Also, I will never not find it funny that people get all worked up about your opinions with your channel being named what it is.😂

I love de-influencing and anti-haul content so this is such a treat!

Being an artist and designer makes me so picky about decks that I'm hard to influence *into* buying them.

“Because I can’t remember if it’s one Jeffrey or multiple Jeffries” hahahaha fave comment ever. This was a fun time. I could definitely de-influence folks from my faves haha. Great idea.

I like this concept! De-influencing is so needed in our hyper-consumerist world. It's a weird balance to strike when it comes to indie decks, because on the one hand you are supporting artists, but it can slide into overconsumption easily. I myself doubled my deck collection this year, and I'm starting to miss when I had a really close connection to just 2 decks: the US Games RWS and the Wisdom of Avalon oracle. On a side note, I absolutely love the Raven Cycle series and you did not manage to de-influence me from that deck😂

The consumerism in tarot KZfaq spaces has really put me off a lot of famous creators just because I'm trying to live a simpler lifestyle, and their content doesn't align with that. I'm so, so grateful for videos like this!!! Seriously, you're filling a much needed space. I want to see more people talking about how they use their decks, not just buying the next shiny thing

Finding out how Christian-influenced the Mary El is... 100% deinfluenced me from getting it lol. Thanks! (not that I was actually interested in it to begin with, but that put the nail in the coffin haha)

What a great idea, I hope lots of people will do a VR to this! Out of these decks I've had Mary-El and Deviant Moon, both of them I purchased because they were so highly praised and I wanted to find out why, but I didn't get anything out of them and ended up rehoming both. The consumerist side of tarot is something I've also struggled with for a while now, and as a result I've slowed down my buying and started favoring second-hand decks.

Knowing why a deck *doesn't* work for others helps me make a informed decision on whether to buy it. With books and music I find that there's a good correlation: if person x likes it, I'm likely to like it, too; if person B likes it, it will be not-for-me. With decks, it's all over: someone loves a deck I love and hates another of my favourites and loves decks I hate. Overall, I'd hate to own their collection and they'd hate to own mine. Even if our reading styles align fairly well. If I'm interested in a deck, I'll pick it up anyway.

Totally agree on the Mary-El. Never could connect with it because of those Christian influences that I noticed after I bought the deck. Your video was a service to future tarot consumers.

I always felt like the Black Sheep for not having the Mary-El. I had no idea the link to Revelations and the deck. Now thanks to you, I don’t have to feel weird about not wanting it anymore. Thanks! 😂

Well, you just talked me out of the Mary-El, so that's at least one win! I've got heaps of Christian trauma baggage so I'm very relieved to have avoided that trigger, as it was a deck I was planning on studying. I already have the Tarot of Vampyres and I adore how goofy, campy, and cringe it is. However, I NEVER get good readings with it. It answers simple questions with layers of riddle and pontification. I have to pair it with an RWS or something in order to make it make sense for me. DEINFLUENCED.

I have been feeling very similarly in regard to my own materialism. I recently had to move into a smaller space, so I'm putting a lot more thought into the physical items that enter my space. That said, I just bought a backup copy of ToV because it's just gone out of print, and Llewellyn's cardstock might as well be notebook paper.

YES!! So many other tarot influencers need to do this 😂

Love the concept of de-influencing, what a great video idea! Was seriously expecting to see you show the Witches Wisdom tarot with THAT ONE CARD. 😉

This is a great idea! I STILL haven't picked up the books to go along with the Raven's Prophecy Tarot but I know I'll get around to it one day because I adore the deck even without having read them. Haha, yeah, I love Deviant Moon but it can totally be a dickhead about stuff, that's such an apt description. Definitely not a squishy feels deck. Funnily enough, I only just ordered Tarot of the Vampyres because it's going OOP and I panicked (and it's been on and off my wishlist for years). The cringe factor is what has prevented me from getting it up until now (and I say this as a spooky goth girl). I had no idea about the basis for the Mary El Tarot. I guess every day really is a school day!

the magician from tarot of the hidden realm took me out! 😂

Very creative and intriguing concept, thank you for sharing ❤

Honestly, every time people talk about the Faeries oracle I just skip that part of the video. I don't understand the hype for that deck, but people really go gaga for it, lol. Also with the Tarot Of Vampyres, I have such a love-meh, for that deck. In my head I think "It's vampyres...i should love this deck", and although it's beautiful and obviously well thought out, I don't think it's that ground-breaking as people made it out to be. Great video!

