Crystal Visions Tarot vs Angel Tarot

claire1805

Hi,
I am currently on a shopping spree for tarot decks as Christmas presents for myself. I have only started my Tarot journey a couple months back, so the one deck I am comfortable enough to use for readings is the Original Rider Waite. Long story short, I wanted to branch out and see what my options are (At least that's how I justify this crazy out-of-nowhere spree to myself).

Long story short: Which one do you think would be a better choice for a beginner like me? The deck that has cards that would pop up and give clear and reliable readings? Crystal Visions by Jennifer Galasso or Angel Tarot by Doreen Virtue? The Angel Tarot seems to be beautiful and uplifting in appearance though... Currently I am leaning towards the latter.

Sorry for my ramblings though. Thank you for your help in advance!
 

Theworld98

Hi Claire,
I actually just purchased the Angel Tarot by Doreen Virtue and I love the warm and healing messages they can bring however, they do still get down to the point. The words on the bottom are such a good jump off for my intuition. Some may say the artwork is a tad distracting but i think the artist did a very good job portraying the meanings of the cards. They are a little on the bigger side but I have bigger hands so I don't mind. I have found that the cards like to bond with you individually for a little while before they are comfortable to be used with other people which I do not mind. I really love the Angel Tarot so I would recommend it so hopefully this can help you come to a decision.
Blessed be.
 

claire1805

Hi Claire,
I actually just purchased the Angel Tarot by Doreen Virtue and I love the warm and healing messages they can bring however, they do still get down to the point. The words on the bottom are such a good jump off for my intuition. Some may say the artwork is a tad distracting but i think the artist did a very good job portraying the meanings of the cards. They are a little on the bigger side but I have bigger hands so I don't mind. I have found that the cards like to bond with you individually for a little while before they are comfortable to be used with other people which I do not mind. I really love the Angel Tarot so I would recommend it so hopefully this can help you come to a decision.
Blessed be.

Thank you for taking the time to drop by and help me in choosing between the two decks. I saw a few cards of the Angel Tarot online and found them to be especially empowering and soothing, providing a refreshing perspective to the traditional ORW deck I am currently using. I was initially worried that the deck might only have enthralling images that have no depth to them. Now I know that is not the case! Thanks for the valuable input, Theworld98!
 

Penthasilia

Never had the Angel tarot- but I do have the CV and by far it is one of my easiest reading decks. It has beautiful coloring, and I do love the imagery in it. I also like that the cards that have less than happy connotations are given their appropriate due in this deck, rather than sugared over. There is also a wealth of imagery in some of the cards that lends to readings outside the typical- and on those occasions really seem to pop. It would be my recommendation- as I am not sure (but have heard) that the Angel deck would appropriately convey the imagery for some of the harder lesson cards. :)
 

claire1805

Never had the Angel tarot- but I do have the CV and by far it is one of my easiest reading decks. It has beautiful coloring, and I do love the imagery in it. I also like that the cards that have less than happy connotations are given their appropriate due in this deck, rather than sugared over. There is also a wealth of imagery in some of the cards that lends to readings outside the typical- and on those occasions really seem to pop. It would be my recommendation- as I am not sure (but have heard) that the Angel deck would appropriately convey the imagery for some of the harder lesson cards. :)

Hey Penthasilia, thanks for your input too! I have read good reviews about the Crystal Visions and, like the Angel tarot, find it to be a beautiful deck too. However, I am not very satisfied with a several of the cards like The Devil, The Magician and especially The Hierophant etc. But, I do like the overall theme and clear 'visions' of the cards I have seen so far. I am favouring the Angel Tarot at this point in time, but still remain undecided...
 

Penthasilia

Hey Penthasilia, thanks for your input too! I have read good reviews about the Crystal Visions and, like the Angel tarot, find it to be a beautiful deck too. However, I am not very satisfied with a several of the cards like The Devil, The Magician and especially The Hierophant etc. But, I do like the overall theme and clear 'visions' of the cards I have seen so far. I am favouring the Angel Tarot at this point in time, but still remain undecided...

Good luck! :) The only other thing I noticed, in a brief google image perusal, is that the imagery on the minors in the Angel tarot are not traditional, nor did they seem to make intuitive sense in the imagery as far as the meanings were concerned. Which is fine if you want to branch out that way- but if you are looking for something that holds a bit closer to the RWS imagery- the CV is closer.

Understandably though- if there are cards you simply cannot stand in one, then you may not want to use it at all. There were a couple threads here a while ago- one was an easy reading thread, the other was a good beginner deck thread- all had great choices listed for decks that are easy to follow from a traditional RWS standpoint but that had their own flavor- if, in the end, neither seems to hold up to what you are looking for. :)
 

claire1805

Good luck! :) The only other thing I noticed, in a brief google image perusal, is that the imagery on the minors in the Angel tarot are not traditional, nor did they seem to make intuitive sense in the imagery as far as the meanings were concerned. Which is fine if you want to branch out that way- but if you are looking for something that holds a bit closer to the RWS imagery- the CV is closer.

