The Meanings of the
Lenormand Cards and
Making Your Own Deck
The Petit Jeu or Petit Lenormand consists of thirty-six cards numbered from one to thirty-six. These cards are traditionally associated with playing cards, although the sequence of the cards as numbered does not have any clear association with the suits or number of the playing cards.
Below I will describe the image on each card (which, unlike the tarot, is a simple task). I’ll offer which playing card is associated with each card, so you can either make your own deck out of a deck of playing cards, or perhaps make a note of it on your homemade cards if you think it’ll be useful knowledge later. I will also offer some “meaning starters.”
I think it’s a mistake to give the traditional sort of set meanings one sometimes sees in cartomancy manuals.8 “Mistake” might be the wrong word there, but offering a set list of meanings limits the opportunities the Lenormand offers to mystics and magicians. We have this set of symbols and, at least in my case, scant French and no German. So we need to figure out what they mean to us before we start looking at what they mean elsewhere. I’ve found these symbols precise and flexible, at the same time. It’s a strange paradox: these are both universal symbols and also personal ones.
So instead I will offer “meaning starters,” suggested keywords and questions that you can modify as you go. At the same time, I’d be remiss not to mention, at least, some of the traditional meanings of these cards and how those meanings have shifted over time. Sylvie Steinbach, particularly, has changed several traditional meanings of the cards, and those controversial choices deserve some discussion.
I hope, however, that you’ll make your own controversies eventually.
For each card, consider some or all of the following questions. You can do this in order, or you can just draw a new card every day and spend a few moments contemplating one of the questions. I find this activity always bears fruit, and at the very least will make long waits in lines somewhat more bearable. It’s fun to try to think of which cards describe the people standing around me.
Meaning Starters
1. What everyday objects in your life does this card describe?
2. What kind of person does it describe? Do you have any friends or acquaintances that fit this card?
3. Think of a keyword—a noun or a verb or an adjective—that isn’t listed below which helps you understand what the card means.
4. Write your own poetry for this card, three or four lines that describe how you imagine the card could work out in a reading.
5. What personal quality, virtue, or vice might this card refer to in your own personality?
6. If this card were a __________, what kind of _________ would it be? (If Lily were a car, would it be a classic car? If Tree described a trip, might it be a nature hike? Or a health spa?)9
The Lenormand Deck
1–Rider
A man on horseback travels down
a road to his destination.
Keywords: Travel. Visitors/Visits.
Go. Quick.
Playing Card: 9 of Hearts
2–Clover
A clover.
Keywords: Luck. Unexpected
but pleasant. Serendipitous.
Playing Card: 6 of Diamonds
3–Ship
A ship at full sail sails across the ocean.
Keywords: Long distance travel.
Far away. Foreign.
Playing Card: 10 of Spades
4–House
A small house or cottage.
Keywords: Home. Family.
Playing Card: King of Hearts
5–Tree
A thriving tree.
Keywords: Health. Spiritual. Body.
Playing Card: 7 of Hearts
6–Clouds
Clouds, dark on one side and light
on the other, nearly cover
the sky.
Keywords: Confusion. Unclear.
Playing Card: King of Clubs
7–Snake
A coiled snake, ready to strike.
Keywords: Betrayal. Vice.
Devious. Deception.
Playing Card: Queen of Clubs
8–Coffin
A coffin lies out for viewing.
Keywords: End. Change.
Playing Card: 9 of Diamonds
9–Flowers (sometimes Bouquet)
A bouquet of flowers,
cut and ready for the vase.
Keywords: Beautiful. Pleasant. Gift.
Playing Card: Queen of Spades
10–Scythe
A scythe, lying with the blade
facing in one direction.
Keywords: Cut. End. Choose.
Playing Card: Jack of Diamonds
11–Whip (sometimes Birch
or Broom)
A whip, birch rod, or broom,
hanging ready for use
Keywords: Strenuous. Pain.
(According to Sylvie Steinbach, sex.)
Playing Card: Jack of Clubs
12–Birds (sometimes Owls)
A collection of birds sitting on a
branch or wire; sometimes, two owls.
Keywords: Talk. Speak.
Conversation. Rumor.
Playing Card: 7 of Diamonds
13–Child
A small, innocent child playing
or running.
Keywords: Young. Small.
Innocent. New.
Playing Card: Jack of Spades
14–Fox
A fox hiding or evading dogs, or foraging.
Keywords: Clever. Deceive.
(According to Sylvie Steinbach,
work and employment.)
Playing Card: 9 of Clubs
15–Bear
A bear on its hind legs.
Keywords: Power. Strength. Boss.
(According to Sylvie Steinbach,
cash flow.)
Playing Card: 10 of Clubs
16–Stars
One or several stars in a clear night sky.
Keywords: Success. Vision.
Occult. Mind.
Playing Card: 6 of Hearts
17–Stork
A stork sitting on the chimney of a house.
Keywords: Change. Improvement.
Playing Card: Queen of Hearts
18–Dog
A dog, sitting and waiting for its master.
Keywords: Friend. Familiar. Loyal.
Playing Card: 10 of Hearts
19–Tower
A high tower or castle.
