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. The Power of Surrender seemed like something I needed to learn more of - being the stubborn Taurus that I am and all.
I hope you enjoy my review and generous pictures!
Power of Surrender 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, but was interested in the cards. It was first published in 2015. There also wasn't much of a description on their website.
Amazon's description is:
Surrender is the divine art of letting go - the ability to flow instead of clenching, obsessing, and over-controlling. Use these 52 cards by Dr. Judith Orloff as an oracle to empower your choices. By consulting this deck and the companion instruction booklet, you’ll be able to choose the most positive outcome in any situation.
About the author
Judith Orloff, M.D., is author of the national bestseller The Power of Surrender: Let Go and Energize Your Relationships, Success, and Well-Being, upon which this card deck is based. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, an intuitive healer, and an international workshop leader. Dr. Orloff synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting-edge knowledge of intuition, energy, and spirituality. She passionately believes that the future of medicine involves integrating all this wisdom to achieve emotional freedom and total wellness. To learn more about the power of surrender, Dr. Orloff’s workshops, and her online intuition course with Hay House, visit www.drjudithorloff.com.
My Personal Review
This 52-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. There are some bizarre choices for some of the cards that left me wondering why a certain image was chosen for that specific card's message.
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 a pretty image of a sunset or sunrise over a beach. Not reversable, and not sure I would use a reversed meaning for these cards. I feel they are a stretch at being called an oracle deck, as I found them to not work well for a three card spread, unless your focus is solely what you need to surrender and in what situation or for clarity on what you need to give on your behalf.
The was a very simple guidebook/booklet included with the deck, that doesn't really give more than just instructions on how to use the deck. I didn't find it to be particularly helpful but the cards are an interesting addition to my collection. I have included some more pictures so you can see some of the things that I found interesting and unique about this deck.
Overall, I found this to be an unusually surprisingly deck, but I didn't find that I could use it in my day to day work or with clients. Perhaps this is better suited as an affirmation type of deck to do daily work and healing, and not utilize as an oracle deck.
My overall opinion is that this deck is a 2.5 star choice.
Artwork - 3 stars
Card stock - 2 stars
Ease - 5 stars
Guidebook - 1 star
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!