Understandably though- if there are cards you simply cannot stand in one, then you may not want to use it at all. There were a couple threads here a while ago- one was an easy reading thread, the other was a good beginner deck thread- all had great choices listed for decks that are easy to follow from a traditional RWS standpoint but that had their own flavor- if, in the end, neither seems to hold up to what you are looking for. :)

Thank you for being so kind! I wanted something a little different from my ORW, and both the Angel Tarot and Crystal Visions seem to be good choices (and good card stocks to boot!). I do worry that I would not be able to read the Angel Tarot since the images seem to deviate from the traditional tarot that I am used to. I am considering using it as part of the pull-one-card-a-day exercise. Since I have always been a little wary about doing the same for the ORW for fear of hearing something I don't like.

I really like the Crystal Visions (that's why I am considering it) but I am afraid that the few cards I don't like will turn me off it, particularly for the Wand suits. Thanks for the heads-up, I will be heading off to read both the threads you have recommended (I wasn't aware there was one, let alone two!)... Yes, you have said it right, I wanted a different 'flavour'... Still considering my options at the moment :)
 

lalalibra

I own both decks.

Honestly, I hardly ever use my Angel Tarot. She changes so many titles in the cards. And in my experience, I found the words on the bottom of the cards to be very distracting, and because they distracted me, I found them restrictive. And some of them just seemed to be rather one-sided in general. And at the risk of sounding rather harsh, some of the cards just felt very "dumbed down" and over-simplified for me. I'll give you some examples of what I mean...

Six of Earth: "Gifts of money, time, or effort. New Career Opportunities. Receiving a loan or paying off debts."
Five of Earth: "Fears surrounding money. The wisdom to accept help from others. Uncertain self-employment."
Knight of Water: "Falling in love, or wedding proposals. The need to balance emotions. An invitation to a social event."
19 The Sun: "Happy Outcome! Brilliant new ideas that lead to success. Have confidence in yourself!"

Those meanings aren't *wrong* necessarily, but they definitely need to be taken at face-value. Some may find them insightful, but for me, I didn't find them very helpful because it didn't feel as "free" or as "alive" to me. I think the Tarot has so, so, so much more depth than what she portrays, and I don't think that the deck does the Tarot system justice. In my opinion, I think it's not a very good deck for a beginner. I think it has the potential to really skew things if you don't have a strong foundation of what the cards generally mean to you on a personal level. So that's up to you to judge.

But on the other hand, the Angel tarot does have a soothing energy. It might work beautifully for you and it can have it's purpose, but it just didn't feel as versatile for me. I found Crystal Visions to give a lot more space for the imagination and intuition, and some of the "darker" images give the deck a more balanced feel.

In the end, it's important to just go with what you think will speak to you more. If you're still unsure, then I would give it more time. I think that if you're unsure about some of the cards in a deck, then it might not be the one for you.
 

ravynangel

deleted :)
 

claire1805

I own both decks.

Honestly, I hardly ever use my Angel Tarot. She changes so many titles in the cards. And in my experience, I found the words on the bottom of the cards to be very distracting, and because they distracted me, I found them restrictive. And some of them just seemed to be rather one-sided in general. And at the risk of sounding rather harsh, some of the cards just felt very "dumbed down" and over-simplified for me. I'll give you some examples of what I mean...

Six of Earth: "Gifts of money, time, or effort. New Career Opportunities. Receiving a loan or paying off debts."
Five of Earth: "Fears surrounding money. The wisdom to accept help from others. Uncertain self-employment."
Knight of Water: "Falling in love, or wedding proposals. The need to balance emotions. An invitation to a social event."
19 The Sun: "Happy Outcome! Brilliant new ideas that lead to success. Have confidence in yourself!"

Those meanings aren't *wrong* necessarily, but they definitely need to be taken at face-value. Some may find them insightful, but for me, I didn't find them very helpful because it didn't feel as "free" or as "alive" to me. I think the Tarot has so, so, so much more depth than what she portrays, and I don't think that the deck does the Tarot system justice. In my opinion, I think it's not a very good deck for a beginner. I think it has the potential to really skew things if you don't have a strong foundation of what the cards generally mean to you on a personal level. So that's up to you to judge.

But on the other hand, the Angel tarot does have a soothing energy. It might work beautifully for you and it can have it's purpose, but it just didn't feel as versatile for me. I found Crystal Visions to give a lot more space for the imagination and intuition, and some of the "darker" images give the deck a more balanced feel.

In the end, it's important to just go with what you think will speak to you more. If you're still unsure, then I would give it more time. I think that if you're unsure about some of the cards in a deck, then it might not be the one for you.

Thank you, lalalibra, for your honest opinions regarding these two decks. I do find the Angel Tarot a harder deck to do intuitive readings with, based on the cards shown online, for the sole fact that the images seem to be more cluttered compared to the Crystal Visions. In this regard, the Crystal Visions could potentially be a better learning deck as it seems to follow the Rider Waite images closely.

Yes, I am indeed unsure about quite a few cards in the Crystal Visions...hmm... so perhaps the Angel Tarot then...