Over the years I’ve been a Lenormand reader (about 15 now, give or take) and learning and sharing and more about Lenormand cards, there have ALWAYS been some areas of contention within what’s loosely called “The Lenormand Community” about the “correct” meanings for cards, who is doing it right, who is doing it wrong, what methods should be used, what “counts” as “proper”, the “correct” or “serious” way to read Lenormand cards and what doesn’t.
And as a result, every so often I find myself revisiting the same ground over and over, which is to look at the main cards where there tends to be contention and also to explore WHY different readers may be using different meanings and what the influences and reasons behind that may be. It’s also to note that how you read your Lenormand cards does evolve for most readers with practice, and I don’t think any of us should stop learning, ever; I like to experiment with my cards, personally and I’ve even found I’ve changed my mind about a few things over the years the deeper I’ve got into the system. That said, I focus on how well my cards work for ME as my primary decision-maker. Not only am I familiar with a wide range of approaches and writers, I’m familiar with a very wide range of classic oracle decks now, which has added, I find extra nuance to how I read and use cards in general.
Anyway, you might want to take a look at where I’ve covered similar “contentious” issues previously here on the Lozzy’s Lenormand blog over the last few years:
5 FAQs About Lenormand Card Meanings
How Do I Know Which Methods & Meanings Are “Correct?”
Lenormand Card Meanings: Different Traditions, Different Meanings?
Oh, And By The Way, Guru-Seekers…
Not wishing to complain or eyeroll too much, (OR be too defensive), but one thing I do want to say is that it’s noticeable that occasionally people can get so tied to “their” meanings and “their” teachers to the point they can be quite spectacularly impolite when defending them. I’ve certainly had some extremely rude and presumptuous things said to and about me on the Lenormand front , and I’m not the only Lenormand reader with a blog or a book to have had this. (I know at least a couple of bloggers who have been deeply upset or even driven from the space because of the behaviour of some people doing this, which is such a shame.)
As someone who’s always been an experimenter and encouraged my readers to read around and take a look at EVERYONE and experiment for yourselves, I don’t see myself as a One True Faith kind of Lenormand “guru” figure and there’s really no need for any silly playground “my side, their side” cliquey unprofessional stuff, or trying to get different readers to slag each other off, which is what this type of thing comes across as a lot of the time, frankly. Sorry, but there you go. It’s totally unnecessary, in my opinion.
But Is It “Correct”?
At the same time, I get that people want to have confidence that they’re learning THE “correct”, definitive thing. Trouble is, there are lots of things that might make a card’s meaning “correct” in your eyes. Do you mean the “purest” possible meaning from the furthest back (in which case, you’ll probably have to go back a lot further even than Hechtel and his Game of Hope)? Or do you mean, does it strictly adhere to the meanings laid out in the so-called “Philippe LeNormand” instructions with which the cards were all printed once they were released under the Lenormand name? Or do you just mean, “It gives me accurate readings?” These aren’t the same things.
There are loads of really good Lenormand readers, writers and teachers easily accessible out there, and they ALL have something slightly different and useful to offer, whatever “school” of thought they’re in or background or method they have or how strictly they adhere to the first so-called “Philippe Lenormand” instructions or whether they’re part of your “school” or not. You are looking at how different readers use the cards practically.You can learn something different from everyone. And in MOST cases you will find that each different reader and teacher will differ in SOME ways from each other AND from the “traditional” meanings. Yes, even those who vow to be “traditional”. Just worth pointing that out, and you’ll find that too once you start exploring for yourself.
Nobody has to be your “No.1 Guru”. Nobody is The One True Leader; it’s not a religion, nobody is Pope.
And on the flipside, although everyone may differ, I really don’t see anyone as “wrong” either. I never comment on other writers or readers’ work negatively or get drawn into “who do you think is wrong?” because firstly, I’ve learned from everyone and they all have a lot to offer, and because frankly, I think it’s unprofessional to do so. I’m just a Lenormand card reader, blogger (and a former teacher, publisher and writer) sharing what I know, what I’ve learned, and what works for me. Readers will do what works for them in their readings. There’s a lot to be said from starting with the so-called “traditional” Lenormand meanings from when the cards were rebranded, but there’s also a lot of very valid reasoning as to why and how readings for some readers have diverged and moved on from some of those.
