Reviews: Best Tarot Card Deck

Looking for a good Tarot card deck?

There are hundreds of different Tarot decks available these days, but how do you know what they're like and whether they're good?

Well, I can share with you my favourite Tarot cards.

I've explored a lot of decks. Except for a small number of "fad" decks, they each have something to recommend them, but there are a few that stand far above the crowd.

These are the ones I find best ... I still use each Tarot card deck reviewed here.

Motherpeace Tarot

By Vicki Noble

The Motherpeace Tarot Deck is a classic tarot card deck, with all the major and minor arcana cards you'd expect.

With one major difference...

It replaces the old patriarchal bias of standard Tarot cards with insight into the old Goddess traditions.

Besides being much more relevant to modern life, this makes it a favourite Wiccan Tarot deck.

The Tarot book that comes with the card deck is itself a study of the Goddess in history, and how the archetypes of the Divine Feminine manifest in our lives today. Revered for its historical and cultural analysis, the Motherpeace Tarot book stands on its own as one of the great Wiccan books to read.

For all that, though, there is still a place for the sacred male energy in this Tarot card deck. The names, and patriarchal roles, are changed... Instead of the Court cards — Page, Knight, Queen, King — the Motherpeace Tarot Deck uses Daughter, Son, Priestess, Shaman.

This is not merely a rephrasing of terms, but a re-evaluation of the meaning of these cards in a post-patriarchal context.

While it sounds like a heavily politically-slanted deck, the Motherpeace Tarot Deck is very down-to-earth and practical to use.

The circular format adds a whole new dimension to a Tarot spread, as well, indicating whether the energy of a card is being held back or overly pushed.

A special treat in this deck is the spare "Lovers" card. You are given a heterosexual and a same-sex option, and can use either or both of them in your Tarot readings.

Another aspect of the Motherpeace Tarot Deck that makes it a standard Witch Tarot is the sacred elements perspective. Each of the suits is of course linked with an element, Cups with Water,Wands with Fire, etc. Noble notes the element and astrological sign that goes with each card, and how they interact.

In fact, her explanations are so clear and well-organised, this book makes it easy to learn the Tarot.

This is an excellent first Tarot card deck.

It's a handy, practical deck especially suited for guidance in daily matters. At the same time, it offers an elevation of consciousness from the dominance-paradigm to a more balanced and respectful viewpoint.

While the illustrations are not the best, the overall perceptiveness and flavour of this Tarot card deck make it a valuable divination tool that you'll continue to use for decades.

Buy Your Motherpeace Tarot Deck Here

Tarot of Transformation

By Willow Arlenea & Jasmin Lee Cori

I received the Tarot of Transformation tarot card deck as a gift some years ago, and I have to admit that my first (unspoken) thought was, "Oh great, just what I need... another Tarot card deck."

Even though I was immediately enraptured by the gorgeous illustrations, I already had more Tarot card decks at home than I could use. I imagined this one collecting dust as I continued to use what I considered the best decks.

But it didn't take me long to discover that I really did need this Tarot deck.

What sets the Tarot of Transformation apart from any other I've seen is its approach. Coming from a perspective of high spiritual consciousness, it uplifts your awareness from the struggle of life to the deeper meaning and purpose of events.

This is less a deck for questions about career and love life, and more a knowledgeable guide on your spiritual journey.

The wisdom and spiritual experience of the two creators of this deck shines through with every card.

I find it important for a deck to be beautiful, as well, and the Tarot of Transformation certainly fulfills this need! It's one of the most stunning tarot card decks I've ever seen. Every illustration is rich and very lovely, making it a joy to work with day after day.

This is the perfect deck if you've been on your spiritual journey for a while, or if you're looking for the Divine perspective on events in your life. This deck is all about the deeper meanings and higher purposes in your life.

It also offers easy yet powerful spiritual practices in many cases, that will help you transform old patterns and blocks and empower your spiritual growth.

If I could only have one Tarot card deck, at this stage of spiritual development the Tarot of Transformation is the one I'd keep.

Buy Your Tarot of Transformation Here

Medicine Cards: The Discovery of Power Through the Ways of Animals

By Jamie Sams and David Carson

Although the Medicine Cards are not exactly Tarot cards, they are used in the same way for divination and personal guidance.

Based on First Nations' wisdom of the medicine (the energy, or power) of our animal kin, the Medicine Cards are about the meaning of the animals more than about Native traditions. This makes it very accessible no matter what your spiritual leanings or genetic ancestry.

The Medicine Cards is especially useful to those who love animals, and those who seek wisdom from the natural world, making it an excellent Wicca tarot deck.

The First Nations' mythology sprinkled throughout the book adds a richness of meaning to the cards, and deepens the connection with Native culture.

Here you won't find Fools, Hierophants, Knights, and Kings, but Fox, Dragonfly, Horse, and Buffalo.

It's a different — and lovely — way to find guidance and insight for your daily life.

One thing I particularly value about using animal totems for divination is that it's not restricted to working with the deck. As you learn the meaning of the animals, you begin to understand the messages that come to you through interactions with real wildlife, like what it means...

when Owl swoops across your path;
when Eagle follows you on your walk;
when Butterfly lands on your arm;
when Coyote makes an unexpected appearance...

Another benefit is that it's easy to find icons of the animals to wear and have around you, to invoke their energies and qualities. That's hard to do with a traditional Tarot card deck, unless you're willing to break up the deck!

Its particular strength is clarifying your internal processes and how they influence events, and how to draw on qualities that will help you.

The Medicine Cards is perfect for divination beginners, and fulfilling to experienced diviners who resonate strongly with animals and nature.

Buy Your Medicine Cards Here

The Transformation Game

By Innerlinks

Although this is technically a game, it works like a tarot card deck, and then some! If you like Angel Cards, you'll enjoy this game/divination tool.

The Transformation Game is a brilliant idea developed by the Findhorn community in Scotland (known for gardening in cooperation with plant devas and even insects).

As the name suggests, it does more than divination. It literally transforms problems in your life and opens up more positive opportunities.

My friends and I use this game both to help us understand why we are stuck, and to liberate us from those blocks. As you move through the levels, you progress through the physical, emotion, mental, and spiritual aspects of whatever issue you're playing/working with.

This allows deep transformation to occur.

After all, everything in the physical world is only a manifestation of your emotional, mental, and spiritual situation. With The Transformation Game, you address the issue on every level, so you no longer need to experience it physically.

You play this game more with the Divine than against other players, and that's where the tarot-like divination comes in. Throughout the game you pull cards that...

Give you insight into the situation,
Identify problematic beliefs,
Discover skills to help you overcome them, and
Draw support from the Divine.

This is where Angel Cards originated, and they come with the game. Here they invoke support and assistance from higher realms, to help you with your problems.

The Transformation Game is fun, inspiring, and uplifting... an immediate spiritual boostwhen you're mired in mundane doldrums.

It does take quite a while to play, which is why we use it in addition to other Tarot card decks. We play for an afternoon, making notes of all the insights we gain in our journals. (This slows us down quite a bit... the game would go faster without taking notes, but I think the transformative effect would be less.)

I can't recommend it highly enough. If you feel stuck in some area of life and can't figure out how to move through it, The Transformation Game is a tool you should try.

Buy Your Transformation Game Here

With Brightest Blessings,

erin Dragonsong