I did not know that about the fairy oracle! I have it but didn’t know anything of it that you had mentioned. 😮

I love and adore the Faeries Oracle its my forever deck to keep. ❤The images are beautiful and the Faeries just come alive at night..... Thats just from my experiences 😊

I haven't even watched the video but already liked it, because the title alone made my day (and it's 00:53 here, so the day is still very long). Will watch now as a good night story, before I finally sleep.

Inspired concept for a video!! I do watch the odd flip through and review out in Tarot Tube…but most are ‘super positive’ and I’ve frankly stopped listening to certain creators. (And I hate the term ‘super positive’ - just grates me as it sounds too cheerful 😂) I’ve always loved the look of the Raven’s Prophecy, but I can’t see myself reading those books. (Too many books, so little time). So thank you for the warning there - much appreciated. As for Hidden Realm, I went back and forth on that deck. Eventually I decided it was too ‘pretty’. I also have a bit of a rebellious streak when it comes to Barbara Moore - everyone says her books/decks are great, so I refuse to buy them 🤣 You can probably tell from the above that your channel title was what drew me in! 😂. Thank you for being a different voice (and hilarious, love your humour) out there - much appreciated and enjoyed! Blessings

I’m less than a minute into this video and I am so excited to watch it. I’m currently experiencing FOMO so this is perfect lol.

What a great video idea! Loved it 🖤

I bought the Mary El but it gave me creep vibes. Not the images, they were ok, but holding the deck made me feel weird and uncomfortable. I didn't even read the guidebook, I just packed it up and sent it back to Amazon the next day. And thoroughly cleansed my desk, room, and anything those cards may have touched. Seriously, I felt icky from holding that deck.

I was tempted to buy all these decks and resisted, except for the Hidden Realm which I later threw away! I agree with you.

I love your attitude 😅 it’s really refreshing when so many people gush over things and are afraid to say a single negative word about a deck. I’ve had the Deviant Moon for a while and don’t use it so much, I also found the little leaflet overtly negative which is probably why. When I get new decks now I tend to only quick flick through the guidebook and use the cards a bit without looking to in-depth in the book till I’ve got my own feel for the deck. I have Brian Froud again I don’t use it so much even though I like the deck, I didn’t know that about the creators…tbh I stopped using it because I’m scared I’ll break the cards…I’ve got thicker bookmarks. I’m learning new things tonight 🙈 I didn’t know the Mary-El was inspired by Christian mythology which probably makes me dumb. I only got it recently (second edition) but I’ve not read the guidebook, just briefly looked up one card. Thanks for helping to de-influence me from buying anything else on the list 😅🙈

THIS VIDEO is the vibe we needed. Damn. ❤ Is that rocker dude in Hidden Realms Ridge Forrester from "The Bold & The Beautiful"? Because that is who I saw when you said that he was a soap guy and now I can't stop laughing. THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS! 🎉😂❤

I legit didn’t understand tarot until I started reading with Deviant Moon. This deck just made everything “click “. This vid was so satisfying! So wanted it to be longer! Can we get a part 2 cause your ability to say the shit we’re all thinking is second to none!

You succeeded. I wouldn’t buy or use any of these 😂

Also I would be so interested if you ever did a deep dive of the Raven’s prophecy going through where it matches up with the books. It’s one of my favorite series, and I still struggle sometimes to match the art to specific scenes.

