Meaning of the Gypsy Deck Cards

In the universe of divinatory practices, the Gypsy deck stands out as an enigmatic tool full of symbolism. Each card in this deck carries a story, a profound meaning, and a connection to Gypsy traditions that date back centuries.

If you are looking to understand the meaning of the cards in the Gypsy deck and unveil the secrets they may reveal, join us in this explanation.

Meaning of the Gypsy Deck Cards

The cards of the Gypsy deck, also known as Lenormand, have the ability to provide unique insights into various aspects of life, including love, finances, health, and fate. Each card is a piece of the divinatory puzzle, and understanding its meaning is essential to properly interpret the messages conveyed through readings.

The tradition of the Gypsy deck dates back to the Gypsies of Europe, who used these cards not only to predict the future, but also to understand the energies surrounding the present.

The Gypsy deck consists of 36 cards, each adorned with vivid images and intriguing symbols, all loaded with deep meanings that intertwine with the Gypsy wisdom passed down through generations.

Interpreting the Gypsy deck cards requires not only familiarity with the symbols, but also a sensitivity to grasp the nuances and connections between the cards in a reading.

See below the meaning of the Gypsy deck cards and their possible interpretations.

1 - The Messenger / The Rider

This card carries the energy of movement, of changes. It indicates that news is coming, such as good opportunities, ideas, people, and surprises. In the Gypsy deck, The Messenger - also known as The Rider - speaks of quick time and relates to things that should happen within a few weeks.

2 - The Clover / Clubs and Stones

The interpretation of this card depends on the school of reading you follow. In the European school, it is called "The Clover" and symbolizes small fortunes that may appear. In the Brazilian school, this card is called Clubs and Stones and symbolizes small setbacks that can slightly hinder the flow of the situation.

3 - The Ship

In the Gypsy deck, The Ship represents major changes, which take time to occur, and represents the process of moving from one place or situation to another. It also indicates travels and movements. When The Ship appears, it is interesting to prepare your mind for a new phase in this aspect of life.

4 - The House

This card carries the energy of stability, of what is our base, of what is firm in our lives. It speaks of family and the home we live in. It can also represent stability in other areas, such as at work or in relationships.

5 - The Tree

It symbolizes that which takes years to grow but, when it develops, becomes something very firm and bears much fruit. It speaks of long-term plans. The Tree in the Gypsy deck is also the card of health and ancestry, which pertains to our roots.

6 - The Clouds

This card indicates confused thoughts and a lack of clarity to see facts as they really are. However, like the clouds, confusion is temporary. It warns not to make hasty decisions, to wait for the confusion to pass before acting.

7 - The Snake

Generally, this card is interpreted as a sign of nearby lies, which may indeed be the case. But it also has other very important meanings, such as the need to be flexible and not too rigid. It can also elaborate on "shedding skin", renewing yourself to be a new phase of yourself.

8 - The Coffin

The Coffin card in the Gypsy deck represents the end of cycles and speaks of endings in any aspect: jobs, relationships, beliefs, thoughts that no longer make sense, the time of living in a particular house, or any other issue that needs to be concluded. It reminds us that a new phase can only begin when we let another end.

9 - The Bouquet

The Bouquet in the Gypsy deck represents what is beautiful. It elaborates on creativity, the ability to beautify life, self-esteem, and the joy that brings self-confidence. It can also show invitations and moments of happiness with loved ones.

10 - The Scythe

The Scythe, alone, represents unexpected cuts and things that will be "pruned". It also speaks of what you need to plant to later reap the results. When a card is to the right of The Scythe in the Gypsy deck, it represents the cutting of that. For example, the dog to the right of The Scythe talks about cuts in friendships.

When a card is to the left of The Scythe, it represents the development of that. For example, The Bouquet to the left of The Scythe talks about the development of creativity and the beautiful things in life.

