It’s so funny to hear you describe the Fyodor Pavlov as a fairytale deck because as someone who is half Polish, that couldn’t be further from how I view it. To me, it’s a very comforting, homely ancestral deck, almost mundane in a way. It’s a deck that feels like it’s about the everyday lives of family I never got to meet. I see myself in it a lot, and so it feels incredibly grounded - which makes sense because the author is a queer trans Russian man, and I’m a queer A-gender person with Polish heritage. It’s so interesting how we lay our own points of reference onto decks, and shows the power and importance of having decks that you can personally relate and connect to.
A general tip for everyone is before buying new decks, really analyse what it would add to your collection and whether that niche has already been filled. There's always going to be something shiny and new, but if that niche is already filled to your satisfaction, it cuts down on the impulse to buy things just for the sake of getting something new.
Love your analysis, where you said “I buy the deck for the cards.” Absolutely well said! “Not the packaging; not the book”. While the packaging may be exquisite, and the book incomparable, you’ve distilled perfectly the reason a deck is chosen and kept in one’s collection.
I’m very interested in getting the Botanical Inspirations oracle deck. As a gardener, I am so in love with the imagery! The messages go with each plant so wonderfully!
Can you please do a video to explain in detail how you fixed the dream keepers card stock? I've never heard of anyone doing that and you are definitely the person I trust when it comes to deck mods over anyone else on the internet 😊
I probably mentioned it in whatever monthly wrap it was that I took that deck out of town with me. (I know that’s not super helpful, but I want to say it was around this time last year maybe?) I’ll see if I can work that into a video, it’s definitely easier to show than try to explain. 🥰
This video was really nice and useful, because when you compared differents decks, it can really help people making informed purchases. You didnt notice but when you were flipping the herbal astrology and the magickal botanical the mandrakes card of these two decks came out at the same time (30:40). (Love when this happen :) ) thank you for this cool video ❤
I trimmed off the red boarders of Goddess of Love and I still didn’t feel it. I think the overwhelming boarders kinda held it together. I gave it away as my old eyes also couldn’t red the pink text of the book either. I recently got the Lioness Oracle Tarot used (barely) at a witchy shop on vacation for $25! I did trim the boarders down just a hair (leaving half the white boarder all around) just to make it a usable size for my hands and I LOVE it. It clumps less, maybe just from shuffling, but I think because of the reduced surface area. And just ordered the beautiful Scarab & Dalia collage deck and can’t wait for that one. I really like Sacred Sisters too yet I never reach for it. Great video, thanks for sharing!
@@DawnMichelleTarotI will never understand why they gave the goddess of love such awful cardstock. It’s a deck about sensuality and pleasure - it should reflect that in the tactile experience! It’s absolutely possible to do for mass market so I just don’t get why they chose not to
Ooooooh this was fun! Oh noooo not the Fyodor Pavlov! LOL But when you compared to the Pagan Otherworlds I was like.. oh I get it. ;) FP is to me what PO is for others I think! :)
I’d actually love to hear how you “broke in” that copy of Dreamkeepers Tarot. I have a few decks that I absolutely love, except for the thick, stiff cardstock. I’ve tried repeatedly riffle shuffling smaller numbers of cards while watching TV, but it doesn’t seem to be working. Is there a trick to it?
I twisted and turned and rolled each of the cards to break down some of the fiber inside. It looks pretty bad at first and they are definitely not super flat anymore but they have this softer, fluffier feel now. 🥰
It’s really hard to explain lol but I kinda took each card and just bent it one way and then the other up and down the length of it break up the fibers inside. I’ll see if I can show it in a video sometime (although if you look back through my monthly practice videos to whatever month I used it in last, I might have showed it there too.) 😁
I absolutely love the artwork in the Goddess Of Love Tarot, but I can't deal with the borders, I always find red and white together looks very harsh, the red is also just too overpowering and it distracts form the stunning artwork, and the font is not the best, such a shame.
That one kinda made me sad cause I really like the art but it too many other things working against it. It’s in the rehome pile now. Thank you for watching. 🥰
I found it funny that you found 'cozy' and 'comfort' in the Tabletop. The Cozy Witch is all that to the point of being bland. The Table Top looked to me 'dramatic' with every card displaying theatrical flair like I see in the deck of The Golden Art Nouveau. I would never look at that (Table Top) and see it as 'cozy', but different folks, different strokes, different ways of looking at things. I very much agree with you on tactile choices. If a card doesn't feel right, I won't reach for it, even if I might prefer the aesthetics of another deck. It puts me off. I like the aesthetics of most of your decks. I find that they fall into a category of 'beautiful', almost 'too pretty?" to use? They almost sit there like 'aren't I gorgeous, admire me, than 'I'm ready to work with you, use me'. I don't know if you follow what I mean. I also agree with you on gilding. It feels overused to me and no longer special, and besides that, I don't like the idea of mixing metals and woods/metallic vs. plant fibre. I really enjoyed watching this video.
