Alright, let’s dive into how I actually figured out this whole Raven prophecy tarot deck thing. It started kinda messy, like most of my tarot adventures do.
The Hunting Begins
So, totally random afternoon, just scrolling online, right? Kept seeing folks talk about these Raven tarot decks, whispers about prophecies, symbolism. Sounded cool, dark, mysterious. Way more my vibe than the usual pretty flowers and angels stuff. Honestly, I thought it was probably just hype. But my dumb curiosity got the better of me. I went down the rabbit hole, digging around, looking for decks actually called Raven Prophecy or had enough ravens to count.
Getting My Hands Dirty
Didn’t just wanna look at pictures. I gotta use these decks, feel them in my hands, see how the cards talk. So, I ended up grabbing my old cloth spread, setting up my dim lamp – gotta have the mood! Started pulling decks I either already had that fit the “dark feathery vibe” or borrowed a couple from my coven buddy who collects anything crow-related.
The Real Deal Testing
Man, shuffling is key. Some decks have cardstock thicker than my thumb, others are slippery. Had to see which ones actually shuffled well without bending or getting stuck halfway through a riffle shuffle – nightmare! Then, pulling cards. Some decks, the pictures look beautiful, but trying to get a clear message? Like pulling teeth! Others, boom, the images just click instantly, even the dark ones, especially the dark ones!
- First Deck Tested: The Really Popular One. Gorgeous art online. Felt kinda… stiff? Shuffled it for ages, felt like handling concrete slabs. Pulled a three card spread – me, obstacle, advice. Honest to gods, the cards looked beautiful but gave me nothing. Flat zero. Beautiful art, yeah, but practical prophecy machine? Nah.
- Second Contender: That Indie Kickstarter Gem. Smaller cards, linen finish. Oh man, shuffling was smooth. But those images? Super dark, almost cryptic. Pulled The Tower reversed… saw the raven flying away from the crumbling tower instead of perched on it. Boom. Instant gut punch. Felt the meaning before my brain even caught up. This one stuck around.
- Number Three: The Classic with a Raven Twist. Took a well-known deck where someone swapped all the birds for ravens. Kinda cheesy maybe, but practical? Heck yeah. Familiar meanings, just way edgier symbols. Did a daily draw – Nine of Swords, raven staring out a moonlit window. Knew exactly the kind of anxious overthinking it meant. Solid, reliable raven speak.
- Fourth Pick: Deep Symbolism Overload. This one leaned hard into mythology. Took me ages just flipping through the little white book, trying to figure out which Norse myth the raven on the Three of Cups was referencing. Too much work for a quick read. Beautiful? Absolutely. Necessary for deep dives? Sure. But for trying to get a prophecy right now? Made my head spin.
- Last But Not Least: The Minimalist Raven. Clean lines, ravens stark against white backgrounds. Super easy on the eyes. Surprisingly intuitive. Did a relationship spread, the Lovers card was two ravens intertwining flight paths. Clear as day. Sometimes simple imagery hits the prophecy harder than all that fancy detail.
The Aftermath
Piled ’em up on my table. Looked messy. Took me another hour just comparing notes, shuffling my top picks again. What makes a “must try”? It ain’t just art. It’s how the cards shuffle, how fast the images slap you with meaning (good or bad!), if you can actually use the darn thing without needing a PhD in bird symbols. My keeper pile ended up being way smaller than the starting pile – those two indie decks and the classic-but-raven-fied one are sticking in my rotation. The super stiff one and the mythology textbook deck? Back to the shelf. Maybe later. Raven Prophecy sounds cool, but if the deck fights you, forget it. Gotta flow.
