Doreen Virtue's Angel Tarot cards: Thoughts

I don't usually review decks but, since I pretty much have all of Doreens Oracle cards and this Tarot has caused some raised eyebrows due to the choice of marketing (a 100% safe deck? Is life 100% safe?). I will just write my thoughts.
Firstly Doreen has kept her format, artwork and card size very similar to her Oracle decks. Except I would say the cards are slightly thicker and it really does not work here. A Tarot deck has 78 cards, her Oracle decks normally 42 or a max of 50. I like big cards, but these are thick and they feel huge and do not shuffle so well for my tiny hands... and the card quality is also poorer. I have had this deck only a few days and only shuffled it 3 times. Twice to draw a card of the day and once just now to do a Celtic Cross reading for myself. And 2 cards have already peeling corners.
The positives:
The artwork is very pretty and some cards have been renamed (example Hanged Man is now Awakenings), the minors have also been renamed to Earth, Water, Fire and Air. The deck reads very well and flows easily. I think it will be a very good deck for parties and fairs and for reading for oneself. Of course she also uses Angel connections for some of the Major Arcana (The Empress is Archangel Gabriel and The Emperor Archangel Michael for example). All cards have quotes at the bottom to help intuition flow (and not necessarily tied to RWS tradition, which I really like) and, generally, this really seems like a lovely deck. Shame about the poor quality of the cards.

Do you read with your left or right brain?

Much of our brain capacity is not utilized but it is common knowledge that the left brain governs over the logic aspect of our mind/thoughts/actions and the right brain over the artistic and spiritual one.
In my many years of reading Tarot I have met and shared opinions with lots and lots of other readers and, amazingly, there does not seem to be a common denominator at all (besides the Tarot itself).
I know I read with my right brain as the cards for me are simply tools for stimulating my intuition into "telling" me what I need to know and convey. Up until recently I did not even think it would be possible to read left brained, how do you put logic into something that, by nature, does not follow logic?
From what I have seen left brain readers tend to use the images and meanings of the cards and then follow a "logic" pattern and interpret them I feel like a "cold" mean. Right brained readers do not need particular decks or images (in fact could just simply use a deck with abstract images) and just go with the flow of what their intuition tells them. Many right brained readers are also mediums or work psychically.
What do you think? Which are you? I would love to hear opinions and explanations on how you feel this affects you and your reading style :).

Post Full Moon mini reading

Since I am sitting on the sofa today feeling sorry for myself with an evil cold I decided to ask what have last night  energies brought me...
Short and sweet as I like it (4 cards):

What is the purpose of what I am going through? 
What has been given to me?
What has been taken from me?
What should I expect in the near future?

In order I drew:
6 of Wands - Lovely at least I know that once recovered I will move on onto better and higher energies, possibly with a better understanding on how to manage my health.

The Star - This is even more lovely :). I tale it as the energies being benign and hope giving. Also a strengthening of my intuition (as if I need it lol). There is light at the end of the tunnel :).

The Unknown card (again, got this in another reading on friday)
I am taking this as what has been taken or I have to give up is still not known and will become clearer as I move forward.

Queen of Swords - why my chosen alter ego for 2012. More clarity of mind, focus and willpower. And resolve to possibly finish the many things I have started.

I think this has just brightened up my day :).

p.s. sorry it won't upload the pic the right way and cannot rotate and, since my head hurts, I won't try anymore to figure it out ;p

Meditating with the Moon

Since this saturday/sunday Full Moon will be quite powerful I was thinking that meditating on the Moon card for a while might help focus the energies.
Choose a card you feel most comfortable with (I picked The Moon from the lovely Tarof of Dreams by Ciro Marchetti) and set aside 5/10 minutes this weekend to meditate on it.
Have a notebook and pen by the ready. What impressions do you get? Any colours, words, thoughts, images? Jot everything down.

A good way to relax when starting the card meditation is to make yourself comfortable, take a couple of deep breaths then focus on the card colours, pick the one that stands out to you and imagine it getting larger almost becoming the card "aura". Then go with the flow and relax (and remember to write anything that might come into your mind, it migh not make sense then but oftent it will later!).
Full Moon Blessings to all 
)O(

Follow up reading with Konxari cards

I had a few upsetting, strange happenings after last reading and, to be honest, the message was not so clear. The bad dreams have abated now and the place feels quieter. However I had a feeling that someone was trying to communicate with me and that it was not from the light side so I asked and practiced protection.
So today I decided to draw 4 cards as follow up and clarification and this is what i got. Needless to say (as the cards speak for themselves) I do not like this at all. And also I am ABSOLUTELY certain i did not call or wish upon anything dark. So demon, whatever you are, be gone. Comments appreciated as I am a bit disturbed lol.

