Meraki Tarot Deck Review

Like many who get drawn to tarot, I’ve found myself adding new decks to my collection. Recently I was very excited to receive the Meraki Tarot which I had backed in Kickstarter. It has been wonderful seeing this deck come to life and now I’m excited to finally have it in my hands!

Meraki Tarot Deck

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Why the Meraki?

Meraki signifies doing something with soul, creativity and love. It represents the essence of who you are and the passion in your work.

Although I do have a few tarot decks now in my collection, it is far from a large collection. I am quite selective about my decks.

When I found the Meraki Tarot on Kickstarter the first thing that drew me in was the art. I liked the colours and the general whimsical vibe of the cards. I’ve been going through some darker times and the idea of having something that felt happy and joyful appealed to me.

Then when I started reading more about the project I was sucked right in. The deck includes correspondences to crystals, astrology and planets.

As a new tarot reader I am just starting to learn about these correspondences from Jenny (The Mystic Mermaid who writes so many amazing articles on this site!). I am the first to admit, I often find it so overwhelming trying to remember all of the correspondences.

When reading cards you can use a lot of intuition, but when it comes to the correspondences, there is a lot of memorization required.

So when I noticed the Meraki Tarot Major Arcana had the correspondences on the cards, plus little guidance cards, I was intrigued!

The Kickstarter Process

If you have backed a project on Kickstarter before, you know it is a bit of a gamble. In general this project went fairly smoothly, although it was delayed. Delivery was originally scheduled for January, but I didn’t get it until June. But the creator was great at keeping everyone updated on the delays and once shipped, it arrived quickly!

The Meraki Tarot

Once the deck finally arrived I was so excited to check it out.

I’ve had a chance to play with the deck and thought I would share some initial insights.

The Feel

First this deck is a nice size that fits really nicely in the hand. The cardstock feels almost velvety. It is a good thickness, durable while still being easy to shuffle.

But, and this is a big juicy but, the cards are very sticky and like to clump together. So far I am having a hard time with getting a good shuffle from the deck. It is my hope this will improve with use.

The colours are the main thing that really stand out with this deck, they are simply gorgeous and the cardstock compliments the colours beautifully.

The System and Art

The Meraki Tarot is based on the Smith Rider Waite tarot system. However, the artist has reimagined many of the cards, creating new imagery. This can be great, but can also present challenges. Especially for less experienced readers.

As I read with these cards I find the art gives it a very inviting and gentle feel. I simply enjoy spending time with this art and letting my intuition take its time interpreting the imagery.

Although I love many of the cards, one of my favourites is the Hanged Man, which features the coolest little bat just hanging out.

That said, there are a few cards with artwork that doesn’t work as well for me and that don’t seem to fit the overall design aesthetic of the deck. I find myself not getting the right pings from the imagery or they simply don’t appeal to me and interrupt the fluidity when I am reading them together. Thankfully that is only a few of the cards.

On a much more positive note though, a common theme throughout the deck is crystals. As a crystal lover, this really appeals to me. Not only does each Major Arcana feature a crystal image in the corner highlighting its crystal association, but many of the Minor Arcana feature crystals in the artwork too. I really love this integration of the crystals into the artwork and although I haven’t spent a lot of time studying the cards, I do wonder if some deeper associations can be drawn from the minor arcana cards by looking at the crystal colours featured. It is something I will need to reflect on.

This is a nature and animal inspired deck. None of the imagery features humans. This works for some people, but not for others.

Also, another divisive issue in the tarot world is the use of borders. This deck has a scalloped border. I am not a huge fan of it, but it is also not a huge negative in my books. It doesn’t add or detract from my readings. Other readers may feel differently. There are some strong feelings around borders in the tarot world!

Bonus Cards

The Meraki Tarot Deck comes with 3 additional cards:

The Meraki
Obscurity
Clarity

The artwork on these cards are beautiful. The Meraki tarot card is an explosion of colour and just exudes hope and happiness. However, I have not used these cards as part of the deck. I prefer to stick to the proper 78 standard deck, but they are a wonderful bonus. When I get decks that have these bonus cards I often use them as bookmarks.

Associations

The big thing that drew me to the Meraki Tarot was the associations. I feel strongly that if I can gain a better understanding of these associations it will really aid my readings.

And this deck fills that need for me beautifully on my tarot growth journey.

With the deck, you get a number of additional guidance cards featuring:

Astrological Signs,
Solar System (Planetary) Associations,
Crystal Associations,
Astrology and Element Associations.

In addition, the Major Arcana have the Crystal Association shown with a coloured crystal in the corner, and in the other corner is the Solar System Association.

I am finding those guidance cards so valuable when doing my readings. When I pull a major arcana, I can reference those cards (quickly and easily) and immediately gain greater insight by uncovering the astrological, elemental, crystal and solar system associations.

This is opening up a whole new level of insights and understandings for me!

Plus I love working with the crystal associations. When doing a daily card pull from the major arcana, I can use it as guidance for what crystal may benefit me that day. Then I can either carry that crystal with me, or create a crystal grid with it, or work it into my altar.

Final Thoughts on the Meraki

Overall I am really enjoying this whimsical deck. The art is generally very beautiful and the best part is that my intuition and ability to read tarot is growing thanks to integration of the association guidance cards. I am learning more about how to use these associations to provide greater depth to my readings.

Most of all, I am enjoying spending time with this tarot deck. And at the end of the day, that is what I am looking for in a tarot deck. Something that I can connect with and helps feed my passion for tarot.

If you have been reading tarot for a while and are looking for a deck that will help build your understanding of the associations, this is a great deck to work with.

If you are interested in adding the deck to your collection you can check it out here.