Tarot Lenormand: Meanings of the Cards of the Petit Jeu
In the introductory article on the Lenormand Tarot: Grand Jeu and Petit Jeu, we were able to see in general terms the most basic meanings of the cards in both decks. Since Petit Jeu is more popular than its older brother, we will dedicate this article to a more comprehensive explanation of the meanings of the 36 standardized cards of the Lenormand Petit Jeu. It will be clear that many of the meanings are actually symbolic interpretations of the illustrations that have something in common with traditional tarot decks, while in others we will see that they depict concerns or situations more appropriate to the era than to the present, as well as literal meanings that may be surprising to those who understand the esoteric world as a veiled environment when it comes to divination.
The Rider - 9 of Hearts. Symbolizes messages and communications. However, due to its visual and literal basis, it can also mean the arrival or visit of a man or young man, a courier, a transfer, or focusing on the animal, as an idea of nobility and restrained freedom. It is considered a positive card.
The Club - 6 of Diamonds. It symbolizes money and luck; it needs no further explanation. Literally, it can also indicate the search for something or visiting a place with plants. It is considered a positive card.
The Ship - 10 of Spades. It symbolizes distance, whether in relationships, projects, or travel. Depending on the reading, it can be understood as a setback or a new venture.
The House - King of Hearts. It symbolizes a paternal or male figure, who provides tranquility and security. It can also symbolize home. It is considered a positive card.
The Tree - 7 of Hearts. It symbolizes time, reflection, repetition, tranquility, peace, and personal growth. It is also associated with health or the need to come into direct contact with nature.
The Clouds - 6 of Spades. They indicate sadness, depression, and cloudy thoughts. However, they are good for business (they predict rain). They are also associated with dark-skinned or brown-haired men. It is considered a negative card.
The Snake - Queen of Clubs. Associated with a dark-skinned or brown-haired woman, it represents seduction, selfishness, and hidden agendas. It also indicates poison, both literally and psychologically. It is only positive when representing the consultant, but in general, it is considered (obviously) a negative card.
The Coffin - 9 of Diamonds. A versatile card, it can symbolize both success and illness. It is usually identified as an unexpected gain or a radical change.
The Bouquet of Flowers - Queen of Spades. It symbolizes a dark-skinned woman, divorced, or simply someone who has taken control of her life. It indicates happiness, gifts, good times, and laughter. It is considered a positive card.
The Scythe - Page of Diamonds. A young, blonde, and unkempt person. It foretells danger, nervousness, worries, problems, accidents. Although the subsequent outcome (in relation to other cards) may be positive, it is considered a negative card.
The Whip/Crop - Page of Clubs. A young, dark-skinned, and restless person, always active. It has sexual and punitive connotations, arguments, and degrading acts.
The Birds - Page of Diamonds. They symbolize communication, comings and goings, exchanges, small talk, and the accumulation of wealth.
The Child - Page of Spades. A dark-skinned child or young person is associated with new things, friends, and immaturity. It may indicate a desire or need to have children, or thoughts about someone who has them. For some reason, it was once associated with the police or judges.
The Fox - Page of Spades. A double-entendre card, foretelling success and family well-being, correct redirection, but through cunning and a lack of ethics, disappointment.
The Bear - 10 of Spades. Success, advancement in every way. It is also associated with the protective figure of the mother, or directly with large, hairy, muscular men. It is considered a positive card, although it can warn of excessive aggression.
The Stars - 6 of Hearts. They symbolize friends, siblings, crowds, and romantic attraction. They also symbolize astrology and destiny. They indicate success and fame, attracting attention. It can also indicate going out at night or simply outdoors to be seen. It is considered a positive card.
The Stork - Queen of Hearts. It symbolizes the mother, announces pregnancy, or simply changes, that something is brewing (in relation to the other cards)
The Dog - 10 of Hearts. It symbolizes loyalty, friendship, also dependence, or a return to a nature content with the basics. It can also indicate someone dedicated to hunting, or who has dogs, or the animal itself as a sign of something. It is associated with professions where "they care about you," such as counselors, doctors, nurses, etc.
The Tower - 6 of Spades. It symbolizes loneliness, which can be both good (the end of a bad relationship, the end of a tortuous project, etc.) and bad (illness, prison, , isolation, etc.). It has also been interpreted as excessive protection.
