified set of cards (from six to Aces). Obviously, there are not many things which a card can tell you! Therefore, the method of using cards is mainly based on the combination of the meaning of the cards, rather than what a card can tell you.
“Lenormand cards work based on the combination of cards, rather than what a card can tell you!”
The only important thing that you need to remember is that Lenormand needs to combine two cards into a pair to produce a deeper analysis. What the Tarot user used to do is to apply spreads like Celtic Cross into Lenormand, but according to what we have discussed, a Lenormand card needs to be paired with another card. That makes the cards lose their nature and potential. Using a specific spread with specific meaning is not the best way to use Lenormand. What you need to do is to use a method that allows you to create as many combinations as possible, this usually doesn’t happen with Tarot decks.
As mentioned, Lenormand cards combined with Tarot cards will create a powerful tool. Tarot cards will add a new level of meaning to the whole story and focus on answering everything better than the usual Petit Lenormand spread. Honestly, one of the best lessons is a combination of Tarot and Lenormand. The basic secret is to apply Tarot to the Lenormand system, not the other way around.
This is a concrete example. Let’s start with the simplest thing and try with a Tarot card first. The following two cards answer the question “who is this person” and is a part of the 5-card spread.
From the House card, we can obviously see that it is a man. In addition, the cards give the message that it is a family man and has an adult child. You will have a warm feeling from that person. That may be a very caring father and he takes good care of his children. This is an old and wise man, with fatherhood experiences. However, the Moon (Robin Wood Tarot) card gives a feeling of wavering and ambiguity. This is a man who has seen how the past affects his present and realizes that a certain decision in the past still affects him over the years. It also refers to someone who has gone through a profound spiritual journey and has changed in his soul.
Lenormand cards are very clear and undeniable. They indicate that the man mentioned is having a time in his life that he must re-evaluate every decision. He went through a difficult divorce and the process changed him, thus, he was busy arranging pieces of life and undergoing purification of the soul in some ways.
As you can see, Tarot brings a new depth to solving problems. Obviously, you will not want to (or need not) use the Tarot cards in a complicated Lenormand spread, but just a small spread with 3-5 cards. You might ask yourself whether it could be the Tarot Lenormand style or the Lenormand Tarot style?
Whatever it is, try it once. You will discover a new aspect of the mystical spiritual world of Lenormand cards.
