I'll begin by saying I'm a fan of Lewis and his work. The Art of Knowing (AOK) is one of the best
things I've learned from him, but certainly not the only thing. Iris is no exception. If you're
looking for some tricky little gimmick to amaze your friends, this probably isn't for you. But if
you're genuinely interested in doing empowering readings for others, then you could do no better
than IRIS. I really like this, and would recommend it in a heartbeat. If you look at what comes
with this, some might say it's overpriced, "for what you get." In my humble opinion, the video
alone is priceless, and for only a small sum of money, you'll have a reading system you can use for
life. It also plays nice with other reading systems, too. Lewis is the real deal.
3 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
If it comes from Lewis Le Val, it's gonna rock!
I love the fact that you're only using 2
cards that help your spectator provide (in a very well thought out and deceptive way) all the info
you need to get started down a road of a very profound cold reading, limited only by your
imagination. And Lewis even discusses how to use that!
If you have been hesitant to taste
mentalism cold readings, this is the trick to not only let you enjoy success, but help you
understand some subtle truths that can take it beyond an impersonal guessing game to something that
is very personal and pertinent to that particular spectator.
The instructional video is
very complete and has more than just instructions. Lewis provides so much more than that. He gives
you ideas, inspires imagination and creativity that really make this a valuable addition to not only
your collection, but to your magic and performances in general.
3 of 3 magicians found this helpful.
5 stars if your language is English OR you are a professional French-speaking magician and you don't
mind making materials. 1 star if you are a hobeist who doesn't do magic in English.
WARNING
!!! For languages other than English the full effect cannot be achieved without adjustment and
modification. First, the cards are only in English, so for any language other than English the cards
are unusable. Second and without revealing the methodology, 2 sections of the trick (guessing a word
then guessing the astrological sign) is based on a grammar principle (the words used) and in French
it does not apply systematically and does not work correctly as is.
The principles work,
but with the translation you have to adapt. The cards provided cannot therefore be used as such if
you want to present it in a language other than English. An adaptation must be made and the cards
must be fabricated by your self.
Despite everything I am satisfied with my purchase but I
believe that this mention should be displayed clearly to avoid disappointment to customers who speak
a language other than English.
I have a lot of respect for Louis Le Val's work, it is
meticulous and pays a lot of attention to subtleties and details. Beyond the 2 cards that come with
this trick and that are useless to me, the explanatory video brings a lot to psychology in mentalism
in general and to the art of reading. Which is very rare to find, especially in video.
Honestly the section of the video, where Lewis talks about reading and which is under half the
content (30 mins out of 110 mins total) is, to me, worth the price I paid. But this is my personal
advice as a professional magician.
Unfortunately, I believe that a non-English speaking
hobeist will be disappointed by this magic trick. But for a semi-professional or professional who
wants to learn more about the art of reading and who doesn't mind adapting and fabricating material,
I personally believe it is worth the price even if he doesn't speak the English
3 of 4 magicians found this helpful.
A great simple yet impactful concept which makes for a great EDC
This essentially is Mentalism
101 at its basic core.
I believe that anyone starting in Mentalism or wishes to take their act
to the next level, will appreciate this concept…it’s a must buy.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
This is great, for the right person. This is not a trick you perform to amaze people. It is not a
“wow, how could you possibly do that.” This is more of a tool a mentalist-psychic can use as part
of a “reading,” knowing that you will have two concrete facts you can include in a general
personality reading. So, it is great if your overall presentation includes the sort of general
Barnum statements, but you also want to tell the person some specific facts in the midst of a
general reading. For those types of mentalist-psychic performers, I recommend it.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.
I carry a lot of wallet type of mentalism with me and I try to be very selective with what I carry
and why. If it looks like a magic prop I wont use it. Items like lottery and scratch off tickets,
pages out of paperbacks and store receipts appear to be ordinary in my mind. The props provided by
Le Val are top notch. They seem as if they are from a "new age" shop and are so cleverly designed
that they practically do all the work for you. Printed on durable plastic, they should last for
years of use. The instructional video is extremely thorough and paced well so it is easy to follow.
If you wanted to transition from just revealing thought to connecting with the participant this
would help tremendously.
1 of 1 magicians found this helpful.