Review by Allan Ritchie
By Rana George
Artwork by Callie L. French
Published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.
www.usgamesinc.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-57281-819-4
ISBN-10: 1-57281-819-0
Retail U.S.: $24.95
Released 2017
With Rana George’s bestselling book “The Essential Lenormand” continuing to spread the fundamentals of Lenormand reading across the globe, it was only a matter of time before we could expect a deck. For many the wait seemed interminable but when Rana George Lenormand with artwork done by Callie French it proved worth the wait. They created a deck steeped in a Lenormand language and Lebanese culture and French influence. Rana George has her own style and charm and we saw this in her book. She introduced the Lenormand system by giving examples of her own life story and accounts. It is then not a surprise that now with the deck's imagery she shares more of her personal stories. The deck is both personal and complete accessible as a reading deck. It is not surprising that Tarosphoist voted this deck the Lenormand Deck of the Year for 2017.
The deck is the standard size for a Lenormand deck with cardstock that is a bit on the stiff side but with some careful wearing, it can be used with any shuffling style. The full-color illustrations are clear and detailed. The cards have a border that resembles an archway and are numbered with the playing card inserts for each of the standard thirty-six Lenormand cards. The satin finish on the card gives them a great feel but does add to the cards sticking together a bit. A highlight of the deck is the gold-foil that accents both the front and the backs of the cards. This gives the deck a sparkle to the eye when shuffling and reading. This sparkle and gold accents are also in keeping with Rana George and her personal style.
Standard images on thirty-six of the cards are classic petite Lenormand deck. In addition to the standard set, Rana George Lenormand includes an additional Man and Woman card, which is also becoming more common. Taking the deck to the next level there are also four additional cards that bring a bit more range and flexibility to the deck. These four cards bring both a deeper range of spiritual readings and practicality to the reading. Card 37, The Spirit card is the image of a male spirit controlling the four elements. This card is flexible but moves to show the influence of the spiritual in a situation. Card 38 is the Incense Burner. Here we are given a card for clearing out and purification. Card 39 is the Bedroom card. More intimate than the house we are given a card that gives us both the physical location and connotation for intimate actions. While not explicitly and singularly a card representing sex but this does go a long way to fill a void for many in the deck. The final Card 40 the Market is my favorite of the additions. This again like the Bedroom card gives us both a physical location for the business world and also an explicit work card. Many different cards had been used for the idea of work but with this card in my readings that I can use in conjunction with other cards to get a better picture of a client’s work situation.
The
Rana George Lenormand is a wonderful, beautiful and readable deck
that many are going to love for quite some time to come. As
we continue to see the Lenormand system continue to grow in
popularity Rana George continues to be one of the voices and
influences that are shaping the movement. Her deck is a
great addition to her contribution to our community. What
will be next we can only imagine but so far we have a great deck to
use.