This is one of the most beautiful fortunetelling decks I've never been able to figure out.  There are 67 cards in this lovely deck.  I bought it because the artwork simply spoke to me on some level; it just called my name from the catalog and I had to have it.  However, I've sat here trying to learn how to use it for ages and it just eludes me.  The booklet is complicated and frankly every fortunetelling deck I've ever reviewed seemed to use a *different* system of reading so I've never been able to universalize any of what I've seen.  The booklet describes what each card means, but only when it comes up next to certain other cards; I'm left to wonder what one is to do if these cards come up next to different cards from what is listed.  Are they then meaningless, or what?
 
The other thing I've tried to figure out to no avail is this:  "Who or what is Alma Bose?"  When I bought the deck, I assumed Alma Bose was a woman who possibly illustrated or created it, or perhaps was a famous fortuneteller like Mademoiselle Lenormand, who used this type of deck.  My questions remain unanswered as I have found nothing to even indicate who drew the pictures.  The only credit given is that the copyright is owned by J.M. Simon, who was an editor-in-chief for France Cartes at the time this was published.  I don't know if Simon made the deck or simply owns the copyright.  That irks me, cause I like to know.
 
Since this is a non-tarot divination deck, there are no Major or Minor Arcana, no suits or court cards.  Instead, there are 67 cards numbered sequentially from 1-67.  The top portion of the card has a white block across it, which features the number in *very* small type in the corner (Arabic numerals) and shows a symbolic icon design of some sort.  Then there is the large image area, which takes up the entire rest of the card, except for an inset square in the lower left corner, which has the icon again in reverse.
 
The first three cards in the deck are the usual "significator" type cards which occur in almost all fortunetelling decks:  the cards for the Male consultant, the Female consultant, and in this deck, a card for the Couple that are consultants.  These three cards have essentially the same picture on them, which is a scene of a window in an ancient Roman stone type building, with a figure looking out the window.  In the Female consultant, the figure looking out is a female statue.  In the Male consultant, it's a male statue, and in the Couple consultant it's both of them together.  The icon above in the white block is a red and blue square, the arrangement of red and blue in the square reminds me of a yin and yang.
 
After that, you get into the cards designed for the fortunetelling use itself, of which there are 64.  Cards 4, 5, 6, and 7 seem to be representative of sexual partners.  This is the really interesting part.  There is a card for a female heterosexual lover, a female homosexual lover, a male heterosexual lover, and a male homosexual lover.  Very liberated cards!  The icons on these cards are combinations of what looks like a little blue coffee bean (female) and a little blue phallus (male) in whatever arrangement the card would predict.  I'd be interested to know what one would do if a male homosexual lover came up for a heterosexual married man getting a reading!  LOL
 
Cards 8, 9, 10 and 11 deal with physical well-being and vitality in various forms.  Beginning with these cards, from now on all the cards in the deck have *two* meanings assigned to them, indicated in the white area as D. and R. which would be upright and reversed meanings as based on the French terms, Droit and Renverse.  Now instead of one icon there are three: a central one, and one for each of the upright and reversed meanings.  Cards 12 through 40 deal with various and sundry events and circumstances which might befall the consultant in his/her life.  Cards 41, 42 and 43 deal with various types of unions which may occur in the life of the consultant, and cards 44, 45, and 46 deal with different kinds of marriages.  Cards 47 through 55 deal with events and cataclysms which occur around or within these marriages and unions.  And finally, cards 56 through 67 are the Jacks, Queens and Kings, which refer to other people in the life of the consultant.
 
A note in the booklet says that the cards in this deck which correlate to the Trumps are 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 31 and 40.  I've tried to associate them with traditional tarot trumps but as you can see I've not gotten very far.  What I have so far is this:
 
8 - Vitality (Strength)
13 - Transformation?Death and Rebirth (Death)
17 - Lightning (Tower?)
18 - Mediumistic Powers/Psyche (Moon?)
19 - Mysticism (High Priestess?)
20 - Felicity/emotional success (Chariot?)
21 - Abundance/material success (Empress?)
22 - Fortune/financial success (Wheel?)
31 - Exile (your guess is as good as mine here)
40 - Fame (ok, I don't know this one either)
 
The cards themselves are standard size more or less and are printed on a thin flexible cardstock which is coated lightly for protection.  I was surprised at this since usually Grimaud decks are less flexible and thicker stock and don't handle as well as this one does.  They're not as bad as Piatnik cards though!  LOL The back design is a simple, classy silver with a little pattern against it in black.  This is reversible since this deck works heavily with reversals.  The little white booklet that comes with this deck is in French if you open it from one side, and English if you turn it over and open it from the other end.  It is not illustrated and isn't terribly easy to understand either.
 
I would recommend this deck most for people who already have experience with fortunetelling decks, but it's very attractive and would make a nice collectible based on its artwork alone.  It is not a deck for beginners.

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Review Copyright 2000 by Gina M. Pace

Oracle Alma Bose by J.M. Simon, 1982
published by Grimaud/France Cartes, France