THINGS I LOVE
> Caitlin Sholl's texts and the advice given are terrific. The author guides us and
allows us to deep dive into gratitude with prompts to make us find
things we are grateful for, and tips on how to express gratitude. Scholl's definition of and introduction to gratitude are wonderful and very unique.
> The deck structure. The cards are organised in three sections and energies: 1/ Affirmation, connected to the morning. 2/ Inspiration, connected to midday. 3/ Reflection, connected to the evening. They have three different coding colours (yellow, green and violet) and each card comes with an inspiration quote at the top, and some items of advice to follow on the day, plus the extended advice in the guidebook.
> The overall pastel colour scheme and the whole visual design of the deck, which is minimalist and very elegant.
> The plush deck bag, which is an awesome bonus.
> The quality of the cards and the fact that they shuffle well.
> You can use just the cards or just the booklet without missing anything.
> You can use the different sections at different times of the day or shuffle all of them at once. In that regard, the deck is very versatile.
> The booklet is printed in good quality glossy paper and is bound loosely so you can open it comfortably.
> Good value for money. NOT SO GOOD> The contrast between the background and the lettering is deficient overall, but especially noticeable in the yellow set.
> The booklet's deficiencies are unforgivable:
-- The binding is just lightly glued. I was just gently browsing the booklet and two came off unglued from the bottom. Can you imagine if I use this properly?
-- The cards aren't numbered, so the awesome extra information on each card has to be looked up in the guidebook manually, just within the corresponding section. As the cards are made to shuffle, this look-up can be a bit labyrinthine, time consuming and not very helpful. I find surprising that the editorial house didn't pay attention to something so important for a guidebook, because, otherwise, it's not a guide, it's a book where to search for information.
-- The index is too generic to be of any use.
-- The cover is just paper, not even a bit of cardboard to hold the whole thing together.
-- This being the case, I feel hesitant to gift someone with this deck, even though I think this is just a wonderful deck.
> I can use just the booklet or just the cards, not both combined for the reasons mentioned above.
MIND
The cards are on the large side, so if you, like me, have small hands, you might struggle with the shuffling.
WISH
I would love seeing the booklet properly reprinted and edited.
I bought this to give it as a gift a friend who would benefit from such an inspirational deck as she's going through a lot. The conception and healing properties of the deck are undeniable, yet, the quality of the final product isn't good and I ended keeping it myself, as I don't want to gift anything that looks cheap.
THINGS I LOVE
> The structure of the deck. The deck is
structured on three sections (affirmation, inspiration and reflection)
with three different pastel colors (blue, green and violet) and each
card comes with an inspiration quote at the top, and some generic advice
to follow on the day, plus the extended advice in the guidebook.
> The quality of the writing and the advice given by Scholl are terrific and covers not only self care when you're are on your own, but also when you're in social settings.
> The overall pastel palette of the deck, which gives a calming vibe to it. > The quality of the card stock.
> The elegant imagery and card design.
> The plush pouch bag being included in the set, also the fabric is very pleasurable to touch.
> The booklet is printed in good quality glossy paper and is 'bound' loosely so you can comfortably open it flat.
> The quality of the keepsake box.
> Good priced an good value for money.
NOT SO GOOD
> As per my photo, the top layer of the printed paper arrived bubbled up. This is not the result of the posting and handling as the deck arrived sealed in plastic and well packaged, but the result of not spreading well the sheet of paper on the cardboard on the glue. This being the case I couldn't gift my friend with something it looks used or badly done.
> Some of the quotes and the advice given on them is not always really connected, at least to me.
> The booklet's deficiencies:
-- The binding of the booklet is just glue, and it's so tightly done that the pages will certainly come off as soon as I start to use it frequently.
-- The structure of the booklet. The cards aren't numbered, so the awesome extra information on each card has to be looked up manually, just within the corresponding section. As the cards are made to shuffle, this look up can be a bit labyrinthine, time consuming and not very helpful. I find surprising that the editorial house didn't pay attention to something so important for a guidebook, because otherwise it is not a guide, it is a book where to search for information.
-- The index is also too generic to be of any use.
-- The cover of the booklet is paper thin, literally just paper, not even a bit of cardboard to hold the hole thing together.
MIND
The cards are on the large side
OVERALL
This could have been an awesome deck if the some basic stuff had been been tended to properly. Despite the undeniable psychotherapeutic quality of the deck as a self-care tool, the overall cheap quality of the product and the poor structuring of the guidebook end resting value to a deck that deserves being better curated and produced.
