The Hip Chick Tarot is a fresh and diverse Tarot deck for the modern woman. Created by Maria Strom, this deck is based on the Rider-Waite-Smith deck structure but with the suits, courts and some of the Majors renamed (I’ll talk more about this in a sec).
The deck comes in a beautiful, sturdy box (pictured left) with a companion book. The book features all the card meanings (including the “spiritual” and “practical” meanings) alongside images of each card. Also included in the book is 4 Tarot spreads.
Likes:
- The fresh twist on the four suits, courts and some of the majors
- Sturdy cards with a nice, matte finish (feels like grade A goodness)
- Simple artwork that is easy to relate to and understand
Dislikes:
- I kind of miss the dudes! (This is an all female deck)
The first thing I noticed about the Hip Chick Tarot when I took the cards out of the box was the super cool card backs. They’re simple, pretty and remind me of those rubbery flower stickers people used to put on the bottom of their showers so they didn’t slip – which kind of sounds like it’d be a bad thing, but it totally isn’t!
The second thing I noticed was the way they felt in my hands. This is a sturdy deck that means business – Maria Strom wasn’t messin’ around when she created this deck. This deck is built to last! The cards have a lovely matte finish and they make a nice sound when they rub together.
The cards a
re the perfect size – wide enough to really showcase the beautiful artwork, but just short enough to shuffle comfortably (I have little hands). The cards have a nice, matte finish and are a decent thickness – overall, the Hezicos Tarot has a really good feel.
Now onto my favorite part – the renaming of the suits! In this deck, Wands are Create, Cups are Feel, Swords are Think and Pentacles are Earth. I like this. It makes the suits more relatable and makes readings feel more practical and down to earth.
The court cards have also been renamed. Kings are Boss, Queens are still Queens, Knights are Teens and Pages are Children. Some of the Major Arcana have been renamed as well – for example, The Empress is Nature and The Emperor is Structure.
The only downside to all this renaming is that if you’re a beginner whose just started learning, you may get a bit confused here and there. But overall, I feel that the renaming makes the deck easier to understand and not harder.
The Hip Chick Tarot is a fresh, diverse deck that features a variety of women of different races, ages, religions, sexual orientations, etc. There’s even a chick in a wheelchair! This makes this deck different from the vast majority of decks I own, which mainly just show white people (who aren’t in wheelchairs).
This is an all-female deck with a bit of a feminist, 1970’s vibe, which I like. However, I kind of miss the dudes! I like dudes. I like them a lot. But I’m not complaining. Complaining about the lack of dudes on this deck is kind of like complaining that there aren’t enough dogs in a cat themed deck. Not that men are dogs. You know what I mean!
So by now you might be wondering but how does it read? Let me tell you – it reads as easy as apple pie. So far I’ve used this deck in a couple of my weekly reading videos on Youtube as well as for a few personal readings and each time it is a delight to read with. A delight! There’s something about this deck that just feels easy and uplifting – I can’t help but feel happy when I’m working with these cards.
But this deck isn’t just a bunch of good vibes and strong, independent women swinging their handbags around – this deck actually makes you think a bit differently about certain cards. For example, The Tower helps you see the freedom/elation side of this card (I discuss this in the video above).
What I like most about this deck is that it feels fun, down to earth and easy to understand. Characters feel relatable, like you just know them, colors are bright and cheery and my favorite part…the cards make this eargasmy whoosh-whoosh noise when you rub them together. It’s the best.
Buy this deck if…
- You resonate with the deck’s artwork and message
- You’re a Tarot beginner looking for a deck you can relate to
- You’re looking for an empowering, feminist deck
- You want a deck that’s fun, down to earth and uplifting
I’m not sure if this really matters but looking at the book provided, I think the Queens = Kings and Boss = Queen.
Yes, you are right! I didn’t notice this, so thanks for letting me know.
Kate (great nails, LOL), you mention that you find this deck uplifting and positive and that it puts you in a good mood. That definitely came across to me in this review–but it also made me think that everything you put out on your channel makes me feel uplifted. You’ve got great humor and a way of making things just seem less of a freaking drama … while still conveying a lot of wisdom in your card interpretations. Thanks for the years of goodness!
Jamie, thank you! This was a really nice comment and it makes me so happy to know that you find my videos/blogs uplifting 🙂
Big Hugs,
Kate
I just got this deck after seeing your reading a couple of weeks ago. I ’almost’ love it. The art work is great and I think the renaming is fun! What I don’t like is the size and feel though. I find they stick together and, for me, are very difficult to shuffle properly. I find they are too big and thick.
Oh really! That’s funny because I’ve found the exact opposite. Although they are a bit big for my hands to shuffle properly.