Following up on my post about, Call Me Miss Cleo, for today’s pull from Georgie’s Magic Card Collection, we’ll look at Miss Cleo’s Tarot Power Deck. It was published back in 2001 by Radar Communications Inc.
5 Points About This Deck
- Miss Cleo: Despite her name and picture being on the box, Miss Cleo (or Youree Dell Harris) had nothing to do with making this deck. It’s possible, of course, that she used it to read with, but it was designed and created by J.F. Lambert and Seth Stevens. There’s an introduction in the LWB that shows Miss Cleo’s signature at the bottom, but I don’t know …
- The Box: Though a box wouldn’t likely sway me for or against a Tarot deck, there are boxes that are good enough (regular tuck boxes), and then there are ones that I like. The Miss Cleo deck comes in the type that I like – a hardy two piecer that opens by lifting the top off. And for some childish reason, I really like the red tag on the front that says “As Seen On TV’.
- Artwork: The deck artwork follows a kind of ancient Egyptian motif, I guess to go along with the myth that Tarot originated in Egypt. It’s bright and simple, a little cartoony, with very well cut workers, kings, queens, gods, and goddesses. I actually quite like it.
- Arcanas/Readability: The Major Arcana looks to follow the RWS sequencing and style, while the Minor Arcana switches things up a bit. The suits are Staffs, Cups, Swords, and Coins, and though they follow a basic RWS-type model, there are some novel takes on the images. For me at least, I find this deck quite easy to read. The images are clear and straightforward in their storytelling. But, if you’re in doubt, the instruction book that comes with the deck is quite helpful.
- Extra Cards: Unlike most decks, there are two extra cards included with 1-900 and 1-800 numbers on them … I guess that’s in case you can’t figure out what your reading means and want some help? I didn’t try the numbers, and am not recommending that anyone else does.
Despite my feelings surrounding the Psychic Readers Network, and the questionable part Miss Cleo herself played in the whole saga, I actually like the Miss Cleo’s Tarot Power Deck. I got mine on eBay about 15 years ago and notice that there still seems to be a lot of inexpensive used ones around. If you see one, you might want to give it a try.