I approached Emma Baynes on Reddit just before her deck The Healing Tarot was launched about helping her get the word out about her deck. I found this deck to be not only beautiful but a gorgeously displayed journey of self-love and discovery. I thought her deck was something that genuinely resonated with me personally and I know many others will too.
The Healing Tarot launched on Kickstarter only just in February of this year, and was fully funded and surpassed the goal in 2 days. Emma self describes the deck as “…an investigation into the narrative, documenting my growth from an eating disorder and body image issues. It’s my most personal project to date, and has become more than just a deck of cards: it’s grown into a healing process and a method of closure.” As someone with a history of ED myself, I was immediately drawn to the idea of self-love, and recovery in the form of a tarot deck.
Although the imagery of the deck does revolve around Bayne’s recovery, her goal was that even those without a history of ED could still resonate with the deck. Despite my own history, I can absolutely see how this would resonate still with anyone who struggles with self-love. In this day and age its all too easy to compare ourselves to others, so the message I found not only important but relatable to everyone.
Something interesting about this deck is although it is inspired by the RWS traditional suits, it is also her own interpretation. And so not all the cards are in the same order that one might expect from a tarot deck. They are all there, just in the order that she felt as though would suit her journey best.
The Court Cards are as follows:
- Page=Page
- Knight=Knight
- Queen=Queen
- King=King
The Suits are as follows:
- Pentacles=Daisies
- Cups=Clouds
- Wands=Stars
- Swords=Reflection
Please note, this is what I believe the correlations are based off RWS meanings, and how they play into her own interpretations of each suit. Not an officially released statement on the suits.
The Card Specs are as follows:
- 78 cards
- 2.75” x 4.75”
- Sleeved box
- Pamphlet mirroring the story and the suit energies
My first impressions of this deck!
I just wanna start by saying I really love this deck. The card-stock of this deck is something that I personally prefer to see in any deck. It’s strong and durable, while being flexible. I know Emma got this deck printed via MakingPlayingCards.com which is what we have grown to expect from them.
The suits, both major and minor, have all been color codes, to have a separate background making it easy to see on edging. I really enjoy this, because as it shuffles you get to view a beautiful rainbow affect.
Aesthetically speaking, this deck gives us a very 90’s vibe. It reminds me of those graphic shirts everyone had in the mid 90’s with the lizards on them… or is that perhaps a fever dream. Don’t correct me if it is, haha! It maintains a fun energy, while taking us through a journey that is very serious and close to Bayne’s heart.
As per always, I have a minor complaint, but as I always state, this is MY preference and to many of you it wont matter at all. I personally am not a fan of the sleeve box. I find they fall apart easy. probably because I manhandle the shit out of them. As we all know by now I prefer the two part box. But hey! To each their own, most of you don’t care about this stuff, probably because you are nicer to your decks than me! Haha!
Simple Ratings:
Shuffability
Artwork
Finish
Quality of Card Weight
Suitable for Beginners:
