Hello, soul friends!
I wanted to start off a section on my website where I review card decks that I have used over the years. I have owned over 75 various decks (currently own about 65), and thought I would write some of my notes, experiences, personal opinions, and information on the decks for anyone out there looking for suggestions. Diving into the world of decks can be a bit scary, fun, and also at times overwhelming with the sheer amount of choices.
There are various differences to the types of card decks people use, but the most common ones are Tarot, Oracle, and Lenormand. Over the years, I have come to collect various and eclectic decks ranging in artistic style and type. I always purchase what grabs my attention, and have learned that my aesthetic is not for everyone. So, as always, purchase what you feel guided to use for yourself.
I am just expressing my opinions and my own personal experiences with these decks and I hope that you can appreciate the candor. As always, use your own intuition and find tools that suit your tastes.
Psychic Tarot Oracle
One of my all-time, go-to, and most recommended decks for anyone who is starting off, is this deck by John Holland.
The Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck is published by Hay House. I purchased my deck at a local metaphysical shop, but I have also seen it available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and other bookstores.
From Amazon's Product Description: The 65 beautifully illustrated cards in this deck will create a powerful bridge between your psychic abilities and the ancient knowledge and meanings of the tarot; and will help you develop intuitive insights about all areas of your life, including love and relationships, business matters, and even career changes.
This fascinating deck will work for you whether you’re a novice or are already in tune with your psychic abilities. In the accompanying guidebook, psychic medium John Holland imparts techniques that he’s practiced himself and taught in his workshops, relating to colors, symbology, shapes, words, card spreads, divination, numerology, energy centers, imagination, and more. By using the cards, you’ll be able to incorporate John’s techniques when you do a tarot reading for yourself or others.
About John Holland, the Author
John Holland is an internationally renowned medium and spiritual teacher. He has been lecturing, teaching, demonstrating, and reading for private clients for over 16 years. He’s dedicated to the ongoing development of his unique gift and brings real integrity to his profession. John says, “If I can help people connect with someone on the other side and bring peace and perhaps some closure, then I’ve done my job.”
John hosts is own weekly radio show “Spirit Connections,” and starred in a 2-hour A & E special: “Mediums-We See Dead People.” The History Channel featured John in a one-hour special “Psychic History” highlighting his special abilities. His story was originally profiled on CBS “Unsolved Mysteries.”
My Personal Review
This is a 65 card deck that includes the Major Arcana equivalent, and most of the Minor Arcana, without the Court cards. Instead, 7 Chakra cards have been included. Product dimensions are 0.8 x 4.8 x 5.2 inches. The cards are larger than a traditional Tarot deck, but similar to most Hay House decks.
The reason I have enjoyed this deck so much is the versatility and the ease of use. It is a very gentle, positive, and an amazingly fun deck to use. From beginner to the experienced card reader, I think there is something unexpectedly beautiful about this deck.
The messages are all wonderful, and you can even see some of the original Tarot based imagery shine through.
My background and experience was in Tarot and I found this to be a fun, kind, and simple deck to switch to, while implementing Tarot and Oracle aspects to it.
I purchased my deck in 2010, and still use it heavily today. It is a deck that I constantly recommend to people starting off, or those who are transitioning from Tarot to Oracle. I have enjoyed this deck so much for personal and client readings that it is still one of my go to decks for clear advice and guidance. It is so gentle to use, that I have even allowed my children to play with it. Much of the imagery is not dark, scary, or inappropriate for even a young audience.
I love the images that bring forth traditional images from the Tarot (such as the Rider Waite, or Universal Tarot). The deck feels familiar and it is comfortable to switch from Tarot to this deck. I can use it as a Tarot deck without the Court Cards. Granted without the Court cards represented, it could appear that this deck would be a little useless for specific Tarot spreads, but I do find it a wonderful and amazing deck to use for quick 3, 5, and 10 card spreads.
I find that anyone could pick up this deck and use it without a lot of confusion, or meddled up jargon included in the guidebook. This is a deck that carry with me everywhere I go when I don't know what I will meet on my journey. It is just that versatile!
I used to always keep it in my purse. It's hard to say what I like better about this deck - its beauty or its clarity. Both are phenomenal.
The vibrant colors are the rich tones that add such a fascinating facet to the artwork. It is rich without being dark. The images themselves all help you tap into your intuition and allow you to understand the deck more thoroughly. As you continue to use this deck. you will keep seeing symbols or different interpretations. Also, the gold edging on the cards gives the deck a lovely look and, despite the number of readings I've given with it (therefore, all that shuffling and handling) over the past few years, the edging is only now beginning to fade and crack just a bit. The cards are noticeably bigger than a deck of standard playing cards and the card stock itself is solid; I recommend anyone with a new deck spend some time shuffling it and getting to know its feel, in addition to just "getting to know" any new deck. I've found that I can shuffle them quite easily, even with my small hands.
The card stock is thick, has a shinier finish than newer decks (which is annoying when trying to get a nice picture of the deck), and also allows you get a nice bend without cracking the card stock. As I said before, the deck I have is over 6 years old, and it has a bit of a worn look now, even with all of the abuse it has endured over the last 6 years. If I have to say, I would have to say the clarity beats out the beauty in terms of why this is one of my favorite "working" decks, and why I constantly recommend it to everyone who is looking for a nice bridge between styles. Each card has a word or phrase on it that makes its meaning clear - for example, what would normally be The Fool, is labeled instead "New Beginnings", which makes it so much easier for you to relate to and recall later.
This simple name also assists you in understanding the meanings of the cards. These key words and phrases allow you to develop a good relationship with each card and while the images seems simple at first, the more you study and look at them, the more symbolism you may notice. Much like a traditional Tarot deck. Nothing is extravagant and each image holds a little key to the meaning of the card.
The guidebook is helpful, clear, and also the messages even on some of the more difficult cards, allow you to understand a new point of view on upcoming challenges. After all, to be forewarned is to be forearmed! John Holland has added his own personal touch, and blended traditional Tarot interpretations to the deck. The inclusion of Chakra cards does help so much in adding a new and undiscovered area to learn and focus attention on.
All in all, this is one of my favorite decks for various reasons and one that I highly suggest to any budding card reader. Even if you are experienced in Tarot and would like to explore Oracle decks without diving too far away from the pond of comfort, I would say that this deck is a good one to try out and check out. I have enjoyed it for many years, and plan to purchase other copies of this deck to gift to my children if they decide to dive into card reading, as well.
My overall opinion is that this deck is a 5 star choice.
Artwork - 4.5 stars
Card stock - 4 stars (not a fan of shiny decks)
Ease - 5 stars
Guidebook - 5 stars
I hope that you enjoyed my deck review, and also enjoy other deck reviews that I add to this site. I have a passion for exploring new decks and also finding various ways of connecting to my intuition. I appreciate you checking out my site and taking the time to read my review.
