This deck has been such a great disappointment. Jungian Psychology, archetypes and Tarot are something I feel passionate about. I found the concept of the deck brilliant, as I thought that the Tarot archetypal nature would be further explored and developed from a Jungian lens o view, not only to favour the use of Tarot on therapeutic settings but also as a tool of self exploration. I honestly thought that this deck would just provide us with further insights into the archetypes of the Tarot. Unfortunately, that didn't happen for me.This deck is a companion to a book by the same author, so the book might be a better buy.
GOOD THINGS
> Very good size cards for people with small or large hands.
> Good quality cardboard.
> Cards shuffle well.
> Deck is not heavy at all.
> Lovely cardboard keepsake box.
> Wonderful printing quality and colors.
> The Major arcana are beautifully illustrated.
> Stunning card back printing.
> Small booklet with the meaning of each card. Texts are short and sweet and perfect for beginners. They have the added information about the astrological sign each card relates to and the archetypes that the major arcana embody.
DISAPPOINTING
> White people figures all of them, mostly blonde, with some brown-hair figures. No cultural diversity whatsoever.
> The card back gives away whether the card is upright or reverse.
> No reverse meanings in the booklet.
> Most of the Court and suit cards are simplistic, not much thought seems to have been put into them, not much symbolism, and you can call them Jungian if you want, but I call them bland unimaginative Tarot cards. Other tarots will better allow you to use them in Jungian therapy, the RSWT to start with, for example.
> Meanings given to each card are the usual if you know a bit about Tarot...
> Overall product concept, design and quality doesn't justify the price.
Colette is "the" Oracle master so I imagined that, if she had to create a Tarot deck, was never going to be a replica of the RW Tarot. The structure of this deck is, however, that of the classic tarot, but the imagery has been freely interpreted and simplified. Also a very feminine vibe has been added, as well as characters of different ages and ethnic backgrounds made part of the deck. Colette says in the booklet that she has added some LOA and positive psychology principles, but I am not sure is this is just blah blah blah. For sure, the deck has a positive vibe as reversals are gone as well as any 'distressing' imagery. The LOA and PPsy is more clearly found in the meanings in the booklet.
THINGS I LOVE
> The concept is perfect for beginners as there aren't reversals.
> The "frightening" images in the RWT are not there, so all the imagery has a positive feeling.
> The artwork by DellaGrotaglia is stunning once again. Her layering, textures and colouring are superb. Despite the sophisticated symbolism of her imagery and the richness of symbolic elements, the images feel clean and sophisticated at the same time. The imagery has a wonderful oneiric fairy-tale feeling that I love.
> The interpretation given to each card is short and sweet and captures the essence of what the original card meant upright.
> The fancy lettering describing the suit card and number is fanciful wonderful.
> Beautifully simple card back.
> The
Good Tarot has a mythological ethereal whimsical archetypal feel that
roots in the Tarot and in traditional fairy tales and angelic realms.
> The cards Strength and Love are wonderfully related with the women first controlling the beast and then falling in love with it. Like Beauty and the Beast.
> Sturdy beautiful keepsake box.
THINGS THAT BOTHER ME
>
This deck is massive and extremely difficult to shuffle even if you
have average-size hands, so it's really a pain for people with small hands.
> The cards gloss coating makes them stick together so they are difficult to shuffle. Shuffling well and easy is at the core of any reading, so if the cards don't shuffle well, what's the point?
> The booklet printing quality and paper stock are average.
> Some of the cards are slightly blurry.
> The major arcana card numbers aren't placed on a fix position, something that really annoys me.
> The blue tones from air and water suits are so similar that is difficult to identify which suit is which one by the color. The same re the earth and fire suits. Why not having completely distinct suit color palette for each suit?
> Too many winged beings in this deck. The air suit with angelic winged beings and the earth suit with butterfly-ish fairy beings and there are wings everywhere, really.
MIND
> The overall feminine tone of the deck might not speak to male readers or tarot aficionados. The only male figures are the Kings plus the hanged man and the page of earth. Figures that are usually depicted as male in the RW Tarot like the knights (messengers) and the Hierophant are here feminine as well.
> This is a simplification of the Tarot most common meanings, so it is not as rich and deep as the original.
