Healing Cards: A Daily Practice for Maintaining Spiritual Balance (Large Card Decks)

Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars For The Artwork, 1 Star For Content
Review: Healing Cards is a beautifully illustrated 50 card deck. The size of the cards are 5.5 inches long and 3.5 inches wide--the exact same size as the Archetype Cards by Myss. Artist Janice Fried illustrated both decks, as well; in fact, I couldn't help but wonder when looking at the Healing Cards if some of the images were originally intended for the Archetype deck. The image from one of the Healing Cards is the exact same one that's on the front of the newer version of Myss' Journal Of Inner Dialogue.

According to the authors, these healing cards and accompanying booklet will help you create a daily practice that not only heals existing ailments, but also maintains spiritual balance in your life. Healing Cards offer both inspiration and a course of action and (according to them) a card a day keeps the doctor away!

Cute marketing...but does the deck live up to its claim?

I felt that the best way to review this deck would be to use it during times where I was in a position to receive healing--when I was dealing with sinus problems, fatigue, and bouts of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). So I used this deck over a period of months for those times of stillness where I welcomed Guidance concerning dis-ease.

Each time I sought insight, as well as comfort, I'd say a prayer, shuffle the deck, and draw a card. While a few of the cards contained quiet wisdom and inspiration, I didn't feel that they spoke to me on a deep level. At other times, the cards seemed almost accusatory. For example, one card says The root cause of all disease is a negative attitude about taking care of yourself. The booklet expands on this card saying "The Ayurvedic tradition of India teaches that the main reason we get sick can be reduced to a lazy or perverse mental attitude, which leads us to ignore the basic principles of good health...". Yet another card says All suffering stems from ignorance, hatred, or craving; the wisdom connected with this card says "...Passionate craving for material or sensual satisfaction inevitably leads to frustration and disappointment, which in turn leads to stress and illness."

However, other cards convey messages contradictory to the "it's your fault" message. For example, Illness is not a punishment, but a stimulation to life. The wisdom in the booklet corresponding with this card says "A large part of the suffering that accompanies any illness derives from the psychologically imposed belief that it represents a judgment. Some may believe it's a judgment from God, a punishment for bad deeds committed in this life or previous lifetimes, or even an unconscious choice we've made. None of those reasons has any more validity than saying a wild deer is responsible for developing a cancerous tumor...But looking on it [illness] as a punishment is counterproductive, since the implicit guilt can only create more stress." Then it goes on to talk about Friedrich Nietzsche and his idea of seeing illness as a great stimulant to life and how this is a far more empowering way to look at dis-ease: "In this case, his thoughts offer a far more wholesome understanding of illness than that of many traditional and New Age thinkers."

Indeed. I couldn't agree more.

I see this dichotomy among many New Age teachers: the idea that we're responsible for our own sickness and that we created it. Yet, in the next breath, we're admonished not to feel guilt about it because we may not be responsible for it after all. And then we're given a neat little ABC package of formulas designed to eradicate dis-ease and be perfectly healthy 100% of the time.

I'm reminded of this portion of the New Testament: "As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'" (John 9:1-3).

The wisdom shared in the booklet spans many religious traditions: Buddhism, Native American, Shamanism, Judaism, Christianity, Ayurveda, Islam and so on. Yet, I felt like it was more an intellectual lesson in comparative religion rather than a deck constructed to foster healing. I've had better insight into healing and health with The Oracle Tarot by Lucy Cavendish.

Review originally posted at http://NewAge.BellaOnline.com

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed in Ms. Myss' latest offering
Review: I bought two sets of these cards - one for myself and one for a Valentine's Day gift for a friend. After I opened mine, I am thinking of returning the second set.

Although the card illustrations are beautiful, I don't find the "wisdom" offered in the text to be all that inspiring - certainly not up to the enlightening information in Ms. Myss' books! Also, the accompanying booklet has numbered discussions of each of the 50 cards, yet no numbers appear on the cards which makes it difficult to find the text that corresponds to your chosen card.

I also found the discussions to be rambling and in many ways hard to even associate with the original quotation!