So with that out of the way (yet again, because it seems to warrant repeating from time to time) let’s get to it:
Why Might I Be Seeing Differences In Interpretation For Some Cards?
So why DO some readers read some cards differently?
Well, first I’d like to point out that MOST readers do interpret MOST cards in a similar manner! So although you’ll get some variation on some cards in particular, you’re likely to see similar messages, more often than not. But the question is when they differ, WHY is it that they differ?
Meanings Handed Down
Naturally, “how to read” has most often been handed down informally since the cards (and their precursors) came into being. How many readers do you see who say they had their Lenormand (or other card) knowledge handed down from a family member, an aunt or grandmother, say? And does that make it “right or wrong?” Did we check the family member, aunt, friend or grandmother and their credentials for “Lenormand meaning purity” or “correctness”?
Of course we didn’t. Each person is likely to have had a broad grounding, most likely rooted in what was most common where they learned to read cards and from the people around them, to have picked up and to have then added their own personal nuances for what seemed to work best or make sense to them. As such, given we’re talking a lot of different countries here, it’s actually more amazing that there is still so much commonality in meanings between such a wide range readers, not that there can be variations!
Changes In The Telling
So if each person adds their little nuances and passes THOSE down, soon what was just someone’s personal take on the card becomes “THE definitive” meaning and it’s hard to tell which is which. I have certainly been told that “X definitively means Y” by someone outraged at my interpretation of something, when it transpires that their “definitive” interpretation is just someone else’s nuance and crucially, bears little relation to even the “original” meanings. So watch out for that. Just because your favourite writer or teacher used X, doesn’t mean that anyone else who doesn’t do exactly that is wrong.
Regional Compounding
And of course, compounding the so-called Chinese whispers effect, you’ll also find that certain ‘takes’ can tend to be popular in certain regions, as the “passing on” gets compounded. It doesn’t mean that everyone in that region believes the same thing or has exactly the same take, or that these are distinct official “schools”, even, but it does mean you get regional clusters where certain beliefs about certain symbols tend to be common.
Notably, you can also see with Lenormand-derivative decks like the US “Gypsy Witch” (1903) or the Russian “Gypsy” Fortune Telling cards (allegedly based on cards from the early 20th century) where some of these symbols might differ or have similar roots. And although Hechtel used commonly-used and understood symbols in his 1799 Game of Hope, he didn’t invent them; they were appearing in decks before the Game of Hope, such as English Conversation Cards, Viennese Coffee Cards and so on, and many were indeed considered more “universal” symbols in tasseomancy.
Era
The historical era, place and environment you’re living in also has an effect. Look, we know that demographically, the Game of Hope cards were rebranded as Lenormand at a time (mid 1800s) where they were targeted at being played by European, assumed heterosexual, upper middle class people to whom reputation was hugely important, and where your biggest gains financially and socially were likely to be through marriage (especially if female) or through inheritances and the money generated from international trade which was at a peak in this era. But we mostly don’t gain all our social status these days from marriage, and most people have a job or career, rather than generating money from “marine enterprises” (Fish) or “trade” reliant on the shipping industry which was common for people in big industrialised nations (Ship). A family death could bring a major family downfall (Coffin, Tower, House); a scandal or stain on your reputation could send your marriageability and future prospects for financial wellbeing into freefall (Moon, Lilies).
So it’s not always appropriate to stick with those exact meanings word for word; a sensible reader will try to adapt their essence and nuances to current times and culture and reality. You can argue that perhaps that might turn out to be too contentious and get too far away from the original core meaning, but if you want to be purist AND still ensure your cards are relevant, you’re then going to have to be very, very sure about the “essence” of each card and how it might apply to a modern era.
So let’s take a look. In my view, the most “controversial” or tricky card meanings are as follows!
So Which 5 Cards Are THE Worst For This?
I wanted to use a deck with verses on for this, as they can be helpful and here used the Blue Birds Lenormand deck.
Note however that the verses in this deck do not always tally with the “traditional” meanings!
The Fox (No. 14)
This card is still probably the single biggest area of controversy. And the reason it is is because, at some point in the 80s, a Lenormand writer called Mary Marco assigned the meaning of the Fox card to “Work”, giving the wily French Monsieur Reynard a more heroic political status as a kind of Robin Hoodesque worker’s rights champion than just the familiar trickster of old. Following on from that, many readers, myself included initially, simply followed that lead. So to be honest, it has been a bit of a “follow the Gourd!” situation (for those of you who know the Life of Brian), or, if you like, Chinese Whispers.
You should be aware, however, that “work” was NOT one of the meanings ever associated with the Fox in the traditional card meanings. In fact, work in the modern sense of “career” was not associated with ANY of the card meanings in either the Game of Hope or its rebranding as Le Petit Lenormand, although different ways of moneymaking (enterprise, inheritance etc.) always were. Here’s what the traditional “Philippe Lenormand” instructions had to say on the Fox.
No. 14. — THE FOX, if near, is a sign to mistrust persons with whom
you are connected, because some of them try to deceive you; if distant, no
danger is to be apprehended.
So even if you don’t use “near and far” methodology, the traditional meaning of the Fox is “deception” or “wrongness.” The Fox is that wily trickster character of lore, and most Lenormand writers and teachers, particularly the more Germanic-leaning ones you may know (eg Iris Treppner, Bjorn Meuris, Toni Puhle, Andy Boroveshengra) do always have that as its prime meaning. It does have a survivalist aspect, however, and you will see the Fox used as the work card by professional readers after the French Mary Marco, for instance Sylvie Steinbeck and Rana George (who learned the cards in her native Lebanon), and quite a few different Lenormand writers and bloggers also. Personally, I’ve moved away from using the Fox for career/work for the last few years, as it far more often seems to emerge as the wily, cunning, manipulative Mr Fox figure, and there are other cards I can use to denote moneymaking activities.
The Moon (Card 32)
Why is this tricky? Well, partly because of the old “Work” issue, and partly because, like the Tower, it’s a card that appears in other systems, notably, Tarot. But the Lenormand Moon is nothing like the Tarot Moon: it’s certainly not about illusions or doubt or darkness; it’s shining up there in the sky like a beacon!
For the more “French”-leaning post-Marco readers, this is often more about creativity and intuition, feelings and mood, and that’s certainly how I initially read it. However, the MAIN meaning traditionally is about honour and reward. Being in the spotlight, being ‘elevated’, prestige, and recognition of what you can do, but also the ability to create and manifest that.
You will also see it being used by even traditional and Germanic readers as the Work card, in the vocational sense, although it should be pointed out that, as with the Fox, work is NEVER mentioned in the traditional Philippe Lenormand interpretations at all. Here’s what they had to say.
No. 32. — THE MOON is a sign of great honours, fortune and fame, if
the card lies at the side of the Person; if at a distance, it means grief and misery
So honours, recognition, respect and appreciation should probably be seen as the number one, with things like emotion and mood more secondary. Note that even among “traditional” readers, however, you’ll see quite a lot of diversion away from particularly that “far” reading.
The Lily or Lilies (Card 30)
Now this card’s meaning is tricky generally, not because one day someone made a pronouncement and everyone went along with it, but because of the genuine difficulty in understanding the card and the multitude of possible interpretations. And here, you’ll see interpretations from respected readers including those seen as “traditional” and more Germanic readers that actually diverge widely from the supposed “traditional” Philippe Lenormand interpretations. For some more “Germanic” readers, for instance, this is the sex card, all about lust and passion, euphoria, ecstasy and passion. But I should point out that traditional Lenormand said nothing whatsoever about sex, although its focus on “virtue” and morality hints at it, as well as general life satisfaction (so satisfaction in all ways).
Nor on the other hand, did the Philippe Lenormand instructions say anything about age or maturity or older men as preferred by what I’d call the more French-leaning readers. But this interpretation has much to do with the King of Spades who is the playing card reference for the Lilies, as well as (as Caitlin Matthews points out) the old and powerful French symbol of the fleur-de-lis, a symbol of kingship and heritage. So it’s perfectly valid in that sense, and comes up a lot in, say, tasseomancy where there are several “Lily” meanings.
Here’s what the Philippe Lenormand instructions say:
No. 30. — THE LILIES indicate a happy life; surrounded by clouds, a
family grief. If this card is placed above the Person, they indicate the same as
being virtuous; if below the Person, the moral principles are doubted.
