Vision Quest Tarot - Gayan Sylvie Winter and Jo Dos

Although I have not worked with this deck for long, it has become one of my primary decks. I find the peacefulness of the colors very pleasing; the drawings are very attractive and exude an encouragingly spiritual air. I find many of the depictions show a new or enhanced point of view on the specific card. For example, the Devil [Key 13] is entitled "Torment" and very readily brings the "What/Who is holding you back?" question to mind. Each card of the Minor Arcana has a word of interpretation on it and many of these are quite thoughtful. The 6 of Earth [6 of Pentacles] is entitled Breakthrough. It shows a female shape with arms raised, which seems to be quite misty and seems to imply that a breakthrough starts with one's thoughts. The four suits portray their elemental meanings very clearly. This is a particularly beautiful deck that stands up well in interpretative richness. As a teacher of the Tarot who encourages students to choose a deck that calls to their heart and mind in order to develop a rapport with it, I find this deck is very well received with students and querents alike. It is readily understandable and easy to read or teach.

-- Michael Green, on Aeclectic Tarot

I love working with the Vision Quest deck because it doesn't scare the querant. Usually with the tarot there are difficult messages to give along with the pleasant ones, but this deck enables the reader to offer them with kindness. For example, 'Transformation', traditionally the death card, shows the querent that each end is another beginning. Even in 'Torment,' which is traditionally the devil and features a man bound to a stake, there are beautiful skies. And if the man struggled less would the bindings would fall away?

For a reader who enjoys using animal symbols to communicate, the deck is howling, growling and hooting out to You. A lot of times a deck is let down by the Minor Arcana where less effort seems to have been put in but not in this case. Although most of the artwork is less ornate it isn't casual; the messages are unclouded but there is enough in there to find what you need to say. Each card has one word printed on it to sum up its essence which is helpful when you are learning the deck and far easier to start making connections and putting cards into perspective with the others in the spread.

I also find that when I am giving other sorts of readings or meditating the cards seem to pop up here and there in guidance. I suppose this is partly to do with working as much as I can with the deck and partly because they are the kind of images a person doesn't mind having wandering about their subconscious. I don't find the Vision Quest Tarot a swift deck to work with but I do find that it helps answer the questions in a more holistic and compassionate manner and feel that it'll be with me for a good while yet.

-- Beck Ryall, on Aeclectic Tarot

I am definitely impressed with this deck. The symbols of the Native American peoples have been treated with dignity and respect, and come across with strength and clarity. In their introduction in the LWB, Winter and Dose note that the Vision Quest Tarot contains not only the spirit of the traditional Tarot, but the spirit of the Native American culture - as in such representations as shamans and the medicine wheel. This deck speaks of wisdom brought through the daily living of Native American life - through the Elders, through their words, and through their sense of compassion. . One of the primary things that I noted about this deck is that it lends itself well to visualization and meditation, and that the imagery is of a more esoteric quality than many decks. It acts as an excellent, and very gentle, tool for working with shamanic visions/dreams. The esoteric nature of the deck is also evidenced in the spreads that are presented: The Little Medicine Wheel (a five card spread); The Present (a three card spread); The Path of Wisdom (a seven card spread); and The Partnership Spread (which can be done as a six or a twelve card spread). The Vision Quest Tarot is a deck that lends itself to being used anywhere, any time. Its message is clear, and the cards are easy for anyone to work with.

-- Bonnie Cehovet, on Aeclectic Tarot