SUGGESTION TO THE PUBLISHER
US Games Systerms has the best card stock in the market. It not only make shuffling a pleasure, it is good enough to have any artwork really pop up and display the right way. I think Hay House should just copycat the card stock, because most of HH Tarot decks, like this one, are too bulky, too heavy and to mass-produced.
This is my least favorite mini deck by Rockpool Publishing. Although the quality of the product regarding quality of the packaging and cards is undeniable, the rest is a bit disappointing. Perhaps because the other Rockpool mini-decks I have are just really motivational, inspirational and intuitive, the messages in these cards feel artificial and too vague to be of any use.Perhaps fun to use at a party, not for divination readings.
GOOD STUFF
> Beautiful colorful deck.
> Perfect deck for people with small hands.
> Good quality glossy flexible cards that shuffle beautifully.
> Very good quality keepsake box with upper non-detachable magnetic clasp.
> Instructions of how to use the cards are written on the inner lid.
> Great portability.
> The keepsake box is just gorgeous and eye catching.
> Beautiful printing overall.
DOWNSIDES
> Tiny deck, so if you have big hands, it might not be for you.
> Deficient contrast between lettering and background.
> The upper side of the cards has one standard image, so it is not very artistic or as artistic as other decks in this Rockpool deck series. I get that the main focus is the affirmations not the artwork, but I would loved having more varied Chinese imagery on each card.
> For example, one of the cards has the following message, "Opportunities, a stranger is about to change your life. Exciting times and plenty of action, plus a special family reunion looks likely". Pardon me, my family is overseas, so it is unlikely. Exciting times and plenty of action means nothing, it is too generic, so unless you mention an area of life, work, family, friends, sports etc. it means nothing.. The first item it is a proper fortune divinatory message. Other cards are equally vague and nonsensical.
> I expected the messages in the cards be really as short as the ones in fortune cookies.
> "You will be amazed by their accuracy" is just nonsense, sorry.
These cards collect the essence of the Dhammapada Sutra, a Buddhist sacred text gathering the teachings of Buddha, which were originally spoken by him during his life.
GOOD STUFF
> Great affirmations. This is the most spiritual deck in the Rockpool small series. The affirmations are reminders of what matters in life, of what's important, of universal truths that better our spirit and lighten our soul. The deck affirmations are not only motivational, but also invitations to ponder and they go well with any ethical principles in the major world religions. > Perfect deck for people with small hands.> Sofan Chan's design of the deck is both vibrant, colorful, modern and elegant. Very good lettering and contrast. Elegant modern design with great colors and contrast on the top and inner box. In a way I love that the deck is in a vibrant red color and not in a subdue color, it makes me reflect on the fact that Buddha messages are powerful, fiery and strong and not the soft pastel-colored New-Age soft dreamy version of Buddhism.> Good quality glossy flexible cards that shuffle beautifully. > Very good quality keepsake box with upper non-detachable magnetic lid.> Instructions of how to use the cards are written on the inner lid. > Great portability.
I MISS
> There is no booklet or cards explaining which part of Buddha/ism reflect the divine masculine and the divine feminine. Chan has another deck devoted to Buddha and the divine feminine, so I wonder what's the difference. As a non-Buddhist, my vision of Buddha is both masculine and feminine, neutral or yin-yan. I find this association/dissociation in the two decks puzzling.
> Tiny deck, so if you have big hands, it might not be for you.
> The upper side of the cards has one standard image, so it is not very artistic or as artistic as other decks in this Rockpool deck series. I get that the main focus is the affirmations not the artwork, but I would loved having Chan, who's a wonderful painter, create different images for each card.
I purchased this book because I wanted a work to add to my interior design Taschen books, and this seemed to be comprehensive. It is indeed a nice coffee table book, both informative and entertaining, and nicely printed. It is not as tiny as some of the other reviewers made me think. It is on the small size, for sure.
I LIKE
> Portable and compact coffee-table sort of book.
> Elegant cover and inner cover design.
> Pleasurable paper stock.
> Informative without being a bore. Easy to read.
> Mix of design pieces (think Aalto, anything produced by Alessi or Jansen) and invented/patented pieces that are part of our daily lives (zip, Dixon pencil, safety pin, metal dustbin, cylinder lock, door handle, corkscrew, etc.).
