Hello, soul friends!
I wanted to start off a section on my website where I review card decks that I have used over the years. I have owned over 75 various decks (currently own about 65), and thought I would write some of my notes, experiences, personal opinions, and information on the decks for anyone out there looking for suggestions. Diving into the world of decks can be a bit scary, fun, and also at times overwhelming with the sheer amount of choices.
There are various differences to the types of card decks people use, but the most common ones are Tarot, Oracle, and Lenormand. Over the years, I have come to collect various and eclectic decks ranging in artistic style and type. I always purchase what grabs my attention, and have learned that my aesthetic is not for everyone. So, as always, purchase what you feel guided to use for yourself.
I am just expressing my opinions and my own personal experiences with these decks and I hope that you can appreciate the candor. As always, use your own intuition and find tools that suit your tastes.
Past Life Oracle
The Past Life Oracle Deck is published by Hay House. I purchased my deck from HayHouse.com when they had one of their deck sales, but I have also seen it available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and other bookstores.
I found that this was a slightly different deck than I was used to working with, so it was a fun addition that I felt would give my readings another layer to focus on and also give my clients some insight on what lessons they could learn from the past, as well as working towards - soul wise.
From Amazon's Product Description:
WHO WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE? Your eternal soul has lived other lifetimes that affect your current career, health, relationships, family, and life lessons. Doreen Virtue and Brian Weiss, M.D., have teamed up to create an easy-to-use, safe, and gentle tool to uncover messages from and about your past lives. This beautiful 44-card deck and accompanying guidebook will help you understand your own patterns and behaviors so that you can overcome negative blocks and enjoy greater happiness, well-being, and love!
About The Authors
Doreen Virtue is well-known for her books and cards about angels. She holds B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in counseling psychology. Raised in New Thought, and then steeped in new age, Doreen's whole life changed on January 7, 2017 when she had an encounter with Jesus, which led her to get Baptized, begin reading and studying the whole Bible, and becoming a Christian. Since her baptism on February 25, 2017, Doreen only writes scripturally, even though some of her previous writing is still being published. She is working with her publisher to rewrite some publications, to take others out-of-print, remove her name from other products, and give back her royalties to charity on others.
Doreen Virtue is a best-selling author, a doctor of psychology, and a Christian who studies scripture. She has appeared on Oprah, CNN, the BBC, The View, and Good Morning America, and has been featured in newspapers and magazines worldwide. For information on Doreen’s work, please visit her at AngelTherapy.com or Facebook.com/DoreenVirtue444.
To enroll in her video courses, please visit www.HayHouseU.com and www.EarthAngel.com.
Brian L. Weiss, M.D., is America’s leading authority on past-life regression therapy. A graduate of Columbia University and Yale School of Medicine, he is the author of multiple books, including the New York Times bestseller Many Lives, Many Masters.
Website: www.brianweiss.com.
My Personal Review
This is a 44 card deck that is meant to be used as a daily card a day deck, and includes a Past Life message that can assist you in working towards finding your soul work this lifetime. Product dimensions are 0.8 x 4.8 x 5.2 inches. The cards are larger than a traditional Tarot deck, but similar to most Hay House decks.
The reason I enjoyed this deck so much is the very gentle, positive, and an soft messages included. It is amazingly easy deck to use. From beginner to the experienced card reader, I think there is something unexpectedly beautiful about this deck. It has wonderful messages for anyone wanting to explore their past life and the purpose that your soul is expressing this lifetime.
The messages are all wonderful, and you can pick it up to use it with anyone without worrying about garish or scary messages. The artwork is different in this deck from other Doreen Virtue decks, and I really appreciate how much more cohesive this deck is. The pictures are a nice touch. Not sure if a lot was Photoshopped, but the theme is nice and uniform. Each card displays meaningful symbolism tied to each "Past Life".
It is a 44 non-denominational card deck consisting of pictures and messages which are very easy to read and use - like I was when I first dove into this deck. These cards are simple, yet very meaningful and have universal messages. Once you begin using them, you realize how truly comforting and accurate they really are.
You can perform great readings for yourself and other with this deck as well as learn how to give readings if you are new to oracle reading. They are also a wonderful tool to get daily readings for yourself. I used them daily to get my guidance and messages for the day. The accompanying booklet helps you along with meanings of the cards as well as how to work better with the guidance lessons associated with the card. There are a lot of angels on every one of the cards, which I do enjoy.
I find that anyone could pick up this deck and use it without a lot of confusion, or meddled up jargon included in the guidebook. I find it to be soothing and also very accurate when I am having a hard time with my sense of life direction. The cards include a life purpose on the front and a quick message that is much deeper in the guidebook.
The cards are noticeably bigger than a deck of standard playing cards and the card stock itself is solid; I recommend anyone with a new deck spend some time shuffling it and getting to know its feel, in addition to just "getting to know" any new deck. I've found that I can shuffle them quite easily, even with my small hands.
The card stock is thick, has a shinier finish than newer decks (which is annoying when trying to get a nice picture of the deck), and also allows you get a nice bend without cracking the card stock. This card stock is very typical of Hay House products, so it definitely fits in with the rest of Doreen's many decks. I have noticed with time some of the cards will flake with constant use.
The guidebook is helpful, clear, and also helps you connect with the messages further. If you have difficulty handling bigger or tarot decks, this deck is for you. It is very easy to handle and shuffle. I took to this deck immediately and it took to me immediately. It is a perfect match for my work and with my clients. I was glad I purchased it.
The theme of the deck is much different than other work by Doreen and I really enjoyed the inclusion of Brian Weiss. His work has been a great source of information and guidance for me, when I was first starting to explore past lives. There are cards I resonate with much more strongly than others and the messages in the guidebook are a little source of information. Some of the cards are lacking and I wish there was a bit more to add in for certain cards, as they can be a bit difficult to expand on. As a stand alone tool for past life divination, I don't think it would be really suited to dive into. As an addition to more in-depth and reliable forms of divining past lives (like past life regression), this may be a good tactile tool to add in to your practice.
If you are new to past lives, and are looking for a unique approach, I would say that this deck is a good one to try out and check out.
My overall opinion is that this deck is a 3.5 star choice.
Artwork - 4 stars
Card stock - 3 stars
Ease - 5 stars
Guidebook - 3 stars
I hope that you enjoyed my deck review, and also enjoy other deck reviews that I add to this site. I have a passion for exploring new decks and also finding various ways of connecting to my intuition. I appreciate you checking out my site and taking the time to read my review.
Happy exploring and reading, soul friends!
