One of the most popular tarot decks I stumbled upon on Instagram is the Starchild Tarot by Danielle Noel. I’ve seen it around for a couple of years now but had never purchased it because of the crazy shipping cost (Australians always cop the brunt of this!). When the second edition of the Starchild Akashic Tarot was released I knew I had to finally have it in my life.

My first impressions: The deck is beautiful. With muted purples, blues and pinks and gold gilded edges, the Starchild Tarot feels very ethereal. The cardstock is gorgeous – thick but not too thick, matte but not too matte, and of course easy to photograph, hence the Instagram success. Shuffling is a dream and I have not had any problems with chipping or ruining the cards, although I have only had the deck for a couple of weeks. It comes in a good quality, hard box that will be sure to keep your cards safe and protected from the elements. It’s accompanied by a fabulous guidebook that provides clear and easy to understand card meanings that have elevated my knowledge of the tarot. Some guidebooks are really lame and have just a couple of keywords in tiny font on a bit of white paper, but the Starchild Tarot guidebook is one you can proudly display on your shelf.

The Starchild Tarot feels like a very soft, caring deck that wants to nuture you so you can reach your full potential. It acts like my best friend – encouraging and empowering me to tackle anything that comes my way. I never pull a card from the deck and want to put it back in and shuffle again. Even the 10 of Swords which usually depicts someone who has literally been stabbed in the back, is pretty and hopeful. It gives you the power, instead of the person taking it away from you.

Although some might say this is a “lightworker” deck, I do think it can help you work with your shadow self. Humans are holistic beings – you can not have light without the dark so if you ignore your shadow self, you are neglecting a part of who you are that has a lot to offer you. The Starchild Tarot will deliver some bad news when it needs to, but will always do so in a loving and uplifting way.

Danielle is also working on the Moonchild Tarot. As far as I know there is no release date yet, but I’m also not sure if I will pre-order it when it is available. It doesn’t feel like a deck I need in my collection as I don’t personally feel I have much of a connection to the moon, and instead am more drawn to the sun and stars. It also looks like the Moonchild Tarot will have western imagery and green/brown/orange colour tones like the first edition Starchild Tarot which is gorgeous, but not my personal style or colour palette (as you can probably tell from my website). 

We are all stardust.