11 - The Whip

The Whip in the Gypsy deck has a very strong energy. It is a card that represents fights or discussions that hurt and leave emotional scars on the people involved, talks about disputes for control. In a relationship, it is a card that calls for attention. On the other hand, it can represent great energy to work or do what needs to be done. Its meaning depends on the theme being analyzed.

12 - The Birds

In the Gypsy deck, The Birds represents communication and brings questions about what needs to be communicated to someone, and how. It shows a fluid communication. It also represents what brings you freedom and lightness, a happy and joyful life.

13 - The Child

This card represents the characteristics that a child has: a fun spirit, curiosity about life, creativity, and spontaneity. However, it can also elaborate on tantrums, inconsequence, and emotional immaturity, characteristics that are not so good when experienced by an adult. Moreover, The Child in the Gypsy deck brings reflections on remembering your true essence through childhood memories. It may also be representing a specific child involved in the situation.

14 - The Fox

The Fox in the Gypsy deck talks about strategy and about the need to think and analyze a lot before deciding and acting. Use of mind and intelligence, be cautious and not precipitate. In some specific cases, The Fox can show sneaky people on your path.

15 - The Bear

In the Gypsy deck, The Bear has the energy of overprotection, attachment, and jealousy. It represents something heavy and suffocating. It may be talking about a relationship with parents, with a partner, or about attachment to situations that should no longer be happening.

16 - The Star

This card talks about purpose, about what we were born to do, about destiny. It also shows a connection with higher beings who guide your journey, divine protection. It talks about spiritual life.

17 - The Stork

The Stork in the Gypsy deck has the energy of co-creation, of the ability to bring into your life everything you imagine. It shows novelties, new opportunities, relationships, and ideas.

18 - The Dog

The Dog in the Gypsy deck represents a relationship of companionship and genuine goodwill. It may be talking about friendships or any type of relationship. It shows a faithful person, whom you can trust.

19 - The Tower

In the Gypsy deck, The Tower shows a withdrawal from other people. Therefore, it represents self-knowledge and indicates a period with oneself for personal development. However, when interpreted against the backdrop of relationships, it indicates distancing between those involved, as if each were alone in their tower. It can also represent authority, someone who is at the top.

20 - The Garden

This card represents social life, events, and speaks of the people you interact with daily. It can bring reflections on how your social environment is influencing your life, whether it is very busy or, then, if you are distancing yourself from it. It foresees a phase where meetings with other people will be important.

21 - The Mountain

Represents challenges, a mountain that needs to be crossed. It is interesting to prepare the mind to overcome obstacles that may appear, always remembering that challenges are opportunities for learning and personal development. With them, we become better people.

22 - The Path

Shows that the paths are open for you. It also mentions decisions that need to be made. Understand that it's no use having open doors if you don't make your choice and follow through on it.

23 - The Mouse

The Mouse in the Gypsy deck represents physical or emotional wear, something that seems small but is depleting your energy. It can also show material losses and serves as a warning to save money.

24 - The Heart

The Heart card represents genuine and true love. Something that, despite some flaws, is a very beautiful feeling. It can be love in relation to any aspect: romantic relationship, friendship, family, or profession.

25 - The Ring

In the Gypsy deck, the card The Ring represents commitments and an important connection with something or someone. It may be talking about a dating or marriage proposal, a job, a partnership, or another important commitment that is treated with seriousness.

26 - The Books

Talks about studies, courses, college, specializations, or knowledge we acquire through studying. The card The Books in the Gypsy deck can also represent secrets and things that have not been said.

27 - The Letter

Represents communication (usually written, such as WhatsApp and other social networks currently). It brings reflections on what needs to be communicated or about which conversations no longer need to happen. It can also talk about contracts and legal papers.

28 - The Gypsy

In the Gypsy deck, the card The Gypsy has two interpretations, depending on the consultant. If the consultant is a man, this represents himself and shows that he is living this situation very intensely, that it is something very important. If the consultant is a woman, the card The Gypsy represents a man who is very present in the situation. The aspects related to him, whether good or bad, depend on the cards around.

