"Lenormand technically an oracle?"

Barleywine

I would argue that the "feel-good" stuff is only exasperating if you make the mistake of reading an oracle deck's LWB (which I've found to be a generally fruitless exercise for divinational purposes). I just make what I will of the images using my interpretive "Three I's:" Imagination, Inspiration and Intuition. If they were created with a balanced perspective and aren't just a series of innocuous "smiley faces," I think they can serve a useful purpose. I don't care about puffed-up "affirmational" claims for them; let's just call them "fortune-telling cards" and be done with it. But I wouldn't touch "angel cards" with a 10-foot pole.
 

Philistine

This reminds me of when people get into arguments over what genre a song or a musical artist/band/group is. Who cares? If it's good, then listen to it.

At some point we cannot let plurality of meaning destroy language. I pick the following: Lenormand is Lenormand; tarot is tarot; playing cards are playing cards; all else came after and has no fixed system and is what we perhaps mean when we say "oracle", even if that word is opaque in the usage.

I prefer my oracles to be people, not things, but that is a minor concern.
 

gregory

but Oracle deck in modern sense is what we have today; 44 card decks with beautiful images and inspiring notes that can't be placed in any known traditional system?x,x or something like that lolz ;))
They all have 44 cards ? Who knew..... I have to say "that kind of deck" to me might have ANY number.

I agree that the word is now used for something horrid. But Lennies and Tarot are oracles - but also something more, in that they have systems that "have to" be there for them to qualify, if that makes sense. "Oracle decks", as the term is used here, may have their own systems - or many not.
 

Laura Borealis

I know what an Oracle is from a Delphic point of view but I'm sorry to say that - for me - the word Oracle has become so soiled that I simply cannot use it for something that I love.

The word Oracle has been reappropriated for the feel-good "no, he'll-love-you-forever-no-he-won't-leave-you"" school of fortune telling. Lenormand is so much cleverer than that. The word Oracle has distasteful angelic or goddess connotations. Oracles are decks of cards that tell me everything is just going to be fine and so it's not a word I'm comfortable using anymore.

This is an enlightening point of view that sheds light on why firecatpickles may have objected (or at least, questioned) my use of the distasteful word. Mea culpa.

.... let's just call them "fortune-telling cards" and be done with it.

"Fortune telling cards" puts me in mind of those cheesy "gypsy witch" cards or the Zolar astrological deck... cheaply printed with bad typography :D I have a soft spot for the Zolar stuff though I never really tried to work with it.
 

firecatpickles

This is an enlightening point of view that sheds light on why firecatpickles may have objected (or at least, questioned) my use of the distasteful word. Mea culpa.

I didn't find it distasteful at all! I thought it was an interesting point that we could discuss further (elsewhere, not off-topic in the other thread). Thank you for the quote :)
 

Le Fanu

It's just not a word I ever use (Oracle, I mean). What it conjures up in my mind is just not where it's at for me.

I tend to think in terms of cartomancy (and that includes everything card and shuffle-related) and then "divination" (I-Ching, geomancy, shells, etc). In my mental shorthand, this is how I refer to them.

As somebody said above, Leormand is Lenormand and I think it has developed its own niche now so no need to lump it in with anything else.

But those at Hay House have ruined the concept - and Blue Angel are giving it the coup de grâce.
 

reall

They all have 44 cards ? Who knew..... I have to say "that kind of deck" to me might have ANY number.

I agree that the word is now used for something horrid. But Lennies and Tarot are oracles - but also something more, in that they have systems that "have to" be there for them to qualify, if that makes sense. "Oracle decks", as the term is used here, may have their own systems - or many not.
yep, I think that's standard for most *modern Oracle decks on market these days?x,x
but you are right! *Oracle is free category without specific system/old history so it can be any number and meaning you wish to have!XD ;D )))
 

Laura Borealis

I didn't find it distasteful at all! I thought it was an interesting point that we could discuss further (elsewhere, not off-topic in the other thread). Thank you for the quote :)

Oh that's good! I thought you were defending Lenormands from being lumped in with "mere oracles".

I had a mad thought this morning of doing a Dephi Lenormand in ancient Greek style, as if it came right from the Pythia, so it would be both a Lenormand deck and an oracle deck :laugh: It could actually be a beautiful deck.
 

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Padma

It's just not a word I ever use (Oracle, I mean). What it conjures up in my mind is just not where it's at for me.

I tend to think in terms of cartomancy (and that includes everything card and shuffle-related) and then "divination" (I-Ching, geomancy, shells, etc). In my mental shorthand, this is how I refer to them.

I have a tendency to divide them the same way. Card systems and divination systems.

I don't class Tarot and Lenormand as one being superior to the other; tarot is tarot, one cartomantic system, and Lenormand has also its own cartomantic system. They are not the same system, but they both function under the cartomancy label.

I don't think of the Lennies as being "oracles", to me that name is reserved for the decks that are just that - soothing word oracle decks, angel decks, what-not of the genre. Or, people who stream messages from the Universe by operating as a conduit (using no system but themselves).

I had a mad thought this morning of doing a Dephi Lenormand in ancient Greek style, as if it came right from the Pythia, so it would be both a Lenormand deck and an oracle deck :laugh: It could actually be a beautiful deck.

That would be awesome! Do it! ;) But to me, it would still be a Lenormand deck!
 

Barleywine

I had a mad thought this morning of doing a Dephi Lenormand in ancient Greek style, as if it came right from the Pythia, so it would be both a Lenormand deck and an oracle deck :laugh: It could actually be a beautiful deck.

What, Cerberus as the Dog? :D (Probably the wrong pantheon, but I like the image!)