This an heterodox wonderfully-charming RSM-inspired tarot that focuses on and explores the erotic romantic relationship between female and male energies, which are represented as male and male characters in the deck. The number of cards, suits and major arcana are those proper of the Tarot, and the interpretation given to each card in the booklet is also in resonance with those of the traditional Tarot.
GOOD STUFF
> I can use this deck intuitively, just using the imagery and
disregarding the suit they belong to, or go just with the tarot suits,
or both.
> Wonderful watercolor artwork.
> Tasteful erotic images.
> Card back doesn't give away whether the card is coming reverse or upright.
> Semi-glossy flexible, good cardboard. Cards glide magically in your hands and shuffle wonderfully.
> Great quality printing.
> Good sturdy box.
> A true mini, not tiny, not medium. Perfect for people with small hands.
> Booklet in several languages.
SOME DOWNSIDES
> Lack of racial diversity. Most characters are Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, Nordic-ish looking. If you are multiracial or just not Caucasian this might be a point of annoyance.
> In
all honestly, the images don't always convey what they're supposed to,
or at least not in an obvious way to me. Some examples:-- XII - The hanged man = The image has a woman lying reverse, which perfectly conveys the image of the hanged man. Meaning given in the booklet "sacrifice. bonding'. Does the image conveys the text? Not to me.
-- 4 of Pentacles = A lady is asleep, in sexy lingerie, by the fireplace. She holding a fan in her hand.. Her man is caressing her, like checking whether she's asleep, absorbed in her sensual beauty. Meaning given in the text: " Pleasure. The magic of the fan". Does the image conveys the text? Not to me. In other cases, though, the images convey perfectly the suit and card, like, just as an example, the High Priestess and The Star.
> There is a focus on female nudity and the female body more than on male nudity, and I would have loved seeing a 50/50 kind of male/female nudity.
> Very basic booklet that doesn't always convey the meanings that the author intended for or assigned to the imagery.
> Booklet tiny lettering size, so you might need a magnifying glass to read it.
MIND
> Needless to say, if you mind nudity, this is not a Tarot for you.
> There is
a focus on the female being the object of sexual desire and the male
the subject of pleasure, and not vice versa. It might not appeal to
people who have nontraditional romantic or erotic relationships.
> Some of the original deck design features has been altered.
I
didn't know anything about this deck when I first picked it up, a decade ago. I just
liked the deck cover image. Talk about intuition! However, it has become of one of my
favourite and most reliable decks. This is one of my top 3 oracle decks, and that's basically based on the connection that I have with these cards, the way my energy connects with them, and the fact that the deck seems to respond to my queries quite accurately and quite on point.
I find amazing the way that the cards seem to reflect my mood, what is
happening in my life, what is coming next, and are able to give me
advice on pressing matters. This is what any oracle deck should be
doing, right?, but not many do.
This is a deck perfect for intuitive readings as the deck is not overtly focused on any specific energy (for ex. matters of the heart or career matters) just general life energies.
I've been using
this deck for about a decade, and I've recently bought a new hard copy
of the deck. I alternate use between the app version and the hard copy.
THE CONCEPT
The oracle is inspired, as others by Colette, on both the tarot, I-chin, and Norse culture. The deck was created as a companion to the book The Map, but it can be used without having to check the book out. That's my case and it has always worked for me. The texts are great, very much in tune with the magic realms or whatever you want to call that something that is nothing but compasses everything.
THE ARTWORK
The production design and artwork are excellent and, despite the decade it has elapsed since first came out to the market, the artwork feels modern and fresh. Colouring is excellent but the original edition of the deck was more chic.
The digital collages and illustrations by Jean Dellagrottaglia are colourful, whimsical and full of magic. They don't have that cheap-photoshop-pastiche feeling that puts me off with so many other decks. This deck is truly stylish and gorgeous.
CHANGES IN THE ORACLE
The edition I'm now reviewing is different from the one I first bought and the app that replicates it. The cards meaning marquee and the number have different style and lettering and the cards have no marquee. The old ones had an elegant golden marquee, and the meaning was inside a golden scroll marquee. So, the current edition is less polished and enchanted than the original.
Besides, three cards imagery has changed: 33, 36 and 52. Card 33 has a very similar scene but the jumping character is a black girl, and card 52 has also a totally different image with a black woman. Both changes are very much of my liking and reflect racial diversity. Besides, card 36 Commitment, which had a more romantic image in the original, has now a more neutral imagery in this deck edition.
THE DECK QUALITY
This is one of the old Hay House productions and you can see the difference in care and quality with HH current decks. This deck is just fabulous:
> Glossy flexible good quality cardboard that is light, so the deck is not heavy or bulky.
> Easy pleasurable deck to shuffle.
> Good quality box packing.
> The guidebook is printed on decent paper and has decent content re the concept behind the deck, how to use the cards, and upright and reverse card meanings.
DOWNSIDE
> Cards are on the large side and you might struggle shuffling them if you have small hands.
> This deck is less enchanted in design production than the original edition.