This is a beautiful colorful set of motivational cards that will remind you that your thoughts are responsible for your life, that you can change your life by changing your thoughts and that you have to love yourself as you are.
The deck was illustrated by five different artists (Anne Smith, Diane Bicda, Ann Boyajian, Donna Incemanson and Suy Pilgrim Waters) and I think one can clearly distinguish their five different styles. Despite this, the deck has artistic coherence and cohesiveness. The artwork is naive and looks a bit artcraft-ish but it has a wonderful positive vibe. The cards have messages both on the front and the back.
THUMBS UP
> Great quality printing and card cardboard.
> Beautiful sturdy keepsake box with upper lid.
> Good cards to boost your confidence and remind yourself how to change your reality.
> Perfect to start your day or go to bed with a positive affirmation.
DOWNSIDES
> Deck is unnecessarily bulky and heavy.
> Cards shuffling is deficient as the coating make the cards stick to each other.
> The contrast between the background and the lettering is not always good.
> The deck was first issued in 1999, so when this came out was very innovative. Today, it is another deck with Law of Attraction, New Age and Self-Improvement affirmations.
MIND
You can use this with other decks like Moon Magick, Chakra Love, Let Go, Inspired by Frida, and Don Miguel Ruiz's The Four Agreements Cards, among other motivational decks, to create a positive mindset each day.
GOOD STUFF
> Nice concept: put together the phases of the Moon with specific affirmations.
> Great affirmations.
> Great portability.
> Very small deck, so it's perfect for people with small hands and very portable.
> Beautiful digital moon-related imagery on the front and very elegant design on the affirmation side.
> Good quality glossy flexible cards that shuffle well and keep dirt and stains at bay.
> Very good quality keepsake box with upper non-detachable lid.
> Good value for money.
NOT SO GOOD STUFF
> Tiny deck, so if you have big hands, it might not be for you.
> There is no guidebook or booklet. The instructions are provided on the inner lid and on the cards themselves.
> This might not be your deck if you really want a deck that relates to the different phases of moon. I had the vibe that you could have used other images, concept and title and put the same affirmations and it would have not mattered.
John Holland is not only a gifted internationally-renowned medium, he's also the author of some of my more helpful card decks, as they're uncannily intuitive and divinatory. This card deck is very different from his more tarot-derived Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck and The Psychic Tarot for the Heart Oracle Deck. I see this deck, despite being labelled as spiritual, more like a therapeutic psychological tool for guidance and self-growth.
THE ARTWORK
Manley's work is, as he himself says, "a combination of oil on canvas paintings, pencil and ink drawings, paint textures, photos, direct scans, all layered and combined in Photoshop." Manley's imagery focuses on heads and torsos, gorgeous portraits with conceptual and spiritual elements added to them. The images are captivating, rich, intimate and colourful. I love that there is racial and gender diversity in this deck; it is refreshing because, lately, Hay House tends to produce decks that are overwhelmingly feminine.
THE GOOD
> The concepts depicted in the deck are, overall, quite original.
> Inspired colourful fine artwork with racial and gender diversity.
> Each card includes a summary of the meaning so you don't have to check the guidebook unless you really want.
> Good sturdy packing box.
> Good quality glossy cardboard.
THE NOT SO GOOD
> A bit heavy deck.
> The cards tend to stick to each other and aren't comfortable to shuffle.
> The presence of black characters is minimal.
> The back of the cards looks amateur Photoshop.
> Average guidebook printing and paper quality.
> The packaging is overall boring re colour and cover image. It doesn't make justice to the fine artwork inside.
This tiny winy deck conquered my heart on the spot, from the first use, as I had an instant visual, tactile and energetic connection with it. The deck is structured in 8 suits, seven devoted to each chakra plus a chakra-balance with healing crystals.
The cards quality is terrific: Glossy flexible but sturdy cardboard, clean design on the front, and very modern colourful abstract back imagery. The deck comes in a good quality cardboard box, with upper non-detachable lid. The front has the symbol and colour of the chakra (1-Crown chakra, purple.
2- Third eye chakra, dark blue. 3-Throat chakra, light blue. 4- Heart
chakra, green. 5-Solar plexus chakra, yellow. 6- Sacral chakra, orange.
7-Root chakra, red) and the extra suit with a flower in fucsia. There is not artist
associated with the artwork in this deck. It was designed by using
stock images from Adobe Stock and Creative Market. It shows that you can
create a deck that ticks all the boxes without having to hire a
super-duper digital artist.
There is no guidebook or booklet. The instructions are provided on the inner lid and on the cards themselves. This might not be your deck if you have no knowledge of what chakras are, but even if you have a general knowledge of it, this deck will work for you. If you aren't into crystals, no worries, the advice on each card is still wise and valid on its own.
