A Short History of the Deck
The deck of 36 playing cards now referred to as the Petit Lenormand is based totally on a deck of playing cards originally designed for a parlour game via Johann Kaspar Hechtel from Germany and later named after the well-known French fortune-teller Marie Anne Lenormand. While we have no proof that Lenormand used this specific deck, the association along with her name no doubt boosted the recognition of the deck and ensured its survival long after many other historical cartomancy decks have been forgotten. The history of the deck is printed within the timeline underneath, with a few feasible Lenormand card institutions proven in brackets.
1771: Johann Kaspar Hechtel became born in Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany.
1772: Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand changed into born in Alençon, Normandy, France.
1786: Lenormand left Alençon for Paris wherein she could grow to be famous for reading cards for the elite of French society, such as Joséphine de Beauharnais.
1789: The storming of the Bastille prison in Paris through rioters on 14 July symbolized the start of the French Revolution, a period of political and social upheaval all through which the French monarchy turned into overthrown and plenty of humans had been accomplished via guillotine which includes the Bourbon King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette.
1796: Joséphine de Beauharnais married navy fashionable Napoleon Bonaparte.
1798/nine: Various works by Hechtel along with Das Spiel der Hoffnung (The Game of Hope) had been published by using Gustav Philipp Jakob Bieling of Nuremberg. Das Spiel der Hoffnung is a parlour sport that consists of a deck of 36 numbered playing cards* illustrated with number one symbols and corresponding miniature playing cards from a French-desirable deck and a German-ideal deck.
1799: Hechtel died aged 28 in Nuremberg at some stage in a smallpox epidemic.
1804: Napoleon Bonaparte and his spouse Joséphine have been proclaimed Emperor and Empress of the French.
1810: Napoleon Bonaparte divorced Joséphine as she had not given him an heir.
1814: The House of Bourbon was restored to energy in France.
1814: Lenormand took up a 2nd career as a writer.
1843: Lenormand died elderly seventy one in Paris.
1846: Reiff, a German writer in Coblenz, took the liberty of using Lenormand’s name on a fortune-telling deck and lots of different European publishers later followed in shape publishing comparable decks. These decks have the same card numbering, primary symbols and playing card institutions because the playing cards in Hechtel’s Das Spiel der Hoffnung game, however the German-suitable miniature gambling cards are no longer covered.
*The deck has makes use of in the sport clarification:
1) whilst organized in a 6×6 layout it turned into used with cube for a race sport, and
2) while arranged in an 8×4+4 format it became used for fortune-telling entertainment. The name of the game derives from card 35 (Anchor, a conventional symbol of wish) that is the triumphing role in the race game.
Suit Associations
The Lenormand deck is based on a conventional German-appropriate deck with 36 cards equal to a French-perfect deck stripped of the 16 pip cards numbered 2, three, four and five. The German suits of hawk bells, hearts, leaves and acorns correspond to the French suits of diamonds, hearts, spades and golf equipment respectively. The meanings of the Lenormand suits differ in some respects from the meanings of the French suits and are fine explained by the ancient meanings of the German fits.
The German suits have been related to the social classes of the medieval feudal device as follows:
♦ hawk bells: the Aristocracy
♥ hearts: clergy
♠ leaves: agricultural landlords, burghers (loose residents)
♣ acorns: unfree serfs (peasants, labourers and home servants)
Traditional German-proper cartomancy systems consist of the subsequent in shape institutions evident in the Lenormand deck:
♦ hawk bells: money and lottery winnings
♥ hearts: love and happiness
♠ leaves: completely satisfied, great activities
♣ acorns: evil, infection
In this Lenormand deck we’ve got used suit symbols which incorporate the shapes of the usual French healthy symbols and colorings related to the corresponding German fit symbols. This hybrid in shape gadget turned into inspired by the fits presently utilized in German Skat tournaments as a compromise among exceptional decks utilized in unique regions of Germany.
The meanings of the Lenormand fits may be extensively summarized as follows:
♦ diamonds (orange-yellow): employer, fortune and misfortune
♥ hearts (red): love, relationships and family
♠ spades (green): society, authorities and tour
♣ golf equipment (black): survival, difficulty and problem
Card Dictionary
The meaning of a card in a analyzing relies upon on, amongst other things, the possible meanings followed for the card through the reader, the context of the question asked, the placement of the card inside the unfold and different cards within the unfold.
Lenormand iconography lends itself to interpretation in numerous methods and occasionally there are a couple of layers of that means in a reading. Apart from the literal and pictorial interpretation of a card, a card’s fundamental image can be interpreted as a concept with the aid of traditional association (primarily based on its symbolic meaning) and as an object or person of comparable shape (based totally on how it manifests). The court docket cards related to some of the playing cards will also be used to symbolize or describe human beings in a reading.
Some viable card meanings by way of association and shape of the cardboard’s important symbol are indexed beneath. Cards representing cash, work and intercourse range through system and these meanings are therefore protected in brackets.
