Looking for light / angel recs for my mom

[aelinlovelace]

So, my Mom's birthday is coming up and this is the first since her husband (I refuse to call the man father) passed in December. Mom is what I would describe as a New Age-y Christian white witch. Mom used to be into the tarot before B, and she stopped because he insisted it was demonic or some bs. She has squeed over my Tarot and oracle collection, and I wish I could afford to get her the one I know she would love (The Last Unicorn deck but $100 is outside my budget lol). I remember when I was 15 and we went to Salem while visiting family, she went into all the witchy shops and cooed over the tarot decks and oracles. I asked why didn't she get one and she got this look and said, "It's not worth the argument with your dad."

 

So I would like to get her a tarot or oracle deck for her birthday now that she can have them without fearing abuse. Thing is, I tend toward the dark and shadow decks whereas she might be more comfortable with something on the "light" side of things, and I have no idea which decks are worthwhile. I want to avoid overly obvious pagan or goddess imagery but fantasy art themes are good. She likes fairies and pixies and unicorns. I know there have to exist some good angel oracles/tarots but I have only come across the stuff that's sickeningly sweet and feels inauthentic. I would like something that has a good guidebook, since she won't be familiar at this point. Oh, pretty art is a must, she does not care for the traditional RWS style.

 

 

What would folks recommend? This is an area I really don't have any idea where to start because it's not the kind of thing I'm drawn to at all, Thank you all so much for the help. Bright blessings,

 

[Raggydoll]

Anything by Doreen Virtue (her name is not on the boxes anymore but you can google it) or perhaps the Good tarot? And maybe the Universe got your back tarot. I have none of those decks so I can’t say what they are like but I have heard people say they like them. You could also do a search on YouTube for ‘hug decks’. I seem to remember that there was a hashtag for reviews of those kind of decks. Might be worth checking out. And maybe she’d like the Angels and ancestors oracle. It even has Jesus featured in it.

[stephanelli]

I can recommend The Good Tarot as well.  It's a gentle deck work gorgeous artwork that reads accurately for me.

 

The Guidebook isn't brilliant but it's okay and I find that you can go quite deep with using the keywords.

 

[Grace]

I second @Raggydoll recommendation for Doreen Virtue. I own this one, which is fairy themed. It was a gift and not my style at all, however the art is pretty detailed and has that almost children's book fantasy feel. The book that comes with it is quite substantial also (from memory- it's hidden somewhere in the junk room so I haven't used it in years). 

 

https://www.booktopia.com.au/fairy-tarot-cards-doreen-virtue/book/9781401945404.html

[katrinka]

The Connolly is an old favorite for people - both readers and clients - who like Tarot but might be a little squeamish about some of the traditional images. It follows RWS for the most part, but it has a pretty, stained glass look:
http://www.tarotpassages.com/connolly.htm

 

[Guest]

I second @katrinka recommendation for the Connelly tarot deck.  The other deck I would recommend is the Hanson-Roberts' Tarot.  At first it appears quite saccharine, but its not really.  There is some depth to it.  A lot of people like the Brian Fould's The Faeries Oracle. 

 

 

[geoxena]

The Crystal Visions tarot deck is pretty gentle and fairy-esque.  It's done in mostly pinks, purples, and reds, in a sort of storybook style with a bit of a fantasy vibe.  It's also got an extra card, "the Unknown."

 

 

Available here:

https://www.usgamesinc.com/Crystal-Visions-Tarot.html

 

 

Edited May 16, 2020 by geoxena

[reall]

I would recommend DV deck & book sets as best gifts quality & guidebook!:)

Imo Guardian Angel Tarot may be best for your mom at the moment (read my full review here: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/guardian-angel-tarot-cards/

 

Also Fairy Tarot Cards my fav for Best illustrations!:) Note it have glitters so may not be best for everyone!:) http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/fairy-tarot-cards/

 

Also Angel Tarot cards are classic & have great big guidebook sold separately!:) http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/angel-doreen-virtue/

 

Btw there is contraversy with DV *conversion so you may wish to check that out or try iPhone app 1st? 😉

 

& if you wish some other author think victorian fairy tarot have android app & these may be good as well: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/forest-of-enchantment-tarot/

