• Includes 78 full-color, gilt-edged cards featuring new interpretations of Pamela C. Smith’s iconic images
• The accompanying booklet presents a more intuitive interpretation approach by offering quick access to each card’s meaning through fundamental keywords
• Features a travel case with a magnetic closure that allows for easy handling and enhanced portability of this mini deck
Accessible to beginners and initiated alike, this new mini Tarot deck inspired by the style of the well-loved Rider Waite Smith Tarot offers a new interpretation of Pamela C. Smith’s iconic images by French illustrator Nicolas Galkowski.
Complemented by a 104-page booklet, the 78-card full-color deck features a novel approach to Tarot interpretation by offering the fundamental concepts of the cards in a way that combines tradition and intuition. Each card of both the Major and Minor Arcana is featured with three or four keywords and a few sentences that highlight the main aspects and meanings of the card. These brief yet evocative definitions, alongside original card spreads, enable you to arrive at an interpretation both personal and unique by allowing the space between the words to fill with your own inner knowing and insight into the issues and questions at hand. This accessible approach to the Tarot empowers you to dive deeper into personal development and open yourself to intuitive ways of perceiving and interpreting the world, as well as providing a path for engaging with other, more complex divination tools.
The smaller-sized, gilt-edged cards make for smooth handling while the sturdy case with magnetic closure will serve as an attractive ritual item on any altar as well as making this mini deck a perfect traveling companion.
You can see the unboxing on tiktok or youtube and the complete flickthrough is on youtube. I also did two spreads, the interview spread and a five card spread designed for the deck. You can watch the video review on tiktok or youtube.
I. First Impressions
Minor Arcana: Minor cards do not have their name, just their number in Roman across the top. Court cards have their names across the bottom (apart from the Knight of Swords in this deck! Printing error obviously, maybe the deck will be valuable sometime)
Spreads and Techniques: The book does include four spreads; a one card with some suggested questions; a three card with some suggested questions; and two different five card spreads. I've tried a couple and found them insightful!
IV. In Use
Suitability for Different Skill Levels: As an RWS-based deck, the art here is suitable for every level of reader. If you're a complete beginner, though, think about whether the keywords will be enough for you to learn with, or if you'd rather go for a deck with a more comprehensive guidebook. Either way, I recommend picking this one up for readings on the go, as it's perfect for that.
V. Overall Impression
Unboxing Experience: The Mini Tarot deck comes in a small box, held closed with a magnet on the right hand side. It's sturdy enough to be thrown into a bag or even a pocket to travel around with you. The box features artwork from a couple of different cards.
Artwork Style: These cards are very heavily based on Rider-Waite-Smith. The smaller size means that some of the finer details are gone, as you'll see below, but the colours are maybe a little brighter in the mini and the cards are perfectly readable.
Artwork Style: These cards are very heavily based on Rider-Waite-Smith. The smaller size means that some of the finer details are gone, as you'll see below, but the colours are maybe a little brighter in the mini and the cards are perfectly readable.
Cards feature this, non reversible back:
Major Arcana: In this deck Strength is at 8 and Justice at 11. If you're familiar with RWS, as many tarot readers are, there's nothing here to surprise you; you'll be able to read this deck with no difficulty. Major cards have their names printed across the bottom and their numbers, in Roman, across the top.
Minor Arcana: Minor cards do not have their name, just their number in Roman across the top. Court cards have their names across the bottom (apart from the Knight of Swords in this deck! Printing error obviously, maybe the deck will be valuable sometime)
Card Stock and Size: These mini cards are the perfect size to shuffle. They have a glossy finish and can, in fact, be slippery; I found that when I was laying them out, if I didn't put a cloth under them they might twist or slide with the breeze, or when my cat investigated them. It didn't happen to me but I can easily picture a shuffler losing control and finding the cards flying everywhere, so be careful when shuffling or laying them out.
III. The Guidebook
III. The Guidebook
Writing Style and Readability: This is a very stripped down book to match the mini deck. There's some guidance at the start about how to select and read your cards, and, as with the best decks, it does emphasise that the card meanings presented in the book are only suggestions, and that your intuition is the most important thing when reading.
Card Meanings: Very basic meanings here, as the guidebook is comparatively short. Each Major and Minor has an image of the card, three or four keywords, and a couple of sentences of suggested meanings. At the start of the Minors there's also a page explaining what each suit stands for.
Card Meanings: Very basic meanings here, as the guidebook is comparatively short. Each Major and Minor has an image of the card, three or four keywords, and a couple of sentences of suggested meanings. At the start of the Minors there's also a page explaining what each suit stands for.
Spreads and Techniques: The book does include four spreads; a one card with some suggested questions; a three card with some suggested questions; and two different five card spreads. I've tried a couple and found them insightful!
IV. In Use
Intuition and Connection: As these are RWS cards, the system most Tarot readers are familiar with, I found the images easy to read and understand. After using decks that felt more loosely connected to the RWS, this deck was like coming home! The slightly brighter colours made for a fun read, and the size of the cards was great.
Clarity of Readings: Surprisingly clear. When I started the five card spread linked above, I wasn't sure what we were reading about; by the second card I thought I knew, and by the third I was certain! As the interview spread suggested, this is a very intuitive deck, easily digging below the surface and turning up things I didn't know were there. My usual Querant agreed that there were several cards that she could pin to a specific situation this time around, and she thought the art was nice - almost like seventies' style cartoons!
Clarity of Readings: Surprisingly clear. When I started the five card spread linked above, I wasn't sure what we were reading about; by the second card I thought I knew, and by the third I was certain! As the interview spread suggested, this is a very intuitive deck, easily digging below the surface and turning up things I didn't know were there. My usual Querant agreed that there were several cards that she could pin to a specific situation this time around, and she thought the art was nice - almost like seventies' style cartoons!
Suitability for Different Skill Levels: As an RWS-based deck, the art here is suitable for every level of reader. If you're a complete beginner, though, think about whether the keywords will be enough for you to learn with, or if you'd rather go for a deck with a more comprehensive guidebook. Either way, I recommend picking this one up for readings on the go, as it's perfect for that.
V. Overall Impression
Strengths:
- RWS-based so will be familiar to most readers
- Small size is easy to handle
- Readings flow easily
Weaknesses:
- The glossy coat can make them hard to handle
- Some readers will find the keywords aren't enough for them
- Some readers may miss the fine detail in the illustrations
Final Thoughts
I have really enjoyed working with this deck! Some decks are too large for me to just pick up, shuffle through, examine idly, but this one is the right size for me. I've enjoyed the artwork and I found the readings were very accurate. If you're looking for an on-the-go deck, this is a great choice.
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