what i did over christmas break

Over the holidays, I obviously had too much time on my hands or just a lot of inspiration and creative juices flowing because I made a brand new oracle deck, a Lenormand deck.

I'm sure you've heard of the Lenormand cards. In case you haven't, here are some great websites:

LearnLenormand
DonnaLeigh's Lenormand Lessons
Helen's Lenormand Dictionary

I first picked up a deck of Lenormand cards about 10 years ago when no one had heard of them, but now they're all the rage! I had never (seriously) considered making a Lenormand deck because the system doesn't really resonate with me. Don't get me wrong - I love the cards and the concept of using basic symbols. My problem is that I don't understand many of the symbols like Bear, Lily, and Fish. These don't translate to work, sex and money in my brain.

But, I've recently been captivated again by the Lenormand cards, mostly from seeing Golden Mousedeer's fabulous readings on her blog. She does a terrific job of explaining the Grand Tableau (Lenormand's biggest and most intimidating spread). I was also inspired because she makes her own decks like I do and she has changed some of the cards in one of her Lennie (nickname for Lenormand) decks which made so much sense to me. I decided to give it a try.

One of the things I love about Lenormand is that it uses a system of simple symbolism. In my mind, the images should be equally simple. I get brain farts when I use oracle decks with complex images on them. I'm especially bad with collage decks. That's why I love the simplicity of a deck of playing cards.

Here's a quick preview. I have changed the name to The Simple Lenormand. We'll see if it sticks. If it comes back from Printerstudio.com looking okay, I'll show you more!