Following on from my last post about why you shouldn’t use mainstream tarot card images on your professional website, here is my list of top 10 self-published tarot decks.

From personal experience, most of the creators of these decks don’t mind, if you promote their artwork on your professional website and social media in reviews, sample spreads, free tutorials etc.

Please make sure that you always include accreditation, and if you want to use any images or cards for branding or paid products and services, you must ask for permission first.

1. Dame Darcy’s Mermaid Tarot

A fun and somewhat kinky mermaids and sailors themed deck. The new 3rd edition has been given an overhaul with some updated images and a bleed-free border.

Check out my review of this deck, or head straight to Dame Darcy’s Etsy store.

2. The Wild Unknown Tarot

Kim Krans’s creation has become quite a hit, and the images are incredibly popular on Instagram. Post a pic of a sample reading with the #wildunknown, and you’ll get loads of likes.

The Wild Unknown Tarot started off as a self-published deck, but now it’s available at Amazon and the Book Depository.

3. Prisma Visions Tarot

The style of this borderless deck is surreal and a mesmerising combination of light and dark. Each image looks like a mosaic. When you lay the cards of each suit in numerical order in a row, they form a large picture.

Buy it at prismavisionstarot.com.

4. Tarot of the Zirkus Mägi

A vintage-style, circus-themed deck, perfectly catching a bygone world of the clowns, trapeze artists and tamed wild animals.

Check out my review, or go straight to its website.

5. Pearls of Wisdom Tarot

Roxi Sim’s vibrant deck is full of detail and symbolism. The Fool on the image above is from the 1st edition, but the latest 3rd edition is borderless. It is available to buy at the Gamecrafter.

6. The Fountain Tarot

A contemporary deck with geometric lines and cool water colours. It comes with a silver edging, which sadly makes the cards stick and hard to shuffle, but this will improve the more you use it. Visit fountaintarot.com.

7. The King’s Journey Tarot

This 94-card deck consists of the standard tarot cards together with two extra Major Arcana cards and a spirit suit.

Choose between a bordered or borderless edition at James Battersby’s website, where you can also learn more about his latest project, the Twisted Tarot Tales.

8. The Alchemical Tarot

An old favourite of mine, I like Robert Place’s clean and no nonsense artwork full of magickal symbolism. You can buy the deck at robertplacetarot.com.

The following decks are on my wishlist and will be bought as soon as I’ve sold some of the tarot books and decks I no longer need:

9. The Starchild Tarot

I’m a sucker for anything starseed and cosmic, and I’m still saving up for this beauty, which will probably be one of the most expensive decks I’ve ever bought (including the premium shipping charge from Canada and possibly UK customs charge on top). I haven’t got an image, so you just have to trust me and go straight to the Starchild website.

10. Tarot of the Holy Light

A colourful, esoteric deck based on European mystery teachings. Created by Christine Payne-Towler and Michael Dowers, the artwork is distinctively late renaissance, similar to the Swiss 1JJ Tarot. Learn more about the deck at Tarot University.

Two more decks I also have my eyes on are the Tarot House Deck and the Tarot of Trees. Please do check them out.

Looking for alternatives to the Rider Waite Smith (RWS) and Thoth decks?

For RWS alternatives, check out the sparkly Illuminated Tarot and the digital only Aquatic Tarot (free download).

For Thoth alternatives, take a look at the Rosetta Tarot and soon to be released coloured version of the black and white Tabula Mundi Tarot.

Some of the decks I have chosen here are recent publications, others have been around for a while.

This is just a small selection of self-published decks, and no doubt there are lots of others out there that deserve a mention.

So please do let me know and share with others, which ones are your favourite self-published tarot decks in the comment box below.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane