Review: The Gift of Life Tarot

Author: Alice Smeets

Illustrator: Alice Smeets

Consciousness Rising

ASIN: B08Y5ZSTZ9

2021

The Gift Of Life Tarot is a 78-card deck and 111-page companion book from photographer Alice Smeets. It comes in a sturdy two-part lift-off top box. The card titles and numbers follow the traditional Rider-Waite style, as do the interpretations.

The cards are 3 ½” by 5 1.2” and are made of sturdy cardstock. The backs have a white background with a golden radiating sun in the middle (upright and reversed cards cannot differentiated.)

The card faces have a ¼” white border, surrounding beautiful full-color images of people in real-life settings. The suits are Water (Cups), Earth (Pentacles), Air (Swords) and Fire (Wands). The Court cards are Daughter (Page), Son (Knight), Mother (Queen), and Father (King).

The Major Arcana shows the card title across the bottom against a white background, while the Minor Arcana shows the number and suit across the bottom of the card against a white background. The Court cards show the card title and suit across the bottom of the card against a white background.  

The companion book begins with background on this deck and the process of its creation. As these are real-life photographs, the process is a bit different from that of most decks.

This is followed by a section that discusses the background of Tarot.

Several spreads are presented, including the Life Purpose Spread, the Find The Gifts In Different Situations Spread, and the Hidden Talents Spread.

Each Major Arcana card is presented with a small black and white photo, the card number, title, and energy, gifts and challenges, the Real Life Moment (how Smeets chose to depict the energy of the card), and Life Purpose Reading (how the card functions in a reading).

The Minor Arcana numbered cards are presented with a small black-and-white image, the card number and suit, the card’s energy, the Real Life Moment (how Smeets chooses to depict the energy of the card), and Life Purpose Reading (how the card functions in a reading).

The Court Cards are presented with a small black and white image, the card title, suit, and energy, the Real World Moment (how Smeets chose to depict the card’s energy), and Life Purpose Reading (how the card functions in a reading).

This is a very special deck in that Smeets, photographed in Haiti and around the world, shows real-life people in real-life scenes with no staging. These images will absolutely pull you in! The deck title is very apropos—life is a gift!

This deck is appropriate for children, adults, and people from all backgrounds. Because the images are real-life, applying them to any question or situation is easy. Both beginners and experienced readers will connect easily with this deck and find the stories it tells powerful.

© February 2024 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without authorization from the author.