I’ve been wanting to learn the Grand Jeu de Mlle Lenormand for a while now, so when I came across this new edition, I was immediately interested.

If you’re familiar with the Petit Lenormand, you already know that the Grand Jeu is a very different system. Instead of 36 cards, you’re working with 54 cards filled with layers of symbolism, drawing from cartomancy, astrology, mythology, alchemy, the language of flowers, and geomancy.

This particular edition also adds keywords directly onto the cards, which makes it a little less intimidating when you’re first getting started.

And there’s a little more behind my interest in this deck. I found out that Lo Scarabeo is releasing its own Grand Jeu de Mlle Lenormand as part of the Anima Antiqua series in June 2027, and I’ve been going down a rabbit hole ever since. I’ve been combing through the web, trying to learn more about the Grand Jeu and looking at different editions while I wait for Lo Scarabeo’s release.

So this felt like a good opportunity to actually start learning the system instead of just reading about it.

Unboxing & Flipthrough

My First Impressions

My first thought was excitement.

I’ve been wanting to get a Grand Jeu for myself while I wait for Lo Scarabeo’s Anima Antiqua edition, and this one gave me a chance to actually start working with the system.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that there is a lot going on here.

I’m used to working with the Petit Lenormand, so seeing all the additional symbols and layers on these cards was definitely an adjustment. At the same time, that’s exactly what attracted me to the Grand Jeu in the first place.

I didn’t want something I could completely figure out in one sitting.

I wanted something I could study, experiment with, and slowly understand over time.

The Artwork

The artwork follows the traditional aesthetic associated with the Grand Jeu, including its historical color scheme and traditional card backs.

And these cards are packed.

Depending on the card, you’ll find mythological imagery, flowers, playing-card associations, astrological symbols, geomantic figures, letters, and other symbolic details surrounding the main illustration.

This is definitely not an artwork where you look at the center of the card and call it a day.

I actually enjoy having all those little details to explore. Sometimes I find myself looking at a card and noticing something I didn’t see the first time around.

The artwork also has that older, traditional cartomancy feel that I think works really well for this particular system. It doesn’t feel like someone took an old deck and modernized it just for the sake of making it look contemporary.

It feels like a Grand Jeu.

And for a deck with this much history and symbolism behind it, I think that’s important.

Box, Card & Finish

The deck comes in a hard box measuring approximately 4 × 5¼ inches, and the cards measure 80 × 120 mm, or roughly 3½ × 5 inches. The set includes 54 cards and a bilingual French-English booklet.

The larger card size makes sense here because there is so much information packed into the artwork. I don’t think I’d want these cards to be much smaller because some of those details would become unnecessarily difficult to see.

The box itself is fairly simple, but it fits the traditional presentation of the deck. It’s sturdy enough and does what it needs to do without trying to turn the packaging into the main event.

The cards have a smooth finish and feel fairly pleasant to handle. The larger size does take a little getting used to if you’re accustomed to smaller Lenormand cards, but once I got used to them, they were comfortable enough to work with.

The traditional card backs also add to the overall old-school feel of the deck.

Guidebook

The deck comes with a bilingual French-English booklet that gives you a basic introduction to the Grand Jeu and helps you get familiar with the system.

The booklet covers the meanings and interpretation of all 54 cards, along with the different layers of symbolism found throughout the deck. It touches on the cartomancy and playing-card correspondences, astrological symbolism, mythology, alchemy, the language of flowers, and geomancy.

I like that it gives you an introduction to all of these different elements because the Grand Jeu can look like a lot when you first start digging into it. Having the different systems explained in one place gives you a starting point for understanding why all those little symbols are there.

The new edition also adds bilingual keywords directly onto the cards, which I found helpful. With everything going on in the artwork, having a keyword gives you an immediate starting point instead of having to figure out which part of the card to focus on first.

The booklet is useful for getting acquainted with the deck, but I wouldn’t consider it a complete guide to learning the Grand Jeu. There is still a lot more to explore once you start digging into the individual symbols and how all of these different systems work together.

I’ve already been looking things up as I work through the deck, especially when I come across symbols or references I’m not familiar with. For me, the booklet works well as a starting point and quick reference, while the deeper learning comes from researching the history and symbolism behind the cards.