 

 

& this (not sure about yhe book!:) http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/modern-witch-tarot/

 

 

 

[geoxena]

@aelinlovelace, besides the  Crystal Visions deck that I recommended earlier (I used to own that deck, so am familiar with it), there's another one I just noticed at US Games' website.  I never owned this one, but it's full of fairies, angels, unicorns, butterflies, dragonflies, etc., and from the pictures, it seems that the colors are mostly primary and secondary and deep (not pastels), so that might keep it from being too saccharine-sweet. Called Tarot of a Moon Garden, reviews and images at AT here (one review says the book is well-written): http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/tarot-of-a-moon-garden/

 

and the deck at US Games is here: https://www.usgamesinc.com/Tarot-of-a-Moon-Garden.html?category_id=2

 

I hope you come back and let us know what you decide to buy for your mother and if she likes it!

 

 

[Niobium]

A couple of lighter themed decks which are put out by major publishers (and so a little cheaper/easier to get hold of) include:

 

Shadowscapes Tarot - This is a wonderful watercolor deck by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law. Relatively inexpensive, and available with a guide book (as it's an 'off RWS' sort this could be handy). Card samples can be seen on the artist's site. (This only shows the majors but it's a full 78 card deck.)

 

Paulina Tarot - Another light watercolor deck, with a stronger fae theme; here's some card samples.

 

Tarot Mucha - This is less fae and angels but I think might still qualify under your request for a lighter deck. Done in the style of Alphonse Mucha, it's a really lovely little deck.

 

Golden Art Nouveau Tarot - This is a little more classically RWS than the first two, but the art in it is very lovely and easy to relate to, I think. The gold illumination really makes things pop, too.

 

I have a lot of indie decks I could list but as you might expect the prices on those are significantly higher because...indie decks. These though are readily affordable and generally available as well.

[aelinlovelace]

I'm so sorry for the late response. Life kind of just exploded, then I injured my right hand to the point that I had to look into voice recognition software because I literally could not type with my right hand, and then and then and then...

 

My ex married partner (who my mom basically adopted, thankfully we get on very well) is going to go halfsies with me to get the Last Unicorn deck that she really loves, although it's going to be late because they are sold out of the wooden box add-on and it will be a few months before they have that back in stock.  I let her know her birthday gift would be late but I'm setting up her Kindle and personalizing it so that it will function as close to what she's used to on her laptop as possible, because she is prone to panic attacks when it's new and she doesn't know what to do, and she's considering that her birthday gift, lol.

 

When I was over for her birthday, she mentioned that my thankfully dead father burned her tarot cards. The other night, we got talking about tarot and Oracle decks and I started linking her Pinterest boards with the pictures with the cards so I could get an idea of what she liked. I was able to check out some of the recommendations on the Galaxy Oracle app on my tablet, and I couldn't find an angel deck that didn't have language that she would consider saccharine. Doreen Virtue would be like nails on chalkboard for my mom, but there's a couple that my sister would probably adore.

 

She likes the shadowscapes deck, tarot of the Hidden Realm, Crystal visions, and then I remembered that I had the sacred Rebels and Rumi Oracle decks by Alana Fairchild in app form. So I drew a card for her from both and took screenshots. She said the art was pretty but she really liked that the guidebook gave practical advice. I don't know why I didn't think of Alana Fairchild first because she's my go-to when I need something that's on the lighter side.

 

So, pretty art that's on the lighter side (she thought the dreams of Gaia was a bit creepy) and solid guide book with practical advice. I'm looking at Alana Fairchild's other decks, and think the white light Oracle would be a good fit,  and maybe the lightworker deck. Unfortunately those two aren't available in app form for me to check out the guide book first, because the sample for the lightworker deck included advice that had the wording of surrendering your life to the universe, which is dangerous on many levels as it was phrased. I know how mom thinks and she would just replace the universe with Jesus but there might be other stuff that she wouldn't catch. I really wish there were an easy way to preview the guide books.

 

 I can't offhand think of many who do the type of practical advice  that Fairchild does, does anybody have suggestions? 

 

Again thank you all so much. 🙂