Doreen Virtue's Angel Tarot

[Laura Borealis]

Originally Posted by Zezina

I'm disappointed that 6 of the Archangels appear to have been used twice in the Major Arcana, and Michael has been used 3 times. That seems a bit untidy to me, as there are at least 7 more Archangels who could have been used, and I'd have felt comfortable with 22 different Archangels. Which reminds me, there are only 21 on that list, so which one matches The Fool?

Oh but you see, Doreen and Radleigh and their little dog Valentine meditated on it, and received those Archangels for those cards. The other Archangels were out getting a colon cleansing done at the time.

[Milfoil]

If this deck had been created by anyone else but DV perhaps it would have gained a passing glance and then largely ignored but this raises a very good point. The very fact that the author's track record both positively and negatively affects the way in which the deck is accepted is important. For me, if a person has proved themselves to be profoundly and fundamentally flawed and dishonest in several key aspects of their life and work then I cannot, with any conscience, wish to learn those same things from them. This, therefore has a marked effect on the validity of their work or produce.

I too was under the impression that Angels, in their more widely understood, historical aspects, were not as the US publicity machine would have us think. They are not all white winged, good, safe and gentle protectors from God but neutral, pure force like the elements. Dumbing this down for people does them a disservice and essentially spreads lies.

Since nobody can prove or disprove the existence of Angels, unicorns, fairies etc, the whole deck is just as plausible as many others on the market. I do agree with Le Fanu though, this is the kind of thing which would be more embarrassing to admit to owning (for me) than porn on the coffee table. Essentially it sells everything, including the entities it portrays and the audience which it is aimed at so short.

[TreeLeafe]

I got my copy in. It's still in shrinkwrap but I'll I guess give some short impressions.

Firstly, it's in one of those hard boxes most her decks come in. This one though is much larger in size. Not something I'd carry in my purse for sure.

The LWB that's included with all her decks is there. This one's a little bit thicker as well. I scanned through it briefly and it seems that she gives a wonderful opinion of traditional tarot, but explains that some people may be intimidated by terminology.

The cards are huge (And for someone with small hands I sit here silently swearing...) They're the same size as her oracle cards. So in reality this thing is starting to look like a giant brick. Again this probably will not be a deck I chuck into my purse on a whim. In fact I'm finding it hard to even scan through the cards with one portion of the deck in one hand and thumbing a card to the next.

Cardstock is glossyish similar to her oracles.

The subtitles at the bottom of the cards are pretty decent. Honestly they're not too fluffified. For example: The Ten of Fire "Too much work. Accept Help from others. Life is out of balance. Stress related health concerns" Which, to me the ten of wands has always been someone who's weighed down by something. In fact where the two of pentacles, I always see as balance, she finds that it deals with the need to make a decision or indecision.

All in all... I like it! I love the artwork, and don't exactly disagree with her card meanings.

So to sum it up:

Pros: Not as "Fluff" as her decks are marketed as being. A true 78 card tarot. Sturdy cardstock.
Cons: Uncomfortable to handle for smaller hands, card meanings at bottom of the card, Each suit has a specific color border which can be lead to worries over subconsciously avoiding some suits.

Honestly, I'm at a point in my life where I'm learning to not care about others opinions. So it really doesn't bother me to get caught with this deck. So I'm going to retire my Steampunk for now and find a way to fit this deck in my purse.

[Laura Borealis]

Originally Posted by TreeLeafe

The cards are huge (And for someone with small hands I sit here silently swearing...) They're the same size as her oracle cards. So in reality this thing is starting to look like a giant brick. Again this probably will not be a deck I chuck into my purse on a whim. In fact I'm finding it hard to even scan through the cards with one portion of the deck in one hand and thumbing a card to the next.

....

...So I'm going to retire my Steampunk for now and find a way to fit this deck in my purse.

It looks like a good candidate for trimming, if you don't mind losing the interpretations. I'm thinking trim off the bottom and the sides, but leave the titles on. Round corners off and there you go.

[WhiteWolfy]

Thanks TreeLeafe!! I await my deck with anticipation now!

I want it and i am getting it and like you i am not at all fussed about what people think and i would certainly leave this deck on my coffee table...

Variety is the spice of life... as they say

Thanks for the heads up!!

[TreeLeafe]

Originally Posted by Laura Borealis

It looks like a good candidate for trimming, if you don't mind losing the interpretations. I'm thinking trim off the bottom and the sides, but leave the titles on. Round corners off and there you go.

I would trim it but I can almost guarantee the cards would come out uneven for me. I'm just horrible at detailed crafts.

I do find the subtitles a pain. I'd love to use this deck for someone in person but I'm afraid if my interpretation is different that they're going to read the subtitle and begin inquiring about the inconsistency. For someone who is familiar with tarot I don't think a short explanation would be an issue but for a newbie they might not want to let go the fact that their reader is saying something different than the 'expert' who made the deck.

But privately I actually enjoy them as they give me a different look at a cards meaning.

ETA: I compared this deck to my Llewellyn ed. Gaian (which I thought was big, although I love it's card size) and this deck is almost twice the height of it.

[Laura Borealis]

Originally Posted by TreeLeafe

I would trim it but I can almost guarantee the cards would come out uneven for me. I'm just horrible at detailed crafts.

Yeah, I don't trim decks because I know I'd hate it if I got them uneven. Also, usually it will mess up the back design in some way. I don't remember what the backs of these looked like (or if you can even see them in the video - and I'm too lazy to watch it again to see).

[Alamaris]

Are there any scans available yet? I'm thinking of buying this deck for me mum, who is an angels-and-fairies nut, but I'd like to see some more images first. She's a picky lady!

[HOLMES]

there is a you tube video of it,, and a link to the video on the first page.

unless they send a deck for solandia to scan,, it will probaly be the only images of the deck you can see.

[Alamaris]

Originally Posted by HOLMES

there is a you tube video of it,, and a link to the video on the first page.

unless they send a deck for solandia to scan,, it will probaly be the only images of the deck you can see.

I suspected as much.

I shall go view the video, I forgot about it! Thank you!