The Art of Lenormand Reading by Alexandre Musruck

onesun

Alexandre's YouTube uploads aren't polished - but now that Malkiel's videos are gone, and with Donnaleigh going to brief Instagram-style clips, there are very few channels grounded in Lenormand and Kipper (Hexe-Claire's is a good one) - so I hope that Alexandre will develop a fuller presence in those areas. I think he knows his stuff, and his book isn't bad at all - if it had been published ahead of Rana George's, I think it would have enjoyed a greater following among English-language readers. It's not as clear or in-depth as Rana's and he didn't enjoy the benefits of having a publishing house behind him, with professional editing and formatting.

My sentiments exactly. Let's hope he finds some support both with the vids and the pubs. Sounds like you're saying the content was there just not the execution with his book. You're right, he seemed to have a fair amount of info on Lenny uTubes though.

I came across what looks to be a defunct webpage, started up but left to sit.

https://lenormandguild.wordpress.com

It's a Lenormand's Guild page/group and it shows Stella 'aka fennario' was/is involved with it. Now Stella 'aka fennario' has her (his?) own blog and I found it fascinating especially for me as a Lenny beginner. I wish Stella would do some uTubes & books, etc. Seemed very very well informed..
 

Astraea

Now Stella 'aka fennario' has her (his?) own blog and I found it fascinating especially for me as a Lenny beginner. I wish Stella would do some uTubes & books, etc. Seemed very very well informed..
I wish the same! I love Stella's blog and would snap up anything she wrote. She cuts right to the chase and her knowledge base is profound. Videos by Stella would be a great boon.

Rana George's book covers a great deal of ground and she goes into detail about all areas of Lenormand reading - from pages-long card descriptions (general and contextual), to the issue of significators, to spreads, with helpful tips and pointers throughout each chapter. She writes in an engaging style, with clarity and authority. Alexandre's book suffers primarily from formatting and editing issues. It is laid out in much the same manner as Rana's, but with less depth and detail.
 

Lee

I don't have a lot of patience with YouTube presentations. So many of them are obviously "home-made" and are so painful to sit through because of the agonizingly slow pace that I find myself using the slider to skip ahead. I've only managed to complete a very small handful of them. I will rely on the opinions of the people here before I subject myself to that again.
I haven't watched Alexandre's videos in particular, but I agree with Barleywine about tarot/Lenormand videos in general. Even ones that I like are difficult to watch. Public speaking needs talent and training. I would much rather read a thoughtfully-written article or review than watch a video. Unfortunately it seems like many YouTubers don't want to be bothered taking the time to write, so they think they'll do the easy thing and make a video, not realizing that to make a watchable video is probably just as time- and effort-consuming a process as writing an article, if not more so.
 

Astraea

I like watching well-made cartomancy videos because cards are a visual medium and it helps me to see reviews and actual layouts - when the person genuinely knows what he or she is talking about, that is. My main pet peeve is not so much the technical quality of a video, but the dubious knowledge base of many people who make instructional videos. Quite a few YouTubers don't know enough about card history, systems and divinatory practices to know that they don't know much. A few days of googling do not an expert make. And the same can be said of writers in these areas. Caveat emptor all around!
 

Barleywine

I like watching well-made cartomancy videos because cards are a visual medium and it helps me to see reviews and actual layouts - when the person genuinely knows what he or she is talking about, that is. My main pet peeve is not so much the technical quality of a video, but the dubious knowledge base of many people who make instructional videos. Quite a few YouTubers don't know enough about card history, systems and divinatory practices to know that they don't know much. A few days of googling do not an expert make. And the same can be said of writers in these areas. Caveat emptor all around!

Agreed. I would rather explore a well-researched and knowledgeable blog than watch a video. I guess that makes me an anachronism.
 

Le Fanu

I like watching well-made cartomancy videos because cards are a visual medium and it helps me to see reviews and actual layouts - when the person genuinely knows what he or she is talking about, that is. My main pet peeve is not so much the technical quality of a video, but the dubious knowledge base of many people who make instructional videos. Quite a few YouTubers don't know enough about card history, systems and divinatory practices to know that they don't know much. A few days of googling do not an expert make. And the same can be said of writers in these areas. Caveat emptor all around!
Exactly. That's it in a nutshell. It's so easy to be an expert and Lenormand has become a bit of a free for all. I tend to stick with a very small number of trusted books. The wider you throw your net, the more confused you'll get - I honestly think that's the case with Lenormand. There are people who have worked out a meaning they like and they then present it as something authentic and definitive. I'm all for working out your own meanings but feel free to keep them to yourself. I just want to know historically what's what with the Lenormand-. Then I'll decide my take on it.
 

Astraea

The wider you throw your net, the more confused you'll get - I honestly think that's the case with Lenormand. There are people who have worked out a meaning they like and they then present it as something authentic and definitive. I'm all for working out your own meanings but feel free to keep them to yourself. I just want to know historically what's what with the Lenormand-. Then I'll decide my take on it.
Beautifully put, Le Fanu.
 

Lee

. There are people who have worked out a meaning they like and they then present it as something authentic and definitive. I'm all for working out your own meanings but feel free to keep them to yourself. I just want to know historically what's what with the Lenormand-. Then I'll decide my take on it.
I agree with this 100%. The problem that I have is that I don't feel that there's such a bright line dividing those who are simply working out their own meanings and those who are presenting a solely historical perspective. I think the line is fuzzy and there is much overlap. I'm not criticizing anyone -- it's natural enough that no matter how "traditionally" one wants to read, individual meanings and methods will creep in. I just think an impression is being created around some authors that they are somehow more historically pure when that may not actually be the case.
 

Astraea

I agree with this 100%. The problem that I have is that I don't feel that there's such a bright line dividing those who are simply working out their own meanings and those who are presenting a solely historical perspective. I think the line is fuzzy and there is much overlap. I'm not criticizing anyone -- it's natural enough that no matter how "traditionally" one wants to read, individual meanings and methods will creep in. I just think an impression is being created around some authors that they are somehow more historically pure when that may not actually be the case.
Yes, precisely. And I think that part of the overlap issue has to do with friendships that develop within a passionate but still relatively small group of people I'll call the Lenormand community (for want of a better term). Mutual support can often weaken the structures it's intended to buttress.
 

onesun

Yes exactly re: the last few posts (Le Fanu, Lee & Astraea)... I mean, especially for anyone new walking into the Lenormand world, which would be me, it's very very difficult to parse out what is traditional or a long-standing school of thought and what is a personal 'quirk' for lack of better term.. To be honest, sitting on sidelines focusing entirely on Tarot I had no idea Lenormand was such a small community. I'd hear of it a lot here and there but actual readers, diff thing entirely. Dunno how that works, maybe the fewer are the loudest, but that's been my experience.