Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I would hate for anyone new to Lenormand to start out with this book and deck! And experienced readers will not find anything here worth the cost of the set. The card stock is not that bad - typical of European Lenormand decks - but the Fraktur font used for the verses on each card is very difficult for English-speakers to decipher and makes the occasional typo frustrating to figure out. The deck verses are rarely helpful and not what is found on traditional decks. Example-Rod: "For he who is husband, the Rod means strife is on the way. If your day is dark and grey, listen to what your wife has to say." The book is a traditionalist's nightmare. Josten starts out with Mountain as the fulfillment of a goal, but with a card text that says, "The closer the mountain, the closer the enemy." The author then talks about Mountain as the world axis and other mythological and symbolical references. Fish is supposedly about psychological and spiritual matters. The "Modern Symbolism" section is a long rant about water being a separate environment than ours, but that fish carry powerful symbolism because water does. His advice: "Seek answers, and go get your fish!" {Added: for those unfamiliar with Lenormand, these meanings have nothing to do with traditional Lenormand but are made-up nonsense.] It certainly doesn't seem like Josten actually uses the Lenormand cards, but more like he has poorly digested a few contradictory books and then added personal ruminations on the symbolism. This, despite the fact that Lenormand is not a symbolic system like Tarot, but rather an emblematic one. There is no direction for reading the classic Grand Tableau spread - just a diagram. Cards in examples for the shorter spreads are read singly, with position meanings, like Tarot, rather than in combination the way Lenormand is normally understood. For Josten, Lenormand appears to be a simple-minded step-sibling to Tarot. The box cover is beautiful.