The Art of Affirmations
Author: Monte Farber
Artist: Amy Zerner
Red Feather/Schiffer Publishing, 2022
Description: 108 card deck, 28-page guidebook
Size: 2 1/4 by 3 1/4
"With The Art of Affirmations as your guide, you will be able to develop spiritual skills, energize your life, and restore a sense of well-being."
The Art of Affirmation is three individual decks with a focus on Divine, Healing, and Breathing. Each deck contains 36 cards of images and messages to help guide you in your journey.
The decks are packaged in separate boxes, which fit inside the larger box with the guidebook.
The cardstock is of a medium thickness and allows for easy shuffling.
The guidebook opens with a short introduction, which is followed by a detailed explanation of the different decks and how they can be used. The rest of the short guidebook covers the individual decks in a little more details.
I would have liked to have seen more information about each card. As presented, I didn't find this deck very helpful. But you may connect with the images and messages in a way I did not. In my experience, any deck is a personal choice and very individual to each person.
The deck of Divine offers 36 Gifts of the Goddess. There are 12 Goddesses - the Goddess of Protection, Compassion, The New, Perseverance, Truth, Illumination, Healing, Transformation, Prosperity, Balance, Charisma, and Courage. Each Goddess offers a message for the body, mind, and spirit.
The Goddess of Balance offers the affirmation, "I create partnerships that are fair and pleasurable," to assist in guiding your spirit.
The explanation is to "Use this gift when you are lonely or when existing relationships are unsatisfying. Partners you bring into your life...". Basically, what you put into the relationship is what you will receive in return.
The author suggests picking a Divine card and using that card to replace the negative thoughts you may be hypnotizing yourself with.
"If done regularly and with sincerity, you may soon be surprised at the changes you see starting to occur in your life."
The Heal deck offers 36 individual themes, affirmations, and exercises for mental, physical and spiritual wellness.
“It is important to be as aware of our habits as we can be, so that we can cultivate the habits that help us and replace that habits that hurt us with habits that heal.”
The affirmation for the Inspiration card: "I feel my inseparable connection to All There Is."
The suggested exercise: "Prayer and meditation are powerful and necessary, but when you bring the awe-inspiring feeling of your connection to higher forces into your daily life, you will find yourself both inspired and inspiring."
The Breathe deck includes 36 individual themes, affirmations, and meditations or exercises for your mind, body, and spirit.
"...coupled with visualizations and breathing exercises, these affirmations can enhance your energy flow and self-esteem and put you in a state of relaxed concentration. This is “the zone” where optimum learning, analysis, and planning can take place.”
The theme Beauty offers the affirmation, "I am beautiful."
The meditation: "Beauty is found in the exchange of love between all beings. I breath in the beautiful colors, fragrances, and forms around me. I am filled with the beauty that is my birthright. I breath out the critic's voice that says things are not perfect."
At the end of the guidebook, you are given a basic breath-easy exercise.
The top of the box has a slot for displaying your card for the day. This makes it easy to come back and review your affirmation or exercise for the day.
I personally did not find myself drawn to this deck. I was attracted to the idea of pulling a card a day to energize and direct my daily living, but this deck and its process left me pretty much empty.
But, that's not to say this deck won't find a home on your shelf. If your find the images pleasing and the messages helpful, this may very well be your deck. I hope the samples here will help you in your decision.
(Review Product supplied by Schiffer Publishing)
