Sakki Sakki Tarot Review

Every so often I’m reminded how good, how important really, it is to step outside my comfort zone. And this is true with my choices in tarot decks too. Usually I’m drawn to decks with traditional art, vintage-style decks, or if they’re modern, decks with a witchy flair. But recently I decided to shake things up a bit, to stir the cauldron, as it were. Enter . . . The Sakki-Sakki Tarot by Monicka Clio Sakki.

You just never know with a tarot deck – sometimes you love the art, have to have the art in your life, get the deck, and meh, the readings just don’t take off. Then there are other times when you’re not so sure about the art, you get the deck, and bam, there’s a connection. And so it is with Sakki-Sakki. This deck is quite different from what I’m used to working with – but the messages are extremely clear and direct. I give it free rein. I let it talk to me and yowza, this is a deck that likes to tell stories, especially if you’re a card slinger who doesn’t use spreads.

I will try not to gush since I’ve only been working with the deck a short while but so far the readings have been spot on. During my deck interview I asked it what it wanted to say to me. After shuffling for a while, two cards jumped out and onto the table: the Hermit card and the Strength card. The Hermit card is my astrological card and the Strength card is my natal card. That was a “Wow.” The other morning I was feeling scattered and was having a hard time focusing. When I did my daily draw, I drew the Emperor – find a strategy and get it together, girlfriend. And my readings for other people have been just as accurate.

The cards have a lot of symbology and depth. The deck comes with a little white book and a reference card that provide keys and explanations to the numerology, astrological symbols, and the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, as well as card meanings and spreads. The Sakki-Sakki follows the Rider-Waite-Smith system, with slight variations, such as Coins instead of Pentacles, Rods instead of Wands, and the Angel instead of Judgement (so much kinder really). The cards are quirky, but really beautiful and the images give enough information so they’re easy to read intuitively. I wouldn’t say this is a deck for beginners but that really depends on the person and how comfortable he/she is with a more abstract style of art. Some of the Minors are pips, but not all, and some of the Minors have no heads, which sounds jarring, but weaves in beautifully with the meanings. I wouldn’t say you can chalk up this headless element to simply artistic style. Without the distraction of faces I’m really able to put myself in the card, or to place other people in the cards. No longer restricted by an artist’s depiction of a character, you are the character and the readings take on more meaning. You almost begin to wonder why characters in the Minors in other decks have heads at all!

It’s a 78-card deck with one extra Major Arcana card – The Artist, which I love because it’s just a blank canvas. And to say the cards are diverse would be an understatement – people are white, brown, black, purple, orange, blue, pink . . . color simply is just that, color.

I love the Court cards; The Empress and the World cards are soooo pretty; I really like the Emperor in this deck, which normally is a difficult card for me to vibe with; the Five of Coins is gritty and hard; the Three of Cups, festive and celebratory; the Six of Cups is one of my favorite Six of Cups ever – a teapot and creamer encircled by six little cups, so innocent and sweet; the Seven of Coins is a pip and absolutely brings home the message of harvest or the blossoming after the planting of seeds; the High Priestess is older (and wiser) than usually portrayed (which I appreciate); and how the Four of Rods can depict a sense of community without any people in the card is amazing.

The cards are slightly shorter and more slender than a standard-size deck, which I like for shuffling. They’re matte with the most luscious rose petal feel to them. But ultimately it’s not about the wildly fun art or the cheery colors or the delicious card stock, this deck reads really well. To be honest, I don’t see myself using this deck for meditation or path working, maybe for inner child work, not sure yet. But it’s strong for psychospiritual work and daily spreads. So far the cards have given me insight, clarity, and guidance. I’ll have to work more with the deck to explore our relationship but to quote the last line from one of my favorite movies, “Casablanca”: “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”