Customer Reviews

The Psychic Tarot Oracle Cards: a 65-Card Deck, plus booklet!

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a professional reader, I love this deck for so many reasons. The artwork is absolutely beautiful, eye-catching and thought-inspiring. The gold gilding on the edges is a nice touch of class that reminds the reader that the deck is a sacred tool and should be treated with reverance and respect. The images really draw the attention in and invite you to take a closer look at what's going on under the surface of things. They will work wonderfully for a card meditation as well.

Additionally, I love the fact that certain cards have been omitted from the standard Tarot deck...John has taken out the 10's of each suit, as well as all court cards. In my opinion, this is an improvement over tradition as the cards that are left out are ones that have been notoriously known to confuse a reader (especially one who is just beginning to learn to read). Being numbered 1-9 also works well to incorporate numerology in a reading, which I believe is very helpful.

I was surprised -and delighted- to see that the deck includes a card for each major chakra, and I thought it was a brilliant addition. The suits of the Minor Arcana are now referred to as "Physical", "Emotions", "Mental", and "Spirit"...which again would be helpful to a beginning reader who may otherwise get easily "lost" in the symbolism of Pentacles, Cups, Swords and Wands.

Along with the deck, which comes neatly and attractively packaged in a sturdy lidded storage box, John has included a very helpful guidebook to assist the reader in understanding the symbolism found in each card.

The bottom line is that this deck is very easy to pick up and read with, visually stunning and associates well with the various facets of real human existence, from the mundane happenings of daily life here in this physical world to the deeply personal spiritual journey we are all participants in. I will happily recommend this deck to students and fellow readers alike!

This is a beautifully illustrated deck that recalls the symbolism and archetypes of the Marseilles and Rider-Waite tarot, but has a much needed update for today's world. The faces drawn on this deck are very much human, yet very much of spirit, and draw you in to the esoteric meaning of the numbers, colors, and other classic symbolism.

The major arcana are still intact, and John Holland has wisely included the 7 major chakras in this deck, reminding us to check our, "Spiritual Batteries" as he calls them.

I highly recommend this deck for tarot enthusiasts and newcomers alike!

I just received these today and this has to be one of the most beautiful cards decks I have ever seen. The artwork is so detailed and vibrant. It is obvious that a lot of care and thought was put into each card. The more I look at them, the more detail and colors I see.
Every card reader has their favorite deck and I think I've found mine!

I'm no tarot reader, but my wife and I have been using John Holland's The Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck as a daily intention guide (asking "What should I pay attention to today?") by choosing one card a day, and the results have been uncannily positive, meaningful and accurate. Of course, for those interested, the hefty little guidebook that comes with the deck offers a brief guide on how to use the cards. My point being that non-tarot users like me can appreciate these cards, too.

I, personally, love the gold ridge that outlines the deck (giving it a rich feeling), the detailed attention of the artwork (each card evokes an emotion within me that further mirrors a message), and the thorough explanation of each card in the guidebook (to help the psychically-challenged, like myself). This is an elegant tarot deck that I believe tarot readers and non-tarot readers alike will fully enjoy.

~ Bob Olson, OfSpirit.com Editor

These cards are a delight, beautifully illustrated. The booklet is also a wonderful compliment to using the deck. These will be most helpful to the novice and seasoned alike. John has been successful in creating another wonderful tool to assisting those who wish to further develop their God given abilities.

"This fascinating deck works for everyone--both novices *and* individuals who are more in tune with their psychic capability." - From the guidebook

Psychic medium John Holland has created his first oracle deck largely based on many of the archetypes of the Tarot. Although Holland says the Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck is a Tarot deck, it is not.

In traditional Tarot, there are 22 Major Arcana cards, 40 Minor Arcana cards (Ace through 10), and 16 court cards. In this 65-card deck, there are 22 Major Arcana cards renamed to reflect traditional Tarot energies, but there are no 10's in this deck, nor are there any court cards. In fact, there are also seven additional cards based on the seven chakras.

In the 170-page companion booklet to the Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck, Holland doesn't explain these omissions or acknowledge the structure of a traditional Tarot deck, which is unfortunate, because it could very well confuse individuals wanting to learn the Tarot, and expecting Holland to provide accurate basics.

These gorgeous cards measure approximately 5 x 3 ½ inches and have the lovely gilt edging that many recent Hay House deck have had (such as Doreen Virtue's decks). Each card is numbered, with a keyword or phrase on the bottom to aid in interpretation. The backs are fully reversible, although Holland doesn't recommend using reversals with the Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck.

For those more familiar with Rider-Waite inspired Tarot decks and elemental associations, Holland's color correspondences for the Minor Arcana are unusual, making it difficult to associate the cards with traditional suits by memory alone.

For example, the Emotions suit is colored green (corresponding to Cups/Water in traditional decks), the Physical suit is red (corresponding to Coins/Earth), the Mental suit is Indigo (Swords/Air) and the Spirit suit is Violet (corresponding to Wands/Fire).