The deck is tiny, even for a person with small hands like me. You can see one of my photos with the deck by my keys. The good thing is that you can carry this in your pocket or in a small purse. The bad thing is that it, if you have big hands, it might be difficult to handle or shuffle for you.
I find this deck perfect to use for self healing and self-improvement, together with the Mystical Healing Reading Cards and the Four Agreements Deck and the Yunoun Chakra stones. However, I find it useful to carry around to get advice during day, when feeling stressed, provoked or unbalanced because of our daily worries and struggles.
Good value for money.
Mystical Healing Card is a deluxe deck with an unique self-improvement and healing deck to help you face those inner obstacles that keep you stuck and prevent you from achieving your goals, experiencing a happier life and growing to your full potential.
GOOD THINGS
> Amazing artwork. I could spend hours wandering around the colors, the details and symbolism of the cards. They have an almost sacred feeling to them, but they are also very oneiric. Jake Baddeley's images have an
ancient patina, colors and symbolism that seems to take you into an old Medieval church where many candles had been on and created that golden darkish coating. The imagery reminds me of the Byzantine Medieval mosaics, the Renaissance painters, Venice Carnival and modern surrealism. For whatever reason, Da Vinci's notebook is what comes to mind when looking at the cards back.
> Very well-thought healing deck. I think this deck would be a great tool in psychotherapy.
> For whatever reason, I see this deck connected to another healing or self-improvement deck as it is The Four Agreements Deck. > I really connect with this deck at a deep level as it eplies to my queries with precision and give real good advice. Two examples. I asked what can I do to heal my romantic relationships and the card
that popped up was "Unlock your Heart". I asked what should I be focusing right now and the card that popped up was "Focus on Higher Truths". How on point are those answers?!
> Esoteric in conception, therefore, something unique.
NOT SO GOOD
> Mismatch between the images and the meaning attributed to them. That affects most cards. There is
an obvious connection for the artist, and that's fine, but it is not for most readers. To me, when I look to most images and I look at the meaning of them, it's like, this is a pastiche, something that you put together but do not belong together.
> The imagery has, overall, a dark feeling to it. A shadow feeling, if you want.
> It could be too esoteric and counterintuitive for many people.
THE DECK
> Great quality packaging.
> Full-color excellent-quality guidebook.
> Flexible good quality glossy cards, easy to shuffle and handle.
> Light deck.
This is is a triple-juicy deck that mixes the Tarot (without reverse meanings), archangel guidance and chakras knowledge. You can use the Tarot straightforwardly or combine the associations that Valentine has enable between the major arcana and the angels, and the minor arcana with the major arcana and the angels as well.
The
suits used are as follow: Air (Swords, Intellect), Earth (Coins,
Material stuff), Water (Cups, emotions, relationships) and Fire (Wands,
passions).
One of the things I like the most about this deck, it's the mix of old and new. This Tarot deck, as any others, is anchored in centuries of human psychology and vital knowledge, but it has been translated, so to speak,
into 21st-century language, so it feels fresh, charming and approachable.
THE ARTWORK
> Dan Craig's artwork is wonderful. He has created clean wondrous images in vibrant but soft colors. Images are a modern twist on the classic Tarot imagery, but without distorting or reinventing them beyond recognition and all our Tarot heroes are still recognizable.
> The four elements are clearly distinguishable by the cards colored frames and symbols: green for earth with a leafy symbol; blue for air with a wind symbol; orange for fire with a fire symbol; dark blue for water with a water drop symbol, and the major arcana are in a gold-ish ocher. The summary of the meaning is at the bottom within a marquee, clearly distinguishable and readable.
> I love how diversity shows in this deck. We find characters from
different ages, races, skin colors, genders and eras, (from the
almost-medieval
characters, passing through the 18t century, to the late 1950s and early
1960s, to today's hipsters). The result is an organic human ensemble, a
magic world where angels watch over us, but are part of our daily
settings.
>
The imagery is, overall, full of positive energy. I cannot understand
some reviewers saying that they have negative vibes. To me, is just a
very joyful playful deck.
> For whatever reason, there is a mix of the 1950s and 1960s fashion vibe in there as well. > Gorgeous card back.
THE GUIDEBOOK
This is a terrific mini-guidebook to learn the basics of Tarot. It doesn't only explain the structure of the deck and of each card, and how to start using Tarot, but it also provides with the basic meanings of each suite and card, plus the main attributes of each archangel used in the deck (Ariel, Azrael, Chamuel, Gabriel, Haniel, Jeremiel, Jophiel, Metatron, Michael, Raguel, Raphael, Sandalphon, Uriel and Zadkiel).
