Recently, my friend SnowStar bestowed a major blessing on me, gifting me 67 divination  decks from her personal collection.

Her amazing generosity was only matched by the gift's synchronicity: I've collected decks over my 30 years as a professional card reader, then lost a substantial portion of my collection due to a bug infestation two years ago.

SnowStar asked me which decks she sent particularly struck me, so I pulled together some personal notes I'd made, and thought I'd share them here with you, too. And please tell me about a deck or decks you particularly love. I love to hear about experiences with tarot or Lenormand decks.

 The notes portray subjective reactions—decks that work for me may not work for you—and are mostly initial impressions.

Notes for the Visconti Sforza deck SnowStar sent: "More synchronicity! This replaces the Visconti Sforza deck that got tossed during the infestation! I was so hoping this would happen! I like these better than the larger ones I had before. These have a much prettier back and beautiful gilt on the actual face of the cards ... Some cards have a huge amount of gilt. Wow, fancy! ... Gorgeous, part of history, and part of my personal history." Info I found online: "Visconti Tarots, the Visconti-Sforza Tarots ... AA Atanassov, imprinted hot in gold."

Notes for Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot, Miniature Deck: "Small cards, beautifully gilded edges, I love love love these particular gilded edges. Visually, the deck will subconsciously waken my Faerie magic. I'm not sure the graphics will do that for me long-term, but at least for now. I think this might be the 'mini size, collectors' third edition of the deck (December 2011).'" 

Though SnowStar also enclosed a full size Baroque Bohemian Cats Tarot, I didn't initially realize it's basically the same as the above deck. For some reason, it didn't have the same delightful impact on me, though I do like it. It'll be interesting to see if, over time, I come to enjoy the full-size deck as much as the mini, or decide to pass it on.

Notes for Golden Tarot of the Renaissance, art of Jo Dworkin: "Oh, this deck belongs to me. There's something undefinable about it that makes me just want to sit down and read with it. ... Lots of gold on the front. They'd be nice to read with just because they're shiny, LOL! We faeries crave and are spellbound by shiny things! ... Wow, the gold's gleam is dazzling—I mean, it's shining into my eyes as I'm thumbing through the cards. That is intense. OMG, almost every card has a massive amount of gold on it. I have to keep this, because it's so shiny." :-) 

Are you sensing a theme in these notes: I like shiny gold things!

Later notes on the Golden Tarot: "Cards have very evocative and unusual graphics that, as such, will wake up my cells to give me fresh insights, the way traveling through a new country on the physical realm wakes up slumbering parts of me. On Amazon it says 'These images are alive with movement and wit.' Yes there is a real wittiness."

The Hanson-Roberts Tarot: "Oh, good to see this deck again. Nice, friendly, cheerful deck closely based on the Rider Waite Smith version. I deeply love the traditional Rider Waite Smith sensibility, plus this deck is very sweet, so must read with this a while to decide whether to keep it."

Joi de Vivre Tarot by Paulina Cassidy: "There's real originality here. I'm impressed. Good stuff ... Oh my goodness, yes. Cards have a depth that I can't put my finger on. I look forward to working with this. ... Well titled, because they are truly joyful. ... Clearly influenced by Alice in Wonderland. Nice back. Lovely tactile." SnowStar sent two other decks by Paulina. Oddly enough, neither of them are quite right for me.

 Fairy Tale Art Playing Cards by Unique 3-D games: "Oh my Goddess, how wonderful, these are plain old playing cards! The back is an Arthur Rackham graphic. Pages upward have pictures. It'll be wonderful to have something pretty in my hand when I play solitaire. Very cool!" (I read plain old playing cards, but I also enjoy solitaire.)

The following notes are for what I think is Isabels Dream Mini Lenormand Fortune Telling Cards: "Woo hoo, a teeny tiny deck in a tiny blue organza bag! The deck is almost too small to hold securely, but I love it anyway. Totally magical. I love the pictures and, as small as they are, they are not difficult for my eyes. I see them clearly without effort."

No. 194115 Mlle Lenormand Cartomancy Deck: "This is the Lenormand deck for me! I love this deck so much I could cry. Going through all these Lenormand decks, I've been waiting for one of the more traditional ones to have full color backgrounds and colors I like. The colors are fabulous! In three languages. Copyright 1986." This deck is in the above picture, on the left.

Notes for a deck that came with no box or book: "Cards have a lovely faerie tale quality that is not overtly so. This is a mind-altering deck. Wow, I can do a lot with this. One of my favorites of the batch. There's a real depth to this deck." After an online image search, I think this might be The Gilded Reverie Lenormand from US Games System, by artist Ciro Marchetti. Check out the above picture, because it's the deck on the right.

Everything about this next unboxed deck "blows me away. Its miniature size and lengthy height are delightful, as are the cards' backs, which say, 'a guide to the art of telling fortunes by these cards can be obtained gratis from your tobacconist.' I love all this! Plus the front of the cards' pictures make me smile. They're hard to see, but they make me smile." I found pictures of the aforementioned booklet's pages online, which I printed. Using this vintage booklet will be great fun. Researching online, I found out that the deck is 'Dondorf Lenormand Cards - 36 Cigarette cards by Carreras ...1926.' I don't know if mine are the originals.

 A wee version of the Lenormand de Marseille by Edmund Zebrowski, which at first glance seems to be a 2013 version: "How I love tiny decks! They're utterly magical!"

 Other decks caught my fancy just as much as the above ones, and are quite different from them, but I don't want to overwhelm you with more notes.

 Some decks that didn't suit me will be on a giveaway blanket on my personal websites, so stay tuned to those blogs: http://www.outlawbunny.com/blog/ and http://stardrenched.com . 

Please tell me one or more of your fave decks, using the comment field below, because I love hearing mystical experiences.

And if you like making deck bags, you may want to check out my new one. Constructing it was an abundance and self-love ritual: http://www.outlawbunny.com/2015/01/06/diy-luxury/