Influence of the Angels Tarot

I’m not usually a fan of Angel decks, but this one is special. The card stock has a beautiful linen finish and a good weight that makes it joy to handle. This is an RWS based deck. It has well known artworks, or portions of famous artworks, with both angels added (or wings) and suits artworks added. It is an exceptionally beautiful deck, with a beautiful ornate border, and gilded edges. The box is strong, and the enclosed book is actually a well produced full book. There are also 2 instructional cards addressing suit and numerology of the minor arcana. This deck is both easy to read, and reads with a very strong voice. There are other decks with lovely artwork that are not easy to read; this one is very smartly put together for reading. The book includes an “Angel message” for each card which means these cards could also be used as daily-draw oracle cards. It is quickly becoming my favorite deck, so well planned, and beautifully realized. This deck would make an excellent and memorable gift.

This deck is beautifully done, although the artwork is a little softer than I expected. I believe that might be a result of the card stock used, which has a linen texture. The cards shuffle beautifully and the edges are gold gilt. Be aware that these authors do not assign the angels to the cards in the same way as a traditional deck, say the Rider-Waite deck, would. For example, Archangel Michael is the Magician, not Temperance. Archangel Raphael is replaced on The Lovers card by Archangel Chamuel (who I had learned was the AA for Twin Flames, so this makes sense to me), Archangel Baglis is Temperance and Judgment depicts 4 angels rather than just AA Gabriel. I would say that this deck is NOT for beginning tarot readers. The accompanying guidebook is ESSENTIAL to really grasp the meaning of these particular cards. In a VERY general way, you can attach the traditional meanings to the cards, but by doing that, you will lose the very rich concepts that the authors have worked to attach to this deck. In the book, the symbolism in each card is thoroughly described — from the color of the clothing, to the color of the sky, to the type of material that is use for a pot or a wand — they even give the meaning behind the way the wind is blowing or how the character is moving or not moving. You are given the direct meaning of the cards (which is richer than in traditional decks), and the "shadow" meaning, which would be the reversal. At the end of each description, you are given an Angelic Message... very sweet. As is probably true for most readers, I'm drawn to the art and the feel of the cards and have too many decks already, so I try to search for lower-cost decks at this point. This deck goes beyond its price!

I ordered this deck on a whim. I'm not particularly drawn to angels and this is not the type of deck I would usually purchase. However... WOW! I'm blown away! I'm already ordering a backup of the deck since I'll be using it daily at this point. The images are absolutely beautiful. The composition of each card has clearly been carefully designed. The cards mostly follow the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition. The card stock is wonderfully thick and the edges are gilded. The deck is absolutely sumptuous! If you're considering the deck even slightly, go ahead and buy it. It's gorgeous, speaks clearly, and is worth getting to know. For people who aren't into angels,..... please keep in mind that the teachings and lore about angels are a LOT older than the Judeo-Christian religious traditions. Angel lore goes back beyond ancient Egypt, Sumeria, and Babylon. There's quite a bit of info out there about the old cults and practices that are linked to angels as well. Some people have stated that this deck is good for individuals who don't want the "occult influence" of tarot. However, I feel this deck is quite full of other world influence (perhaps even Enochian) in spite of some who might view it as "safe" from esoteric flavors. It's all truly in the eye of the beholder. And just to be clear.... I was not provided with this deck for free so I would leave a good review. However, if there is a program for free tarot decks for leaving honest reviews, someone sign me up! :)

The deck is beautiful, with a linen finish. Shuffling is like butter after breaking the cards in. Gilding is very nice on the cards. The images facial expressions help add that different dimension to archetype readings. Very glad to have this deck in my collection.

I am enjoying this card deck very much. The images work well with my intuition. The imagery is Rider-Waite based, close enough to jog my memory of traditional meanings, but with an added layer to go on. The linen stock is a real treat. Love the way the cards glide amongst themselves so easily, no stickiness here! Card thickness is just perfect for riffle shuffling. This is my first linen stock card deck and now that i’ve experienced the fluid nature of this linen stock, i think all decks should be made with this! If i were to discredit this deck in any way… I could do without the gold guilded edges, the guilding stiffens the cards and creates a hard feeling edge that is not as comfortable as i’d like to feel when shuffling. Overall, this deck is a keeper for everyday use and a fine addition my collection!

WOW! This deck is stunning! Beautiful imagery and the card stock is awesome (something that I'm really picky about) not to mention that gold gilding. This deck is a 2 in 1 for me as I prefer tarot cards over oracle decks. With that being said, this deck gives me those archangels in the form of tarot! The card stock is a nice thickness, nice and sturdy and the gilding adds to it - If you like the modern witch tarot deck, you'll like these as well. The book that comes with it is also very nice! It tells you about the angel, the important symbolizm in the image, the direct meaning, shadow meaning and an angelic message. Really this deck is great for beginners and advanced readers. It's a pleasure to hold and have in my collection

Great deck

I received the order quickly. The deck is beautiful and the quality of the cards are very nice. I was a little dissapointed that there aren't more angel images in the deck though. Most appear in the major arcana, the rest are pictures of people with angels in the background. Still, it is a very nice deck and I'm not sorry I ordered it. Just don't expect the entire deck to be of angels.