> Very good photos overall. Many of them are vintage images of the designers or of the adds used to sell the products.
> Excellent binding. You can comfortably open the book and read both pages without fearing that they will come out.
> Index of products at the end.
DOWNSIDES
> The paper is too thin and a bit transparent-ish.
> No fabric page marker included in the binding, something that is common in similar design books by Taschen.
> The lettering is very small and I need a magnifying glass to read the text.
> The body of the text is not justified, something that always annoys me.
> The book has no introduction with the criteria used for the selection of the pieces included in the book, period covered or any other relevant information on the matter.
> The selection lacks cultural diversity, as there is a constant rotation of specific designers and areas of the world. I would have liked a bit of more open-minded, to call it something, because it is difficult to understand why there isn't any South-East Asian, African, or South American designer in the book, and why France and Spain and so under-represented. Because, you aren't going to tell me that there designers from those parts of the world haven't designed anything we use or didn't contribute to the history of design at all.
I listened to this audiobook, narrated by the author herself, many years ago. Laura Day mixes her profound intuitive and psychic knowledge, with the Psychology of Love, and the Law of Attraction with psychology of love and knowledge of how the subconscious works to produce an unique book that was really an example of what today is common among good relationship books.
Laura Day's approach to love is not fluff. You will have to reply to many questions (to yourself), dig down on who you are, who you are looking for, how to prepare yourself to find him/her, your possible blocks to love, and what love is or is not.
I especially loved the intuitive exercises she proposes, especially those in which you don't know their purpose/question until you've finished them . You'll find them delightful, especially if you are a very visual and/or imaginative person. They teach you many things about yourself and will surprise you.
I would have liked the book to go for longer, forever!, and to have more practical exercises. After finishing this book, I read Laura's How to Rule the World from your Couch, which has a lot to do with love (especially the chapter body heat telepathy), so I recommend reading both books at once if you're looking for advice on matters of the heart.
This is not your book if you are looking for dating tips, how to act, how to perform in front of a man/woman hiding who you truly are, to find his/her approval or play any sort of games to get attention and feed your wounded ego. If you are looking for real love, true love, and are intuitive you will enjoy this book.
Laura Day's voice and narration style is very engaging, warm and joyful.
I've had this book for about 10 years. I was elated to purchase the recent Kindle edition, because I re-read this book regularly. Although I am naturally very intuitive, this book helped in the past, and still does, to refresh and strengthen my intuitive skills.
I LIKE
# Having
read the hard copy version and the digital version with nearly a decade
of difference, I can honestly say that this book is as relevant today
(2021) than it was published first in 1997.
# The
book is very practical, has no pretense or mambo-jumbo and includes
examples of students' responses to the exercises we do. The book is written in a very approachable way, as if you were in one of Day's workshops.
# Day debunks what intuition and psychic abilities are. This being the case, the book will appeal to people who are way far from the occult and esoteric bunch that you usually associate with this sort of subjects with. In fact, Day has taught how to use intuition to businesses, medical practices, film productions, therapy and healing groups, venture capital groups, and families.
# Day's intuitive lessons are the best I've found anywhere. I've read many books on intuition, each one with their own tools, techniques and valid ways of tapping into our sixth sense. Yet, Day's
books are the only ones that I regularly re-read or consult.
# Most of the exercises are wonderful and enlightening. Some of them really wow. I especially loved exercise no. 26: The Circle Technique.
# Some of Day's digressions in chapter 30 re about intuition, oneness, interconnection and social ecology, space and time, predestination, spirituality and so on are still relevant 30 years after the book was written.
# The double-blind reading experiment described in chapter 31.
# Herewith some of my fav pearls of wisdom:
-- "If you want an outcome and your intuition says no, ask why."
-- "Make it a rule never to mimic a trained and licensed professional in a given field."
-- "Intuition should add to good judgement, not replace it."
-- "Intuitive information is always objectively valid, and it is always right. It’s in the interpretation of intuitive data that errors are introduced."
-- "Reality is nothing more than a consensus."
-- "Intuition teaches us that things are separated neither in space nor in time. There is no past or present or future."
