Pagan Lenormand Oracle by Gina Pace (illustrated by Franco Rivolli)

Glass Owl

In 2014 Lo Scarabeo is going to release the Pagan Lenormand Oracle by Gina Pace, who also created the Pagan Tarot. It is illustrated by Franco Rivolli who also illustrated the Silver Witchcraft Tarot and Tarot of the Sacred Feminine.

You can see a few of the cards on this Lo Scarabeo page.

I didn't think I would be interested in this deck but as time as gone by, I have found myself going back to those card images several times. I really like the vibrant use of colors and I find myself wanting to learn more this deck.
 

Le Fanu

I just picked this up from my local shop. Impressions;

big and borderless. I thought the large-sized Lenormand Oracle by LoS was a one off - in my mind's eye this was a smaller deck but no - it is another big Lenormand deck. More tarot -sized than the usual Lenormand size. Love the borderlessness though. Card inserts are very similar to the French Cartomancy inserts. (but some of them look a little stretched, e.g The Lilies).

Things I'm not too keen on. The tenuousness of many of the images. In the booklet it says that Lenormand does lend itself to being translated through the pagan theme. Not so sure on that. Pagans in robes on the deck of a modern ship (Card 3) is an example. The animals cards - dog, stork, bear - are presented as ectoplasm-coloured dream-like spirit guides coming out of meditation in a forest clearing. And in the modern mouse card - nibbling on a table with Coca Cola and crisps!

A few of the images - anchor, clouds, coffin, mountain - show the symbol with a few huddled robed figures in the bottom corner.

However, I think the weirdest thing was my bemusement at why there were three lady cards and only one man cards. My first thought was - " are Pagans more likely to be lesbian than gay men?" That must be it. It seems so imbalanced. I was not under the impressions that Pagans are more likely to be Lesbian. Why would you have three lady cards and only one man card? Then - horror of horrors - only when I went to look at the companion booklet did I discover that one of the Lady cards (the one that looks a bit like Angelica Huston) is actually a man! Oops. Not a good sign if the man card looks like a woman (I hadn't paid attention to the number; yes it's number 28). Very confusing...

Beautiful artwork though - he of The Fire Tarot. I love Rivolli's work.
 

Disa

I just got it last week. The card stock is really thick. Yep, the Native American man card does resemble a woman. Aside from the thickness of the cards, I like it. I'll get used to that. I especially like the box it came in.
 

Lee

And in the modern mouse card - nibbling on a table with Coca Cola and crisps!
It sounds like Gina is continuing the modern setting theme from the Pagan Tarot.
 

Le Fanu

Here's a photo of an opened copy of the set taken off the net
 

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Lunajade

Thanks for sharing Le Fanu. I thought this deck isn't for me. I like the vintage looking decks, but now i tempted to get this deck.
 

mysticsphere

le fanu, your review was hilarious. When i saw that Mice card with the soda and potato chips it made me lmao. Pity you didn't show the man card in your picture! :p
 

Le Fanu

You know, if this deck had the symbols and no robed figures, it would be a very beautiful Lenormand.

Just look at that birds card and anchor card. It's actually in all aspects a very beautiful deck.

And then robed figures were added. I find myself wishing it had just been kept traditional and called the Rivolli Lenormand or something. Then I could definitely see myself using it. The artwork and colouring is lovely
 

Lee

You know, if this deck had the symbols and no robed figures, it would be a very beautiful Lenormand.

Just look at that birds card and anchor card. It's actually in all aspects a very beautiful deck.

And then robed figures were added. I find myself wishing it had just been kept traditional and called the Rivolli Lenormand or something. Then I could definitely see myself using it. The artwork and colouring is lovely
This is how I feel exactly (I don't have the deck, just judging from the online images). The artwork is beautiful but the robed figures are just really odd. The Lenormand symbols and the robed figures don't coexist peacefully. It's like a Lenormand deck and a pagan tarot deck from the '90s were crammed together.

The modern elements don't bother me though.
 

Le Fanu

I don't mind the modern elements - I love how in some 1930 Lenormand decks you get Ocean Liners etc. Including Coca Cola is slightly bizarre perhaps - I thought Coca Cola would represent everything that Pagans hate - but I genuinely don't mind updated Lenormand artwork.

However, the more I look at it, the more I wish that it didn't have a sort of robed chorus line at the bottom of each card. I love the colour palette. It is very gentle and soothing and modern in other aspects.