Simplemente es bello muy intuitivo expresivo, conectas inmediatamente en mi caso así fue sin estudio hice 2 lecturas hermosas y directas carteras es perfecto para los que conectan con este tipo de Arte (Angeles), el material de excelencia calidad, caja dura, manual viene en inglés pero hoy en día se traduce todo rápido y fácil el manual es a blanco y negro explica de manera básica y trae los nombres de los ángeles sin embargo conectas tan bien con el tarot que te explayas tanto. LO RECOMIENDO SIN DUDAR

I wanted to wait a while and really use this deck before writing a review. This is an amazing tarot deck and it's now one of 3 decks in my whole collection that I always reach for first. Initially I bought it because I loved the artwork, but having seen other art decks I was a bit wary that it might be just 'pretty' and not usable. This couldn't be further than the truth with Influence of The Angels, it reads like a dream and has been incredibly accurate. I never buy backup decks but I'm seriously considering it for this one. For those that care - the cardstock is glossy and gilded but it shuffles like a dream, and the gilding has not come off at all. The deck just looks and feels so luxurious and is clearly high quality. I love that every image, element and symbol on the card have been carefully chosen to actually make sense according to the card, and all this is explained in the book. The book really makes the whole thing shine. This is what an accompanying tarot book should look like. It gives the meanings, but most importantly it explains different elements in the card so it's easy understand the card better and be able to weave more information into the reading. Edited to add: This deck has been recently re-released as a linen version. Not sure which version Amazon is currently selling. Also adding - I still adore this deck and is cemented as my favorite in my collection.

I love everything!!!

♥ MAZZO DI ALTA QUALITÀ, con carte plastificate ma robuste e quindi, per esperienza, durevoli nel tempo. ♥ LA SCATOLA BOX, esteticamente semplice, ma elegante, fa la sua bella figura in libreria. ♥ LE IMMAGINI DELLE CARTE sono lucide, spesso dai colori accesi, brillanti. ♥ ALCUNE FIGURE sono caratterizzate da un’incredibile dolcezza. ♥ GLI ANGELI, nonostante vengano relegati sullo sfondo, RISULTANO EVOCATIVI, UNA PRESENZA QUASI TANGIBILE, ETEREA E MAGICA. NEL COMPLESSO SONO TAROCCHI CHE HANNO ♥ ANIMA, ♥ POTENZA ESPRESSIVA, SPIRITUALE ED ESOTERICA. OTTIMO ACQUISTO. ECCELLENTE IL SERVIZIO AMAZON. CONSIGLIATO. ♥

This new deck had completely slipped beneath my radar until last week, but as soon as I saw Influence of the Angels by (Games designer) Jody Boginski Barbessi and her sister Karen Boginski, I knew it was EXACTLY what I'd been looking for. This is a 'true' Tarot with an angel theme - it has all 78 cards I would expect to find in a Tarot deck, with their common/traditional names, nothing watered down, and plenty of detail in the artwork. And what beautiful artwork it is! On first impression, this is quite unlike any of my other US Games decks, which commonly come in thin cardboard flip-boxes with a small stapled-paper pamphlet. This arrived in a thick (good quality) cardboard box and was accompanied by a beautifully produced 184-page book. The cards are a standard Tarot size, with a shiny gloss finish and a gilt edge. They feel much more expensive than most of my other US Games decks, although at the time of purchase (from Amazon UK) they were around the same price. The images are classic-inspired fine art which is largely in the Smith-Waite tradition, at least for the Pips and the Major Arcana, although the latter features named angels posing as the different archetypes. The guidebook includes information about these angels and it's clear that each one has been very carefully selected to illustrate the archetype. As an example, the Empress (see photos) is Omael - the "guardian angel of fertility and reproduction. She is known for her love and protection of animals and the natural world." Although the Pip images are similar in theme to Pamela Colman-Smith's art in the Rider-Waite deck, there are some differences. The Five of Wands is a good example. It shows the typically ambiguous boys with sticks but in this case, they are being watched over by a concerned angel. The angelic message that accompanies this card is "When faced with a conflict, sometimes it's better to just walk away. Choose your battles." This is not the only card with an angelic message - every card has one. Which brings me onto the guidebook, the most comprehensive and genuinely useful in-box book I've seen for a mass-produced deck. For each card in the Major Arcana and the pips, it includes information about the angel, the symbols, a direct meaning, and shadow meaning, plus the angelic message which brings it all together. For the Court Cards, there is an additional section. Each Page, Knight, Queen, and King is based on a real historical figure and there is a page or two devoted to each of them, and their relevance to the card. Not only is this interesting (I learned a lot about historical figures by reading through the book!) it addresses one of the most common problems with learning the Tarot - typically, the Court cards are the most tricky to identify with and learn. Additionally, there are two extra cards in the deck which act as a reminder of the general suit and number meanings. For all of these reasons, I think this would be a wonderful deck for someone who is just starting out with Tarot. I could wax lyrical about this deck for some time, but in an attempt to offer a balanced view, I tried to restrain myself and also to identify the things I like about it the least. I only came up with one thing - the cards are slippery (I typically prefer a matt finish) and I got quite a few 'jumpers' when shuffling and they are tricky to photograph. That's it. If you're into Tarot and angels, or even if you're a beginner looking for a beautiful and well-produced deck, I think you will enjoy this. (The review originally appeared on The Curious Cardslinger).