Deck Review: Astrology Reading Cards

Alison Chester-Lambert (author) and Richard Crookes (illustrator), Astrology Reading Cards. Rochester, VT: Findhorn Press (imprint of Inner Traditions), 2012 ISBN: 978-1-84409-581-0. (Link to publisher.)

Genre: oracle cards

Subgenre: astrology, divination

Format: 36-card deck with companion book in box

Source: Found it a Half Price Books for a good price, so took a chance. I own it now. 

This deck kit includes 36 cards and a companion book. The book is arranged as follows: 

• How to read the cards. Some tips on how to read the cards. This deck's cards are divided into three sets: Planet, Zodiac, and House cards. This section briefly explains what each set represents and gives some instruction on how to read the cards. 
• How to do the Astrology Reading Cards Work? A bit here on how the cards work. This is a broader look at the unconscious and how it connects to astrology. 
• The Planet Cards.
• The Zodiac Sign Cards.
• The House Cards. 
• Notes on the origins of the cards. This is an artist statement on how the deck was developed. It also features some notes on specific cards.
   

The book is informative and helpful. All card entries feature a full color image of the card and a page of text. Text gives you an interpretation with some discussion of a card's symbols. Test is easy to read, and it is not heavy on esoterica. If you are starting out with astrology or maybe adding some astrology to your cartomancy, the text is helpful. 

The card art is a bit of a mosaic style. I'd say it is very astral, suited to the deck's concept. It is nice and colorful. The cards feature the card name, art, and a small message text. The text is a bit like flash cards, keywords to help you trigger your intuition and remind you what the card represents. If you read cards intuitively, you can do it with this deck. I still suggest you read the book. I did, and I found it helpful. I am very much a beginner when it comes to astrology, and I found I could easily use this deck. You can do what I did, and shuffle all the cards together for single card draws. You can also keep the cards in their sets and do readings as suggested. You get some options in using the cards. 

Overall, I really liked this deck. It's a deck that works well, and you can use it on its own or use it with other decks. The deck is illustrated by Richard Crookes, who also illustrated the Divination of the Ancients Oracle (link to my review) and authored the Tai Chi Reflections deck (link to review). 

4 out of 5 stars. 

This kit qualifies for the following 2024 Reading Challenges: 

Deck Review: Tai Chi Reflections Deck

Richard Crookes, Tai Chi Reflections deck. Rochester, VT: Findhorn Press (Imprint of Inner Traditions), ISBN: 9781844096695.  

Image featuring some of the deck's cards, from author website.

 

A side note: Link to author's website, where he informs us that sadly it has gone out of print, so I feel lucky to have found it. Turns out this author, who is also an illustrator, has done other decks that I have used and enjoyed such as the Divination of the Ancients Oracle Cards (link to my review). I did not realize right away he was the illustrator, but that is due in part to (certain) publishers' frequent bad habit of not putting illustrator names prominently on decks. Anyhow, if you look at his website, on the decks list I linked, he has done some work for Rockpool Publishing, so if you have one of their decks, odds may be he illustrated it. So on with the review.

Retrospection card, front. Photo from my deck.

This is a set of 48 cards with a small companion book that uses Tai Chi and its forms as a tool for reflection and meditation. As the author notes in the book, this is not a deck to learn Tai Chi; you should find other sources for that, a teacher would be best. 

The book is arranged as follows: 

• Introduction where the author tells us about themselves, their learning and spiritual learning. Also tells us about the deck. 
• Using the Tai Chi Reflections cards. Some basic instructions for using the cards. The author notes the cards are not numbered. 
• Card entries are in alphabetical order by card name. The card entries include card name, card's message, and the interpretation.
   

The book text overall is very basic and easy to read. The interpretations are about a paragraph in length. Interpretations are concise and straightforward. They are meant to inspire your meditation and reflection. There is nothing complex nor highly esoteric in the book nor the cards. 

Back side of Retrospection card, from my deck.

The cards feature photos of Courtney Violet Bentley, a personal trainer and fitness expert, who models the poses. Each photo also has some artistic and colorful computer generated background. Th model is dressed simply in white and shows various Tai Chi positions. I'd say these are not deep cards, but they are nice to look at. The overall imagery does invite looking deeper for reflection and calm. The images can be calming and soothing. The cards overall are very colorful. This is not a divination deck. It is more a deck to draw a daily message for reflection and meditation. 

The cards measure about 5 1/2 inches by 3 3/4 inches. The front of the cards features the model showing the Tai Chi position with a keyword. The back of the cards has a short card message. This is one of those decks without a uniform back design. That did not bother me, but it may be an issue for some folks. The cards are borderless with a glossy finish; the cards slide and shuffle well enough. 

I really liked this deck for its simplicity. It evokes a sense of peace and calm when using it. When you just want a simple message on some nice cards that are not excessively ornate, this deck does the job. I am happy to have it in my collection. 

4 out of 5 stars. 

This kit qualifies for the following 2023 Reading Challenge: