When I was 10 years old I was introduced to my first addiction. Tarot decks.

As someone who has always been very visually inclined it was no surprise to me that I picked up on reading tarot, and later oracle decks, with a lot of ease. I never felt the need to really memorize card meanings because, unbeknownst to me at the time, I was actually highly clairvoyant. Seeing things in the cards would be the way I would read for the rest of my life.

This came with a downside though. My love of art and the visual aspect of tarot meant that I would always be drawn to the next new shiny thing that crossed my path. Couple that with my inability to hold myself back when I really want something and you have a recipe for someone becoming a massive tarot collector.

There have been times in my tarot career where at a single time I’ve owned more than 200 tarot and oracle decks.  Recently I shared a picture on Instagram and my personal Facebook page of my current deck storage and collection and the inevitable questions came in.

“What decks are your favorites?”
“How many decks do you have?”
“Are there any decks you want that you don’t have?”
“What decks do you recommend for a newbie?”

The big question I got the most was about what decks are my favorites and I decided that in the weeks coming up {sometime in July} I’ll do a video talking about my Top 10 decks and do mini reviews of them.

Today I wanted to share a little bit of a different kind of deck round up. I wanted to talk about the idea of luxe tarot decks and creating a luxury reading experience for yourself or others.

For me, a luxe deck needs to have two things:
A special tactile feel
A special visual feel

The tactile feel means thick cards. Cards that you aren’t afraid to shuffle. They might have a special finish to them to make them matte or glossy. They don’t wear easily and they don’t chip or split around the edges as you use them more and more.

The visual feel is something that, for me, means a deck just draws me in. That doesn’t have to mean the art is extremely intricate, as you see from one of the decks I’ll share. It simply has to be different. It should be unique and convey that sense of lushness and luxury with the colors and images used throughout.

A luxe deck begs to be used.  A luxe deck creates a real experience from start to finish when you use it.

A luxe deck is one that is truly a luxury to own sometimes. Some of these decks can cost $50 or more unless they get picked up and later mass produced by a publishing house like Llewellyn or U.S. Games. But I think that when this happens it stopes being luxe because often things about the cards change. The card size and quality is often the first thing to go what this happens.

You don’t have to own a ton of special luxe decks to be a tarot slinging luxe spirit babe. One will do the trick. But it should be one that really and truly creates something special for you and anyone that you use that deck with.

With each of the decks below I’ve compared the same cards to give you an idea of the different feel from deck to deck. You’ll see the back of the deck then for each deck you’ll see The High Priestess, Six of Cups and The Tower.

 

Top 5 Luxe Tarot Decks

 

#5 – The Tarot of the Hidden Realm by Barbara Moore and Julia Jeffery

Two decks on this list are from major deck publisher and this is the first of them. This deck is a truly beautiful bit of art for anyone who wants something a little different, well balanced with light and dark energy, but also very engaging and a little refined. The art by Julia Jeffery is spectacular and very lush. This is deck that really pulls you into the imagery with the various levels of light, shadow and depth used in the art.  The copper boarders for the card titles are beautiful and the type has a nice, elegant engraved feeling. The only issue with the deck and the reason it rates #5 on the list is that, in typically Llewellyn fashion in recent years, that cards are a little on the thin side.

 

#4 The Bohemian Gothic Tarot by Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov

Every year during the month of October I offer a special Halloween themed tarot reading by email where I let the client pick from a handful of decks that have a darker or flat out Halloween theme to them. Every year without any real competition this is the deck that gets chosen the most. While the deck definitely has a darker overall feel to it, the art is very evocative, immersive and simply stunning.  The cards are thick and luxurious to hold and shuffle. The backs have a beautiful pearlized finished to them making the silver and black backing image glint just a touch in the light. Working with these cards is an absolute delight, and while they may not be ideal for every reading situation for every reader, they are excellent as a seasonal tool.

 

#3 – The BoneFire Tarot by Gabrielle Angus-West

This is a deck for the Spirit Babe who really wants something different, edgy and unique. The BoneFire Tarot has a basis in the traditional Rider-Waite Smith meanings but the art goes in a different direction to depict those meanings at times. The cards are smaller than your average deck which makes these great for carrying in your bag or traveling. The deck is self published and comes in a hand-sewn felt pouch for storage. The cards are sturdy but easy to shuffle and with their smaller size are great for babes with smaller hands. The cards have a great matte glossy texture and finish making them wonderful to touch. The art is reminiscent of Sailor Jerry style tattoo art. While the deck has been sold out for a few years, you can still see the images of many of the cards on the deck website. And, like with many out of print decks in the tarot world, if you want it bad enough you can usually find someone will to sell or trade a deck if you hit up the bigger tarot forums.

 

#2 – The Dreaming Way Tarot by Rome Choi and Kwon Shina

This is the second of the decks by a large publisher on the list. This one is produced by U.S. Games and a bit better card quality than the Llewellyn deck{s}. The cards themselves aren’t thick or thin but a sort of middle ground that shuffles easily but also bends easily too. These cards do need to be reshaped after a handful of shuffles. The finish on the cards isn’t anything terribly special but the cards do have a bit of a feel to them that still manages to stand out making them feel nice in the hands. The art is very beautiful and very luxe. Looking at this always makes me feel like I’m looking at the conceptual sketches in a fashion designer’s art book. The backing even has a fashion pattern style to it. The mix of watercolor and line art has a beautiful sophistication that makes this great for the luxe babe that wants to read tarot while staying super classy.

 

And finally…

 

#1 – The Wild Unknown Tarot by Kim Krans

Without a doubt, if you want a luxe tarot deck, you have to pick up a copy of The Wild Unknown Tarot. It’s one of the most unique but immersive decks with a beautiful blend of line art and watercolor pop to draw you in. The cards are thick and withstand a good shuffling. They have a fantastic matte glossy finish that feels so good to the touch and look beautiful. The cards follow RWS meanings with a very unique and earthy approach.

The cards come in a hard keepsake box with a ribbon on the bottom for easy storage and removal. The box is even beautiful! These cards don’t shy away from some of the darker aspects of some of the cards, and instead make us confront them with art depicting worms and eyeballs in creepy dance together. The Wild Unknown turns a tarot reading into a ritual and begs to treated as more than just tool.

If I was to pick one thing about the deck that I’m not a big fan of it’s just how thick the cards are – its a blessing and a curse. It means the cards are going to last many shuffles over time but the are also a little hard to shuffle if you’re a riffle style shuffler like me. These cards need a poker shuffle for sure.

 

What decks do have or have you used that you feel belong on a luxe tarot list?

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