Lauren Forestell’s Paris Primitive/Didot
Just to let people know what’s been happening – a fortuneteller’s income is fickle. One month you’re buying electronics and jade and real ladies hats from milliners, but the next may find you couch surfing. So when family circumstances dictated that I find a more dependable – if excruciatingly boring – source of income for awhile, I took a job making and testing automotive computer parts, and cut way back on my readings, due to the crazy long hours. (Email readings are especially difficult with all this going on, so I’ve temporarily stopped offering them at Etsy, but not to worry – I don’t intend to do this forever! And phone readings are still available.)
Now I want to tell you about a deck, the only one I’ve purchased in quite some time, and I don’t see anyone talking about it – which is a shame, really! You guys are missing out. It’s the Paris Primitive, aka Didot, available from Lauren Forestell’s Game of Hope site here: http://gameofhopelenormand.bigcartel.com/product/paris-primitive
I needed yet another Lenormand like I needed a hole in the head, but this one sang a siren song with its peachy borders and quirkiness, and I was sucked in. While it was originally produced in France, it seems to be targeting the German market, as the verses are in that old-style German (you know, the kind that google translate can’t *quite* handle. We’ve all been nine rounds with that. :D ) The banners across the top give some old keywords, and the rhymes are on the bottom. No playing card insets, but that shouldn’t present a problem if you know your people cards. This one is very readable, the images pop nicely in a GT.
The following list is for those who like to use visual cues – and remember, there are NO perfect Lenormands, this one is about as good as it gets:
The Rider faces left – perfect, since he can be the same sex lover or the other man. (Ideally, male cards would face right and female left, but the Rider is the logical exception.)
The Ship sails to the right, the future.
The dark side of the Clouds is very plainly on the right.
The Snake faces right, so remember your rules. ;)
The Coffin is drawn from a perspective where the left looks slightly larger, so it’s a hint that it ends what’s to its left.
The Scythe tip faces right. Perfect.
There is only one Birchrod bundle, so remember it can be something happening twice.
There are three Birds instead of two, so remember your “couple” meaning.
The Child faces forward, but she’s obviously female, so no problem.
The Fox faces left, so just keep in mind that they got the Snake the wrong way around.
I love the Bear. It’s standing, facing slightly away, arms crossed. Grrr. :D
The Stork is on a rooftop. Old school!
The Dog faces left, so just keep in mind its a man.
The Crossroads have a very plain wide and narrow way to go.
The Mouse faces left.
There are several Books, but one obviously opens to the right.
Lauren has included, as always, extra Man and Woman cards. I use the right facing Man and the left facing Woman.
The Lilies are blue, but they’re very obviously lilies and distinct from the other botanical cards, so it’s not an issue.
There are trees shown on the Park card, but not the Roads, Sun, or Moon, so again, remember your “many trees” rule.
The cards are plainly numbered. There are astrological and planetary glyphs in the verse area, something I’d suggest ignoring (People have been trying to forcefit astrology to Lenormand forever. It just doesn’t work.) but they add a nice touch visually, a bit like the glyphs surrounding the images on Malkiel’s Lenormand. The backs are curling french vines surrounding an interlock pattern, all in beige and burgundy, very nice. And there’s a cover card with a repro pic of a suitably grotesque and dessicated Mlle. Lenormand, wrapped in a shawl and sitting before a grand tableau. I want it on a t shirt. :D
The deck comes in a plush brown velvet bag, but I ordered the Wahrsagekarten tin. I’m going to use the bag for a change purse, lol, since I sometimes stow money in the bag with my purse deck (also one of Lauren’s – the Purple Dragon).
If you’re looking for a change from your usual reading deck but you want a real Lenormand and not one of those wack contemporary things, I can fully recommend this one. It’s readable, it’s fun to look at, and it’s got that linen finish and Game of Hope quality! :)