Reading with Konxari cards

I stumbled onto these on FB and I was straight away drawn to them and purchased them (not a difficult thing to do for me). Mainly because I can still work with Spirit and Tarot but was looking for a medium (no pun intended) to make it easier to understand the so often confused messages (at 3am) that I am getting through.
So I opened the box and straight away they felt very full of energy. Some cards are downright creepy but I personally don't find it affects me. I read the lwb thoroughly and decided to completely ignore the rules and warnings (do not read alone, do not do more than one reading in one room etc) as they seemed more for shock than for reason.
The creator has gone through great lenghts to make them simple but full of symbols. You not only have the pictures but also letters, astrological symbols, cabbalistic (I think) symbols and more. And the cards themselves are divided into sections for people, sensations, equipment, places, times etc. Not knowing a spread I decided to go with the lwb beginners one, 12 cards + 1 more optional, hiding the middle cards in respect for the Dead. I asked a simple question of: "How do I better understand what is coming through?" The massage I got I felt was pretty strong but I still haven't quite got the meaning. Will ask for more clarification sometime this week. May I add that before starting this I protected myself and my room and I also cleansed and cleared the cards. Here is the spread, cards drawn left to right (left for the living and right for the beyond) + the audio card I drew as an extra.
The suggestion of trying EVP in my room made me smile (oh the noise!)but I intend to follow it if I find a decent voice recorder.

Sorry but the scanner was a bit too small for a full shot, but still it is clear. Now after a few minutes of reflecting it seemed to me that a brother was trying to contact a sister that might come to some kind of harm? The brother I read died at 92 (Age and the numbers on the cards). I could not make any sense of the letters even after scrambling them so left those alone. But well my brother is alive so not for me. Remember the first 4 cards were suffocation to future and the right ones brother to bridge. I actually think the bridge signifies his way to try and contact her and "build a bridge". I still feel the message to be clear and strong but for who? I think I 'll need to ask again! Also I think although I liked the way of this spread I might just try 3/4 cards as simple question and see.
Any opinions welcome, or if anyone sees anything I have missed. I think more readings will be posted of these awesome cards! :)
Oh and if you are wondering why only 8 cards appear here well the spread calls for 4 cards to be hidden and not seen in respect for the Dead.

Soul Retrieval spread

I decided, after my experience of a "Soul retrieval" (you can find related post at www.tarot-holistics.com) which was intense and full of energy to ask the cards of course what they thought and what I was to learn from this experience. From the retrieval 6 past lives were seen and 14 soul pieces retrieved.
I used the lovely Crystal Visions deck and drew 5 cards like so:

1) What is my lesson?
2) What do I need to let go of?
3) What  have I already discarded unknowingly?
4) What is trying to stop me?
5) What is my ultimate lesson and learning?

 And from top left clockwise:

1)The Hermit
2) 9 of Swords
3) Wheel of Fortune
4) Page of Pentacles
5) Page of Cups

Why I thought...lovely cards ..perhaps? The Hermit keeps coming up for me and it's also my March monthly card. My lesson is I believe to learn from myself, of myself, with myself. Is to take time in doing what, ultimately, makes me grow. Letting go of the 9 of Swords is fairly self explanatory and in the works. Worries, stress and unnecessary thoughts of worry and lack. Every time I see this card I think; "But it's all in the mind!" I already have discarded some opportunities through the Wheel, perhaps some unknowingly and that is very possible if caught in the 9 of Swords mode. The poor Page of Pentacles is trying to stop me. Rationalizing what cannot be rationalized perhaps? Grounding what could not be grounded (hence the past lives being very "present"), trying to apply logic when none is needed? But my ultimate learning lesson is the Page of Cups, young and totally emotional, teenager style. Lovely. So, again, go with my gut, and with my gut I go...My intuition lately has not let me down once. No I do not have visions of grandeur, am just saying it's right. So I shall take this lesson, to rework my emotions to the point of learning lesson 1. Again. And this time to put them to good use (I hope).