Lenormand Deck from Robert M. Place

Lee

Is there a pic anywhere of the deck backs?
The image on the bottom right is the card back. It shows the same Hermes image as the Rider card, but without the horse.

I love Robert Place's art, including these cards, but I'm not sure I'll get this. For me, the great appeal of Lenormand is that they're not esoteric or occult, so a deck which adds back in those qualities isn't really what I'm looking for.

Also, sorry to sound prudish, but when deck designers are portraying children older than babies, I wish they would forego nudity. In this day and age, it seems slightly creepy.
 

MoonGypsy

The image on the bottom right is the card back. It shows the same Hermes image as the Rider card, but without the horse.

I love Robert Place's art, including these cards, but I'm not sure I'll get this. For me, the great appeal of Lenormand is that they're not esoteric or occult, so a deck which adds back in those qualities isn't really what I'm looking for.

Also, sorry to sound prudish, but when deck designers are portraying children older than babies, I wish they would forego nudity. In this day and age, it seems slightly creepy.

Thanks so much, Lee! :) i would not have chosen that card for the backs...but oh well...
 

WolfyJames

I love Robert Place's art, including these cards, but I'm not sure I'll get this. For me, the great appeal of Lenormand is that they're not esoteric or occult, so a deck which adds back in those qualities isn't really what I'm looking for.

Yes, that is exactly what bothers me about this deck, all those additions they've added, those ridiculous names and extra occult symbols should not be present. It's not a Petit Lenormand anymore.
 

Astraea

It's a peculiar hybrid…he's calling it an oracle deck (presumably because it isn't a standard Lenormand), but using many Lenormand motifs and mixing themes, as well as adding cards and significantly renaming/realigning the meanings of others. I am a huge admirer of Place's artistic style in most instances; here, though, the illustrations seem static and more formal than the human-scale representations I personally prefer in Lenormand decks. And, like Lee, I would rather steer clear of esotericism within the Lenormand genre, which is notable for its directness and approachability. So this pack is not on my wish list, though it will undoubtedly be beautifully executed and I wish Place well with it.
 

kalliope

I've never owned a Robert Place deck, and so I thought this might be my first, but now I'm not sure. If it were just a matter of adding esoteric symbolism onto the cards, I might just be able to ignore it because the art is otherwise attractive, simple, and clean. I've been learning/reading the Lenormand long enough now that as long as the symbols are quickly and easily recognized by my eye that's mostly all that matters. I don't read the pictures themselves, BUT...

...some of the changes are jarring to me. The Clouds don't look very cloudy, obscuring, or stormy to me what with that pretty lady playing the harp (pardon me for not having any clue who she's supposed to be.) It almost appears that they're meaning to completely change that card's meaning. The Dead Tree is annoying because at first glance one just sees "Tree," so your mind has to do extra conversion to see the deadness (Coffin/death/endings/big problems) of it as opposed to the alive Tree (health, long-term or slowly growing things). I'm not a fan of the Burning Serpent, but I can ignore the Judaic/Christian ideas there and just notice the Snake. But I really don't care for the large people figures stealing the limelight on the Stars and Lily.

If it were a theme deck, like the Halloween Lenormand or even the Wicked Sibyl, or a completely different oracle with a different structure, then these complaints would be moot. But it's so close to being a standard Lenormand, so these little things niggle at me. Boo.
 

tarot heart

Silly me, but shouldn't the Burning Serpent be the image for the back of the cards of the Burning Serpent Oracle?
 

MoonGypsy

Silly me, but shouldn't the Burning Serpent be the image for the back of the cards of the Burning Serpent Oracle?

That certainly would have been my first choice, dear th! ;) i find i have lost my first burst of enthusiasm...

that rarely happens with me...it usually means i will probably decide to give this one
a pass...
 

Padma

I love Place's art and was just beginning to collect his decks - and though I love the art on this deck, I don't like how much it changes all the symbols - I would begin treating it like a tarot, thus ruining the Lenormand feeling of quick, to the point answers. Too bad! I wish he had done just a traditional deck. All the bells and whistles on this seem distracting...maybe he will come here and read this thread (fingers crossed!) and make a plain Lenormand as well.

I would love that :)
 

greatdane

I totally agree, LotusPadma

If the symbolism had stayed like the standard images, this is likely one I would have gotten. Tarot can have some wiggle room for me a bit, but not Lenormand. The Owl and the Mouse didn't really do it for me. But the artwork is very nice.
 

ladybird

The ribbon that goes around Hermes seems a little odd to me, I prefer to see him nude. }) Otherwise, brilliant deck. :thumbsup:

You may have known this, ES, but his original Hermes was nude! He added the cloth because he received complaints from readers who wouldn't be able to use the deck for all of their clients. I say don't use it for those clients then! :) I prefer Hermes nude as well. I wish he wouldn't have censored his own art. It IS 2013!

This is definitely an oracle deck but it still looks very interesting, IMO. I have many "real" Lenormand decks that for me it'd be nice to have a different stylized deck. As an example, I like Shaheen's Tattered Oracle and do use it to read in the traditional Lenormand style but it has this splash of something else that adds dynamism to my readings. I can see using the Burning Serpant Oracle in a similar way. However, saying that, if I wanted to read strictly Lenormand, I'd probably have to pull out an actual Lenormand deck.

Still not sure I will get it at this point. Lovely art of course and I'm sure Rachel Pollack's companion book will be very good.