Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Playing Cards by Mlle Lenormand (Attributed)

Meanings printed on the cards. Every card carries a small picture and a written meaning on its face, which makes this one of the easiest fortune telling decks to learn: shuffle, draw, and read.

A playing-card deck underneath. Each card keeps its playing-card suit and rank, so you can also read it with traditional cartomancy methods or simply play a hand with it.

Lenormand-family symbols. The pictures follow the fortune-telling tradition attributed to Mlle Lenormand: everyday images such as the house, the ship, the key, and the dog, read in combination rather than one by one.

• Type: fortune telling playing cards with meanings printed on each card
• Attributed to: Mlle Lenormand
• Publisher: U.S. Games Systems
• ISBN: 9780880790413
• Weight: about 4.8 oz

Gypsy Witch cards are used for cartomancy, the practice of fortune telling with playing cards, in American and European folk divination. The deck descends from the tradition attached to Marie Anne Lenormand (1772 to 1843), the Paris card reader whose name was borrowed for a whole family of fortune-telling decks after her death; the Gypsy Witch deck was first published in the United States in the early 1900s and has stayed in print ever since. The “attributed” in the title is honest: Lenormand did not design these cards, but the reading method and many of the symbols come from her lineage.

You can use them the way generations of kitchen-table readers did: shuffle, lay a line or a small square, and read the printed meanings in combination, letting neighboring cards modify each other. Because the meanings are on the cards, this deck is often a first deck for people who find tarot's 78 cards daunting. It is also a good study deck for anyone curious about the Lenormand system, since the symbols overlap. Think of it as a folk tool rather than a sacred object, and it will serve you cheerfully for years.

1. Read through the whole deck once, card by card, so the printed meanings become familiar. It takes about ten minutes.
2. Cleanse the deck with a few passes through incense smoke or a night beside a selenite wand, then shuffle while stating the question you want answered.
3. Draw three cards in a line for a quick answer. Read the middle card as the heart of the matter and the outer cards as what shapes it.
4. For a fuller picture, lay a 3 by 3 square and read the rows, columns, and diagonals, the way Lenormand readers do.
5. Let neighboring cards modify each other. A card that reads as a warning beside a card that reads as help is a warning you can handle.

The printed meanings are a starting point. Your own sense of the cards will grow past them.

• Old Style Lenormand: Fortune-Telling Cards by Alexander Ray: the 36-card Lenormand cousin of this deck, for readers who want to go deeper into the system.
• Fairy Lenormand Oracle by Katz & Goodwin: a modern Lenormand with the same read-in-combination method and a gentler look.
• Divination Conjure Style: Reading Cards, Throwing Bones, and Other Forms of Household Fortune-Telling by Starr Casas, Josef Bailey, Judika Illes: Starr Casas on reading playing cards and other household fortune telling, the tradition this deck lives in.
• Tea Leaf Reading: Your Guide to More Than 500 Symbols by Jacqueline Towers: another kitchen-table divination that pairs naturally with a pot of tea and a three-card line.
• Black Velveteen Bag, 4 x 5.5 Inches: a 4 by 5.5 inch pouch to keep the deck together in a drawer or bag.

Are Gypsy Witch cards the same as Lenormand cards?

Gypsy Witch cards are not the same as Lenormand cards, but they are close relatives. Both descend from the fortune-telling tradition attributed to Mlle Lenormand and share many symbols, and both are read in combination. The Gypsy Witch deck prints its meanings on the cards and keeps playing-card suits, which Lenormand decks often do not.

Why is the deck called Gypsy Witch?

The deck is called Gypsy Witch because that was its title when it was first published in the early 1900s, and the name has stayed on the box ever since. “Gypsy” is a word many Romani people consider a slur; the name is a historical artifact, not a description of Romani people or their practices.

How do I use fortune telling cards if I have never read cards before?

Start by reading the printed meaning on each card, then draw three cards in a row and read them as a sentence. The Gypsy Witch deck was designed for exactly this kind of self-teaching. Once the three-card line feels easy, try a 3 by 3 square and read the rows and columns together.

How do I cleanse fortune telling cards?

Cleanse fortune telling cards the same way you would cleanse a tarot deck: pass them through incense smoke, rest them overnight beside selenite, or shuffle slowly while speaking your intention aloud. Do this when the deck is new, after reading for someone else, and whenever the readings start to feel muddy.

Can I play regular card games with this deck?

Yes, you can play regular card games with this deck. Every card carries a standard playing-card suit and rank alongside its fortune-telling image, so a hand of rummy works fine. Many readers like that dual nature: the deck lives in the kitchen drawer and comes out for both purposes.

Are these cards good for beginners?

These cards are one of the friendliest decks for beginners because the meanings are printed on the faces. There is nothing to memorize before your first reading. The learning curve is in reading cards together rather than alone, and that skill builds naturally with a few weeks of daily three-card draws.