1 (nine♥): Rider, Horseman, Cavalier
Catchphrase: “Breaking news”
Association: information, statement, shipping, coming near near alternate, renewal
Form: fast, uniformed, good-looking, tourist, messenger, horse, motorcycle
2 (6♦): Clover, Cloverleaf
Catchphrase: “Stroke of good fortune”
Association: success, hazard, opportunity, providence, optimism
Form: fleeting, green, grass, herbs, health complement, sweetener
3 (10♠): Ship
Catchphrase: “En path”
Association: journey, tour, adventure, distance, foreign place
Form: vehicle, open container
4 (K♥): House
Catchphrase: “Home sweet home”
Association: domestic, own family, household, consolation area, actual estate
Form: rectangular, small building
5 (7♥): Tree
Catchphrase: “Picture of health”
Association: life, health, fitness care, increase, improvement
Form: green, herbal, family tree, religious symbol
6 (K♣): Clouds
Catchphrase: “Grey area”
Association: confusion, uncertainty, ambiguity, instability, gloom
Form: grey, smoke, dirt, pollution
7 (Q♣): Snake, Serpent
Catchphrase: “Out of order”
Association: hassle, hassle, problem, betrayal, contention
Form: winding, twisted, detour, scenic direction, river, hosepipe, cable, plumbing
8 (9♦): Coffin
Catchphrase: “End of the line”
Association: finishing, cancellation, vacancy, extreme contamination, death
Form: black, closed container, container, drawer, waste bin
9 (Q♠): Bouquet, Flowers
Catchphrase: “Sugar and spice”
Association: splendor, appeal, pleasure, delight, present
Form: multi-coloured
10 (J♦): Scythe
Catchphrase: “Clean break”
Association: termination, separation, end result, risk, surgical procedure
Form: sudden, sharp, metallic, knife, device, weapon
11 (J♣): Whip, Birch, Rod, Birch Rod, Broom
Catchphrase: “Action drama”
Association: dialogue, argument, discord, warfare, hostility, (intercourse)
Form: rapid, loud, repetitive, cleansing system
12 (7♦): Birds, Owls
Catchphrase: “Chit-chat”
Association: communicate, smartphone call, date, interview, negotiations
Form: couple, siblings
13 (J♠): Child
Catchphrase: “Kids’ stuff”
Association: baby, younger man or woman, pupil, newbie, immaturity
Form: small
14 (nine♣): Fox
Catchphrase: “Street smarts”
Association: trickster, detective, intelligence, resourcefulness, discernment, (work)
Form: small animal
15 (10♣): Bear
Catchphrase: “Brute energy”
Association: strength, power, brawn, safety, assets, (money)
Form: huge animal
16 (6♥): Stars
Catchphrase: “By design”
Association: readability, guidance, plans, destiny, skills
Form: silver, outer space, night sky, electronics, badge, medal, religious image
17 (Q♥): Storks
Catchphrase: “Going up”
Association: exchange, development, merchandising, relocation, being pregnant
Form: skinny, lengthy legs
18 (10♥): Dog
Catchphrase: “Man’s high-quality buddy”
Association: friend, acquaintance, loyalty, support, recommendation
Form: home animal
19 (6♠): Tower, High Tower
Catchphrase: “The powers that be”
Association: authority, authorities, institution, employer, regulations
Form: tall, big building
20 (eight♠): Garden, Park
Catchphrase: “Out and approximately”
Association: assembly vicinity, public, society, organization, party
Form: outside, inexperienced
21 (8♣): Mountain
Catchphrase: “Uphill battle”
Association: task, obstacle, conflict, put off, state of being inactive
Form: bloodless, grey, solid, rock, crystal
22 (Q♦): Crossroad, Road, Paths, Ways
Catchphrase: “Multiple choice”
Association: direction, junction, options, preference, decisions
Form: multiples, menu, vote, survey
23 (7♣): Mice
Catchphrase: “Toxic danger”
Association: robbery, loss, harm, nuisance, illness
Form: small creatures, viruses, parasites
24 (J♥): Heart
Catchphrase: “Object of preference”
Association: love, desire, affection, generosity, compassion
Form: vital, crucial, rhythmic, pink, crimson
25 (A♣): Ring
Catchphrase: “I do”
Association: marriage, partnership, agreement, dedication, duty
Form: circular, continuous, gold, jewellery
26 (10♦): Book
Catchphrase: “The complete tale”
Association: information, knowledge, training, secret, investigation
Form: document, task, newspaper, deck of playing cards
27 (7♠): Letter
Catchphrase: “You’ve got mail”
Association: submit, message, correspondence, file, writing
Form: black-and-white, article, pamphlet, invoice, certificates, prescription
28 (A♥): Man, Gentleman
29 (A♠): Woman, Lady
Catchphrase: “His and Hers”
Association: Cards 28 (A♥) and 29 (A♠) are the primary significator cards in Lenormand, historically representing the enquirer and the enquirer’s great different. (Note that a few decks consist of additional significator cards for enquirers in identical-intercourse relationships.) These playing cards may want to however represent other people depending at the context of the studying.
Form: male and lady
30 (K♠): Lily, Lilies
Catchphrase: “Fleur-de-lis”
Association: peace, information, maturity, culture, elders, (sex)
Form: white
31 (A♦): Sun
Catchphrase: “Rise and shine”
Association: victory, fulfillment, vitality, strength, illumination
Form: orange-yellow, electricity
32 (8♥): Moon
Catchphrase: “Work of artwork”
Association: emotions, creativity, arts, enjoyment, reputation, (work)
Form: cyclical, silver, religious image
33 (eight♦): Key
Catchphrase: “Eureka!”
Association: answer, answer, discovery, significance, reality
Form: access, code, password, passport, visa
34 (K♦): Fish
Catchphrase: “Ka-Ching!”
Association: organization, commerce, commercial enterprise, transaction, change, (money)
Form: bendy, fluid, water, rain, alcohol
35 (9♠): Anchor
Catchphrase: “Safe haven”
Association: patience, intention, stability, safety, sea, (paintings)
Form: heavy, army image
36 (6♣): Cross
Catchphrase: “SOS”
Association: struggling, sacrifice, disaster, depression, faith
Form: non secular symbol