INTUITIVE READING ADVICE
1/ You don't need helpful information other than the question; actually, the less you know about the topic, the better.
2/ You aren't always right.
3/ Your subject still needs to exercise judgement as you aren't making decisions for them.
4/ You aren't a therapist.
5/ Your preferred way of working and intuitive style.
6/ Ask the person to have the questions written and framed before the reading takes place
7/ Get relaxed and centered
8/ Once the question is asked, begin speaking straightaway so that your logical mind has no chances to interfere. You may get impressions before the question is asked or impressions that seem meaningless to you but not for the other person, or impressions that seem unrelated to the question but they are.
9/ Don't let your subject interrupt you, as this interferes with the intuitive flow.
10/ If you aren't getting anything, be honest about it, but try to see that this not-seeing-anything doesn't equal no, nothing, etc. Refocus the question.
11/ Translate your intuitive images into colloquial language.
12/ Report your impressions going from the details to the big picture, and look for verifiable signposts (names, dates, places, history, etc.).
13/ At the very least look for these things: a) Positive/negative feelings to the question. b) Whether your feel that you're in the present, past of future of the question, or if it moves back and forward. c) If you see people or events affecting the question.
14/ Ask and work with feedback.
15/ Ask for further questions.
16/ Remain objective no matter what you get. You can’t assume that any event is necessarily good or bad. If you are delivering 'bad' news, be tactful and gentle, try to see the silver lining and mention that you might be wrong. If necessary feel free not to answer a question.
DOWNSIDES
>> The book has a
chatty anecdotal conversational tone that might not be for everyone.
>> Although I value the way that Day compares how dreams and intuition are
similar and different, as a dreamworker I don't personally agree with some of her
statements she makes about dreams.
>> The wording of some of the exercises is not clear enough. Exercise 22 and the chapter on intuitive polarities it relates to are especially confusing to me.
>> Day says that the more random an intuitive technique is, the more likely it is to work. She also states "The key difference between intuition and these other divining techniques is that with intuition you’re not using external cues to help you – or to lead you astray." For that reason she says that, for example, tarot readings aren't as good, as, say, the I Ching. I Tarot/oracle cards are chosen randomly (flip out or random selection) to start with. Also, oracle/tarot decks have different imagery and depictions of similar archetypes, sometimes to the point that the same card on a different deck provides you with different intuitive elements. You can mix and match several decks to get an intuitive reading made of a mix of cards coming from them. If everything is related, as Day says, and everything is meaningful for an intuitive reading, a card is as valid as anything else.
>> The exercise between number 24 and 25 was never numbered.
>> Chapters 27 and 28 bear the same title, but the former is devoted to carer and
finances and the other to general personal matters. Why not titling each chapter
accordingly?
RECOMMENDATION
I would advise to complement this book with the Intuition in Love,
Intuition for Success and How to Rule the World from your Couch, because
they are the best intuition tools out there.
KINDLE EDITION
Overall, this is a good Kindle edition, with pagination markers instead of location markers, something that I always prefer. On the other hand, I noticed some minor editorial mistakes: -- "the progression of a season . if you don’t receive such clues" in p. 128.
-- "Intuitive information is o rich and complex", p. 162.
-- The pair high/low is listed twice in exercise 21.
-- "anything, tell them to pretened", p. 184.
I was thrilled to get the Kindle Edition of this book, and it had to be COVID-19 Pandemic what allowed the project to be done. The first printed copy saw the light in 2001, and it has taken two decades to get to the digital edition on Kindle. It was time! In all honesty, I thought this would be another book on intuition, but it is not.
The Circle is a revamped version of the Law of Attraction (LOA) and The Circle is just a way of calling The Universe or the space where manifestation occurs. The book mixes concepts of the LOA with others of the Thought Church, Psychology, Intuition, Reiki and simple common sense.
MY HIGHLIGHTS> There
is a unwavering faith in the process and in humanity expressed through
the book, and this is one of the most positive takes for me.
> The section on rituals, what they are and why they are important in our lives.
> Some of the statements in the book:
-- "When you change yourself, you change the people and events around you." (loc 216)
-- "To a great extent, you are what you believe you are-and the world responds accordingly." (loc. 225).
