Tarot and Oracle Decks have exploded into the common experience since the 1990s. Today there are literally thousands of decks to choose from, including out-of-print decks and published ones. Reviewing anything involves subjective judgment based on various criteria: quality and size of the cards, visual accessibility of the art, quality of the companion text of the deck, and potential usefulness in professional practice. This month I have chosen to review the Law of Attraction Tarot (ISBN-13: 978-0738731377).
The Law of Attraction Tarot was published in 2012 by Llewellyn Publications. The product description on Amazon states, “The Law of Attraction Tarot is inspired by the best-selling book, The Secret, and its promise to help manifest anything you want in life. The 78-card deck is quite different in most imagery and meaning from standard decks and is intended to help you achieve your dreams.” Created by Marina Roveda and illustrated by Simone Gabrielli, the deck is modern and visually accessible.
This deck does come with a companion book or it can be purchased with an insert pamphlet the same size of the cards that fit into the box holding the cards. While the deck appears to be out-of-print in the United States, obtaining a copy under $30 USD is possible and common through Amazon, eBay, and Alibris.
The Law of Attraction is a “New Thought” concept:
In the New Thought philosophy, the Law of Attraction is the belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into a person’s life. The belief is based on the idea that people and their thoughts are both made from pure energy, and that through the process of like energy attracting like energy a person can improve their own health, wealth, and personal relationships (Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_attraction_(New_Thought)).
The card stock is good, but not outstanding; cards are longer but not wider than playing cards, which makes them easy to hold and handle. Because the card stock is not particularly dense, shuffling is rather easy and gets easier with continued use. I have rather average to small hands (I cannot palm a basketball), so the size of a deck of cards matters when it comes to shuffling them, especially in front of clients. This deck is more rectangular than square, with rounded edges, and medium print quality, so the images are clear, but the colors do not exactly pop! These cards will wear down with constant use; in fact, I just ordered a new copy before writing this article.
Unsurprisingly the Law of Attraction Tarot is a useful deck for professional readings, and an excellent deck for public readings, given that its intended audience would be people who read The Secret, which sold brilliantly. Essentially anyone living in a modern, western society (US, Canada, most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and so on) would be able to understand and interpret the images from common experiences in their daily lives.
This deck is one of the top five decks I bring with me to use in my public reading rotation and clients really appreciate and enjoy the easy to understand the artwork. This deck does not use any keywords on the fronts of the card, but they are not really needed thanks to the well-rendered ideas through the straightforward imagery (which you can see from the sample cards above).
This deck is one of the most visually accessible, which is what we should hope for with a deck about the Law of Attraction. In the cards above, the 7 of Coins suggests different levels of success based on the different quality of the chair (or stool) upon which one would sit, as determined by station and effort (work=coins). The Major Arcana card for Death is presented as a much better representation of its actual meaning, which is a transformation (or both death and rebirth). The butterfly emerging from the cocoon is perhaps the most obvious archetype for metamorphosis across cultures.
Finally, the 6 of Cups actually breaks with the more traditional meaning – pleasure, shown most often as a young couple engaging with one another in an enjoyable pastime. As it turns out many of the Minor Arcana cards represent different concepts. In the case of this card in this deck, the image invokes the ideas of patience and timeliness, which captures the concept of “right timing” when working with the Law of Attraction.
This deck comes with a very nice companion book that is as well designed and easy to use. Each card appears on an individual page with information about the card written around the image. The pamphlet that comes with just the deck of cards option contains keywords and phrases for each card.
As a professional reader who started reading cards for pay in 1992, I can say that this deck is excellent for all clients and public settings. There is partial, but tasteful nudity (such a naked woman’s back in the Strength card or a nude woman sitting in front a house smiling on the 10 of Cups), but it is certainly not intended to be “sensual” or “erotic”, visually speaking. Professionally, this deck is more visually accessible than most decks, and would actually make a good starting deck for someone interested in learning to read cards.
I will give this deck a high rating. Clients who have worked with this deck have found it helpful and transformative. Just mentioning that it is called the Law of Attraction Tarot gets clients’ attention. Easy to handle, modern concepts and solid artwork all contribute to a very positive overall product that is an excellent addition to the genre.