Keywords: Official. Institution.
Govern. Tall.
Playing Card: 6 of Spades
20–Garden (or Park)
A public garden, often with
a fountain and paths.
Keywords: Public. Gathering. People.
Playing Card: 8 of Spades
21–Mountain
A high and cold mountain.
Keywords: Obstacle. Wall. Delay.
Playing Card: 8 of Clubs
22–Crossroads
A path or road forks; a traveler
may stand at the fork.
Keywords: Options. Multiple. Progress.
Playing Card: Queen of Diamonds
23–Mice
A mouse or several mice
eating some crumbs.
Keywords: Loss. Annoy. Waste.
Playing Card: 7 of Clubs
24–Heart
A Valentine-style heart.
Keywords: Love. Emotion. Happy.
Playing Card: Jack of Hearts
25–Ring
A wedding ring.
Keywords: Agreement. Marriage.
Contract. Circle.
Playing Card: Ace of Spades
26–Book
A book open or closed,
siting on a desk or lectern.
Keywords: Learning. Writing. Secret.
Occult. Memory.
Playing Card: 10 of Diamonds
27–Letter
A sealed letter, waiting to be read.
Keywords: Written communication.
Document. Certificate.
Playing Card: 7 of Spades
28–Gentleman (or Man)
A man, in many decks pictured
reading a letter in a garden.
Keywords: The querent if male;
otherwise, a man.
Playing Card: Ace of Hearts
29–Lady (or Woman)
A woman, often richly dressed.
Keywords: The querent if female;
otherwise, a woman.
Playing Card: Ace of Spades
30–Lily (or Lilies)
A pure white lily.
Keywords: Complete. Peace.
Old. Wise.
(In the German tradition, sex.)
Playing Card: King of Spades
31–Sun
A bright sun in a cloudless sky.
Keywords: Ego. Outward self. Heat.
Bright. Success.
Playing Card: Ace of Diamonds
32–Moon
A full or crescent moon.
Keywords: Inner self. Emotions.
Fame. Intuition. Dreams.
Playing Card: 8 of Hearts
33–Key
An old-fashioned skeleton key.
Keywords: Aha! Fate.
Pay attention! Yes.
Playing Card: 8 of Diamonds
34–Fish
Fish swimming in the sea.
Keywords: Independent.
Wealth. Freedom. Adventure.
Playing Card: King of Diamonds
35–Anchor
An anchor on the beach,
or sometimes below the waves.
Keywords: Stable. Lifestyle.
Persevere. Lasting.
Playing Card: 9 of Spades
36–Cross
A cross, hanging from a chain or
planted as a monument to the dead.
Keywords: Burden. Worry. Pain.
Religion.
Playing Card: 6 of Clubs
We’ll talk more about it later, but I should mention now that these thirty-six limited meanings can actually become infinitely complex through combination. For example, 25–Ring is a contract. What kind of contract? If it’s followed by 26–Book, perhaps a publishing contract. Followed by 35–Anchor, an unbreakable one. Followed by 36–Cross? A religious oath. And 23–Mice: a disadvantageous one.
Now that you’re armed with the basic meaning of these thirty-six cards, you can begin exploring your own deck, either one you buy or one you make. If you wish to make your own deck, either because you don’t wish to spend the money or because you feel such a homemade deck will be more personally meaningful, the process is easy.
I’m going to assume that you lack, as I do, much in the way of artistic ability. But all we really need are the basic images. You could also opt simply to write the name of the card on the appropriate playing cards, and forgo the images entirely. In that case, the images would be in your head. If you go this route, I’d suggest you carefully visualize each image as you write the name on the card.
Once you finish or purchase your deck, familiarize yourself with it. There are lots of ways to doing so, some ritual and some fairly casual. If you are attracted to a ritual, I assume you can construct your own. But the Lenormand thrives on familiarity and casualness, so I would suggest keeping rituals simple and domestic: lighting a candle, saying a prayer, and then engaging with the cards.
One easy way to familiarize yourself with the deck is to just go through it a few times over a couple days, naming each card as you turn it over, and perhaps reciting the keywords to it.
You can also introduce yourself to the cards by drawing a single card every day. Leave the card face down, and when you come home or just before you go to bed, flip it over. How did that card manifest itself during your day? This is an efficient and interesting way to build up your knowledge of each card, and can also work with the tarot.
A fun game with the Lenormand is ruining TV shows you like to watch. Before the start of a show you enjoy watching but haven’t yet seen, ask the Lenormand, “What will happen on this show tonight?” Then turn over three cards. As you watch, try to match those three cards to the developments on the TV show. It seems like a silly use of the cards, and I can’t imagine many tarot readers doing such a thing with their oh-so-dignified decks, but the Lenormand is like a friend. And we do, after all, watch TV with our friends.
8. But of course some people will insist that I make that mistake, and so for them I’ve included a longer meditation on the meanings of each of the Lenormand cards in the appendix.
9. These exercises are inspired by similar exercises in Juan García Ferrer, El Método Lenormand: Todo Sobre las Cartas Lenormand (Raleigh, NC: Lulu.com, 2008). I address this exercise more fully in Chapter XI.