Newly published tarot and oracle decks arrive on Amazon, Etsy, crowd-funding platforms, and in bookstores every month. Today there are literally thousands of decks to choose from, including out-of-print decks as well as published ones. Reviewing a deck is a subjective judgment intended to help readers determine if they want to own the deck.
The critical review of a deck for AskAstrology involves looking at the quality and size of the cards, visual accessibility of the art, quality of the companion book or booklet, and potential usefulness in professional practice. This month I have chosen to review the Happy Tarot by Serena Ficca from Llwellyn Publishing.
The Cards
Next after this publicity
From the publisher:
Happiness can change the world. With its bold colors and absolutely fresh art style, this deck makes NOW the perfect moment for exploring your very own spirit of happiness. Featuring a plethora of honest smiles, sunshine, and optimistic characters, Happy Tarot is destined to change your life for the better.
Next after this publicity
Card Stock and Shuffling
Printed on medium card stock, these cards have a glossy finish with curved edges. They are easy to shuffle, and ready to use when you first get them out of the box. If the deck is used heavily it may need to be replaced after a few years.
Artwork and the Visual Accessibility of the Deck
The artwork is fun and creative! It really is a very cute and playful deck. The deck, like so many, mimics the Rider Waite Tarot and Pamela Colman Smith’s composition for the cards. If you are familiar with the Rider Waite deck, this will be an easy deck to start using.
The King of Candy Canes (Wands)
From the booklet:
Next after this publicity
Meaning: A charismatic leader who speaks the truth and holds to his ethical ideals. This person can be trusted with power and will not abuse it. You can find happiness by using your power for the greater good.
4 of Cups
From the booklet:
Meaning: If you continually refuse what’s offered to you, you may find yourself isolated and lonely. It’s fine to refuse what doesn’t feel right, but don’t get into a habit of saying no. You can find happiness when you say yes to a good offer.
The Hermit
From the booklet:
Meaning: Distance and perspective can help you see more clearly. When you can hear your own thoughts, you have more to offer others. You can find happiness in meaningful solitude.
Explanation of the Cards
This deck does have a companion booklet that is, surprisingly, very good; and the explanations are simple and direct. The final sentence of every interpretation begins with, “you can find happiness …”. So, for the Fool, “you can find happiness by trusting the universe to take care of you.” For the Magician, “you can find happiness through applying your will toward your desires.”
Usefulness
As a professional reader, I can say that this deck is excellent for both personal and professional use; it certainly works for reading in public spaces. The artwork is … well … super cute. Instead of wands, you have candy canes. And in the cups, you have pudding. If you want to introduce someone to a tarot reading in the “gentlest” way, then this deck hits the mark.
I would recommend the deck for personal use, collecting, and general professional use. This deck is creatively drawn; on the plus side, even the most difficult cards do not feel as threatening since all the characters are cartoon children, cute animals, and brightly-colored scenes.
The deck is quite good, visually-speaking. The art conveys the meanings in a consistent way, making almost no derivations from the Rider Waite compositions. The companion booklet that comes with the cards provides very poignant explanations. The flexible card stock makes shuffling easy right out of the box. Truthfully, I give this deck five out of five stars.
I am a spiritual adviser based in Cumming, Georgia, serving clients both locally and worldwide. With a background in academics and a Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, I bring a unique blend of knowledge and intuition to my practice. After a fulfilling career in academia, I transitioned into the role of a stay-at-home father in 2007. In 2013, I established Black Unykorn Enterprises, LLC, offering spiritual guidance and support to individuals seeking insight and clarity on their life's journey. My services encompass various tools, including astrology, tarot/oracle cards, numerology, and past life regression utilizing muscle testing. I am dedicated to providing personalized sessions that empower and guide my clients towards their highest potential.
Conveniently equipped with a home office and utilizing platforms like Zoom and WhatsApp, I offer virtual sessions for local clients and for those around the world. Distance is not a barrier to the transformative experiences and guidance I provide. To learn more about my practice and explore how I can assist you on your spiritual path, I invite you to visit my website at https://www.blackunykorn.com. There, you will find detailed information about my services and a contact form to initiate a conversation.
By clicking "Allow All" you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyse site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Notice
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Cookie
Duration
Description
__cfduid
1 year
Used by the content network, Cloudflare, to identify trusted web traffic.
_ga
2 years
This cookie is used to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. It is included in each page request in a site and used to calculate visitor, session and campaign data for the sites analytics reports (Google analytics)
_gat_UA-#
1m
Used to throttle request rate
_gid
1 day
It appears to store and update a unique value for each page visited. (Google analytics)
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Cookie
Duration
Description
_icl_current_language
1 day
Stores the current language
_leadup_js_detail_storage
Session
used to store timezone and locale information from client device.
catAccCookies
1 year
cookie consent plugin to record that you accept the fact that the site uses cookies
PHPSESSID
Session
used to store and identify a users” unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
store_notice[notice id]
Session
Allows customers to dismiss the Store Notice.
wc_cart_created
Session
Necessary for the shopping cart functionality on the website.
wc_cart_hash_#
Persistent
Helps WooCommerce determine when cart contents/data changes.
wc_fragments_#
Session
Necessary for the shopping cart functionality on the website.
wfwaf-authcookie-#
30 minutes
Identification of the visitor by a security plugin to prevent attacks on the web.
woocommerce_cart_hash
Session
Helps WooCommerce determine when cart contents/data changes.
woocommerce_items_in_cart
Session
Helps WooCommerce determine when cart contents/data changes.
woocommerce_recently_viewed
Session
Powers the Recent Viewed Products widget.
wordpress_logged_in_#
Session
After login, wordpress sets this cookie, which indicates when you’re logged in, and who you are, for most interface use.
wordpress_sec_#
14 days
This cookie is used to store your authentication details
wordpressuser_#
1 hour
This cookie is used to store your authentication details
wp_woocommerce_session_#
2 days
Contains a unique code for each customer so that it knows where to find the cart data in the database for each customer.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.