I would never have guessed that Mary-El tarot had such a big christian influence from looking at it, absolutely wild. I have also instituted rules for myself to try and keep me from buying every deck I see with one card I like in it. If I absolutely hate a card in the deck, I no longer allow myself to buy it, even if I love the rest of it. It's helped, thankfully. Great video.

I haven't gotten any of those yet, thanks for the heads-up ❤

I am successfully de-influenced. Thanks.

Sooo many decks have Christian shit. The most familiar decks have loads of it and I think casual tarot users and newcomers don't even see it. I know I didn't really see it in the RWS at first. At least with Mary-El the Christian stuff is intentional and weird, based on obscure Christian mythology and like, Gnosticism if I remember right? It's been a long time since I had a look at that book. If you wanted to do a video on Mary-El that would be welcome! (It's even in the name! The -el ending means "of God")

I have always hated Deviant Moon, it creeps me out 🤮 I do like Tarot of Vampyres and the book is amazing! My sister is not a fan and says the women are too hoochie and the men are way too dramatic. 😂 she does love the Lords though. I tend to like far fewer tarot deck styles than most people so my FOMO tends to kick in when I’m looking at kickstarter. What if I miss is and they NEVER MAKE ANY MORE?? Like the Healing Waters Tarot. I am trying to rein this in though. Great video ❤

Hmm interesting how many ppl didn't realize the biblical influences in Mary-el. It literally has archangel cards.

Instant sub 😂😂😂 Yes to all of this

Thanks! Was gonna buy the Mary-el deck but looking at the cards, listening to you talk about where it's art is rooted, think I will pass. I have a deck to answer big questions, better to save my coins!

So glad you said that about the Brian Froud Fairies Oracle. I like the deck, HATE the book. I'm probably going to just make a sheet of the keywords to keep with the deck and put the book in a box or something. It always pisses me off lmao Also, 100% spot on about the Deviant Moon. That is my favorite, most trusted deck, but you gotta understand when NOT to use it! It is an asshole (affectionate).

Fantastic idea and well executed! This helped me leave the idea of buying a couple of these decks. Much appreciated!

I don’t understand the witch sister hype. Maybe the book is good? Everyone looks beat up in that deck

I always admired the art in Mary El but had no idea it was based in Christian mythology. Successfully deinfluenced!!

It makes so much sense . My question is how you do enjoy read the Mary el ? 😊

I totally get what you mean about the Tarot of Vampyres being cringey, but the art reminds me of my art college days when I *cringe dressed goth and was obsessed with “goth rock” Evanescence, Nightwish, Lacuna Coil, etc. 😖 and wanted to draw in that style. I have and love that deck even though yes, cringe af. 😂

The first one caught my eye ❤ 🤔 but, do I want to read the books is the question

I haven’t read the Raven Cycle and I’ll tell you the cards don’t give me enough to work with in readings. I love the cards so I guess I need to get reading. 🤣

Ok but, now I want a 1st edition Mary El ngl hahahaha

Ahhh you have wonderful taste! I dunno if I was especially -de-influenced after watching this, lol

I am not a fan of Christianity in my decks. But the only deck on this list is the vampires. I am still on the fence though. I am huge fan of vampires even when I was a kid. The hidden Realm deck I rehomed in 6 months. lol

I think the King of Wands looks like Mich Jagger.

Commenting again cuz I comment as I watch 😂 but I also have the Mary-El and never connected with it. I don’t understand it and honestly I don’t want to because of what you mentioned in the video. I really need to sell it, don’t know why I still have it. Funny thing is, I ended up with 2 copies of the damn deck! 🫠 I gifted one to a friend. She had already ordered it and I pretty much begged her to cancel it and let me send it to her 😂 I was like PLEASE, I have an extra copy, never been used and I don’t want it.

I understand why people love the Mary-El deck, but the guidebook really upset me. I have studied Kabbalah for decades and her book assigns meanings just one number off from both Jewish and Magickal correspondences. Why?

