Petit Lenormand rules: how to draw and read the 36 cards

Before you start

The Lenormand best answers concrete questions about an ongoing situation.

• A precise question: “How should I approach this meeting?” or “What's holding up this project?” The more concrete it is, the more concrete the cards will be.
• For a big life question, a tarot, the Marseille or the Rider-Waite-Smith, is better suited.
• Writing your question down is optional; if you do, it stays on your device.

The draw, step by step

1. 1

   Choose the deck and the spread

   On the Cards page, bring the Petit Lenormand to the middle of the wheel, then tap “Draw the cards”. Start with three cards, read like a short sentence. The line of five is the basic Lenormand spread; the box of nine comes next, for a situation with several sides. Then “Choose this spread”.

2. 2

   Ask your question

   Write it down, or keep it in mind, then “Shuffle the cards”. There is no option for reversed cards: the Lenormand is always read upright.

3. 3

   Shuffle

   Slide your finger over the deck: each pass moves a packet of cards from the top into the middle of the pile. Keep your question in mind for as long as you need.

4. 4

   Cut the deck

   Choose where to cut: the bottom goes on top. Your hand sets the final order of the 36 cards.

5. 5

   Choose your cards

   The fan opens, face down. Slide your finger over it, then pull towards you the card that comes forward, or tap it again. The cards are laid in the order you take them, from place 1 to the last.

6. 6

   Turn them over

   Tap each card to reveal it. They are all upright: here, the meaning comes from the neighbouring cards, not from the way a card lies.

7. 7

   Read your spread

   “Read my spread” opens the reading: the thread, then one sheet per card. Then read the cards together, like a sentence: that's where the Lenormand speaks.

Draw the Petit Lenormand

Reading in pairs: the basics

Two neighbouring cards are read together: the first gives the subject and the second describes it, the way an adjective describes a noun. The Rider (quick exchanges) followed by the Letter (writing): a written message, to send without delay. The same Rider followed by the Clouds (confusion): a muddled exchange, to clear up before you reply. A card on its own says little; its neighbour decides.

The line of five

Five cards in a row, read from left to right. The middle card is the subject; the cards on the left are often read as what leads to it, and those on the right as what follows from it. First read the central card with each of its neighbours, then the whole line as a sentence.

The box of nine

Nine cards in a square, three by three. The centre card is the subject. The three rows, the three columns and the two diagonals are each read as a three-card sentence. Start with the row and the column that run through the centre, then the diagonals.

The people cards

The Man (28) and the Woman (29) often stand for the person asking, or for someone important in the situation. The cards lying right next to them speak of what touches them closely.

Three beginner mistakes

• Reading each card on its own. In the Lenormand, a lone card says almost nothing: always read in twos.
• Treating a card as good or bad in itself. The Coffin isn't always sad, the Sun isn't always a victory: the neighbour decides.
• Asking too broad a question. “My love life” gives a blurry spread; “Where I stand in this relationship” gives a readable answer.

Draw the Petit Lenormand