The True Heart Intuitive Tarot: Deck & Guidebook Review
THE NITTY GRITTY
The True Heart Intuitive Tarot is a 78 card tarot deck by Rachel True, additionally illustrated by Stephanie Singleton, and published by Houghten Mifflin Harcourt. The guidebook surpasses little white book territory and can fit comfortably on your bookshelf on its own, sporting 207 pages of goodness.
There are four suits — Cups, Swords, Wands, and Discs — and the court cards are distributed into Princesses, Princes, Queens, and Kings. The card backings come in a lovely deep red and display the four suits in a repeating pattern.
THE GOOD, THE GREAT
Vibrant, grounded, and artful storytelling. I truly believe one of the greatest sells for this deck is in True’s guidebook. Beyond a tool to teach you what each card means, a couple of spreads, and tarot learning ideas that are ideal for beginners, True accompanies the 22 Majors with hefty, thoughtful personal stories that really root these large-scale themes and concepts into something real and relatable. You thought The High Priestess could only be found in deep meditation and a trance state? True will tell you how she found her in a Santa Monica Whole Foods.
Modern, fresh, Coleman-Smith informed. In its very opening, True dedicates the guidebook “…to Pamela Coleman Smith and all who came before.” The artwork of the True Heart Intuitive Tarot is gorgeously fresh, new, and modern in its presentation and takes on each card, but there is a clear consideration and respect for Coleman-Smith archetypes, and the marriage between newness and tradition is graceful and lovingly executed. In this way, its symbolism and imagery is incredibly rich, but not without sacrificing accessibility for the beginner reader.
Purposefully multicultural. The deck is self-described as presenting a more multicultural take on tarot, and on this I believe it delivers. With regards to diversity and representation, I particularly personally enjoyed seeing a more-than-typical range of age representation within the True Heart Intuitive Tarot, although the lack of variance in body diversity may leave much to be desired.
THE WEAK SPOTS?
For those who prefer a sturdier cardstock, the True Heart Intuitive Tarot may not deliver. I personally have no qualms with the quality of the True Heart Intuitive Tarot’s cardstock, and would describe it as flexible and leaning on the more delicate end of the spectrum, but not quite super flimsy nor inadequate.
Travel friendly? Probably not. Because the boxset is designed to fit the guidebook, the True Heart Intuitive Tarot’s box is overall much taller than the average. In order for me to feel comfortable traveling with it, I would use a separate tarot pouch for the deck and am unlikely to use the box.
I RECOMMEND IF…
Truly, I believe this is one of those decks that can appeal to both beginner and advanced tarot readers, and all else in between. It now easily moves right to the top of my list of recommendations for anyone searching for a deck.
You can find more information about how to purchase the True Heart Intuitive Tarot on its website.
