People have always been fascinated by future events. Since the very beginning of mankind we have watched the stars, the clouds, the shapes of the smoke, the patterns of tea leaves and coffee grains on the bottom of the cup and we cast runes and bones to know what the future brings. Nowadays we also read oracle cards to look for help when we are at a crossroad or in a difficult situation.
One of the oracle traditions that stayed with us throughout history is Anne Marie Lenormand’s oracle cards. Madame Lenormand was a famous fortune teller in the 18th century France. She was Napoleon’s and his Josephine’s personal card reader.
The Lenormand card set consists of 36 cards, originally with pictures still bearing the stamp of the 18th-19th century’s high society. The cards work with a system of symbols, such as animals, objects and concepts. Their graphics have straightforward meanings, represent mostly everyday events, but there is very often a second, third symbolic content. Most of the cards are either positive or negative, but there are cards that can be interpreted in both ways. Depending on their place in a spread or the other surrounding cards, they can have a positive or negative influence on the outcome.
There are many Lenormand spreads, I will provide a couple of them, but first I would like to introduce the meaning of the cards. The Lenormand system works best when we use pairs of cards. We usually look at the cards as a combination of each other to have a complex view on the question.
The combinations listed on this website are only for orientation, a guide to the first steps to create your own meanings of the cards. Play with them around and find what meanings work best for you.
Click on the list in the menu to see each card and its possible combinations.