I
was really excited about this deck, as I read Grout's first book years
ago and enjoyed her philosophy of life. Colette, on the other hand, has
produced some of my fav oracle decks ever, so my expectations were high.
My excitement was short lived, though.
To be fair, I had read
the reviews before ordering the deck. However, I thought that it might
be a matter of some customers getting a deck from a bad printing batch
because, after all, this is a Hay House's. Right? Unfortunately, my
cards edges were damaged even before I removed the paper ring seal-off.
If the cards are peeling off before opening, can you imagine what's
going to happen when you shuffle them?
Booklet is thin and cheaply printed, with barely any relevant content.
The concept behind the cards is nothing new. It is not particularly Law of Attraction. It's rather a channeled messages deck more than anything else. The artwork is a very simple but catchy, a mix of abstract images in dark rich purples, blues, greens, browns and black with sparks of yellow and bright colors in the lettering and/or background. They convey well the concept of universal fluid energy.
You can make this sort of deck yourself using blank cards. If you're an artist you'll have something as good or better. If not, and you just write a sentence, you'll still have the core of what this deck is.
Packing box is beautiful and decent quality, pity the rest. I am looking forward the app edition of this.
Returned.
I am in love with this tiny-winy Tarot deck. I am in love with this tiny-winy Tarot deck. Although this is a Rider-Waite-Smith deck in essence, the illustration style is more of my liking. This deck has the warmth, playfulness and joi de vivre that the RWS lacks. Unlike the RWS, this deck has a more modern vibe, is more naturalistic, and the characters are more real, sensual and less rigid, sad and introspective. Like a more extroverted RWS.
AWESOME
> Great quality paper semigloss paper.
> Easy to carry around. Real pocket size.
> Easy pleasurable shuffling.
> Great quality detailed printing.
> Neutral back that doesn't give away whether the card drawn is upright or reversed.
> Perfect for children.
DOWNSIDES
> This is a tiny deck. Mini would be a bit larger. I have very small hands, and this is still small. If you have big hands, you might have problems shuffling and handling this deck.
> The cards material is slightly rigid or not flexible enough.
> No guidebook.
> Basic packaging.
> A bit pricey for what it is.
GOOD
> Stunning deck and concept. Beforehand, I thought that it would be difficult to convey the usual Tarot suits and characters in an animal Tarot, but the authors and illustrator had done a stupendous job at capturing and putting together the essence of each card and the animal qualities that could be associated to them.
> The design and artwork are fantastic.
> Great quality card printing.
> The card back is absolutely gorgeous, especially if you're a cat lover.
> The cards have the meaning summary at the bottom of the card, which makes it perfect to use them without having to consult the guidebook.
> This deck is not as heavy as other Hay House decks and the glossy coating makes handling and shuffling very pleasurable and easy.
> The packaging is really good, with a sturdy box that will keep the cards safe. Besides, it's really beautiful inside and out.
> What I like the most about this deck is that can be used as a tarot deck (following the arcana and suits structure) as an intuitive oracle (free association of feelings and thoughts to the animals/ scenes on display) or a as channelled message (by reading the meanings displayed at the bottom of each card) depending on what you want.
DECK STRUCTURE
> Major arcana have some adaptations, which I find good and true to the Rider-White major arcana: 5 Unity (the hierophant), 12 Awakening (the hanged man), 13 Release (death), 14 Balance (temperance), 15 Ego (devil), 16 Life experience (the tower), and 20 Renewal (judgement). > The deck suits are the four seasons, each of them coloured with a different identifying colour that refers to the four elements. Spring is dark read (wands, fire). Summer is light blue (cups, water). Autumn is dark green (coins, earth) and Winter is dark blue (swords, air). > Court characters are prince/ss instead of page/s.
SO-SO
> Bulky deck.
> The images on each card not always connect well with the meaning written in them.
> The back illustration gives away whether the card is coming upright or reverse.
> The cards are on the large side and not easy to shuffle if you have small hands.
> The cardboard is a bit stiff and the coating seems to peel off quite easily.
> As per the photo uploaded the card back has a pixel dot that appears on all cards. Not sure whether is a printing issue or a pre-production issue.
> Guidebook printing quality and paper are average.
> Choosing a cat as the representation of The Devil is an insult to cat lovers. Just saying!
> It would have made more sense to me if the Summer/water deck had just fish and or water animals, the Autumn/earth, just earthy underground animals, the Winter/air suit just birds, and the Spring/fire just grassy animals. I would have used big archetypal animals for the major arcana.
I bought this gift seft in Kmart, at a bargain price, and really it is worth the price I paid for it. It is a Rider-Whit- based Tarot.
GOOD THINGS
> Cheap.
> Good set to start practising tarot without spending much money or worrying about damaging the cards.
> Helpful beginners booklet
> Nice back design.
> The deck is not bulky and can be shuffled easily.
> Card meanings are at the bottom of each card.
BAD THINGS
> Quality of card paper is horrendous, so cards get damaged quite easily.
> Digital imagery is passe, mostly because the digital images have a grunge-ish PSP overlay that might have been quite impressive 20 years ago, when digital art was just birthing, but it makes the images look amateur and not as nice as the deck might have been.
