Deck Review: Tarot of Sacred Kingdoms

Jennifer Agostini (writer) and Florian Bernard (illustrator), Tarot of Sacred Kingdoms. Earth Moon Magick, 2023.  

This independent deck kit comes with a small companion book and an 80-card deck. The two extra cards are The Phoenix and The Celestial Weaver. The extra cards are not numbered. You can either leave them in the deck, as I did, or you can remove them for your practice. 

The small book features 153 pages. The book features the following: 

• Introduction. This is a bit of an authors statement and description of the deck's concept. 
• Spreads. We get a 6 small spreads. We get the prompts, no spread diagrams. The authors encourage you to "place the cards in the way you are intuitively called to" (4). We get two 2-card spreads, two 3-card spreads, a 4-card spread, and a 6-card spread. 
• Major Arcana. Entries here include card name and number, three keywords, a small color image of a card, and interpretation text. Text length is a page to page and a half in length. 
• Minor Arcana. Entries are same as the Major Arcana entries. 
• Special cards. Entries about the same as other card entries. 
• The book also includes a QR code for a free meditation. I will note at this time I have not checked the QR code.

 

The World-XXI

Entries interpretation focus on a bit of advice and reflection. Text is easy to read, and the esoterica is kept to a minimum. The book has a good index to find card entries right away. The card illustration is a bit small, so it may not be easy if your vision is not great. Still, the book is a good read overall. It is a nice reading in the entries. It is a nice small book you can read cover to cover. The art on the cover features nice art too.

The cards are the reason to get this deck. Each card is truly a work of art. The art somewhat follows Rider Waite Smith (RWS), but it also has some interesting departures and differences. The art is very intuitive friendly. This is a deck intuitive readers can easily pick up and read right out of the box. It may be good for beginners, but I would recommend it more for intermediate and advanced readers. However, with some work a beginner could make a go with the deck. 

The art, beautiful as it is, is a bit on the dark side. I mean it can be a bit too shadowy at times. You may need to look closely to get a few details now and then. Overall deck features beautiful, colorful art that draws you in. If you do meditation with your cards, this deck is a great choice. It is a joy to look at the cards. I found the cards to be very responsive and easy to read. It give me clear readings, and they got me writing in my journal. 

The cards are done in a matte finish card stock, a bit on the thick side, so they feel durable. In addition, according to their website, the cards are made with recycled paper and soy-based ink. The card deck is edged in black. The card art has a very light line border that I think works well to highlight the art quality. All cards, except the two special cards, are numbered and identified by name with a simple, light print. 

At this time, the deck's retail price on their site is $69, which is usually a price out of my range, butt they had them on sale for $49 on Amazon and their site. I had a gift card, so I took a chance, and I am glad I did. This is a high quality deck that works well as a reader and as an art piece for collectors. 

Would I get a backup copy? Definitely yes. Would I buy another of their decks? I would. I was very satisfied, and I see myself using this deck again. I'd add it may also be a good deck for shadow work. For what you pay, this is as good or better than certain overpriced indie decks you see out there I won't mention. 

A solid 5 out of 5 stars.