Deck Review: Mystic Dreamer Tarot

Heidi Darras (artist) and Barbara Moore (companion book author), Mystic Dreamer Tarot. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Worldwide, 2008. ISBN: 9780738714363. (Link to publisher)

Genre: divination, card decks

Promotional photo from publisher

Subgenre: Tarot, dreams
Format: box set with 78 cards and companion paperback book
Source: I own this.

This is the deck I used during June 2020 and that some of  you may have seen in my daily card draws on some social media. I had it for a while, and I finally decided to give it some time. On a side note, this was one of the last things I bought at Hastings before the company went bust.

Let's start with the companion book, The Dreamer's Journal written by Barbara Moore. The book is arranged as follows:

• Introductory notes from the author, the artist, and a small introduction. 
• Tarot deck basics. Three pages going over what is a Tarot deck and the basic structure. 
• Reading the cards. Five and a bit more pages on how to read the cards. Very basic. 
• Keeping a Tarot journal. I've kept a personal journal for years. When I started my Tarot journey, I started to keep a Tarot journal too. Naturally I am interested when Tarot books offer anything on Tarot journaling. Here Moore offers 13 prompts for Tarot journaling. 
• Spreads. Offers, in addition to the basic one, two, and three card spreads, the Celtic Cross (the must have spread in every other Tarot deck companion book), and fourteen additional spreads for topics like love and career. You get enough material here to get you started. 
• Dream work. This topic is the core of this dreamer deck. However, at four pages, it's pretty short. Goes over a bit on dream significance and symbols, a bit on dream reading, and a dream spread to help with dream interpretation. Given the theme of the deck, I would have expected a bit more content and substance in this section. If you want to do further dream work, you may want to add a dream interpretation and/or symbols book to supplement what you get here. 
• Major Arcana. You get a black and white card illustration, about two pages of text, and a small segment on "use your intuition" that gives two or three small questions for reflection and/or journaling. 
• Minor Arcana. Cards are presented Ace to Ten by suit. Layout and content similar to Major Arcana. 
• The Court Cards. Cards are presented Page, Knight, Queen, and King by suit. Layout and content similar to previous two sections. Personally, I prefer when the court cards are included with each suit in the Minor Arcana, but this was the author's and publisher's choice. 
• The book also features some lined pages throughout, usually at the end of chapters, for readers to take notes. 

The High Priestess-II

The book overall works and gives enough material and information to get started. For beginners, you get enough to get going. More advanced readers may find a lot of the book a bit too basic. I found the journaling prompts interesting with ideas to try later. I may try some of the spreads down the road and if I do, I may feature them on Alchemical Thoughts.  Card meanings in the book were good, with a bit of emphasis on dreams now and then. Naturally, if you read intuitively, you could skip the book. Personally, I found the book useful in supplementing my own card readings. I liked the book overall.

Next let's look at the cards. The common complaint with Llewellyn decks is their notoriously thin cardstock. I know; I've bough enough of their decks to agree. Surprisingly, the cardstock on this deck is a bit thicker than usual. At least, it feels that way. The cards feel a bit firmer than usual. I am not sure what the reason is, but I appreciate it. The cards measure 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches give or take, the usual Llewellyn size.

Card art is colorful and evocative. The deck does have a dreamy quality to it, so if you do dream

Queen of Swords. 

work, this deck may be a good choice. Art is pretty much within the Rider Waite Smith (RWS) tradition, so it works if you read in RWS. The deck also works well for intuitive readers. It is colorful, though not bright. I'd say it is a good deck to use if you do your card readings in the evening. It is also a good fall and winter deck, but you can use it year round. I did work with it in June, but I think it is better suited to fall and winter seasons. The cards do have a border that gives a bit of a weathered, antique look. I am OK with it, but the border may be an issue for some Tarotistas. The Major Arcana cards are identified by Roman numeral and name. Strength is VIII, and Justice is XI in this deck. Minor Arcana are identified by Arabic numeral and suit, example "2 of Cups" (yes, instead of writing out the numeral- two, for example- like most decks, they use the number). Court cards are identified by suit and name.

Overall, I really liked this deck, and I enjoyed using it. I get good readings from it, and it does invite reflection for me. I am glad to have it in my collection, and I'd consider getting a back up copy. The companion book is not great, but it is good and supplements the deck well enough. It's a good deck for everyday use, best for fall and winter.

4 out of 5 stars for the kit overall.

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Additional reading notes from the book:

The artist on how the deck was created:

"The deck itself is photo-manipulated, which means that the cards were created from lots of different photos. Different pieces were used to create new landscapes" (xvii). 

The book is only a guide:

"But this book is only a map and only a small flashlight. Those who read this book and those who deal these cards will create their own journey. And each experience will be be unique" (xx). 

The book and deck qualify for these 2020 Reading Challenges:

Note: Except for the promotional photo, card photos are from my personal copy of the deck.