Mlle Lenormand Blue Owl Deck - My Favorite!
As a clairvoyant, I’ve used both Tarot and Oracle cards to supplement readings, but the only deck that really “does it for me” is the Mlle Lenormand Blue Owl Deck. I was first introduced to these cards nearly 20 years ago and have been using them ever since.
Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand (1772 - 1843) is perhaps the most celebrated French cartomancer and one of the few seers whose prophecies from her time were actually recorded. It’s said that she not only told Josephine de Beauharnais that she’d marry Napoleon, but later warned the Empress that her husband wanted to divorce her – before he’d even mentioned it to anyone.
Apparently, Napoleon was so furious, he had Mlle Lenormand thrown into jail, but she didn’t stay there too long. In 1814 she began writing her memoirs and started a second literary career, which resulted in over a dozen books being published.
A few years after her death, a deck of cards called “Le Grand Jeu de Mlle Lenormand” was published, followed by a small deck of 36 illustrated cards known as the “Petit Lenormand,” which today’s Blue Owl Deck is modeled after.
What I love about this 36-card deck is the artwork, which is reproduced from a deck originally published in the 1920’s. The images are classically beautiful and colorful, and feel familiar and old-fashioned. Each card is numbered, which I find useful when sorting out time frames. And while there’s a poem insert on each card, I ignore them. Best of all, this deck is about the size of an ordinary pack of playing cards, so I can easily slip it into my pocket!
What also appeals to me is that this deck is very versatile. It can be used for specific questions, in addition to understanding the past, present and future. Also, with the various meanings of the images, symbolism, card combinations, and numbers, a spread can be analyzed for hours at a time or things can be kept simple with a quick “yes” or “no” question/answer. Since there are literally thousands of meanings for all the combinations, just about anything can be explored.
Interestingly enough, Lenormand is a cartomancy method that should not be compared to or confused with Tarot, since they are two completely different systems. Tarot tends to be read as individual cards. Lenormand cards are more like a language, where the process of reading the 36 cards becomes a flowing sentence. The cards create combinations with each other, so core meanings of two cards merge to become something new.
The Mlle Lenormand Blue Owl Deck, published by AGM and distributed by US Games Systems, Inc., is a top seller of the many Lenormand Cards/Decks available today. I highly recommend this deck for cartomancy beginners.
More recently I have been exploring Ciro Marchetti’s Gilded Reverie Lenormand, with his captivating imagery on gilt-edge cards. I’m also loving the Expanded Edition which includes eight special supplemental cards, in addition to an extra Man, Lady, and Owls card to enrich your Lenormand readings.
Regardless of which of the many decks “call to you,” I find that Lenormand cards can help us see where we are going, understand why we are where we are, and/or what we may do in certain situations. All people have the ability to "know their future.” It’s simply a matter of tuning into the knowledge that’s inherently within us. With that in mind, I’m actually considering creating my own Lenormand Deck – hopefully it’s in the cards!
