Hello, soul friends!
Today's review is covering a deck that caught my attention when I noticed it on Hay House's website. I couldn't find a lot of pictures or information online, so decided to risk it and buy them. The artwork seemed peaceful and had a renaissance feel to it. I loved the oil looking paintings that reminded me of museum pieces. There was a richness to the artwork that caught my attention.
I hope you enjoy my review and generous pictures!
Grace Cards
I purchased this deck from Hay House during one of their sales and bought it on a whim. I couldn't find a lot about it online, and didn't realize the deck had been published in 2005. There also wasn't much of a description on their website, but the artwork caught my attention. The images showed almost a renaissance feel, dark, realistic, like beautiful oil paintings of days past.
Amazon's description is:
There is a benevolent force of energy available to guide your life, and it always has your best interests at heart. This energy is grace. When you open yourself to its influence, you’ll begin to see the signs, symbols, and messages that are placed in your path to lead you in the right direction.
Grace Cards are a practical way of working with this Divine Energy. Close your eyes, ask a question, then choose a card. Follow the message and watch what happens. Doors will open, resources will appear, and a veil of uncertainty will lift to reveal your next step. Enjoy!
About the author
She was the first president of the International Coach Federation and holds one of their first Master Certified Coach credentials. Cheryl is also the recipient of the 2000 Motivational Book Award for Life Makeovers from Books for a Better Life, which honors the year's most outstanding books and magazines in the self-improvement genre. Her book, The Unmistakable Touch of Grace, was chosen as a finalist in the 2005 Spiritual Inspiration category for Books for a Better Life.
As a professional speaker, Cheryl has designed and presented programs to universities, Fortune 500 companies, educational conferences, and professional associations. Her work has been covered widely in the media including The Today Show, CBS This Morning, New York Times, USA Today, Good Housekeeping, and O Magazine. Most recently, Cheryl has been a regular guest on Good Morning America. She was the team leader for the Lifestyle Makeover Series on the Oprah Winfrey Show and she accompanied Ms. Winfrey on the "Live Your Best Life" nationwide tour.Cheryl served as the co-executive producer and host of "The Life Makeover Project with Cheryl Richardson" on the Oxygen Network and as the co-executive producer and host of two Public Television Specials - "Stand Up for Your Life" and "Create an Abundant Life."
You can check out Cheryl's Facebook Fan Page at facebook.com/cherylrichardson and follow her on Twitter http://twitter.com/coachoncall
My Personal Review
This 50-card deck is meant to be used as a daily inspirational conversation to have with yourself. This can in no way be confused for an oracle deck, and I didn't feel that I could use it as one, anyway. I wasn't really aware of what to expect with this deck, so upon opening it up I was a bit shocked at what I had purchased. This was obviously a deck for those who like affirmations or something to meditate on. These cards were not practical to use for a reading - more of like an afterthought.
The artwork was something that had called me with this deck, and I was a bit disappointed that there was various artists used and no consistency. I have seen other decks that use various artists and the decks still have a uniform and cohesive vibe. Unfortunately for the Grace Cards, this was an issue. I have noted this in many of the Hay House decks I have owned in the past. Or they tend to recycle images - which then makes me have a disconnect with the image and card.
The cards have brief messages, allowing one to take just a minute to think about the message, perhaps altering stress levels or sadness. I believe it is a nice way to add positive thoughts to a world that often seems plagued with far too much negativity. As you can see from my pictures, the cards have an image on one side with the card name, and then a small passage on the back to help inspire. The size of the cards is quite a bit larger than a traditional tarot card and the overall product dimensions: 5.5 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches and Hay House is who publishes the deck.
The card stock is thick, shiny, and allows you get a nice bend without cracking the card stock. The only issues I run into a lot of Hay House older decks, are the edges rubbing and cracking. They don't bend too much, or hold the bend. I am not a fan of shiny decks, so this one has points deducted based on that.
The backs are messages that help you understand how grace is present in your life. I loved the messages, as they are inspiring, gentle, and also versatile to use as a bit of an affirmation. As there was no guidebook or booklet to help you further connect to the cards, I was a bit unenthusiastic to use this deck often. It went unused for a lot of the time I owned it. I finally decided to sell it to someone who would actually connect and use it.
The was no guidebook or booklet included with the deck.
Overall, I found this to be a surprisingly inspiring deck, but I didn't find that I could use it in my day to day work or with clients.
My overall opinion is that this deck is a 2 star choice.
Artwork - 3.5 stars (too many different artists - not cohesive)
Card stock - 2 stars
Ease - 5 stars
Guidebook - N/A
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.
Happy Reading!
