Reviews Archives - RachelSwirl

RachelSwirl August 11, 2020

Reviewing & Reading The Hip Chick Tarot – A Deck For Divas Of The Divine

Throughout lockdown, I’ve built quite the collection of tarot decks, some of which I’ve been rather lucky to receive for review purposes. Though I love each and every one of the tarot decks that I work with, there are a select few which I particularly treasure – one of which is the Hip Chick Tarot.

Designed and created by Maria Strom, The Hip Chick Tarot is a diverse, modern deck for women that’s both spiritual and practical.

Maria Strom

Maria is a tarot reader and artist based in Athens, Georgia. She first began to read the tarot at the age of fifteen after recognising the deep, spiritual knowledge within the cards.…

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RachelSwirl August 10, 2020

Studying The Stars With The First Light Tarot

Though I’m most definitely a ‘Rider-Waite’ chick when it comes to reading tarot, I do quite like to dabble with alternative divination tools and techniques when I am given the opportunity. Earlier this month, Schiffer (also known as Red Feather) Publishing very kindly sent me a copy of the ‘First Light Tarot‘, which is most certainly an alternative to the traditional tarot.

The First Light Tarot is a space-themed divination deck, featuring imagery captured by the Hubble Telescope and according to the First Light Astronomy Club, ‘First Light’ is the moment a new telescope first opens itself up to the universe.…

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RachelSwirl July 29, 2020

Nurturing Nature With The Guardian Tarot

Having collected numerous tarot decks over the past few months, I have found that I am particularly drawn to colourful, arty, and detailed decks with imagery offering a simple and clear message.

Designed and created by Beth Seilonen, a fine-arts graduate from the University of Maine, The Guardian Tarot (published by Schiffer in 2017) is a surreal but simple take upon The Rider Waite Smith tarot. This is a disquieting but delightful deck featuring a fabulous fuse of humans and trees.

Beth Seilonen

Beth grew up surrounded by nature and fuelled by her love for the arts. She first began studying tarot signs and symbols back in 1997 during her junior year at college.…

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RachelSwirl July 28, 2020

The Whimsical & Wonderful Ostara Tarot

The Ostara Tarot (first published in 2017 by Red Feather of Schiffer Publications) is a collaborative project founded by Molly Applejohn and named after the pagan vernal equinox which marks the midpoint of spring, a time for rebirth, new growth and fresh starts…

Picky About Packaging

The Ostara Tarot arrives packaged in a medium-sized magnetic-close cardboard box which when opened features a red ribbon either side of the box to keep the lid upright. A guidebook is included which is placed on top of two separate piles of cards that are held in place by a flimsy cardboard bracket.

Whilst the box is very pretty in terms of artwork, I must admit that I’m not entirely keen upon the use of cardboard separators or templates, nor do I like having to separate tarot decks into two or more piles as I feel that a tarot deck should be kept as one.…

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RachelSwirl July 26, 2020

Reading & Reviewing The Thoth Tarot Book & Cards Set

Having spent the past twenty-odd years reading and using only two traditional Rider-Waite-Smith style tarot card decks, I was ignorantly unaware that any other tarot system existed. However, having spent the past six months or more delving deeper into the art of divination, I have since learnt otherwise. The three most popular and commonly used tarot systems are The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot, The Marseille Tarot, and The Thoth Tarot.

The Thoth Tarot

Originally devised by Aleister Crowley and Lady Freida Harris, the Thoth Tarot deck (like the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot) is comprised of seventy-eight cards including the major arcana, the minor arcana and the court cards.…

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