Chakra Wisdom Tarot

As a photocollage deck, the Chakra Wisdom Tarot is sort of the opposite of my general artistic preferences. I first encountered this deck through my ongoing project to build the largest digital archive I can of tarot decks and deck books. I've been converting deck books into markdown documents so I can add abbreviated card meanings to my deck galleries, and the book included with this deck is ultimately what persuaded me to buy it. Tori Hartman's system of correlating the 78-card tarot deck to the seven soul centers (the Pythagorean system of soul centers correlates closely to the Vedic system of chakras), as well as the colors of the visible light spectrum, is stunningly on-point.

I've only done a few readings with this deck, and they've been surprisingly accurate and meaningful, mostly because of all the excellent information provided in the book. I absolutely love color, and the use of color in this deck is perfectly executed - it doesn't feel forced or arbitrary at all.

This is a really good deck for emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually difficult situations. The book provides excellent guidance using what I interpret as a form of cognitive behavioral therapy. The focus of this deck is you - striving to be the best version of yourself, taking responsibility for your own perceptions and responses to everyone and everything in your life, and learning to release what needs to be released.

I really appreciate that the author gave equal attention to all seventy-eight cards. It's frustrating to me when the minor pip cards are only given a cursory glance in a deck's book. Hartman's descriptions include a sentence or two on the overall theme of the card, as well as six sections:

• Chakra Message - how this card correlates to one of the seven soul centers (chakras)
• Indication - prompt questions for looking at the deeper meaning of the card
• Keywords - a list of nouns related to the card
• Reversed - a list of nouns related to the reversed card
• Meditation - prompt questions for introspection, journaling, meditation, etc.
• Next Steps or Contemplation - actions and attitudes worth considering (majors), lesson or proverb to keep in mind (minors)

I really like the way the book is organized, and so far, I've found the card descriptions and sections to be really insightful and helpful.

This deck is printed on quality cardstock, and the book feels nice. I do wish the cards were standard tarot size; they're a bit wider, which means they don't fit in any of my aftermarket deck boxes, and I can't sleeve them. That said, I'm really glad I bought this deck.