Summary: The Pagan Lenormand Oracle is one of the first decks to push the boundaries of what a Lenormand deck can offer. Prediction as well as spiritual advice combine to create a powerful divinatory tool. Full Review: Lenormand purists may not be pleased with the deck. Let's just get that right on the table so we can move on. Traditional Lenormand decks are small (playing card size or smaller) so that all 36 cards can fit on the table. Lenormand readings are very predictive. Lenormand readers train not to read the symbols in the card but rather to know what the card means well enough to focus on the relationships between the cards. In traditional Lenormand, the cards are not read individually but in relation to the cards around it.

This is why the symbols are simple and clear. The reader does not "read" the symbols. The reader reads the relationship between the cards in the spread, usually a Grand Tableau (which uses all 36 cards of the deck). The Pagan Lenormand is larger (3 x 5), the images are more complex, and the meanings are also more complex. It is not traditional Lenormand. And that is okay! Just as tarot has evolved and changed and people have done new things with it, now that Lenormand is becoming more popular, people are going to experiment with it, create new things, and think new thoughts. So adjust your ideas, open your mind, and let's see what the Pagan Lenormand brings to us. Gina Pace, creator of the Pagan Tarot, says, "The Pagan Lenormand was created out of a desire to make something beautiful and traditional with a more modern and spiritual energy to it.

The cards show Pagans going about their daily spiritual and ritual lives, adding nuances of meaning to a tradition that is already rich with symbolism for predicting the future." By weaving in spiritual beliefs and ritual activities, she expands and deepens the meanings of the cards. It, in a sense, gives you two decks in one, as you can always read it as a traditional Lenormand (all the traditional symbols are there). The chunky little mini-book includes five spreads that are very different from most Lenormand layouts. They could be used, really, for any oracle or even tarot deck. This reflects the deeper meanings that Pace reveals in the cards. The meanings and readings are meant to shift the focus from descriptive to prescriptive. So you get both the description of the situation as well as advice on how to proceed through this Lenormand oracle.

This is the big difference, and an important one. Traditional Lenormand will describe a situation (past, present, and future) but it is not a vehicle for advice, in the strictest, traditional use of the cards. By including prescriptive meanings, the deck rightly earns the inclusion of "oracle" in the title. This is one of the first Lenormand style decks to really push the boundaries of what Lenormand is. Approach it with an open mind and you will find a lot of wisdom at your fingertips. I, for one, am really looking forward to the new directions the next generation of Lenormand readers will take this interesting divinatory form. Deck Attributes Name of deck: Pagan Lenormand Oracle Cards Reviewer's Byline: Barbara Moore Publisher: Lo Scarabeo ISBN: 9780738743547 Creator name: Gina Pace Artist name: Franco Rivoli Name of accompanying book/booklet: Pagan Lenormand Oracle Cards Number of pages of book/booklet: 128; 65 in English Author of book/booklet: Gina Pace Available in a boxed kit?: No Tarot, Divination Deck, Other: This is a traditional 36-card Lenormand deck.