THE ANNA.K LENORMAND DECK



Table of contents

1. The Deck's structure
1.1 >> The classic Lenormand deck
1.2 >> Particularities of the Anna.K Lenormand

2. The meanings and interpretations
1.1 >> ... if you are a traditionalist reader
1.2 >> ... if you are an individualist reader



1. MY DECK'S STRUCTURE

1.a) A classic Lenormand deck

36 cards:Before we move on to a few particularities of the Anna.K Lenormand deck, take note that a classic Petit Lenormand deck contains 36 cards. These 36 classic cards are all present in the Anna.K Lenormand deck:
Rider, Clover, Ship, House, Tree, Clouds, Snake, Coffin, Bouquet, Scythe, Whip, Birds, Child, Fox, Bear, Stars, Stork, Dog, Tower, Garden, Mountain, Crossroads, Mice, Heart, Ring, Book, Letter, Man, Woman, Lily, Sun, Moon, Key, Fish, Anchor, and Cross.
In addition to its title, each card also carries a number and playing card correlation. For example:




The cards' numbering: Neither the individual numbers nor the sequence of the cards' numbering has any connection to the cards' meanings - at least not as far as I can tell. In this respect, neither the numbers nor their sequence is relevant. Some people, however, use the numbers for answering questions about time scales or quantities. *) try to memorise the cards' titles together with their numbers right from the beginning. E.g. when you think of the Ship, don't think just "the Ship" but "Ship 3". Already knowing the cards' order will also come in handy when you learn to read Grand Tableaus applying the Houses technique.

The playing card correlations are presented very dominantly in some decks, and in others, as in the Anna.K Lenormand, only by the symbol of the suit and the number (or abbreviated rank) of the individual card within that suit. These playing card correlations needn't concern you if you're just starting out! Which card belongs to which suit, and which rank it has within that suit, is of no real consequence at this point. Depending on your personal preferences even later on you might choose to disregard them without any loss of accuracy for your reading practice. However, it's good to be aware from the start that there are some traditions according to which playing card correlations can be used for additional interpretations or techniques. Just one example, is that you could employ the 12 court cards to represent persons with specific characteristics . For now, though, I advise the beginner to just take note that the playing card symbols are there - but to forget about them otherwise!

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1.b) The Anna.K Lenormand deck

If you haven't done it yet, take your Anna.K Lenormand deck out now and arrange all cards according to their numbers. You will find that my deck contains 4 extra cards, for there is not just one Lily, but two Lilies (both are numbered 30), and there is a second pair of Man and Woman (numbered 28 and 29 just like the first pair). The fourth extra card is my Wild Card which has neither title nor number.

The two Lilies: The reason why there are two is that there are two different schools of thought regarding the Lily's meaning. According to one, the Lily is about sex and sensuality. The other says the Lily is about purity and virtuousness. I don't believe that sensuality and virtue are mutually exclusive, but I believe they are completely separate issues. So I found it impossible to paint an image that eloquently illustrated both and decided to paint two separate Lilies. One illustrates virtuousness, the other sensuality - I hope it is obvious to you which is which. As for how to use them, you can either take one of them out of the deck (and assign either "virtue" or "sensuality" or both to the remaining Lily), or you can read with both Lilies (which I do).

The two Men and Women: One reason for adding a second pair was to make same-sex pairings possible. If you do a relationship reading for two female friends, or a lesbian couple, for example, you might want to remove the two Men and read with the two Women instead. The second reason was to make pairings possible in which the Man and Woman look in the same direction - which some readers are used to and/or prefer. And the third reason for adding a second pair was to make available more representatives of persons. If you are reading a Grand Tableau, for example, and have a question regarding your parents, you could add the second pair of the Man and Woman as representatives of your mother and father. This way, other cards won't have to be used for that purpose (and the rest of their meanings won't be lost for the reading). So, depending on your personal preferences, and on the needs of each individual reading, you can include, exclude, or pair, any of my Men and Women you like.

The Wild Card: Conventional Lenormand decks do not contain a Wild Card. If you don't want to use mine, just remove it from your deck! But if you want to keep it, you can use it in any way that seems fitting to you personally, for my Wild Card is supposed to play the role of a Joker. It can represent any topic you want it to represent and it can function as a wild card. It is the potential representative of an unknown factor. If you want more detailed suggestions, you can look up the >> keywords for the card. You could also read my longer interpretation of the card and the analysis of the image >> here!

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2. MY CARDS' MEANINGS


2.a) ... for traditional readers

As I mentioned in >> my philosophy many Lenormand readers are traditionalists. For them there is a right and a wrong way of reading Lenormand cards. Now, if you are a traditionalist (or plan to be one) you might be better off to disregard the card interpretations and reading instructions I give here. They'll often differ from what you may (come to) think of as the "correct" way. But since the names of and the numbers on my cards are the same as in any traditional deck you can still use my cards in combination with any other guidebook that you prefer. The only disadvantage will be that in this case at least some of the images might not make as much sense, because the images were of course painted to most eloquently communicate my own interpretation.

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2.b) ... for individualistic readers

I write more about the individualistic approach to card reading in >> my philosophy. But in short, an individualistic reader believes that whatever works for an individual, whatever is productive for them personally, is the right way - for them. If you're an individualistic reader, or plan to be one, my writings will probably be quite valuable to you. As a beginner you can use my interpretations and instructions as a guide for your first steps with Lenormand cards. Then, when you are confident enough to embark on developing your own approach, you will slowly let go of (at least some of) mine, and feel confident about it! And if you're an already experienced individualistic reader my interpretations will hopefully enrich your own reading practise by offering a new perspective and fresh input.

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