Valentine offers instructions on how to do do a Celtic Cross spread and a three-card spread. One of the things that you'll notice is that the card interpretation is very current, very 21st century, concerned with issues that affect us today.
I miss, though, a bit of info about the Tarot numerology.
THE DECK
> Sturdy packing box.
> Over-200-page guidebook.
> Mate printing.
DOWNSIDES
> Large bulky deck, difficult to handle, especially if you have small hands.
> Cards are thick, stiff and difficult to shuffle.
> The back card illustration gives away whether the card is coming upright or reversed, so it is not good if you want to use the deck with reverse meanings and choose the card totally blind.
> In the guidebook I miss mention to the meaning of the numbers in each card.
IN SHORT
A visually stunning Tarot and guidebook that will delight new and old generations of Tarot lovers. This is a great deck for beginners who want to familiarize themselves with the cards without having to deal with reverse meanings. However, the deck is bulky, heavy and stiff and not easy to shuffle.
I've used this deck since first came to the market, 7-8 years ago, and it's still one of my favourite, more reliable, more attuned intuitive tools. They seem to reply to my queries on point, clearly, without me having to clarify. The artwork is wonderful for sure, but the most important thing is that this oracle gets my energy and how things are going in my life.
The deck is a mix of Tarot major arcana, angels cards, chakras and male and female archetypes.This is quite trendy in modern tarot/oracle decks nowadays, but it was totally new when the cards came out first.
DOWNSIDES
There is no racial or ethnic diversity in this deck, so be aware if you aren't Caucasian. Also, the deck has a strong female/male energy imprint so if you are non-binary, you might struggle with it. Personally, I find that some of the male models used to depict the angels are too metro-sexual or six-pack macho to be angelic. Yet, I confess, I really like those modern macho angels.
> Good quality glossy cardboard.
> Vibrant detailed good-quality-printing.
> Jena DellaGrottaglia's digital artwork is beautiful and has congruent style. Digital artwork has evolved enormously in the last 8 years, yet, the cards feel fresh and contemporary.
> Wonderful card back design that doesn't give away whether the card is coming reverse or upright.
> A perfect deck for intuitive readings.
> Detailed guidebook with upright and reversed meanings, plus an affirmation assigned to each card, all of which adds depth to the deck and makes it more versatile.
> Very good sturdy beautifully printed packing box.
PAPER DECK DOWNSIDES
> There is no racial or ethnic diversity in this deck, so be aware if you aren't Caucasian.
> Personally, I find that some of the male models used to depict the angels are too metro-sexual or six-pack macho to be angelic. Yet, I confess, I really like those modern macho angels.
> Cards are on the larger side, so not good for people with small hands.
> Unnecessary bulky and heavy deck.
> Cards are stiff and tend to stick to each other, so they don't shuffle well.
> Average quality printing guidebook.
APP UPSIDES
> Very easy to use and navigate.
> Many different spreads to use from.
> Shuffle with or without sound.
> You can email and share your reading.
> You can save your reading.
> Great deal of information about the artist, the cards, the app developer.
APP DOWNSIDES
> The apt is no longer in the Oceanhouse developer main page, which is odd. They might be re-packaging or updating it. The app page is still available HERE.
> The return from the card back to the front is not intuitive. It would be just natural using the back arrow on the smartphone bottom menu to go back, but, if you do that, you'll be out of the application. Instead, you have to use the curly back arrow button in the cards, and the triangular back arrow in the information area. I have been using Oceanhouse apps for years and I still have trouble remembering the curly back arrow, just because is contra smart-phone use natura.
> Impossible to zoom in the image to focus on the small details.
> Just one way of shuffling the cards, not several. In that regards, Oceanhouse has plenty to learn from the other major tarot app house, The Fool's Dog.
> No tablecloths available. There is one background.
> Users cannot add their own meaning to the cards to customize the deck.
> Oceanhouse, now and then, inserts promotional info when they are launching a new app. That's annoying because all of their decks must be paid in full to be used, aren't cheap, and there is no need to bother customers with something that they might naturally be interested on and look up themselves. At least that is my case. It is also true that sometimes they advertise discounts and special pricing, but I would rather not have adds on my fully-paid app.
IN SHORT
One of my best oracle decks with regards to he way it reads my energy and replies to my queries in precise on-point ways. However, the deck is heavy, bulky and difficult to shuffle, so the app is, to me, a better option.
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