Lenormand and Playing Cards?

colorwalk

Hi, I get the feeling this may be a dumb question but it's something that keeps popping in my head when thinking about picking up the Lenormand. I simply love the look of the Lenormand and have been wanting to give it a try (not to mention all the glowing praises many of you have been showering the Lenormand).

I'm especially interested in the ones that have the playing cards insets and not the verses. However, I also read with and use playing cards- and here's my question, how does reading with the Lenormand affect someone who reads with playing cards too? I'm aware that many of you who used to practice regular Cartomancy are now into the Lenormand, but I guess my concern is whether it's going to clash. Do your meanings for the playing cards conflict with the Lenormand meanings in general?

I realize I should probably view it as an extra insight, clarification, or a complement of some sort. I just can't help wondering if there are times when the playing cards are giving you one meaning while the Lenormand is giving you the other. Or am I misunderstanding this entirely and the Lenormand has its own way of reading the playing cards insets along with the images?

Any info regarding how the two works together would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
 

Lorielle

I gravitated to the Lenormand cards after having studied the Cards of Destiny in depth for many years. That's more of a science of the cards and the plates you have are the plates you have... no "luck of the draw" here. The meanings of the cards are mostly different from the meanings of the playing cards used in "Fortune Telling." There are some that remain similar.

I moved on to learning about using playing cards as an oracle because it fascinated me greatly. I have several books and noticed that there are different meanings for the cards, dependent on which author you read. I think my favorite book is "The Message" by Deborah Leigh. So, I learned the playing cards a little bit that way. I found it a bit difficult to get used to her meanings after reading the Cards of Destiny. For instance she says that the 4 of Hearts is jealousy, resentment and malice. In the Cards of Destiny, it's one of the marriage cards! So that took a bit for me to get used to.

Then with the Lenormand, you only have the 6's through Kings, plus the Aces. The 6 of Hearts is True Love and Unity in Leigh's method. In the Lenormand it's the Dog, so the meanings are complimentary, I'd say, in this case.

I guess you can see what the meanings of the Lenormand cards are compared to the playing card method you use and you can merge them together... using both sides of the coin.

Not sure if I got off the subject here for you... but when it comes down to it, personally, I'd stay away from the cards with verses. Either go with the ones with no inset or the ones with the playing cards. I prefer the latter. :) Hope this helps.
 

cardlady22

Like Lorielle said, my main experience with card meanings comes from the Destiny/Magi systems. I collect books on just about any system I come across. For now, I try to let my mind play with the pip patterns along with the pictures. I don't have much experience with the Lenormand yet, but the main difference I see is the influence of the surrounding cards- using a timeline or flow, like a sentence.

I can't remember who or where, but there was a post that stuck out for me- you need to know the individual cards, but they have no true value alone.

Since most of the books are in French or German, I am not sure of the various methods the Europeans employ. You could use the card insets as an underlying theme: are there more Red or Black cards? is there a set of numbers that is prominent? do they run in a sequence?