-- "It requires far more energy to be ill or create a life out of balance
than it does to be well. Your internal structure wants to be well and
works towards health and balance whether or not you are helping." (loc
453).
-- "In times of stress, or when handling people or situations, you tend to
turn to one particular system by reflex, your default system. Your
default system is not necessarily your strongest." (Loc 470).
-- "When you analyse a lack of success in any aspect of your life, you
tend to look outside yourself for the explanation. Yet often the answer
is that you are getting in your own way." (loc 496).
-- "One way to discover what people fear is to see where they put their
focus and energy. Look at the perfectly put together person and realise
that person is probably afraid that he or she will fall apart." (loc
599).
-- "When you see and need, ask if you can fill it. When you have a need, ask that it be satisfied." (loc 781)
-- "So much of life is lived in the head. The human mind is a wonderful
place, but to create change, things need to be built in the physical
world." (loc 912).
THE CIRCLE SUMMARY
The process to tap into the Circle (Universe) and bring any wish into reality is structured as follows:
1/ Initiation:
> 1st element = Intentionality = The hidden gift is conscious creation.
> 2nd element = Embodiment = The gift is awareness.
> 3rd element = Ritual = The gift is sacredness.
In short, make a wish and put your intention behind and into it, embody the result you want to create, and make some ritual to start tapping into what you want your new reality to be.
2/ Apprenticeship:
> 4th element = Synchronicity = The gift is effectiveness.
> 5th element = Making Space = The gift is transformation.
> 6th element = Coherence = The gift is right action.
In short, pay attention to the synchronicities that reflect change in the outer world. Make space for the new to enter your life, and resolve any inner or outer conflict that prevents your goal to materialize. When you go through this realize that your initial wish might be other, so allow your wish to transform as you transform.
3/ Mastery:
> 7th element = Outer roadblocks = The gift is intuition.
> 8th element = Inner roadblocks = The gift is healing.
> 9th element = Contact = The gift is unity.
In
short, you'll find inner/outer resistance before getting your wish manifested. These obstacles are the right path to success but need to be
addressed. When you enter the energy of The Circle you are in oneness with everything and everyone. Be part of a group, a circle of like-minded people, who support each other and go through this process together.
OH BOY
>> The book as a chit-chatty godmother's preachy tone that, on the one hand, makes it easily readable and understandable, but, on the other, rest validity to what she says.
>> >> The writing style is unnecessarily repetitive and full of platitudes. The words The Circle and New Reality are repeated ad nauseam.
>> Many of the messages that Day conveys in the book are a verbose beautification of popular common-sense wisdom such as:
-- Life is unpredictable.
-- Go with the flow.
-- If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
-- What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.
-- There is a silver lining in every situation.
-- After reaching the bottom, the way is always up.
-- Everything depends on how you look at things: Is the bottle half full or half empty?
-- Let go to move on.
-- Get out of your own way.
-- Be careful of what you wish for.
-- Your unconscious rules your life.
-- Create a community of liked-minded people.
-- A candle doesn't lose its light by giving light to another candle.
-- Shine your inner light and give it as a gift to the world.
-- There is a lesson in everything.
>> Synchronicity, Serendipity and Good Luck are three different things. Why putting them together in the same basket?
>> Generalizations of the type "some studies have shown" (loc 432). Which studies, by whom? Or 'Mothers have been known to lift vehicles weighing a ton off their children." (details needed or it sounds like charlatanism) are not good for any serious author.
>> The book is full of generalizations about how the subconscious, childhood conditioning and behavior patterns show in life.
>> There is nothing like listening to a meditation by the author who created it. Personally, I love having the meditation recorded so that I can listen to it and connect with the author. Yet, there is only the written text and the advice of recording the med yourself.
>>
The digital cover has lovely color palette, but
there isn't enough contrast between the background and the lettering to be readable.
>> The Kindle edition is poor. See below.
(BAD) KINDLE EDITION
I hope the issues I mention below (and those I haven't noticed) are corrected, because it takes little effort to do that. The Kindle book is sold a standard price, but it feels like a rushed draft. Herewith some of the issues I've found:
>>> The Index of Contents is minimal. Only the major sections of the book are listed but not the chapters or major subsections. What is worse, the Workbook is not mentioned in the index, but it is in the book, so you'll need to bookmark the workbook and its subsections to get there.
