Les Vieux Jours Lenormand Oracle Cards
History
This is an obscure deck that is not as well known by many outside those who are familiar with tarot. This cartomancy system cropped up after the death of a french woman named Mme Lenormand, who became so renowned for her skills that she read for the elite of Paris - Napoleon, Josephine, Robespierre, etc. For more background on her, visit Trionfi's biography link on her.
The deck as it is most commonly known today (petit lenormand) contains 36 cards, each of which displays an image and a title- in some cases also, a verse. For historical examples and images of this system, visit Trionfi's divination deck link, and look amongst the 36 card decks labeled Lenormand. I have taken the ideas in this deck and moved it a step further by collaging the images with some additional symbols from Tarot, alchemy, and the subconscious, as well as enriched the traditional meanings.
The great thing about this deck is it's size and symbols are not nearly as daunting as traditional tarot decks, making it perfect for a beginner or someone
who feels overwhelmed by tarot symbolism. The deck can be a very intuitive tool, lending itself well to various interpretations based on individual insight.
The Les Vieux Jours Lenormand
This deck was first published in February of 2012, making it ten years old! I released two versions of it on Game Crafter, the first I present here, the LVJ Lenormand Card First Edition which is the 36 card deck in a tuck box with a pdf download of the interpretation guidebook. The second I released was the LVJ Lagniappe Edition which contained the 36 card deck, keyword cards for on the go readings, a printed copy of the interpretations, a pouch and 9 bonus artwork samples from a deck I had been working on, the Victorian Tarot.
The LVJ Lenormand Card First Edition is still available on Gamecrafter,
now updated with a UV coating to protect the cards from repeated use.
Sadly, the Lagniappe Version is and has not been available, in large part due to changes to Game Crafters box sizes (and I hadn't updated the set for them) and due to the fact that an the Victorian Tarot project will not come to pass. The original art and all in progress art was lost. Will there be an updated Lagniappe in the future? Very possibly. The set needs a little tweaking and some extra goodies, so it's a potential in my queue.
One thing I am considering at this point, is the resurrection of my original handmade Lenormand that was made for mint tins, but done via Game Crafter this time. Their selection of card sizes and availability of mint tins make this a viable possibility indeed. I will be checking that all my old imagery is up to snuff before doing a proper reboot. Those who have my original handmade cards still have something special, the likes of which will not be again, but this will give those who missed out on that short run the opportunity to own that deck as well.
LVJ Lenormand One Card Reading
While I do not currently have the capability on this site to do a one card reading, there is still a version out there that I had linked on my original site. Please visit Lilith's site for a reading and interpretation from my set!
Links
Links for readings and to help get you started
INTERPRETATIONS OF CARDS IN THE TRADITION OF MARIE ANNE LENORMAND
Lenormand Forum Thread
Tarot spreads by category and number
German Lenormand site
Detailed instructions on how to use and interpret this spread
Detailed information on how to use and interpret this spread
Original spreads designed by Raven
Credits and Acknowledgments
My deck wouldn't even be possible without the work of others.
The following is a list and in some cases links to those whose imagery was collaged into my deck.
Thanks to these individuals at Morguefile: XanderT, jdurham, duane_j, xololounge, lee10, earl53, derek lilly, mconnors, cohdra, and others.
Thanks to these font provders at Fontspace, and Da Font: Dieter Steffermann, Alan Carr, Paul Lloyd.
Thanks to these makers of cool photoshop brushes: Shiranui, Ars Grafik, Bitt Box via Dominck Lens, squawkdesign.com,
Thanks to these users at Wikimedia Commons:
Anonmoos, Eichene Zeichnung, Bob Krusen, Infrogmation, Sv1xv, Lerdsuwa, Nickpo, stan shebs, Ww2Censor,
Anizotropia, rick stambaugh, arminuzz, Wikihard, H. Churchyard, Madboy74. Coinman 62, Anakin101, Nyo.
Thanks to these members of the Flickr Collage Images Group:
Aisling.net, Annieoakley,Cindyiscrafty, Citrusfaire, Collagingkristen, doublem2, eccentricitysupplyco, fidgetrainbowtree,
hadesigns(artbyheather), heyjupiter, jackandcatcurio, jerseybarb, katinthecupboard, kellykautz, lauren peppiat, mrsinman, muddled mind,
namamquaart, peagreengirl, perpetualplum, plaisanter, sassyarts, starsgoblue, suzeeque, takeabreak, & valerianasolanis.