This is a very beautiful set of cards with awesome digital artwork that mixes modernity, fairy-tale elements and magical and universal imagery, and the ensemble feels both timeless and contemporary. The card back design is really gorgeous in its simplicity and it perfectly reflects the deck overall energy. The deck is organized in seven suits: consciousness, energy, intention, people, events, spirit, and cycle, which represent and connect with universal and personal influences and cycles in life. Cards have both upright and reverse meanings, but, hey, nobody will force you to use the latter if you don't want to.
The cards are printed in matte colors and are mid sized. The card paper is a bit stiff and not glossy or polished, so it doesn't shuffle as well as it should be.
The guidebook is excellent re content but the quality of the printing paper is poor.
I love this deck, the details, the concept, everything. I use it often, it is just that my queries are not usually answered, that is, the cards coming up have nothing to do or advice for my queries. I found that, due to the shuffling quality of the deck being just OK, the same cards come up over and over. I don't think it's the universe, I think it is that the cards stick to each other and those who don't stick as much come out all the time.
I wanted to love this deck. Actually, I love this deck. However, for whatever reason, I haven't connected with it at an intra-psychic level as yet. Said differently, there hasn't been a deep connection with the deck, just a conceptual and artistic connection. It's like loving a man who has everything you want in a man on paper, except for the fact that there is something lacking that prevents passion and love from igniting.
Sturdy packing case, that will keep your deck protected.
This deck has been a great disappointment. Taylor produced one of my top five oracle decks ever, The Energy Oracle Cards, which is so reliable that is scary, so naturally I thought that this new deck would have the similar energy. However, it doesn't at any level. This looks like another angel/archangel/ascended masters tarot with reinvented suites that is a bit the same thin with a new dress. The suits are, Roses, Forces, Scrolls and Keys.
The deck contains 62 cards instead of the usual 78, which is not rare for a Tarot deck, but also not the standard.
Imagery is uninspired and so is the design of the cards. Back of the cards is pretty. There is too much unused space in the cards as the marquee is a bit too big.
The guidebook is great and has plenty of instructions about how to start and do a reading, how to do different spreads, what the Akashic records are, plus the individual meaning of all the cards. Overall, I don't find this deck good for intuitive readings, or at least doesn't work for me, and it is not especially inspired re anythjing. .
For the rest, Hay House has produced another bulky, unnecessarily big, inflexible deck, with thick unpolished cardboard and printing quality, that is difficult to handle and shuffle.
Returned to sender.
This is one my favourite tarot decks among all of the many I own, and also my favourite fairy/folk tarot, because of the artwork, the concept, the guidebook and the app. It's the whole package, the real deal, the mother of all fairy tale decks.
ARTWORK
Lisa Hunt's artwork is fabulous. She has a great drawing technique, an earthy colour palette, and an eye for detail. Besides, she has captured the essence of each fairy tale with insight and playfulness, and with a deep knowledge of symbolism.
THE CONCEPT
This is a full tarot deck, somewhat reinvented to fit in the messages, archetypes and symbols that pervade most folklore and fairy tales. The tales come from all over the planet: Europe, Asia, Africa, America, Pacific Islands, although there is a predominance of European folk tales. The major arcana names have been readjusted to allow the folk archetypes and symbols to blend more naturally, but we can still find the major and minor arcana in this deck.
THE GUIDEBOOK
The guidebook is worth a browse in itself, and a fabulous addition to the deck. The short version of the meaning at the card back is insightful enough. However, if you click the 'Full text from the book' link at the bottom, you'll get an in-depth analysis of the folk tale:
- The name of the tale.
- The culture from which the tale comes from,
- Summary Keywords.
- The whole account of the tale.
- A Jungian-like analysis of the
tale and imagery symbols.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE DECK
I can honestly say that this deck is one of my favourites, not only because I love folk tales in general, but because the deck is versatile enough to be used intuitively (using the imagery as a main guide), or comprehensively (using the main summary info at the back of the deck, or delving into the Jungian interpretation of the symbols). It's up to you, your your query or how much you want to dig into each card message. Do you want a quickie or an extra nosey reading? You can do anything and everything with this deck. Beyond what I've said, this app brings many memories from my childhood, from all those fairy tales that I read on books, my mom told me about or watched movies about.
THE APP
This Android app is fully functional and has all the pros of the Fool's Dog apps, which make the experience very enjoyable. There is nothing like the physical deck, for sure. However, I've found that, once you get used to the app, your readings are as precise as the ones you get from your physical deck. My favourite app features are:
- > Great quality digital images.
- > Zoomable images, so that you can check every small detail in the picture.
- > The whole deck guidebook available.
- > Information about the deck's artist.
- > Customizable tablecloths.
- > Sound prompts for cards, which can be turned on/off.
- > You can add your personal meaning to the cards.
- > Journal.
- > Plenty of layouts to choose from.
- > Able to use the whole deck or just the major arcana for your readings.
- > Able to use upright and reverse readings, or just upright.
- > Several ways of shuffling.
- > Several draw options to select your card (from the top, from a fan, from a list).
- > You can share your readings.
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