I think the “comfort” aspect for the Tabletop for me is familiarity with the world and the characters. 🥰 Yeah, I have lots of decks that want to be admired but not used lol. Thats a great way to put it!
I got the Cozy Witch because I liked it on TH-cam flip through. But when I opened it, the amount of disposable plastic on the images hit me hard and I just couldn't look at more than flipping it through during the unboxing. I knew I would not use it, and immediately gifted it.
I love this! It's great to see your initial reactions, but also shows how tastes can change :) I was wondering if the fyodor pavlov would go really well with the Lost Oracle coming out from rockpool (?) ? 🤨🫶
It’s so funny to hear you describe the Fyodor Pavlov as a fairytale deck because as someone who is half Polish, that couldn’t be further from how I view it. To me, it’s a very comforting, homely ancestral deck, almost mundane in a way. It’s a deck that feels like it’s about the everyday lives of family I never got to meet. I see myself in it a lot, and so it feels incredibly grounded - which makes sense because the author is a queer trans Russian man, and I’m a queer A-gender person with Polish heritage. It’s so interesting how we lay our own points of reference onto decks, and shows the power and importance of having decks that you can personally relate and connect to.
That’s so cool! I love the different layers we all bring. Like my Tabletop Tarot, I see that deck in a totally different way than most people do. 🥰
A general tip for everyone is before buying new decks, really analyse what it would add to your collection and whether that niche has already been filled.
There's always going to be something shiny and new, but if that niche is already filled to your satisfaction, it cuts down on the impulse to buy things just for the sake of getting something new.
That’s a great tip and something I need to do more myself. 🥰
Love your analysis, where you said “I buy the deck for the cards.” Absolutely well said!
“Not the packaging; not the book”. While the packaging may be exquisite, and the book incomparable, you’ve distilled perfectly the reason a deck is chosen and kept in one’s collection.
I’m very interested in getting the Botanical Inspirations oracle deck. As a gardener, I am so in love with the imagery! The messages go with each plant so wonderfully!
I really wish publishers would think more about the actual product and less about the packaging but sadly, that is not the type of world we live in. 😁
Really enjoyed this, thank you for sharing. I so need to do this with my collection, and I like how you compare them by flipping them side by side.
I think it really helps to look at them side by side. 🥰
I love how you explain everything 😂😂 “this is just my opinion, nobody asked “ 😂😂 you have a beautiful collection.
Hehe thank you. Sometimes people ask, but most the time I’m just throwing my thoughts out there. 😂
Can you please do a video to explain in detail how you fixed the dream keepers card stock? I've never heard of anyone doing that and you are definitely the person I trust when it comes to deck mods over anyone else on the internet 😊
I probably mentioned it in whatever monthly wrap it was that I took that deck out of town with me. (I know that’s not super helpful, but I want to say it was around this time last year maybe?) I’ll see if I can work that into a video, it’s definitely easier to show than try to explain. 🥰
This video was really nice and useful, because when you compared differents decks, it can really help people making informed purchases. You didnt notice but when you were flipping the herbal astrology and the magickal botanical the mandrakes card of these two decks came out at the same time (30:40). (Love when this happen :) ) thank you for this cool video ❤
Ooh I love it when that happens! I’ll have to go back and look. I’m so glad you enjoyed the video. 🥰
I love the trim you have done on Pagan Otherworld. ❤
I trimmed off the red boarders of Goddess of Love and I still didn’t feel it. I think the overwhelming boarders kinda held it together. I gave it away as my old eyes also couldn’t red the pink text of the book either. I recently got the Lioness Oracle Tarot used (barely) at a witchy shop on vacation for $25! I did trim the boarders down just a hair (leaving half the white boarder all around) just to make it a usable size for my hands and I LOVE it. It clumps less, maybe just from shuffling, but I think because of the reduced surface area. And just ordered the beautiful Scarab & Dalia collage deck and can’t wait for that one. I really like Sacred Sisters too yet I never reach for it. Great video, thanks for sharing!
Yeah I think it was a poor design choice and sadly there were other things that the deck had going against it too. It’s in the rehome pile now lol
@@DawnMichelleTarotI will never understand why they gave the goddess of love such awful cardstock. It’s a deck about sensuality and pleasure - it should reflect that in the tactile experience! It’s absolutely possible to do for mass market so I just don’t get why they chose not to
@@LearningToLinka yes, exactly!! It should feeeeeel good.