The Garden - 8 of Spades. Rest, parties, health, meetings. It can also encourage buying flowers or visiting gardens. It is considered a positive card.
The Mountain - 8 of Clubs. Obstacles that prevent progress, much work to be done. It also symbolizes a physical enemy. This obstacle can be "surrounded" or "climbed," but in either case it will require a lot of time and effort. It is considered a negative card.
The Cross - Queen of Diamonds. A blonde, unkempt woman, but with money. It symbolizes decision-making, changes of direction, leaving things behind. It has been associated with circulatory system problems.
The Mouse - 7 of Clubs. Spiritual turmoil, nervousness, something hidden. It indicates nervous, psychological, emotional, spiritual problems, restlessness... the cause of which has not yet been identified, partly because one is running away from it. It is considered a negative card.
The Heart - Page of Hearts. It symbolizes everything related to love. A passionate person, understood as someone young or immature, in love or sexually attracted to a crazy person, a punctual lover, or the beginning of a new love or improvement of an existing relationship. It is considered a positive card.
The Ring - Ace of Clubs. A legal matter, military service, a duty, a contract, an obligation between two or more people. Its character depends on the surrounding cards.
The Book - 10 of Diamonds. It symbolizes material and financial success, as well as study, discretion, and secrets. It is related to the Bible or grimoires when it comes to secrets or spiritual and occult studies. It can also indicate some type of publicity or legal matter.
The Card - 7 of Spades. Correspondence, matters delayed due to external causes, exchange of important documents. The content of these communications can be deduced from the cards drawn (for example, whether it's a love message, a party invitation, a doctor's notice, etc.).
The Knight - Ace of Hearts. Symbolizes a soulmate (male or female), someone important to the seeker or the matter at hand. It also represents home.
The Queen - Ace of Spades. Symbolizes a soulmate (male or female), someone important to the seeker or the matter at hand. It also represents death and a new beginning.
The Lily - King of Spades. Symbolizes wisdom, caution, progress, legal matters, as well as a mature, dark-skinned man, a divorced man, or one with a job related to law. In general, the lily speaks of physical and mental maturity.
The Sun - Ace of Diamonds. Symbolizes money, marriage, success, opportunities, and happiness. It is generally considered a positive card, unless the surrounding cards indicate otherwise.
The Moon - 8 of Hearts. Love, admiration, satisfaction, romance. It refers to emotional and psychological issues, instincts, and lunar cycles as representatives of change.
The Key - 8 of Diamonds. It indicates the ability to open a door to goals, to financial success or success in a job or project, to the beginning or improvement of a relationship, to professional advancement, to improved health… What that "key" is will depend on the cards surrounding it.
The Fish - King of Diamonds. A blond, nervous, and careless man. It can symbolize an entrepreneur or someone who becomes a partner. In other senses, it indicates monetary prosperity, intelligence, as well as going to places with water (beaches, rivers, aquariums) or eating fish.
The Anchor - 9 of Spades. The stopping of something, such as a legal matter, a job, a time of rest or reflection. It is usually a necessary pause, although sometimes it can be understood as a punishment.
The Cross - 6 of Clubs. It symbolizes sacrifice, but also taking the initiative with the hope of a greater good. It is clearly influenced by the Christian religion and is therefore interpreted as something positive, but also as the sorrows and lessons one must carry throughout life.
As you may have noticed, some cards are more dependent on the rest, while others can be read practically alone. Unlike the Grand Jeu, in the Petit Jeu, it is not necessary to link the cards together. However, they can be read as a narrative according to the order of the reading. In these cases, the meanings should be understood "syntactically," that is, as a sentence: there should always be a subject, a verb or action, an object, a recipient, etc., whenever possible. This will better complete the answers.
Pietro V. Carracedo Ahumada - pietrocarracedo@gmail.com
Bibliography:
-Auger, E. Tarot and other meditation decks. History, Theory, Aesthetics, Typology. McFarland Inc. Pub. 2004
-Barbier, T. Tarot and divination cards: a visual guide. Ed. ABRAMS, 2021
-Mosquera, J.M. Ludus triumphorum + History of Tarot. Bubok, 2017
-Sánchez Rivera, I; Turán M. Tarot Lenormand. The Sibyl of the Salons. Editorial RED CRECER, 2023
Related articles:
> Tarot Lenormand: Grand Jeu and Petit Jeu,
> Marseille's Tarot: Medieval symbolism of the main colors.
