Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand was an 18th and 19th century clairvoyant. Her year of birth is disputed (either 1768 or 1772) but most sources indicate May 21, 1772 as her birth date.
She is one of few whose prophecies are written in the history books.
She was born in Alençon, France and died in Paris at the age of 71 on June 25, 1843. She learned fortune card reading at a very early age. She herself stated that she received her first card deck on her 14th birthday and was taught by gypsies how to read them.
Several years after Madame Lenormand's death, her set of cards was made public by Grimaud. He presented a 36-card deck that was easy to fortune tell with.
The most famous reading she had ever done was on Joséphine de Beauharnais. Madame Lenormand predicted she would become the Empress of France. Not long after she became Napoleon's wife. However, Madame Lenormand's subsequent prediction about Napoleon's intention to divorce Joséphine earned him her wrath.
The Emperor ordered to have her locked up. There she wrote her memoirs and other books, in which she described her relationships with prominent Parisians. After a while they let her go.
Madame Lenormand's popular cards are 36 in number. They are easy to divine with because they have an image corresponding to the name of each card. The most important thing is to look at the name of the card in respect to the image and not just the meanings listed. Everything that comes to mind once you see the card is significant - it may have a prophetic meaning, with intuition being the most important.
Madame Lenormand's prophecies mainly had to do with work, love, meeting strangers, health, the physical and mental endurance of the person. Thousands of people came to her. Many years after her death, people from all corners of the world continued to flock.
Besides being a supreme fortune teller, Madame Lenormand was also a very beautiful and attractive woman. Despite this, she lived and died a virgin, not allowing anyone to win her heart.
Numerous fortune tellers around the world have used and continue to use Madame Lenormand's methods. They have turned into a science. Her personal fortune cards, over 160 years old now, are kept under lock and key for their unique antique value.
There is no clear evidence whether they were personally designed by Madame Lenormand or a relative of hers. It is also unclear what type of material they were made from but unbelievably, despite all the years and many owners they've belonged to, they remain in excellent condition.