29 - The Gypsy Woman

If the consultant is a woman, this card represents herself, and shows that she is living this situation very intensely, that it is something very important. If the consultant is a man, this card represents a woman who is very present in the situation. The aspects related to her, good or bad, depend on the cards around.

30 - The Lilies

Represents the energy of peace and tranquility. When the card The Lilies appears in the Gypsy deck, it speaks of things happening harmoniously and without conflicts. It can also show aspects of the person's sensuality, depending on what is being analyzed.

31 - The Sun

Shows that the issue involved in the consultation tends to be illuminated, to become more cheerful. Confusions (the clouds) will pass, and you may feel more alive. The Sun in the Gypsy deck also talks about perceiving your own shine and having the courage to stand out in the world, to let your qualities attract attention.

32 - The Moon

In the Gypsy deck, The Moon is the card of emotions. It indicates that there are feelings involved in the situation. Represents your inner world, what is not obvious to others. It talks about looking within yourself and perceiving your intensity.

33 - The Key

The Key in the Gypsy deck shows that you have the solution to your problems, that you are standing in front of a door with the key in hand. Represents opportunities that will succeed, open doors.

34 - The Fishes

The Fishes in the Gypsy deck represent money and financial abundance. Shows that money is involved in the issue or predicts a sum is coming.

35 - The Anchor

The Anchor in the Gypsy deck represents that which brings firmness, like a safe harbor where we anchor ourselves when the rest is unstable. Shows physical or emotional security, or else warns of stagnation and difficulty in getting out of the place to do what is necessary.

36 - The Cross

Represents heavy situations that we carry on our backs and that burden us. The Cross in the Gypsy deck shows that this weight no longer needs to be carried, or it indicates that there will be a victory, like getting a job, closing a business, and finishing college. Regarding relationships with others, it talks about heavy and exhausting relations.

How to combine the meanings of the cards in the Gypsy deck during a reading?

Before understanding how to arrange the cards on the table, it is important to know how you will relate one card to another. You can use the mirror method, which consists of leaving the middle card as the main meaning and joining the cards on the sides with a single meaning, as a complement to the main meaning. See in the example:

Through this method, you can draw as many cards as you feel necessary, always using intuition. However, mixing many cards can confuse the consultant. One of the goals of the Gypsy deck is to be a direct oracle, and the number of cards needs to be coherent with that.

Another way to unite the cards for interpretation is to read as if each one explained the next and so on, as in the example below:

How to position the Gypsy deck cards on the table?

There are numerous ways to organize the cards of the Gypsy deck for reading, like the royal table. However, each person identifies more with a specific one. Here we will present two.

The first way is most used when the consultant is going through a complex situation for some time and needs to visualize it "from above", as a whole. It consists of drawing nine cards from the deck and forming three rows with three cards each.

The first row symbolizes the past of the situation, the middle one symbolizes the energy of the present, and the third symbolizes the tendencies for the future if everything continues as it is, that is, if the person does not use their free will to change that.

Another common situation is the consultant bringing questions about which decision to take, followed by the question "what will happen if I follow path A or B?". At this point, it is interesting to note that everything depends on free will.

In this situation, the cards of the Gypsy deck can show the probable consequences of each choice - whether they are good or bad. Thus, the draw for each path that the person can follow can help them make their decisions with more awareness.

In this type of draw, the card reader chooses the number of cards. To be an answer with content and at the same time objective, the ideal is to draw from three to seven cards. See in the example below:

The Gypsy Deck is an incredible tool to develop your self-knowledge, better understand the issues that have happened in your life, make decisions with more awareness, and prepare your mind for future trends. I will continue to share my knowledge about this oracle here and hope to have helped!

If you liked this article and are interested in oracles, how about learning a little more about Tarot? Access and learn more about the oracle and the meaning of the major and minor arcana.