Love the pagan other world ❤
Ooooooh this was fun! Oh noooo not the Fyodor Pavlov! LOL But when you compared to the Pagan Otherworlds I was like.. oh I get it. ;) FP is to me what PO is for others I think! :)
Yeah I could totally see that! I think it’s also one of those things that I’ve put a lot of time and effort into my PO. 🥰
I’d actually love to hear how you “broke in” that copy of Dreamkeepers Tarot. I have a few decks that I absolutely love, except for the thick, stiff cardstock. I’ve tried repeatedly riffle shuffling smaller numbers of cards while watching TV, but it doesn’t seem to be working. Is there a trick to it?
I twisted and turned and rolled each of the cards to break down some of the fiber inside. It looks pretty bad at first and they are definitely not super flat anymore but they have this softer, fluffier feel now. 🥰
I would love to see the goddess of love trimmed down
I think I’ve seen a video or two where someone trimmed it. Might be worth a search on TH-cam for. 🥰
How did you break down the dream keepers tarot? I have 2 decks I FREAKING LOVE but one of them actually hurts my hands to shuffle. 😢
It’s really hard to explain lol but I kinda took each card and just bent it one way and then the other up and down the length of it break up the fibers inside. I’ll see if I can show it in a video sometime (although if you look back through my monthly practice videos to whatever month I used it in last, I might have showed it there too.) 😁
I absolutely love the artwork in the Goddess Of Love Tarot, but I can't deal with the borders, I always find red and white together looks very harsh, the red is also just too overpowering and it distracts form the stunning artwork, and the font is not the best, such a shame.
That one kinda made me sad cause I really like the art but it too many other things working against it. It’s in the rehome pile now. Thank you for watching. 🥰
Tarot aux ramures sauvage = Tarot of the wild antlers
Thank you!! 🥰 I can never remember the name.
I found it funny that you found 'cozy' and 'comfort' in the Tabletop. The Cozy Witch is all that to the point of being bland. The Table Top looked to me 'dramatic' with every card displaying theatrical flair like I see in the deck of The Golden Art Nouveau. I would never look at that (Table Top) and see it as 'cozy', but different folks, different strokes, different ways of looking at things. I very much agree with you on tactile choices. If a card doesn't feel right, I won't reach for it, even if I might prefer the aesthetics of another deck. It puts me off. I like the aesthetics of most of your decks. I find that they fall into a category of 'beautiful', almost 'too pretty?" to use? They almost sit there like 'aren't I gorgeous, admire me, than 'I'm ready to work with you, use me'. I don't know if you follow what I mean. I also agree with you on gilding. It feels overused to me and no longer special, and besides that, I don't like the idea of mixing metals and woods/metallic vs. plant fibre. I really enjoyed watching this video.
I think the “comfort” aspect for the Tabletop for me is familiarity with the world and the characters. 🥰 Yeah, I have lots of decks that want to be admired but not used lol. Thats a great way to put it!
I am glad someone else agrees with me about all that gilding going on lately. I am not a fan.
I hope that fad goes away again lol. I’m over it. 😆
Wow, you have some incredibly hard choices. Definitely the mystic dreamer and pagan other worlds should go.
Yeah I picked some tough ones to go head-to-head lol. It was a great experience though! 🥰
I so badly wanted to like the Cozy Witch tarot but I just couldn’t. The keywords on the cards were a big no for me.
They're legitimately awful. That combined with the cardstock being basically cardboard mean I never reach for it.
Same. Just didn’t quite click for me. I think I’m too old 😂
I don’t mind the keywords but the deck is so BIG 😩 I can’t shuffle it
I got the Cozy Witch because I liked it on TH-cam flip through. But when I opened it, the amount of disposable plastic on the images hit me hard and I just couldn't look at more than flipping it through during the unboxing. I knew I would not use it, and immediately gifted it.
I've vowed to not buy another photo collage deck because I have so many at this point.
Yeah I have a lot of them too. I feel ya there!
I enjoyed this so much! Can't wait for the next one 🩷 P.S. I finally read Legend and Lattes last month and really enjoyed it! ☕
Ooh so glad you enjoyed it! There’s a second one (technically a prequel) and it was lovely too! 🥰
I love this! It's great to see your initial reactions, but also shows how tastes can change :) I was wondering if the fyodor pavlov would go really well with the Lost Oracle coming out from rockpool (?) ? 🤨🫶