True Heart Intuitive Tarot Review by Medusawink

The True Heart Intuitive Tarot is an inclusive deck created by Rachel True – known for her role in the cult classic movie The Craft. The deck is designed to help the Seeker develop their intuitive tarot reading skills while taking a practical approach to the nature of the cards themselves. She sees the cards as a grounded method for helping you guide yourself through life’s challenges – both spiritual and everyday.

This is a 78 card tarot solidly grounded in the Rider Waite Smith tradition. It has 22 Major Arcana cards none of which have been re-imagined or renamed. The Minor Arcana consists of 56 cards divided into 4 suits – Wands, Cups, Swords, and Discs. Each suit has 10 number cards and 4 Court cards consisting of a Princess, Prince, Queen, and King.

The cards measure 80 x 120 mm which makes them an average size tarot deck, perhaps a little broader than some but not noticeably so. The card stock is quite light so if you are a heavy-handed shuffler you might want to take it easy with these cards, or conversely use the practice of stirring the cards on a flat surface or cloth. The cards are quite curious in that they all have a low sheen finish, but every second card seems to have a toothy texture to it on the face or on the back. This does not detract from the fact that the cards are remarkably easy to shuffle and do not clump together or stick in any way.

The print quality is excellent – the images are very clear, with crisp lines. There are no misprints, colour bleeds or blurring to these rather precise images.

The artist, Stephanie Singleton, uses a very clear, graphic design type style for her illustrations, not quite comic book but definitely modern – somewhat reminiscent of the Modern Witch Tarot and also curiously enough both the Motherpeace Tarot and Golden Dawn Tarot. Her palette is broad and utilises both strong eye-catching colours and subtle pastels in good balance. The Court cards of each suit are colour-coded with Cups indicated by mauve, Discs delineated by wine-red, Wands are buttery yellow, and Swords - pale airy blue. This is not a deck which is dominated by a particular colour set or mood.

The images have a narrow white border on 3 sides, with thin burgundy line and a little extra space at the bottom of each illustration for the card’s title and number. On the Major Arcana the numbers are Roman while Arabic numerals are used on the Minor Arcana.

The pattern on the back of the cards features the symbols of all 4 suits - Wands, Cups, and Swords, entwined with brown leafy branches that have small purple flowers on them, on a rust-coloured background. This is a symmetrical design, therefore reversible.

The cards come in a thin, cardboard box with a tuck-in lid. The cards are packaged into 2 separate plastic-sealed blocks, with the guidebook included as part of this box set. The box is printed in shades of light and dark teal, and printed with images from the deck as well as a description of the cards, information about the author, and the publisher’s details. The cardboard is very lightweight and offers the deck some protection, but it will not withstand heavy handling.

Although this box set is quite narrow and could easily be slipped into a backpack or tote bag it is not designed for such adventures and would quickly become damaged. In order to maintain the integrity of your cards you would be advised to get yourself a proper tarot bag or box to protect these cards.

The 207-page guidebook is written by the deck’s creator Rachel True, with all instructions given in English only. This is a really comprehensive guidebook. The Introduction gives some background to the origins of this particular deck, including True’s own journey via The Craft into tarot reading.

There is a large chapter titled Tapping into Your Intuition which gives the novice Seeker all the information they will need to set up a daily practice in learning the tarot and getting in touch with their intuition.

Also included here is information on choosing a tarot deck, presumably the True Heart Intuitive Tarot, how to care for your cards, set up an altar, and keep a tarot journal. The chapter titled Digging Into Your Deck gives the lowdown on the structure of the tarot, the symbolism of each suit, some basic numerology, how to read Court cards, reversed cards, methods for shuffling decks, and some sanguine advice regarding the use of clarifying cards, and reading for other people.

There is a chapter focused solely on layouts and spreads including the time honoured one card draw, 3 card layout, Celtic Cross, Motherpeace spread, a 10 card relationship spread, and the True Heart Tarot 5 Card Insight Spread. The remainder of the book is divided into 2 large chapters – the Major Arcana, and the Minor Arcana.

The Major Arcana chapter is significantly larger than the Minor Arcana chapter, as each card is given an in-depth analysis of both the illustration and its symbolism, as well as its divinatory meanings, but also relates a personal story (some of which are quite lengthy) which gives greater insight into how the card’s meaning may manifest in one’s life. Each Major Arcana card is given an average of 4 pages, including a small black and white photo of the card itself, while Minor Arcana cards (including Court cards) are given 1 page only.

Each card is given 'high vibe' and 'low vibe' keywords which align with upright and reversed interpretations, and these ‘vibes’ are explored in greater depth in each chapter. Minor Arcana cards are given a similar treatment, however personal stories to illustrate the greater meaning of these cards is not included. Overall these given a interpretations are fairly standard and would not be considered a radical departure from generally accepted divinatory meanings. The interpretations err on the side of kindness, however they do not shy away from the harsh realities of life and the fact that sorrow and hardship in various guises visits us all.

If you are looking for a modern interpretation of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot then this deck may be what you are looking for as it keeps much of the major symbolism and imagery while putting a more contemporary spin on those ideas.

If you are looking for an inclusive deck (not all skinny white people) then this is a tarot that may meet your requirements. If you are new to tarot and looking for a fairly traditional deck to get you started then the True Heart Intuitive Tarot will suit your needs.

Of course, experienced tarot readers, particularly those familiar with the Rider Waite Smith classic will find this deck a breeze to work with. A lovely interpretation of an old favourite.

Complete Details of True Heart Intuitive Tarot

Creators: Rachel True, Stephanie Singleton
Publisher: Harvest 2020
Deck Type: Tarot Deck
Cards: 78
Major Arcana: 22
Minor Arcana: 56
Suits: Cups, Swords, Wands, Discs
Card Size: 3.15 x 4.72 in. = 8.00cm x 12.00cm
Card Language: English
Card Back: Reversible
Back Design: Geometric pattern of the suit symbols on a red background
Companion Material: 224-page companion book is packaged with the deck
Rating: 18/20 or stars out of five

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