>>> Too many examples of poor edition and transcription, which are painful to see and make reading unnecessarily unpleasant. Some examples below:
-- "after the after the Epilogue", locs 245, 338, 384 (after the Epilogue).
-- "The more you “know” the more the mine wants to reason", loc 642 (mind).
-- "What higher power or higher parts of your own being.Do you want in your sacred space with you?", loc 314 (An interrogation mark would have been more appropriate after 'being' not just after the latter question.)
-- "Celebrate the successes and victories. Acknowledge and mourn the losses and allow the energy of disappointment to become the energy of faith and transformation. And always on the journey", loc 327.(It reads badly).
-- "Though you haven’t yet fully realise their significance to your New Reality", loc. 362 (realised).
-- "Heading The Fifth Element Making Space", loc. 395 (in bold as the other headings)
-- "Uses energy positively by expanding your Circle", loc. 772 (Use energy)
-- "Write without pausing so that you don’t have time to “think” or “reason” loc. 642 (Many examples of overuse/misuse of quotation marks throughout the book).
-- "2. ave each person silently", loc. 822 (Have)
-- "I no longer have to-I simply have to be", loc, 1238 (period intended?)
-- "I may-instead of berating myself-bless each bite of food" loc. 1238 (long dashes needed plus a space of separation with each one)
Day, Laura. The Circle: How the Power of a Single Wish Can Change Your Life (Practical Intuition Book 1) . Laura Day. Kindle Edition.
>>> The exercises mentioned before getting to the workbook have no special formatting or indentation, so they aren't distinguishable from the rest of the body of the text. That's just poor editing. It would have been really nice to have them showcases in in a box or indented in, or the "Enter the Circle' in bold.
>>> In the workbook, the daily exercises start with a section title, but the weekly ones have the title missing.
>>> Some of the exercises in the workbook are a repetition of those mentioned in the book, and some of the daily and weekly ones are almost identical.
>> Affirmations are way too verbose to be powerful and directional.
Laura, please, change editor :) Or correct the current digital edition so it reads a bit better. Or decrease the price of the book.
GOOD STUFF
> Great affirmations that go to the point, aren't too short or too lengthy, and have substance.Due to the fact that doors are the main theme, the deck as a 'transitional' vibe and messages. > Very small deck, so it's perfect for people with small hands.
> Beautiful real-life photography of unique doors from around the world.
> Elegant design of the back,on the affirmations side, in white-marble and gold colors.
> Good quality glossy flexible cards that shuffle beautifully.
> Very good quality keepsake box with upper non-detachable magnetic lid.
> Instructions of how to use the cards are written on the inner lid. > Great portability.
SO-SO
> Tiny deck, so if you have big hands, it might not be for you.
> There is no guidebook or booklet explaining why the door theme was chosen. Because really, there must be one. It
might be the case that Engracia came with the messages after choosing
the photos himself and meditating on them, but we don't know about the
concept that inspired the deck anywhere. A bit of background on the
concept might have been wonderful. > Contrast between lettering and background is deficient on the inner lid.
> Most photos are stock photos from Pexels, Shutterstock except for four of them attributed to Melissa Lee Vernali. There seems not to be much effort put beyond choosing the photos and Engracia's lovely messages on the back.
This is another beautiful tiny deck by Rockpool Publishing. It has the house trademarks:
> Small stylish deck.
> Motivational messages.
> Gorgeous illustrations/photos/artwork.
> Portability.
> Great quality glossy card stock
> Sturdy practical keepsake box with upper self-closing lid.
> Pleasurable shuffling
ALSO GREAT
> The illustrations are all beautiful Aboriginal motifs in earthy colours. The deck has artistic congruence, as well.
> However, what stands out to me, having as many motivational decks as I have, is that the messages in the cards aren't the same-old messages. On the contrary, the they are original nuggets that will make you ponder.
SO SO
> Aboriginal artwork has a multitude of ocher and earthy tones that makes it both rich and earthy, but this deck lacks colour depth and feels a bit flat in that regard.> A bit pricey for what they are.
> Perhaps, not good for people with big hands.
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