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Tarot Deck Testimony: 'Dreams of Gaia Tarot' Review

A Review of 'The Dreams of Gaia Tarot'

By Kris LelielPublished 5 years ago Updated 12 months ago 5 min read
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To seek, to feel, to grow, and to heal—this is the foundational philosophy of Ravynne Phelan’s vibrant, surreal tarot deck, titled The Dreams of Gaia Tarot (2017). The simplistic purpose interwoven with the art is present with every tarot spread. There are enticing colors, carefully placed symbols, and a strong connection with the natural and supernatural realms. I purchased the deck around the time it was released. It was the second tarot deck in possession, but the first deck I attempted spells with because this deck truly encouraged a genuine exploration of many facets of the self. Anyone into tarot magick will find this deck is easy to work with and easy to handle, but it will also target your inner truth relentlessly. This tarot deck is for those who are ready to heal from past trauma, face the strengths and weaknesses of their personal reality, and address the true level of their emotional, mental, and spiritual maturity.

Get it now on Magick Planet

About The Author and Artist

Ravynne Phelan, the beautiful mind behind The Dreams of Gaia Tarot, is a creative spirit who clung to her art to survive her battles with mental illness. Her artistic efforts went in several directions until she decided to become an artist solely for tarot and oracle decks, which has transformed her life tremendously.

“I am ever evolving and changing. Like a tree from one season to the next, my branches have lengthened, new smaller branches have formed where others have withered and fallen away, my trunk is a little thicker (too thick for my liking) and my roots have buried themselves even deeper into the earth… I do not desire to influence others in any other manner except to help people to open their minds and explore the realms they find within. I am not here to tell you how you should live, or how or what you should believe,” (Phelan 2016).

Her attitude towards helping others through their own battles illuminates through every card. I certainly felt Ravynne’s immense wisdom and healing. Ravynne’s story can be read further here.

The Art

My Own Photo of One of My Favorite Cards—Art Belongs to Ravynne Phelan.

You may feel that Ravynne’s work is highly influenced by fantasy books, movies, and the like, but she makes it very clear that her art isn’t fantasy at all.

“I don’t paint fantasy,” she says. “I paint the spirit realms and alternate realities. I once used the word fantasy to label and categorise what I paint in order to make it acceptable to mainstream audiences, but now I choose not to cater to the mainstream. I paint what comes to me in visions and in dreams. Our perception and understanding of the world and the universe is limited. We cannot say that something is fantasy or imaginary, simply because it does not exist within our physical plane or beyond our scope of understanding,” (Phelan 2016).

As any interested tarot readers observe her art, remember that each card you draw is basically a doorway to the other side. Your intuition will know instantly. Every being you see is greeting you, every animal spirit is calling you, every symbol is reaching through your subconscious, and every color will resonate with your energy in some way.

“No single moment or experience is free of influence from internal or external sources,” (Phelan 2017).

Contents of the Deck

My Own Photo of One of My Favorite Cards—Art belongs to Ravynne Phelan.

The Dreams of Gaia Tarot is made up of a 25-card major arcana, and a 56-card minor arcana comprising four elemental suits of 14 cards,” (Phelan 2017). Starting with the major arcana, you’ll see for yourself how the deck still holds some of the traditional archetypes from a classic Raider-Waite tarot, but takes their meanings to a more inquisitive level so the reader will experience some bonafide soul-searching. One of my favorite cards is the Perception card, which I feel is linked to Justice and expanded further upon its archetype, in my opinion. The minor arcana have elemental suits that still parallel the classic tarot: Air/Swords, Earth/Pentacles, Water/Chalices, Fire/Wands. However, instead of pages and knights, there are alignment cards and figure-beside-the-throne cards to accompany the traditional Kings and Queens.

Of course, the deck comes with a book. Some tarot readers will tell you to ignore the book, but Phelan’s writing shouldn’t be ignored. Phelan’s insights will complement any message you intuitively receive by connecting to the deck alone. For the major arcana, her explanations have significant purposes for three-card spreads focused on the past, present, and future. With all the cards, she elaborates their upright and reverse position meanings. Not only are these insights a pleasant read, but the book is easy to navigate, so even beginners will have no problem skimming through Phelan's writing to get a general feel for each card. Each card has keywords or phrases to introduce each card and their conciseness really sticks.

Size and Handling

My Own Photo of One of My Favorite Cards—Art belongs to Ravynne Phelan.

The cards are medium to large, so smaller hands may have issues shuffling, but they aren't difficult to handle. The cards themselves and the gloss finish are of high quality and as you can see with my deck, they've kept their form and beauty for over two years now.

Intuitive Feel and Spell Use

The spells I've done with this deck helped with emotional healing, banishing negativity, and help sleeping. I often combined them with crystal healing by placing the crystals or gemstones around a card, then leaving the card either on my desk or near my bed. I have found the spells to be effective, especially since the art in its vibrancy helped with visualization during meditation. I would suggest using the major arcana for spells that need more power and the minor arcana in a three-plus card spread.

Readings for Myself and Others

The Dreams of Gaia Tarot is fantastic for emotional evaluation. I think it's also a good beginner deck for shadow work if you want to start subconscious healing. When I was learning about chakras and my sacral chakra had issues, this deck helped me to take a step-by-step journey to investigate what needed to be taken care of in my current and future situations. There's a retrospective element to this deck that has directly targeted the emotional needs and mental challenges of others in a way that brought about some discomfort, but benefited my clients in the long run. Referring back to the book, Phelan's writing hits hard with the truth and provides practical advice when addressing those truths. Yes, this deck has very therapeutic elements, but rarely does it sugarcoat anything during a reading.

Buy it on Magick Planet: $32.72 or 4 interest-free payments of $8.18 with afterpay.

New decks on Amazon: $34.16-$26.89

Get it now on Amazon

This concludes the review. I strongly recommend this deck to those who are in touch with the four elements and love universal symbolism. Ravynne has a beautiful eye for detail in her cards, but she has other art too! Please go to her website to find more of her masterpieces and support her. She has done illustrations for other oracle decks. I've listed them below.

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More Oracle Decks Featuring Ravynne Phelan's Art

Messenger Oracles

Buy now on Magick Planet

Oracle of the Dragonfae

Buy on Magick Planet

READ MORE: 5 TAROT DECKS FOR NERDS

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About the Creator

Kris Leliel

Kris Leliel is a strange writer who posts about the occult and spirituality, goth stuff, horror, creative writing, mental health, and her own creative ventures. She has a Masters in Liberal Studies and a BA in English & Psychology.

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