So what we have here, reading between the lines as well as what is most directly stated, is happiness and the sense of it being over a lifetime. We have family mentioned (yes, it only says ‘family grief if surrounded by Clouds’ but that suggests if it’s NOT surrounded by Clouds it has something to do with family) and a lot of readers do include family and heritage as a big part of this. Most directly, though, is the issue of virtue, morality and purity; that if the card appears above the person in a Grand Tableau, it shows they are moral, pure and virtuous, and if below, that they are seen as immoral or unethical in some way.
The Tower (Card 19)
Well, firstly, let’s point out that the Lenormand Tower definitely does not have anything like the same meaning as the Tarot Tower! This isn’t about total destruction, everything collapsing around your ears or any of that, but that’s not generally where the differences lie. There are many Lenormand readers who just focus on the establishment “longevity and age” aspects (which make this card a bit confusing when it is compared with the Lilies). Some (but by no means all) “Germanic” Lenormand readers would say that the key to this card is “boundaries and borders” as well as “isolation”, some include a self-protection and security aspect (the structure of the castle walls), and other readers focus on the structural and “building” aspects. The “institutional”, distance and height meanings tend more to be more French-leaning but are focused on the ‘establishment’ “highness’ and hierarchical structures involved in that. So you can see it’s not really off the mark in some ways.
So what did the Philippe Lenormand instructions say? Well…
No. 19. — THE TOWER gives the hope of a happy old age; but if
surrounded by clouds, it forbodes sickness, and, according to circumstances,
even death.
It doesn’t actually primarily suggest “boundaries”, it does suggest age and longevity, and it doesn’t mention structure, officials or isolation at all. However, reading between the lines, “age” here IS about old, established structures, and the seriousness of long-held foundations being attacked by darkness. And even though it talks about sickness, I generally wouldn’t use the Tower as the prime sickness card (because the Tree is much more focused on health), more a “state of core and lasting foundations and structures” card. That’s me. For me, that is “longevity” but as you see, that isn’t quite what the traditional instructions say, although there are plenty of “traditional” readers who also use the “officials and buildings” meanings too. Nonetheless, you can see how this one can be pretty confusing.
The Birds (Card 12)
And finally, let’s look at the Birds. There are some big differences you’ll see here also. I’ve always read it as verbal communication, chatter, but this is not mentioned in the original descriptions. However, “chatter” IS a meaning that most Lenormand readers, regardless of “region”, including well-known German readers, use. Several mention “stress and anxiety”, although this also does not appear in the original Philippe Lenormand instructions at all. What did they say? Here they are:
No. 12. — THE BIRD means hardships to overcome, but of short
duration; distant from the Person, it means the accomplishment of a pleasant
journey.
As I’ve said before, though, this is partly regional; in some areas, birds themselves (Owls in particular) are a sign of bad luck, and some areas, as good, so it’s understandable that they can be seen as negative or harbingers of doom. That said, all readers, even those who don’t use particularly negative connotations, do use meanings that are related to what birds actually do; they peck (worries), they chirrup (chatter, gossip), they fly (trips), although I never use Birds to mean trips personally, or negativity. But gossip and chatter, certainly.
But, But… Which One Is CORRECT? What SHOULD We Use?
Some will say that ONLY the exact Philippe Lenormand interpretations, word for word, are “correct”and anything else “ain’t Lenormand.” (The problem with this is that, technically, “Lenormand” ain’t Lenormand either, since the game had little to do with the person it was named after, and the cards all came from the Game of Hope. Meanwhile, the Game of Hope instructions just say to “weave an amusing tale” from the cards around the querent. They make some suggestions about meanings in the board game, but otherwise, you’re mostly expected to ‘know’. So…who says the “original Philippe Lenormand” instructions ARE the “correct” and the ONLY definitive way exactly as is?” Again, it comes back to what criteria you would use for “correct”.
I would suggest that the BEST thing to do is to read around, try different ways and experiment with different interpretations of the same cards. Which turned out to be more accurate, and why do you think that is for you? Therein lies your answer…
Want To Learn More?
I discuss the card meanings in depth, including the traditional “Philippe Lenormand” meanings and the most common regional variations and reasons for them in my beginner’s Lenormand Course, Learn Lenormand Card Meanings.
Check it out below!
OR get it for less in a combination bundle with my Learn To Read Lenormand Card Combinations course, where we throw away the Lists and gain confidence in how to read combinations for ourselves!
