frelkins
LOL! I don't mean to be rude at all, so please forgive me if I offer my polite disagreement with much of what has been said here.
Of course, to the German readers, German is the most popular and "true" style. However many French readers will strongly disagree. So to say the German is more popular is simply to have chosen a side already.
It's just that the French-style readers write in, you guessed it, French and not English. My observation is that means most of the tarot crowd that has hopped to Lenormand in the current fad can't read them and doesn't know about them, outside of Steinbach.
I really don't mean sound insulting. I would just like to say as directly as possible that the French readers have a strong view on this question! And they are under-represented in this discussion because the don't write in English nor have most been translated into English. They seem to feel the differences between their style and the German are not "minor."
There are several popular Lenormand teachers of the old French style that have written many books or have nice blogs - but I don't see them mentioned in any of the posts here.
So for example most tarotists new to Lenormand will not have read Colette Silvestre etc. or sometimes even know who she is.
Further, I see a neglect of the other regional schools here. For example, the Russian, the Dutch-Belgian (there are more Dutch-Belgian readers than AndyBC and he doesn't speak for all of them, I'm sure ), the Romanian & the Portuguese/Brazilian.
In terms of popularity, Lenormand is enormous in Russia right now - but again I don't think any AT people read Russian, so they don't know about it and don't really have access to that body of style. If you search here there are some older posts that discuss some Russian meanings.
Brazil may fare a bit better because Mary has been there and knows some of the readers; likewise we see some Brazilians here occasionally. The Brazilian style, with its inclusion of saints & candomble influences, is certainly not just a minor variation of the German.
Also Brazil is a huge country & Lenormand is popular there - so I actually doubt the German style is actually most prevalent now in truth. In a global tally, that might fall to Russia or Brazil due to the mega-numbers of readers in those countries, who people here don't know about due to the language barrier.
I don't think anyone here knows much about the Romanian style at all, partially because its main English-speaking practitioner is for some reason just not well-liked as a person, so that style is ignored. Pity.
There actually was also a British style as documented in a famous book of English cartomancy from earlier in the 20th century. Those who would reject it with vehemence appear to be largely German readers, the very ones who are often so eager to erase the other schools, much to the annoyance of many of the followers of those other schools!
But there's no need to get wrapped around an axle with this stuff, right? We're just all friends here who like cards!
So again, when you hear talk of "the folk tradition," please always ask "whose folk tradition?" Because there is not just one & those who follow other schools largely believe strongly that their tradition is as important and valid as the German. Why insult them? Why can't we just all get along and acknowledge the variations? Vive la difference, I say!
Btw, I consider myself a "German" reader. By which I mean, I can actually read German. And French. I do not however read Russian, but do use Google translate to look at Russian Lenormand forums from time to time. I find Wigzell's history of fortune-telling in Russia to be very useful.
And while Donnaleigh is a lovely person, I will agree with comments above that she is not a classic Lenormand reader, but mixes her own blend of German & French, with a lot of tarot thrown in. I wish her success in developing her own new style. So I'm personally surprised when Donnaleigh is applauded for her blending, but Marcus Katz is not. They are both creating new unique styles and reading "non-traditionally."
And note I love both of these peeps & consider them my friends. They are both nice teachers.
New readers should just find a way that appeals to them and learn that method. Choose one that you like and stick with it. Worry about the other schools later. Skip the quarrels and focus on having fun with our friends in the card community; accept and celebrate our diversity!
Best wishes.
Of course, to the German readers, German is the most popular and "true" style. However many French readers will strongly disagree. So to say the German is more popular is simply to have chosen a side already.
It's just that the French-style readers write in, you guessed it, French and not English. My observation is that means most of the tarot crowd that has hopped to Lenormand in the current fad can't read them and doesn't know about them, outside of Steinbach.
I really don't mean sound insulting. I would just like to say as directly as possible that the French readers have a strong view on this question! And they are under-represented in this discussion because the don't write in English nor have most been translated into English. They seem to feel the differences between their style and the German are not "minor."
There are several popular Lenormand teachers of the old French style that have written many books or have nice blogs - but I don't see them mentioned in any of the posts here.
So for example most tarotists new to Lenormand will not have read Colette Silvestre etc. or sometimes even know who she is.
Further, I see a neglect of the other regional schools here. For example, the Russian, the Dutch-Belgian (there are more Dutch-Belgian readers than AndyBC and he doesn't speak for all of them, I'm sure ), the Romanian & the Portuguese/Brazilian.
In terms of popularity, Lenormand is enormous in Russia right now - but again I don't think any AT people read Russian, so they don't know about it and don't really have access to that body of style. If you search here there are some older posts that discuss some Russian meanings.
Brazil may fare a bit better because Mary has been there and knows some of the readers; likewise we see some Brazilians here occasionally. The Brazilian style, with its inclusion of saints & candomble influences, is certainly not just a minor variation of the German.
Also Brazil is a huge country & Lenormand is popular there - so I actually doubt the German style is actually most prevalent now in truth. In a global tally, that might fall to Russia or Brazil due to the mega-numbers of readers in those countries, who people here don't know about due to the language barrier.
I don't think anyone here knows much about the Romanian style at all, partially because its main English-speaking practitioner is for some reason just not well-liked as a person, so that style is ignored. Pity.
There actually was also a British style as documented in a famous book of English cartomancy from earlier in the 20th century. Those who would reject it with vehemence appear to be largely German readers, the very ones who are often so eager to erase the other schools, much to the annoyance of many of the followers of those other schools!
But there's no need to get wrapped around an axle with this stuff, right? We're just all friends here who like cards!
So again, when you hear talk of "the folk tradition," please always ask "whose folk tradition?" Because there is not just one & those who follow other schools largely believe strongly that their tradition is as important and valid as the German. Why insult them? Why can't we just all get along and acknowledge the variations? Vive la difference, I say!
Btw, I consider myself a "German" reader. By which I mean, I can actually read German. And French. I do not however read Russian, but do use Google translate to look at Russian Lenormand forums from time to time. I find Wigzell's history of fortune-telling in Russia to be very useful.
And while Donnaleigh is a lovely person, I will agree with comments above that she is not a classic Lenormand reader, but mixes her own blend of German & French, with a lot of tarot thrown in. I wish her success in developing her own new style. So I'm personally surprised when Donnaleigh is applauded for her blending, but Marcus Katz is not. They are both creating new unique styles and reading "non-traditionally."
And note I love both of these peeps & consider them my friends. They are both nice teachers.
New readers should just find a way that appeals to them and learn that method. Choose one that you like and stick with it. Worry about the other schools later. Skip the quarrels and focus on having fun with our friends in the card community; accept and celebrate our diversity!
Best wishes.