An Introduction To Lenormand Cards by Suzanne Petrizzi

​My entire life I have had a close connection to the Divine, and when I turned fourteen I discovered a tool that could help me refine and focus my gifts. This tool was cartomancy, a form of divination that gives insight into the varied situations we face in our daily lives. There are many types of cartomancy, but Lenormand Cards are my personal preference. In this article, I’m going to share some of the knowledge I have acquired over the years and give you a beginners introduction to reading Lenormand Cards. 


What are Lenormand Cards?


The history of cartomancy spans over a period of six centuries and has been around as long as playing cards have existed. I find that most people are more familiar with Tarot cards, but Lenormand cards have been used as a form of divination just as long.


Lenormand is a 200-year-old system, originating from the center of Europe, that consists of 36 cards. The cards are made of simple, straightforward images that are used to explain literal not psychological issues. 


Madame Lenormand and the History of Lenormand Cards


The cards were created in the late 18th century, and many of their symbols were inspired by those commonly found in coffee ground readings. The oldest surviving deck is on exhibit in the British Museum in London and is from 1799 or 1800. Originally Lenormand cards were just a parlor game called “The Game of Hope.” However, as years passed the images on the cards showed themselves fitting for more mystical purposes. 


It wasn’t until the mid-19th century, after Madame Lenormand’s death that the cards began to bear her name. It is rumored, and to my belief, that she had a custom set of the same exact cards that are used today, which were her own adaption of the deck. Madame Lenormand was the most celebrated psychic of her time and had associations with honorable figures such as Robespierre, Marat (both French revolutionaries), Empress Josephine (the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte) and Tsar Alexander I of Russia. 


After her death, the Lenormand cards rose in popularity amongst the occult circles of continental Europe. Over the next century and a half, the intrigue and love for the deck spread to the Low Countries, Central Europe, the Balkans, Russia, and even Brazil. During this period the English-speaking world was engrossed with Tarot, it wasn’t until the 21st century that the Lenormand deck would find its place in the occult circles of this world. 


Lenormand Cards and Their Uses

The Lenormand cards provide another way of understanding the complexities of your own mind - helping you strategically plan out possible courses and actions that you can take. I am a strong believer in ‘we all have answers inside of us’ sometimes we just need guidance along the path to finding them. Lenormand cards show you the clear path while the card reader guides you along the route they present. 


The path is shown through simple yet effective universal symbols that the reader pulls together as if they were beads on a string. The meanings within the Lenormand cards reveal themselves as if they were a story meant to be narrated by the card reader. Whether you choose to interpret just two cards or spread out a full Grand Tableau utilizing the entire deck, you can use Lenormand as a tool for self-development and spiritual discovery. 


Through my readings, I can make the answers to your questions about your relationships, career, family matters and almost anything clear. I believe that this clarity the Lenormand deck enables me to give to you will allow you to trust your own intuition and make real, everyday decisions with confidence. That is the true power of the Lenormand deck and why it is my cartomancy of choice, it is a frank way of tackling your real-life issues with astonishing accuracy.