All in all, I would say if you are looking for daily inspirational readings, others offer better words for daily guidance.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Inspirational!
Review: I don't quite understand the reviews that are negative. My partner and I pick a card every morning and find them very inspirational. The artwork is beautiful and each card makes you think about where you are physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I received these as a gift and will give them as gifts in the future.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best of the Cards for Inspiration
Review: I have most of the Hay House affirmation card decks. I love them all. The healing cards are some of the most beautifully illustrated.

Don't be so attached to your expectations of what the cards are supposed to be like... just enjoy them for what they offer --- inspiring images, healing words, guidance for compassion and forgiveness for others and your self, exercises towards de-fragmentation and wholeness.

Rating:
Summary: Good Re-Minders for the Soul
Review: I love these cards! I use them daily to keep my self on track on a spiritual and emotional level. Caroline's fingerprint of wisdom is on every card and the art and feel of the cards are truly "energetic" in their nature.

I think you will enjoy a little re-minder for your Soul with Caroline's creative Cards.

Worth Getting!!

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing product
Review: I was disappointed in the cards by Caroline Myss. Not a lot of information or heart in the writings. Furthermore, the cards were not numbered and so you had to go through the entire booklet to find where the information was located.

I sent mine back and would not recommend them to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I was very disappointed with my healing cards. They don't have anything to do with the information that Caroline Myss is famous for. I thought they were going to be about blocks in your chakras. I am taking mine back.

Rating:
Summary: "Only looking at the cards can bring healing"
Review: Today I bought The Healing Cards. This deck is astounding beautiful. I own other decks like the Louise Hay and Dr. Wayne Dyer; but they are not as beautiful illustrated as this. I was very disappointed as the only credit given to the artist "Janice Fried", is at the back of the case, in very little letters. I found this incredibly odd, as the cards are a beautiful metaphor of the words, only "looking at the cards can bring healing".I don`t know why the publishers did this, It seems someone does not give importance to art as a healing tool. "Janice Fried" images are of a very spiritual nature. With naked innocence, the illustrations transmit the words of Caroline`s essence.
Another thing, this cards are not affirmations cards, they are touchstones cards, they give you an insightful thought and then suggest and action to integrate the thought`s essence in your everyday life. The messages are practical but profound. They are stated with simplicity, but the more you read them, more enlightenment they bring.
As was said in other reviews, it is difficult to find the meaning of the cards in the booklet as the cards are not numbered. But the images and the messages are strong reasons to buy this deck, you can read the booklet as extra information, but not for expanding the cards meaning. I noticed that the booklet really don`t add much information regarding the insights of the messages, the information is about the religious or philosophy tradition that is the source of the messages. You don`t need to read the booklet to use the cards.

Aurora Díaz, Puerto Rico

Rating:
Summary: "Only looking at the cards can bring healing"
Review: Today I bought The Healing Cards. This deck is astounding beautiful. I own other decks like the Louise Hay and Dr. Wayne Dyer; but they are not as beautiful illustrated as this. I was very disappointed as the only credit given to the artist "Janice Fried", is at the back of the case, in very little letters. I found this incredibly odd, as the cards are a beautiful metaphor of the words, only "looking at the cards can bring healing".I don`t know why the publishers did this, It seems someone does not give importance to art as a healing tool. "Janice Fried" images are of a very spiritual nature. With naked innocence, the illustrations transmit the words of Caroline`s essence.
Another thing, this cards are not affirmations cards, they are touchstones cards, they give you an insightful thought and then suggest and action to integrate the thought`s essence in your everyday life. The messages are practical but profound. They are stated with simplicity, but the more you read them, more enlightenment they bring.
As was said in other reviews, it is difficult to find the meaning of the cards in the booklet as the cards are not numbered. But the images and the messages are strong reasons to buy this deck, you can read the booklet as extra information, but not for expanding the cards meaning. I noticed that the booklet really don`t add much information regarding the insights of the messages, the information is about the religious or philosophy tradition that is the source of the messages. You don`t need to read the booklet to use the cards.

Aurora Díaz, Puerto Rico