I want to mix things up a little. In fact, this year I’d like to spend a month here and there focusing on different styles of cartomancy readings to help me feel more comfortable outside of my normal decks, pairings, and general RWS modality.

For this month, I wanted to have a specific focus on Lenormand decks! I have done a bit of Lenormand reading in the past, but it’s been very sporadic and I wouldn’t say that I’m at all adept at the style. And, I need at least ONE Tarot deck, so I have my beloved Fyodor Pavlov Tarot, possibly the best tarot deck for Valentines month (that and I love this deck and am always looking for an excuse to pull it out).

I have five Lenormand Decks, but The Shadow Night Raven Lenormand I used just last October (quite a bit actually), so it’s on hiatus for a little while.

Never fear! There’s still four that I haven’t used much in the past half year so lets dive in!

Clockwise left to right, 1999 Bizarre Summer, The Paper Oracle, The Owl’s Lenormand, The Fyodor Pavlov Tarot, The Magpie’s Lenormand

1999 Bizarre Summer Lenormand is a new addition to my collection, and I have to say it was the inspiration for this month’s Lenormand theme. I have to admit, I find this deck very interesting! It has an adorable, vintage manga style of art, and thematically revolves around pre-teen girl’s day dreams and reality, but its very off the wall, and unexpected. It also has a sense of movement that in a world of stagnant Lenormand pictures is a breath of fresh air. It’s also uber cute.

I really started reading Lenormand with The Paper Oracle, made by Eric Maille, the same artist who produced The Ink Witch Tarot, and The Endless Oracle I worked with last month. It’s beautiful and the images really clicked for me. I believe last year I utilized this deck as my monthly “oracle” deck, but I’d like to dig in more seriously. Its playful and lush without feeling over done, or busy.

The Magpie Lenormand and The Owl Lenormand, as you can tell, are made by the same artist, Rozenn Grosjean. And they are gorgeous! The cardstock, imagery, glorious gilding, are all top notch! The Magpie Lenormand was the first Kickstarter I backed and I did so, not because I was particularly interested in Lenormand, but because it was so dang beautiful! Yes, I sometimes will buy a deck for looks. I will say, there are some critical changes in the deck that make this a not-easy to learn variation of Lenormand (for example the child-woman-man was replaced with Caterpillar, Chrysalis, Butterfly/Moth, and other replacements). I found once I got this lux, lovely deck in hand, I felt rather lost in the system. It doesn’t help that the pretty book is more or less useless to me (this is my opinion!). Its sister deck, The Owl Lenormand, while using very similar images, does feel a little more “classic” in its choice of imagery, but I would not say this is particularly beginner friendly either. After having other Lenormand decks, I think I want a retry with these two!

And since I need at least one Tarot to cling to while being on the Lenormand Struggle Bus, I included the Fyodor Pavlov Tarot, which at this point hardly needs an introduction!

The monthly draw!

The internet tells you to start Lenormand by reading in threes. We’re not gonna do that! Let’s jump right into the four cards:

I was secretly hoping I wouldn’t have to address the Chrysalid in the room. But alas, the one card I didn’t want to draw, I drew. *Sigh* In the two Rozenn Grosjean decks, The Chrysalid (Chrysalis) takes the place normally held by The Woman signifier (or The Man, its not clear which it replaces), and, while I can appreciate the artist’s attempt at removing gender from the deck to make it more accessible to all readers, it bothered me for a while that one was in-progression to the other, in the direction of a “better” form. BUT after some actual contemplation and using my brain, I realized this is faulty thinking on my end. The author ISN’T saying this, I am projecting that onto the card images; rather, she seems to be focusing on an individual’s growth process and where you might be in that process.

So, The Chrysalid. Arguably the most intriguing card in this deck. Something that you’ve been working towards, or something that is subliminally on the proverbial “back-burner”, is growing. There is unseen change happening. This is a moment of being in flux. Things both exist and don’t exist. There are behind the scenes action happening, something new is cooking out of the old.

I love how this interpretation of the Key makes it clear that the character in the card is not entirely sure where the key might go to! You already have the answers/knowledge. Something new is about to be opened for you, but its up to you to do the work to get there, and find how it fits in your life. We can see this progressing from The Chrysalid as perhaps realizing what has been working behind the scene, or how to use it or how to unlock it’s potential. Let see what else.

The moon; intuition, dreams, creativity, imagination. Perhaps the keys will unlock a sleeping well of inspiration, a muse, or creative drive! Perhaps looking closely where dreams and reality align would be of value this month, or otherwise asking what have you been dreaming about that needs to come into the realm of tangibility?

Aww, The Bouquet! You are being acknowledged kindly. You have either meet success or a friend is making a sincere gesture. Your creativity you’ve unlocked in the prior cards will be recognized in a positive, admirable way! I especially love the peonies pictured here, they are one of my favorite early summer flowers. Perhaps I’ll see the fruits of my efforts in early summer???

So far the draw has been very individual focused, but our tarot card, the three of pentacles, reminds us we do not learn skills on our own. We need excellent teachers, friends to support and help us, and also to share our wisdom in return to continue to grow as artisans. Don’t be afraid to ask your mentors and friends for help. Be willing to assist others who ask you in turn!

All in all, I’d say this was a very positive draw for the month of February! There was a theme of personal growth, “leveling up”, and being seen for it! The Tarot reminds us to always remain the student, always look for opportunities to grow and learn and never be afraid to ask for help when stuck!

What do your cards say you have in store for February? Do you use Lenormand decks?