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Summary: Tarot Lenormand is a creative blend of traditional
Lenormand cards, The Book of Thoth Tarot by Eteilla, and a touch of
RWS [Rider-Waite-Smith]. As such, it is presents unusual and
delightful opportuities to those familiar with RWS decks that will
expand and stretch your ideas about the card meanings. For
beginners it provides lovely, simple images from everyday life that
are easy to interpret. The setting is Napoleonic France with
appropriate images and allusions. Knowledge of the era is certainly
not necessary to use this deck, but, as with anything, the more you
know, the more you'll get out of it.
Review
This deck, Tarot Lenormand (TL), is a very ambitious project. It
combines elements of the third version of the Book of Thoth Tarot
(Etteilla, not Crowley!) deck and the Lenormand oracle deck with a
touch of RWS, a twist of modern wit and cleverness, and a dollop of
original design. How does it do that you ask? Well, mostly by being
more of a homage and exploration than a slavish imitation. The
Major Arcana cards draw on the Major Arcana of the Etteilla deck.
Some of these are very similar in composition to the Eteilla
designs, Justice, Strength, the Lovers (although a cupid is added
to the TL card), the Magician, the Wheel, and the Chariot, for
example. Some, while not as similar, do give a definite nod to the
Etteilla cards. The World card in both shows a naked figure draped
in red on a path. In the TL, the figure is female and holds a
branch while in the Eteilla card the figure is male and holds a
club. The TL Hermit and the Tower cards both have striking
similarities to the Etteilla cards in terms of the buildings
depicted.
The RWS influence is seen in the existence of (but not traditional
depictions of) The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The
Hierophant, and The Hanged Man, which do not exist in the Etteilla
deck. These cards show images from Napoleonic France, such as
Madame Lenormand, Josephine, Napoleon, and "Liberty, Brotherhood, &
Equality."
The court cards acknowledge Etteilla's court cards. They are not
copies but again, like the Majors, they give a distinct nod (and
perhaps a wink) to their older cousins. If you lay them side by
side, you'll see the same beard here, a similar crown there, a
jaunty plume just so, a dashing mustache, or simply a general
likeness. The TL divinatory meanings are based the Etteilla
meanings, sometimes using the same key words.
You might wonder where the "Lenormand" aspect comes in. Let's move
on to the Minor Arcana. Here we find some very clearly "Lenormand"
images. The 6 of Swords is The Ship (the 10 of Spades/3). The 2 of
Pentacles is The Tree (7 of Hearts/5). In addition to easily
recognizable images, the TL adds its own twist to some. The 7 of
Swords shows a cloaked man running around at night with a lamp and
a knife while a snake (a very big snake) curls around a fallen tree
branch. This corresponds to The Snake (Queen of Clubs/7) in the
Lenormand deck, which simply shows a snake curled by a broken tree.
Number 8/9 of Diamonds in the Lenormand deck is The Coffin and
shows an image of a coffin. The corresponding card in the TL is the
10 of Swords and shows a man laying on his deathbed.
Regardless of the varied ancestry of this deck, it does not have a
motley, thrown-together feel visually. On the contrary, the
beautiful, clean, uncluttered artistic renderings and the
Napoleonic setting are quite successful at creating a unified,
comprehensive feel to the deck. The skillfully executed art helps
the various traditions fit together to create a fresh, new
Tarot.
This deck, with its clear images and depictions of every day
elements is in theory perfectly suitable for daily divination or
fortune telling. Indeed, the major influences for this deck,
Etteilla and Lenormand, were also created for divinatory use.
In the TL, the 10 of Wands is the same image as the "Broom and
Whip" from the Lenormand. The Lenormand meaning is about violence
and problems. In the TL, the card meaning is given as "cleaning,
improvement, elimination of small problems, liberation from heavy
bonds." This meaning feels more like the meaning given to the whip
and broom in Wicca. In magical practice a whip (also called a
scourge) represents cleaning or purification. This is an
interesting twist on the Lenormand meaning. In any event, there are
many of these differences, which some may find intriguing.
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
ISBN: 0738710075
Artist: Ernest Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick is also the artist for the Harmonious Tarot
Name of accompanying booklet: Tarot Lenormand
Number of pages of booklet: 64 (14 pages in English)
Author of booklet: Alma De Angelis
Reading Uses: Divination, every day readings, fortune telling
Theme: Lenormand Oracles, Etteilla, Book of Thoth Tarot, Napoleonic
era
Does it follow Rider-Waite-Smith Standard? Since it is based on two
traditions that preceded it and influenced it, to some extent, yes.
But it is definitely not a clone.
Why was deck created? To explore two systems that were used for
divination and fortune telling and that influenced RWS.
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