You're about to become an expert at channeling the entire cosmos. Written for novices and seasoned readers alike, How to Deal Box Set is packed with artwork and includes prompts, exercises, layouts, and most importantly, cards, to give you the answers you're looking for.
Can't figure out what you should do about that messy friend situation? Wanna know how your crush feels about you? Need some guidance on dealing with your family? The cards are here to give you the answers you've been looking for. This box set brings together Sami Main's fun, comprehensive tarot guidebook and Marisa de la Pena's gorgeously illustrated deck in one deluxe edition that will give you everything you need to make tarot work for YOU.
This box set includes:
* Large keepsake box with lifting ribbon
* 78 full-color tarot cards in elegant compact box
* Illustrated full-color 240 page guidebook
How to Deal is available now. You can see the unboxing and silent flickthrough videos on TikTok.
I didn't realise it until I opened the set, but I've read this book before! I recognised the author's name but thought it was a completely new kit. However, the cards are new, which makes this a whole new experience.
The box is just a little smaller in size and height than a standard book, but it's quite thick. It opens with a magnetic closure on the right hand side. The first thing you see is a LWB - a slimmed down version of the original book. I've gone through them page for page and the new book is exactly like the old one, bar one chapter header that's been accidentally duplicated. Otherwise it's word for word and image for image the same.
Under the LWB is a well with the deck, secured in another box to keep them safe.
I remember thinking, when I worked through this book the first time, that I wished the card images were available as a deck. They're RWS based, but not traditional; they're more like folk art, with bold, bright designs and basic backgrounds. I'm not sure I could recommend them to a complete beginner as some of the designs are quite far from the RWS: but for someone who knows the cards, or as an art piece, these are amazing. When I first took them out of the box, the cards were quite sticky, clinging to each other, but some shuffling and handling has cleared that up and they slide and move with no problems now. Majors have their name across the bottom and their number, in Arabic, at the top; Minors have their name across the bottom.
Here's a sample of the artwork:
In person the colour gradient from blue at the top to pink at the bottom is more obvious than it appears here.
The book! There's an introduction by Sami about the tarot and how to use it, then we're straight into the cards. Starting with the Minors, there's a brief explanation of what each suit stands for, a full page image of each card and an explanation. Sami's a good writer, keeping the meanings light and full of pop culture references. At the end of each suit and the end of the Majors there's a few exercises to see how well we've absorbed the lessons.
The final chapter is layouts and general advice. This is where the only mention of reversals shows up; Sami advises us to be careful when shuffling so that there are no reversals to worry about. That's all there is, which seems like a gap in the book! There are eight spreads, going from the one card draw to the ten card Celtic Cross. I've enjoyed trying a few of them!
My querants found the cards very accurate, but didn't particularly like the artwork, so that would be something to keep in mind if you're using the deck to read for others. Also remember that the card backs are not reversible, which may be an issue for you.
I've enjoyed using this deck and I love the book - Sami has some great insights that I haven't seen before and have added to my mental list of meanings. I highly recommend this if you're looking for something light and fun.
How to Deal Deck Set is available now. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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