Free Lenormand, read card by card
The Lenormand, with its thirty-six cards, answers in a direct and concrete way: the Rider brings news, the House speaks of home, the Heart of affection. Write your question and shuffle; the cards come from a deck shuffled there and then, and the reading is written out straight afterwards.
The reading is free, with no account and no sign-up. The table opens on Three Cards — where it comes from, what is at stake and where it leads — and in the list you will also find the Lenormand Cross, Five Cards, The Path and the Square of Nine, for questions that need more room.
There are two Lenormand decks: the Sol da Alma Lenormand, painted from scratch for this website, and the Engraved Lenormand, in the manner of the decks of 1800. The reading on screen is always free; the in-depth PDF report is optional.
How the cards are laid out
What each position means
Where it comes from
What brought the matter to this point: the first word of the sentence, which prepares the meaning of the other two.
What is at stake
The heart of the sentence: the middle card, which leads the reading and which the other two modify.
Where it leads
Where it all ends up: the last word, which completes the sentence.
How to read the Lenormand
The Lenormand — the Petit Lenormand, with thirty-six cards — is read differently from the Tarot. Each card is almost a word: the Rider is news, the Ship a journey, the House home, the Clover a small stroke of luck, the Scythe a cut. And the words join up into sentences: meaning comes from the neighbours, and a card changes its tone depending on the cards beside it.
That is why the Lenormand gives such concrete, quick answers. Where the Tarot speaks of forces and motives, the Lenormand tells you what happens: who is coming, what is arriving, where this is heading. The cards never come out reversed — the Lenormand has no upside-down meanings — and good or bad always comes from the neighbouring cards.
The Lenormand spreads
Three Cards is the shortest sentence and the everyday spread. Five Cards shows the matter in motion, from what has been to what is coming. The Lenormand Cross looks at the question layer by layer, with the root below and what governs it above. The Path, with seven cards, gives practical advice. The Square of Nine is the most complete Lenormand reading, with past, present and future around the heart of the matter. Each one has its own page, with a diagram of the table and what each position means.
There are also the Sol da Alma spreads, which bring the Lenormand and the Tarot together on the same table: each house receives one card from each deck.
The two Lenormand decks
The Sol da Alma Lenormand was painted from scratch for this website, with all thirty-six figures drawn one by one and the name written on each card. The Engraved Lenormand follows the style of the decks printed around 1800, with the look of old hand-coloured engravings. The cards and the spreads are the same; only the painting changes.
Frequently asked questions
Is the online Lenormand free?
Yes. The spread and the reading written on screen are free and need no account or sign-up. The in-depth PDF report is optional.
Why is the Lenormand also called the ‘Baralho Cigano’?
‘Baralho Cigano’ is the name given in Portugal and Brazil to the Petit Lenormand, the thirty-six-card deck with the Rider, the Clover, the Ship, the House and the rest. It is the same deck under another name.
Why do Lenormand cards never come out reversed?
Because in the Lenormand the meaning of each card comes from its neighbours, not from whether it is upside down. The cards always come out upright.
Can I ask the Lenormand yes or no questions?
You can, and it is very good at them. Cards such as the Sun, the Clover or the Key lean towards yes; the Mountain, the Cross or the Clouds towards no, or towards ‘not yet’.
See a sample report for this spread (PDF)
No sign-up · Reading written on the spot · Free