Some of the card names and keywords in the Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck include:

* 1 Awareness (corresponding to The Magician)
* 4 Authority (Emperor)
* 10 Destiny (Wheel of Fortune)
* 15 Temptation (Devil)
* 16 Disruption (Tower)
* 18 Shadow (Moon)
* 20 Truth (Judgement)
* Physical 3 - Recognition and Reward (3 of Coins)
* Emotions 4 - Discontent and Boredom (4 of Cups)
* Mental 7 - Deception and Envy (7 of Swords)
* Spirit 8 - Accelerated Motion (8 of Wands)

The artistic renderings of Tarot archetypes in this deck are original, vibrant and evocative; in fact, it's one of the most attractive decks I've ever seen.

But reading with The Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck is...another story. One time I used them and received a very odd message that was diametrically opposed to the state I had been in for weeks (which was joyful, content and energetic). The cards I drew were Emotions 8 (Emotional Withdrawal) and Mental 9 (Suffering in Silence). I was surprised at this message that seemed so out of place.

Well, two days later, I pulled a muscle in my back while out shopping that literally put me out of commission for over a week. I was in excruciating pain from muscle spasms and had to be in a recliner for days. I literally had to "suffer in silence" because crying out from the painful muscle spasms was scaring my 10-year old and I had to "swallow" my pain, especially in the mornings, for fear of waking him up or frightening him.

I did another reading after I became well, a few days ago, and these particular cards actually told me what I *had* experienced...the state I just passed through. I decided to shuffle again for general present insight into my life, to give the Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck a chance to speak to my current life direction/state, and drew two more cards that are unusual: Emotions 4 Discontent and Boredom and Mental 3 Heartache and Loss (neither state that I have experienced in years, actually).

Ack.

I can't figure out why these cards have been so overwhelmingly off kilter and negative for me, even though there was some "scary accurate" aspects to the readings. Handling them actually gives me the heebie geebies (something I can assure I have *never* experienced before when using *any* oracle, decks or otherwise).

I've handled literally hundreds of Tarot and oracle decks--even ones some might considered "dark"--and I've never had a sense of foreboding like I do with the Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck.

And, frankly, it's with heavy heart to report this, because the Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck contains the most stunning renderings of Tarot archetypes that I've ever seen--images that very much resonate with me. And, my experience with seeing John Holland on TV and reading his books have been very positive and filled with great vibes.

It's inexplicable, really.

If you enjoy beautiful oracle cards and want to become acquainted with some of Tarot's archetypes, you may very well want to try the Psychic Tarot Oracle Deck. I sincerely wish I had a better experience with these cards over the last few weeks that I've used them, but even though I purchased them through Amazon.com at full price, I'm afraid I'll likely never use this deck again for divination (although I may use it for conscious journaling and contemplation).

(To see 15 images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

-- Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book (Hampton Roads Publishing)

WOW! John Holland, you have created a masterpiece in these cards! Not only are the 65 gold guilded cards beautifuly illustrated, but the little guidebookhas just the right amount of info on how to use the cards, without boxing you in with rules, or details. By using colors, symbology, shapes, words, spreads, divination, numerology, and chakra , and imagination to help us develope intuitive insights, John Has left us plenty of play with these cards After clearing my deck, I shuffled, and asked a 1 card question pertaining to where I am at in my spiritual work on myself. The card I pulled was the yellow chakra card...and BINGO, that is exactly where I had left off in a healing session on myself! I LOVE THESE CARDS!!!

I'm just 15 and my Mom introduced me to John's books and website. She bought me the new tarot deck and I am already doing readings for myself. I even brought the cards into school to show my friends. The pictures on the cards are really great, I love the gold edge on the cards, and John's instructions and information really make sense.

I have a few oracle and tarot decks, and recently purchased the Psychic Tarot deck. I absolutely love this deck. It is so different from the others I have. To begin with, the first time I shuffled the cards I found that the Psychic Tarot cards are pliable and flexible; with my other decks the cards are stiff and hard to shuffle. The cards that were meant for me presented themselves right away. The Psychic Tarot card meanings are very intuitive and positive. A few times reading the booklet is all it took to feel like I can interpret the meanings for myself or whomever I'm reading for. I finally feel connected to a deck and can say "this is my deck."

Out of all the tarot and oracle decks I have purchased (I now have 11), this is my favorite. There are 22 cards which correspond to the Major Arcana, another 36 which represent various issues in the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual realms and then 7 cards representing the chakras.
The artwork is quite beautiful and instead of idealized, stylized figures, and what I consider, in some cases, to be outdated symbolism, the figures look "real," often like a person you might meet anywhere. Symbolism is also included but much less so than in a traditional deck. However, the imagery is still powerful. When I first began tarot work, I wanted the old Rider-Waite deck, used it and became familiar with it but now I prefer the open endedness of Holland's deck.
As an example, the Devil card has been reworked into "Temptation" and the image is much different but the message is the same - it's time to look at what you are attracted to, or addicted to, and how has that turned you away from a life of Spirit? It's helpful, too, that the guidebook tells you the names of the Major Arcana that the first 22 cards are associated with.
In any study of tarot, I think it's helpful to know the historical images and meanings but once you know them, it's also good to branch out and learn something new. This is a valuable addition to anyone's collection of tarot and oracle decks.