The Last of My Spring Cleaning... A May Wrap Up

Hello all and welcome to a new blog offering I am introducing: The Monthly Wrap Up. As I sat and started to think further about my offerings here on this little website of mine, I realized I talk a lot about what decks I'm using, the books I'm reading, etc. it just kinda... stopped there. And I said to myself "Self... What's the point of listing these decks if you don't show them off or give your opinion. You're a queen after all, you always have an opinion." And so I decided to take my own advice to heart and offer you my opinions, reviews, and even come clean about a few things from the previous month...

Honest Review: Dog Tarot

Let's start out first with Dog Tarot by Megan Lynn Kott. Megan Lynn Kott has created some fun pet based decks like Cat Tarot, Pawmistry: Unlocking The Secrets of the Universe with Cats, and Kitten Oracle. Her creations are cheeky and light-hearted which makes them fun to pick up and read through. My husband purchased Dog Tarot for me because of our mutual love of animals. And I was excited to pick up these bestest cards and work with them. Where this deck really shines for me is in the Major Arcana. Some of my favorite cards from the Major Arcana are (with descriptions):

0 - The Fool - The Fool is a puppy!! And is staring right at you with those puppy dog eyes holding a leash in his little mouth, pleading for you to go on an adventure. Here we see a change up where in the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith the dog is the one warning the Fool of the cliff; now what I imagine is the same poochy is here saying "let's go!:

VIII - Strength - If you have any size doggo, the Strength card will signal a very familiar experience: the tug o' war. Strength is very much that but adding a canine element brings to mind that a struggle or tug of war can be a fun experience as much as it can be a chore.

XV - The Devil - The Devil is certainly a cute one. But not in that Light Seer's handsome kind of way. The Devil in Dog Tarot is a tuxedo cat, looking at you with a curious yet annoyed look that only a cat can give. To be fair, it is a Tarot focused on doggos so... this does make sense.

XIX - The Sun - This is probably the cutest card in the entire deck. It's a Corgi Butt!!! And I mean... who doesn't love a corgi butt?? (seriously if you don't love a cute corgi butt... I have no words). The corgi in the card is facing the sun, but doing an upward facing dog pose surrounded by sunflowers.

My biggest criticism of Dog Tarot lies with the Minor Arcana. I appreciate Megan Lynn Kott bringing an element of creativity with the Minors and their respective suits:

• Wands are represented by Sticks

• Cups are represented by Collars and Leashes

• Swords are represented by Treats

• Pentacles are represented as Toys

The little white book that comes with the deck does a great job of explaining these choices however the art work definitely takes liberty with the scenes depicted in the cards. Now the Minors don't have their names or titles on them, just the Major Arcana and the Court Cards. I found myself relying heavily on the book to recall which card is which because it is such a change from the RWS artwork. Truthfully though, that is my only criticism: I would have liked to see the names on the card to help with my interpretation and worry less about looking it up in the book.

All in all Dog Tarot is a fun and light-hearted Tarot deck that I feel is great for the animal lovers wanting to dabble in the Tarot.

Honest Review: The Chinese Five Element Oracle and Conjure Cards

Here's where I get to come clean... I totally did not touch the Conjure Cards by Jake Richards. Mainly because while the system is awesome for it's brutal honesty... it takes a bit of study. This isn't a system to just pick up and run with intuitively. But that is also it's biggest draw too... It takes practice and learning but also offers very on-the-nose insights. By contrast I have worked a lot with the Oracle deck, the Chinese Five Element Oracle by Vicki Iskandar. Based around the Chinese Zodiac, including the five elements of earth, fire, water, wood and metal, this deck has been perfect for week reviews and weekend energy. One- or Three- card pulls seem to work best for this Oracle.

Honest Review: Mastering the Tarot Tableau by Toni Savory

So originally my plan was to read Have Tarot Will Party by Jenna Matlin and Tarot Life Lessons by Julia Gordon-Bramer... But that quickly fell to the wayside because my good friend Toni Savory's book Mastering the Tarot Tableau came out!! In this book, Toni offers a new way to view your Tarot readings utilizing techniques often found in Lenormand and Kipper, like directionality, taking into account where the figures are looking, and how a card's vicinity effects the focal card. It's a unique look at the Tarot and I've already started putting it into my own practice and seen my accuracy boosted! This is truly a great addition to the bookshelf!

And there you have it... my honest reviews for the books and decks I've worked with in May.

As a reminder my book Read Like A Queen: Real-Life Insights to SLAY Your Tarot Practice is now available for preorder!! Please snag your copy now and you'll receive a bonus gift from me! Just email a copy of your receipt to queenofglamtarot@gmail.com and I'll send you a free 30-minute workshop on my Flow Tableau reading style.

For those of you wanting a Flow Tableau reading with me you can secure a time on my Booking Page for a live Zoom reading.

I look forward to June's Offerings... Let's say there will be a lot of Rainbows!

Make it a Magickal Day! -Stella B