The Wild Unknown Pocket Tarot

Beautiful cards! Size does not detract and the images read perfectly for personal or intimate readings. Probably not the best if you were doing something with a room full of friends but that's not a big part of my self-reflective practice anyways and if you are doing party readings you probably already know whether or not you'll like this pocket deck.Card stock feels right for a product of this size and price. It is more than sufficient to handle some riffle or overhand shuffles and deal cards, it doesn't have to be able to take the abuse of faro shuffles or strong packet bends and most people who aren't cardists or card collectors probably won't remark on it at all. Think nice mail advert or postcard stock with a very slightly rough edge that will soften and break in with time. It's not luxurious art paper, nor does it have the wonderful cushion, slide and facility of a playing card deck by USPCC, but those are not needed in a workhorse tarot deck. And make no mistake, this thing is a workhorse. Gorgeous and deeply evocative imagery in the loose tradition of Rider-Waite-Smith in a easy to carry, easy to keep close, hard to get precious about, package. I love these cards, and part of that love is the joy of using them and not feeling trapped by a materialistic desire to keep them pristine. It encourages you to actually consult the cards, whether your use is divinitory, reflective or imaginative.One thing to note for new readers is that some of the associations are looser and less explicit to the "traditional" readings frequently taught for the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, so some may find it easier to learn those meanings and how to make connections between cards with a deck that is more directly visually inspired by the Rider-Waite-Smith cards and be able to take stronger advantage of a world of writing. Having said that, your own sense of inspiration and dedication can see you through if these are the cards you want. What I would caution against is gifting this deck to someone else as their first deck unless they expressed strong interest first.My cards did weirdly arrive out of order, with the Wands and Cups somewhat intermingled and reversed (see full spread picture for the order received in the box). You can see the order returned to normal by the suit of Swords. Could be a packaging error, but I'm not sure how the factory would have both scrambled and reversed the cards. It may be that I got someone's returned deck, but as there is no damage to the cards and I am happy with the quality of the deck, I'm not raising any kind of fuss. It did arrive shrink wrapped.Other pictures included to communicate the size, which is a bit smaller than a poker card, basically the same size as a business card. What's nice is this size allows for a mousepad to be used easily for up to two rows of 4 card spreads and feels positively roomy for a 3 card. Thickness of the deck a bit thicker than a traditional deck of cards (52 suit cards + 2 jokers + 2 advert cards = 56 vs the tarot 78), but the tin is quite a bit thicker to accommodate the guidebook. The guidebook included is the cutest thing and the fact that it's a full book instead of a small fold-out sheet feels very luxe. More practically, if you do want to slog through this as your first deck, there's a bit more to build on to stoke your intuitive readings and more experienced readers can infer a bit more about the choices linking art and meaning. Very personally, I might have actually preferred the tradeoff of a thinner tin and including a link to a PDF guidebook. On the flip side, you can replace the small book with a reading cloth if you're into that. On that note, the easiest and smoothest way to get the cards out of the tin is to invert the cards out onto your palm, and the easiest way to get the cards back in is to reverse the operation: with the cards held in your palm, place the tin down over the cards as if it was a lid and flip the whole thing over.At the time of this review, MSRP is $18 and it's selling for about $13, with the full size deck selling for about twice that at $26. Both these prices are an incredible value on what amounts to 78 beatiful art prints. No shade if the big size represents a better value to you for the larger art to pore over, but if you are looking for an inspiring deck for yourself to use regularly, look no further. All in all, wonderful addition to the tarot world that I'm sure will see lots of use.

high quality cards and awesome art.

Adore these cards! I much prefer the pocket size, even though the card stock is slightly less sturdy on these. The regular size deck is too big and not as easy to store along with the big book.

I fell in love with this deck card by card when they've come up in readings I've been given. When I started looking for a deck of my own, I kept being drawn to this one not even knowing what it was the same, but I'd been told it wasn't easy for beginners to learn. I finally got it anyway, and I'm very glad I did.Take a course or two on your own, and take the time to really "get to know" this deck and its energy. I don't have the cards memorized yet by any means, but rather than immediately going to the book, I refer to generic meanings for the suit, numbers, court cards, and major arcana, and then see how it applies to my question. THEN I turn to the book for more insight if I need it.This mini deck is great for folks like me with little hands. It is actually a little smaller than a standard deck of cards. The storage tin is gorgeous, but I don't recommend putting it under your pillow like is suggested with other decks. LOL I kept mine on the nightstand instead, because I didn't want to crease or lose the cards by taking them out to sleep with them.

As someone with smaller hands, I love the smallness of this deck. It definitely needs a gentler touch than others, but that's fine for me. And the book truly is just a tiny version of the full sized book. Full explanations - and explanations that I love. In addition to the beautiful artwork, I connected instantly with her clear and concise words.I saw someone complain in a review about the rainbows included in some of the cards. I feel very much the opposite. The color adds to the beauty of the deck, lending a bit of magic to the stark - though beautiful - artwork.I connected easily with this deck and it could very well be my new favorite!

Keep in mind this isn't a deck for beginners persay as the images and the elements aren't in the R/W/S tradition.That being said it's a great mini deck you can take along and do readings with on the go and or last minute with.I love the tin as it protects the cards from bending etc. in your bag and or whatever you need to transport them in.I love the images because they aren't traditional and I like they definitely stimulate my intuition as I do readings with them.The card stock is adequate and they seem to hold up as I've been riffle shuffling them for a few months now.

the cards are very beautiful, I love this deck. The packaging is cool, a wonderful book with the author's explanations. It's a pity, of course, that all the frames are crooked, the cutting is sloppy. I decided not to change, although of course I expected more from the cards from Amazon. Let the manufacturer adjust his machine and make high-quality cards, I think this will please future buyers. But thank you for all your service and fast delivery.

I already owned the full size deck… loved it so much I bought this smaller sized deck