It is the cheese factor that has kept me from most of these decks. I do have Deviant Moon... and I hate it. It was one of those decks I bought because I thought I was supposed to like it. And I have a secondhand copy of Vampyres. I have never used the deck, it is way too Annie-Rice-angsty-overwrought for me. I got the deck for the guidebook, which is pretty good, if you can ignore the foolish vampire crap. But in the end, the deck is so cheesy I can't even bring myself to use the guidebook.

I mean, I had no real plans to buy the Tarot of the Hidden Realm, but WHAT is that Magician? My favorite deck, imagery-wise, is the Wildwood Tarot. I HATE the guide book. Aside from the keywords and the explanation of the nontraditional structure of the deck (which I do really like), I find the actual card descriptions useless. They feel like they were written by someone who didn't understand the deck's theme. It's very self-help-y and kind of meh. I want something that feels like I'm actually going on an adventure through the Wildwood, not like I'm talking to a life coach. So I'm rewriting my own. But like... if I were going to de-influence someone from buying that deck, it would be, keep your expectations for the guidebook LOW. It's really a shame, because the symbolism in the cards is super interesting and there's a lot of it, and *there is no explanation of it in the guidebook* except on the most basic of levels. That being said, I usually find guidebooks really underwhelming and find myself wishing for more information from the artist on their thought process.

I love watching unboxings. But… I have noticed that in the past few months a lot of the tarot tubers I watch have suddenly started getting decks from the mass market publishers to share. And like, more power to them, that would be awesome. But it’s definitely skewed their content and sort of leaves you with the impression that everyone should be able to purchase 10 decks a month.

I have most of these decks and I was nodding along in agreement. I never did want the Hidden Realms but I am loving Witch Sister so much that I could have seen myself wanting both - not anymore, the duplicate figures would really throw me off!

Please do more de-influencing videos. As for the Mary-El tarot, I have two copies of that deck and I wanted to really study it. But I never was able to connect to it. If you do a review of that deck, please spend some time on the guidebook. I think the creator should have had someone else write it because most of it relies on passages from William Blake, Dante, and other important artists/writers and when we finally get to the meanings of the cards, it is just a rehashing of what we find on any generic RWS tarot deck. I did not see any effort made in offering different interpretations and that is a shame considering how original her artwork is in the deck and that she spent years creating that deck. I found myself looking at an image and really finding it interesting, but the meaning in the guidebook (once you get passed all the quotations and paraphrasing from other artists and writers) is just formulaic and kind of boring.

hidden realms - I feel like it would be weirder if people weren't repeated. this is a fae community, so it makes sense to see the same person in different contexts.

I didn’t connect with any of the decks you showed, except for the Mary-el. I do like the art and book despite having that christian influence. It has influence from other esoteric traditions too like taoism, hermetism… I just hate the size of the cards, and the silver borders of the new edition… it’s so hard to shuffle!! I agree it looks like you should ask very trascendental questions… it’s not down to earth at all 😂

Tarot of Vampires has also just become OOP. So if someone wants it they need to find it now before it goes crazy in price. I don't want it but that is going to be another point to maybe let it pass. I also think having the same person in a deck is appropriate if it is a character's journey, like The Little Prince (I had to read that in French in high school which is why I got it). But, just randomly making everyone look the same is nuts, imo. And, I have never been drawn to the Mary El. Or really the fairy deck. But, after a few years, I do finally know my style, which helps a lot. And, those people are not Christians. Christians know Christ and follow his lead. Other people are name droppers and don't know sh** about what walking in faith is about. Ok, sorry for the book.

I don't like any of these decks except Fairies Oracle. That deck is always on point for me. I did purchase Vampyres tarot because I heard so many great things about the guidebook. I can't stand the cringy cards, lol! Guess what? I can't stand the guidebook, either!! The lofty language turns me off, ha ha ha! So that deck is in my donation box. I'm keeping Faeries and never purchased the others. Loved this video. 😄✌️❤️🪄✨️🔮🕯🗝