So, you wanna know about the Hanson-Roberts Tarot deck, huh? Man, I gotta tell ya, that one’s been a ride for me. When I first started dabbling with Tarot, I was just kinda lost, you know? There were so many decks out there, a real mess. I’d see all these fancy ones, dark ones, super artsy ones, and I was just like, “Where do I even begin with this stuff?” It felt like walking into a really big library but not knowing how to read. Intimidating as hell, to be honest.
Then, a buddy of mine, she was really into all this spiritual stuff, she just goes, “Dude, you gotta check out the Hanson-Roberts. It’s got this vibe to it, super friendly, not gonna scare you off right away.” She swore by it, said it was perfect for beginners, and even for folks who’ve been at it a while but want something with a good, gentle energy. So I figured, why not? I went online, ordered it up. Didn’t really know what to expect, honestly. I’d seen pictures, but pictures don’t always tell the whole story, do they?
When it showed up, man, the box was just… cheerful. Like something from a fairytale book. All bright colors, kinda whimsical. I cracked it open, pulled out the cards. And wow, they were different. Not your typical gloomy or super-serious Tarot. These felt almost… childish? But in a good way, you know? Like illustrations from an old storybook. The colors were bright, the figures were kinda soft-edged, almost cartoonish but not really. It was a real contrast to what I thought Tarot was supposed to look like. I remember thinking, “Is this for real? This doesn’t look like serious spiritual stuff.” But there was something undeniably welcoming about them.
I started slow. Just pulling one card a day, trying to get a feel for them. Didn’t even bother with a proper spread at first. Just, “What’s today gonna bring?” and then I’d look at the card. The little guidebook that came with it was pretty basic, but it gave me enough to chew on. I’d sit there, just staring at the picture, trying to piece together what it meant for me. Some days it made sense, some days I was just scratching my head, thinking, “What the hell is this supposed to mean?” I’d try to relate the image to my day. Was I feeling like the Page of Wands, full of new ideas? Or the Three of Swords, feeling a bit of heartbreak? It was a real hit-or-miss at the start.
But slowly, real slowly, I started to get it. The symbols in the Hanson-Roberts, they’re not hidden away. They’re right there, on the surface. Take The Moon card, for instance. It’s got that big ol’ moon, and the dog and the wolf howling, and that crayfish coming out of the water. It just feels like intuition, like things hiding in the dark, things bubbling up from your subconscious. It wasn’t about memorizing keywords anymore. It was about feeling the story in the picture. And those bright, friendly colors, they made even the “scarier” cards feel a bit less intense. It wasn’t hitting me over the head with doom and gloom, it was more like a gentle whisper of what might be going on.
Some of the Swords cards, those were tough at first. Especially the Ten of Swords – looked like total doom and gloom, right? But with this deck, even that one had a slightly softer edge. Yeah, it shows someone laid out, clearly at an end, but the overall feel isn’t as brutal as some other decks. It helped me see it less as an ultimate end, and more like, “Okay, this sucks now, but it’s done, time to move on to a fresh start.” It actually made those hard cards a bit less scary. I started doing three-card spreads, past-present-future, just to see if I could tell a story. And man, sometimes those stories would just hit me right in the gut. Like, “How did it know that?” It really felt like it was tapping into something genuine.
After a few months, this deck became my go-to. I had other decks lying around, some darker, some more abstract, but I always went back to the Hanson-Roberts. It felt like talking to an old friend. No judgment, just gentle guidance. It wasn’t always profoundly deep, but it was always clear. It’s got this purity to it, almost like it cuts through all the extra noise. For someone like me, who can sometimes overthink everything, that clear, direct vibe was a godsend. It helped me trust my own gut feelings more, for sure. It felt like it was always on my side, helping me sort things out without making me feel overwhelmed.
I started journaling my readings. Just little notes about what I pulled and what I thought it meant for the day. Looking back at those notes, I can really see how my understanding grew, how I moved from just looking at the pictures to really feeling the energy of the cards. The Hanson-Roberts really taught me how to read Tarot intuitively, rather than just by the book. It sparked something in me, made me curious, made me want to explore more. It built a foundation for me, you know? It’s like learning to walk before you run, but doing it in the most comforting way possible.
So yeah, for me, the Hanson-Roberts? It ain’t just a deck, it’s the deck I recommend if you’re just starting out or if you just want something that feels genuinely warm and encouraging. It never felt intimidating, even when it was giving me a tough message. It just lays it out for you, plain and simple, with a touch of whimsy. And that, my friends, is why it’s always one of my top picks when people ask me what tarot deck they should grab. It’s just a good, solid, honest deck that won’t try to be too clever or too dark. It just is. And for me, that’s perfect.
