By: Kerry Ward, tarot reader and columnist for Cosmopolitan UK, creator of the upcoming deck “The Crystal Magic Tarot” in October 2022
Illustrator: Amy Blackwell, artist, illustrator and knitwear designer
Published by: OH! Part of the Wellbeck Publishing Group, UK
Published: 2021
RRP: £19.99/US$24.95
ISBN: 978-1-78739-588-6
The Good Karma Tarot deck is sold as “a beginner’s guide to reading the cards” and it does exactly that. Using the RWS system (even referring in the guidebook to the RWS illustration for each card) the desk uses clear and vibrant imagery to convey a sense of “truth, kindness and hope” for the fledgling tarot reader.
First Impressions
Inside the box you get the guide book and 78 cards separated into two bundles in a tray. The cards themselves are nice to handle; however, they are a little on the big side (roughly 3×5”) and I found them to be a bit too shiny for really easy shuffling – if you are a reader who takes note of “jumping” cards, this deck will keep you busy!
The digital art style feels very modern and trendy, in a way that makes it seem friendly and approachable rather than too “cool”. The figures are depicted with a wide range of skin tones and while the characters are largely feminine there are a couple of masculine figures too (the kings, knights and three out of four pages). There also appears to be some queer representation.
Deck Interview (using the accompanying guide book to get the deck’s “own words”)
Top Characteristic: Ten of Swords – “it’s often darkest before the dawn” – good for beginners or those who have struggled connecting to the tarot before.
Strengths: Seven of Coins – “failing to plan is planning to fail” – a great introduction, effort has been made to streamline and simplify.
Limitations: Knight of Coins – “work hard play hard” – perhaps this deck is not for those who have already honed their tarot craft, as it might be lacking a little in detail.
How best to collaborate with this deck: Three of Wands – “the world is smaller than you think, you can go further than you currently believe” – a tool to communicate your love of tarot to others, to share the magic and introduce them to the journey. This deck will work best when seen for what it is.
Quality of my relationship with this deck: Eight of Wands – “opportunities multiply as they are seized” – movement, a stepping stone, but also a reminder to look at things through “beginner’s eyes” and strip things back occasionally.
Guidance: Queen of Wands – “if your actions inspire others to dream, learn and believe, then you are a leader” – this deck wants the reader and the questioner to be strong, bold and assertive; it wants to keep things positive and everyone to feel like a winner.
My Thoughts
This deck would make a really lovely present. I imagine the recipient being someone who might have dabbled in the esoteric but never really taken the plunge; they might be spiritually cynical but still open to the idea of trying something new. It would also be a great purchase for yourself if more traditional or detailed decks feel intimidating – the guidebook explains the traditional RWS illustration for each card so it would be a good way to get comfortable with the system.
I think more experienced or detail-oriented readers might find this deck a little frustrating. The illustrations, whilst warm and encouraging, are a little “route-one” to my mind and miss out features such as the numbers of the Major Arcana or any other symbolism that people used to working with a RWS style deck might expect. One (probably entirely personal) gripe is that the tattoos featured on the figures are very prominent and almost all exactly identical? This feels like a slightly botched attempt to feel “cool” but without any real thought. It would’ve been a great opportunity to add in some subtle detail as they do in The Empress and the Knight of Swords. The author’s style is very personable and chatty. There is a definite bias towards putting a positive spin on things (perhaps understandable for a deck geared towards beginners). Each card comes with a little unattributed quote in the bottom corner and some of those do feel a little on the cheesy side – but again that might be a personal thing. However, some of the descriptions are a little more blunt, which I appreciated; it helped to balance out the general girl-boss energy of the deck. There is no mention of reversed readings and little information given about astrological or elemental correspondences even when mentioned in passing in the guide book.
Overall
I think this deck does exactly what it set out to do. Although it probably won’t feature all that much in my regular practice I can imagine using it for hen parties or work events very successfully or if teaching the basics. I also really enjoy the artwork and can imagine using it as a deck to display particular cards on an altar or to use as “tarot talismans” in the way suggested at the back of the guidebook.
I hope this review was helpful, and if you choose to buy the deck I hope you really love it!
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