My Crossroads card would like a word.
This is a place where a lot of us tend think as we type along. It’s okay by me!
Not every deck has them. My physical deck does, and @dan3 kindly added them to my Art decks.
Supposedly, if you’re unable to find a proper Lenormand deck, you can cobble one together using a standard deck if you know how they’re assigned.
The evolution of Lenormand started with regular cards. It was never clear earlier what the originals were because shortly after Mlle. Lenormand died, her nephew burned all her occult material. A man called “Johann Kaspar Hechtel” came up with several games and ‘borrowed’ Mlle. Lenormand’s name. (as did others). The upshot was, after some evolution, the "Le Petite Lenormand’ deck became popular. It can still be bought. The playing card images are supposed to add subtlety but are rarely defined in the manuals. They’ve become artifacts. The following was stolen from Wikipedia and an AI and me.
Playing cards have divination meanings all by themselves but with Lenormand:
The numbers have strength subtlety.
Ranks traditionally indicate people, roles, or scale.
Aces — beginnings, foundations, something essential.
Kings — authority figures, bosses, older men, established forces.
Queens — women, receptivity, social nuance, interpersonal tone.
Jacks — youth, messages, movement, assistants, “the go‑between.”
Number cards — degree or scale (6 = small, 10 = large), or pacing (7 = slow, 9 = culmination).
Example:
Final note (and edit I hope). Essentially, the way the playing cards are folded into Lenormand today is through the keywords. Most of the time you see the playing card definitions ghosting in them.
How interesting! I learned something today 
Question changed to mean today only.
In honor of one of the earlier Petite Lenormand decks:
Deck: Gran Tableu
Anchor, House, Fish
I need to strengthen one small stabilizing routine (Anchor) at home (House) and let it flow more freely (Fish).
That was easy. I guess I should think about what that could be. Maybe it could be not digitizing a deck for a single use? 
Magickal Monday,
Lenormand today - What is my next step? 36 Cross; 32 Moon; 3 Ship
I have recognized my “cross to bear”, yet I am being encouraged to move forward with my dreams/desires/wishes.
Lady Gene 
Love it! Has so much charm. 
My draw today is from the Art deck.
Mice: nibbling away, stress, vigilance, proactive care
Child: childhood, trust, a new stage, small matters
Dog: friendship, loyalty, trust, kindness, support
I’ll use a general Narrative format here.
The right action for me will be to relax, don’t sweat the small things (Child), despite the Mice card nibbling away in the background. The Mice card also points to vigilance and proactive care, which squares with the Child card today.
I can trust that I’ve done everything pressing at the moment, and support my own feeling that this is a good day for quiet and relaxation.
Reflection: sometimes the right action requires very little physical action to be taken.
Well said. I sometimes think I have to describe significant changes to a reading but the reality is that we probably shouldn’t do that - it creates a mind block to other solutions that are simple yet important.
Day 29: What is the next right action I can take? The next stone appears when you’re ready to step.
Coffin — Ending, loss, transformation, closure, mourning, finality
Tree — Health, growth, ancestry, roots, longevity, spiritual nourishment.
Anchor — Stability, perseverance, resilience, lasting effect, hope, settlement.
Reflection:
The next right action I can take is to let something go that no longer serves me, and putting it behind me (coffin) which will be good for my inner self and well being (tree), resulting in a long lasting season of stability and calm.(anchor)
Magickal Monday Greenbriar,
Yes, I saw the same thing. I like reading the left to right, instead of modifier, theme, modifier. I think reading it like a sentence makes more sense. But, then again, there are times where you would need to use the lay-out, as in a past, present, future type spread.
Lady Gene
I’m still having a hard time with the modifier - subject - modifier method, but I think it may depend on what that middle card is. I’m sure it’s easier with some cards than with others.
Do what you feel comfortable with. Practice the other forms when you can (this is the practice area!)
The argument could be made that interpretation of which card we evaluate first in a 3 card draw is our intuition. Heck, I’ve read them backwards to get a good outcome.
For specific formats (past, present, future, or a draw of more than three), m/s/m wouldn’t work but for interpretation of narrative, mad/subj/mod for 3 cards, or whether and how we use pairs selecting before or after drawing seems to be flexible.
I also believe that deciding things in advance of drawing is important but all of us tend to look at the cards first.
Look for clarity in the draw and use it! Remember, we all treat draws differently, that’s normal.
Oh wow - I always look at the cards first, and consider them in relation to the question, before I attempt a format decision! Or even decide to make a slight edit to the question (usually just adding the word “today”) to help me make sense of a reading.
I used to use mod/subj/mod almost exclusively - likely because of the class with Emily Rose - but more often than not, it’s a general Narrative read.
Agreed. Sometimes the center card is what it’s all about - so it automatically fits as a Subject card.
Lenormand is such fun, partly because there are so many options out to play with.
My draw today is from the Art deck.
Stars: Goals, achievements, inspiration, clarity, hope
Bouquet: gift, happiness, beauty, gratitude, success
Letter: news, message, communication, important information
I like a general Narrative format here.
I can confidently celebrate today that I’m in a much better place than I was at the beginning of this month, as far as committing to a project with an outside contractor (landscaper, specifically).
Starting with a new landscaper led to finally getting some much-needed work done outside, which brings me a feeling of success, achievement, and some hope for the rest of my project to be done this fall. Both the Stars and Bouquet cards suggest I’m on the right track and made a good choice.
The Letter card speaks to the communication and information gathered from talks with the new company that led to getting a good start on the project.
Reflection: a very satisfying read for the end of what started as an uncertain, annoying and confusing month for me. I will celebrate this!
Deck: Chatgpt. Both CoPilot and Chatgpt make fairly good “old timey” decks. Pictures are AI
I can confidently celebrate by the end of June (today) that I stick to my inner strengths (Tower) but still embrace outside relationships and desires (Heart) and am open enough to trust to luck, opportunity and enjoy a bit of playfulness.
Mosy over and check for boo-boos. We have 24 hours before editing is turned off on that section.
The intent of the questions is the same as for June only the questions are different (of course). Some headers were shortened and the section about how to use an AI was modified so the cards looked more natural. The spacing of the questions is different in the two question drop downs. That was a Spells8 artifact. I don’t think it matters but you decide.
Above example is from Copilot (AI). For Copilot you may have to tell it twice to make the format 1024 x 650
Terrific Tuesday Lenormand Lovers,
Question I modified a bit - What did I accomplish this month? 2 Clover; 3 Ship; 1 Rider.
I found it interesting that the cards are all close to each other, I kind of wonder if that has a specific meaning, but here goes, in L to R narrative.
I have had luck this month in moving with progress.
Again, this sounds like the project my son and I have been working on.
This is good news.
Lady Gene
Day 30: What can I confidently celebrate by the end of June? Your effort gathers into something quietly triumphant.
Mice — Loss, stress, erosion, worry, theft, slow deterioration.
Anchor — Stability, perseverance, resilience, lasting effect, hope, settlement.
Sun — Success, positivity, vitality, achievement, illumination, confidence.
Reflection:
I can confidently celebrate the fact that I have been noticing when my inner stability and groundedness (Anchor) are being eroded by minor worries or doubts, (Mouse) and I’ve been quietly making adjustments which has resulted in a boost in my confidence and sense of fulfillment (Sun)
That looks like a mod/subj/mod format to me! Looks great, too. Well Done!