If you’re serious about learning the Grand Jeu, I would also recommend picking up The Grand Jeu Lenormand Oracle: The Divination System of Mlle Lenormande by Lisa Young-Sutton. It’s much more in-depth and goes through the different elements found on the cards, including the mythology, playing-card meanings, geomancy, constellations, flower language, and letter symbolism. Young-Sutton also explains how the system is organized, goes through the individual cards, covers different types of readings, and includes spreads and reading examples. She also connects each card to an I Ching hexagram, which adds another layer to explore.

I’m finding it useful to have that kind of resource alongside the deck, especially while I’m still getting familiar with everything that’s actually on these cards. There is a lot to learn, and I’ve already spent quite a bit of time going down Grand Jeu rabbit holes while working through it.

How the Deck Works

The Grand Jeu is a 54-card system, which is one of the first things that makes it different from the more familiar 36-card Petit Lenormand.

The deck incorporates several different systems into the cards. There are playing-card associations, astrology, mythology, the language of flowers, geomancy, and other symbolic elements that can be used when interpreting the cards.

The cards aren’t meant to be read through just one layer.

You can start with the main image and keyword, then bring in the other symbols as you become more familiar with them.

That’s probably the approach I’d recommend if you’re new to the Grand Jeu. Don’t try to memorize every single symbol immediately. Learn the basic card meanings first and then gradually start incorporating the additional information.

The more you learn, the more those details start to become useful rather than overwhelming.

Reading Style and Themes

The reading style is much more layered than the Petit Lenormand.

With Petit Lenormand, I’m used to looking at combinations of cards and getting a fairly direct answer from how they interact. The Grand Jeu gives you more individual pieces to consider within each card.

You can look at the main image, the playing-card association, the astrological information, the flowers, the geomantic symbols, and the other details depending on what you’re working with.

That makes the reading feel less like, “I pulled this card, therefore it means this,” and more like putting together a bunch of clues.

I think that’s where the Grand Jeu gets really interesting.

The themes can cover relationships, work, money, personal situations, timing, people, challenges, and general questions, but the way you get to the answer can be much more detailed than what I’m used to with a simple Lenormand reading.

Who It’s For

I’d recommend this to anyone who is curious about traditional cartomancy and wants something more involved than the Petit Lenormand.

It’s particularly interesting if you enjoy studying symbolism, astrology, mythology, or historical divination systems. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys learning why a symbol is there rather than simply memorizing what it means, there is a lot here to keep you occupied.

For someone completely new to Lenormand or cartomancy, I wouldn’t call it the easiest place to start.

The new keywords definitely help, but you’re still dealing with a system that has a lot of information packed into it.

If you’re patient and actually enjoy the learning process, though, I think that’s where the appeal is.

My Honest Thoughts

I’m really enjoying having a Grand Jeu in my collection, especially because I’ve been so curious about the system while waiting for Lo Scarabeo’s upcoming edition.

What I like about this deck is that it gives me something to study and discover.

I’m not going to pretend I have every layer of the Grand Jeu memorized after picking it up. I don’t. There are still plenty of symbols I have to look up, and I’m still figuring out how I want to incorporate all the different systems into my own readings.

But that’s actually what makes me want to keep coming back to it.

I like decks that give me room to learn.

The new keywords are also a welcome addition. Looking at a card with all its symbolism can be a little overwhelming when you’re starting out, so having that little bit of direction helps without taking away from everything else on the card.

I also appreciate that the deck doesn’t force me to use every single symbolic layer immediately. I can start with what I know and build from there.

My biggest hesitation is that this isn’t a deck you can completely wing your way through if you want to understand the traditional system. You can absolutely bring your intuition into it, but there is a lot of established symbolism here, and I think learning that background will make your readings much richer.

And that’s probably the biggest appeal for me.

I’m already the kind of person who will see one unfamiliar symbol and immediately start searching for what it means, so this deck gives me plenty of excuses to fall down another rabbit hole.

I’m still learning the Grand Jeu, but I’m very happy I decided to start with this edition while I wait for Lo Scarabeo’s Anima Antiqua Grand Jeu de Mlle Lenormand.

It gives me something to actually work with instead of just sitting around waiting for the next deck to come out.

Where to Find the Deck & Deck Info

✦ Deck Creator: Grand Jeu Mlle Lenormand
✦ Publisher: Dusserre
✦ Where to Get the Deck: Amazon

Where to Find the Book & Author Info

✦ Book: The Grand Jeu Lenormand Oracle: The Divination System of Mlle Lenormande
✦ Author: Lisa Young-Sutton
✦ Publisher: Self-published / BookBaby
✦ Publication Date: April 13, 2024
✦ Where to Get the Deck: Amazon