Hey everyone! Welcome back, or if you’re here for the first time, nice to meet you! My name is Ebonie and this blog (and the YouTube channel) is here to help you reconnect to your intuition, so you can manifest in the real world! If you’re interested in all things self-development and mindset, I hope you’ll enjoy today’s blog post (and/or watch the video), and consider subscribing to my YouTube channel linked above! 

Today’s topic is all about pip cards in Tarot. In today’s example, they really are as cute as they sound!

I’ll be sharing with you my initial experiences using the first pip tarot deck I’ve ever owned, the Harmony Tarot by Harmony Nice, illustrated by Laura Shelley.

I’ll also talk about what pip cards are exactly, what I’ve learned that is really helping me to read them, and whether I recommend them to new Tarot readers.

So, a little bit about this deck before we get started… Harmony Nice is a Wiccan Youtuber, and I knew I’d love her deck as much as I love her videos! So, without knowing much about it, I jumped on the pre-order bandwagon.

When it arrived, I noticed straight away that it was a bit different from all my other Tarot decks…

It’s a pip Tarot deck! Surprise!

I’ve heard of them before, and as I adore all divination cards from Tarot to Lenormand, gypsy to oracle cards, I was actually excited to try a slightly different deck!

Though as far as I’m aware, Harmony didn’t mention anywhere that it was a pip deck until after it was released. Obviously, it’s a themed deck, so I guess if you’re purchasing it, you know it’s going to differ somehow from the regular Waite-Smith Tarot!

Though I think I’m not the only one a little surprised… So, if you’re reading this blog for essentially the same reason that I’m writing it, I hope it helps!

If you’ve just purchased a pip deck such as the Harmony Tarot, and it’s your first and only Tarot deck, rest assured – you can still learn how to read “regular” Tarot. I’ll talk more about how you can start out with a pip Tarot deck today too!

Honestly, the more I learn about pip decks, the more excited I am to use them. So, get yourself a cuppa, and let’s take a closer look! 

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First things first, what is a pip tarot deck? What are pip cards? Why pip? Who’s pip?

Essentially a pip tarot deck is similar to a deck of regular playing cards – which is how Tarot began, before illustrations were added, to help one visualise the meanings behind each of the cards.

With both regular playing cards and pip Tarot decks, there are the face or royal cards i.e the jack/page, king, and queen. The remaining ten cards in each suit are called the pip cards.

So, this means that in every minor suit, cards 1-10 have minimal illustrations, similar to an ordinary deck of playing cards.

It’s certainly not to say that they lack meaning or can’t be used in the same way as any Tarot deck! Illustrations simply serve to remind you of certain aspects of a card’s meaning. They add visual cues to help guide you. With simple illustrations, there is less symbolism, therefore it’s a different reading experience.

Different, but still absolutely effective.

You can still read pip cards intuitively. You can still allow the number, suit, and presentation of the card to guide you.

As this is my first ever Pip Tarot deck, learning numerology and understanding what each suit represents seem to be two key factors that are helping so much.

It’s also really testing my knowledge of Tarot, without as many visual cues to remind me what each card means. Using pip cards for the first time, when you’re used to the standard Waite-Smith Tarot system, definitely makes you realise how much you’ve visually memorised, vs. how much you know just by thinking of a particular card.

Like reading any cards for divination, don’t discount whatever intuitively comes to mind for you. Chances are, it’s a message you need to hear.

So, that’s a short explanation – I don’t want to spend too long teaching how to read pip cards when I’m still learning myself! I just wanted to share this with anyone else who is in the same position I am, or who is considering purchasing a pip deck but is worried about learning how to read the pip cards!

The historical side of it fascinates me a little – how Tarot truly began with simple playing cards and morphed into all these various arrays of beautiful, illustrated Tarot decks, from all corners of the globe.

Fundamentally, at its core, whatever your card deck looks like, Tarot is a tool that helps you connect with your intuition, your subconscious or whatever you may believe in. It helps you understand yourself or a situation better and can bring you so much clarity.

Pip cards could never diminish the benefits of Tarot.

Even using a regular playing deck could never diminish the benefits of Tarot.

The true benefits of Tarot come from the meaning that you attribute to the cards. It’s in the guidance and clarity that you gain from the cards that will allow you to learn, grow and take inspired action in your life.

Which leads me to the question… should you start your Tarot journey with pip cards?

You can, absolutely, start with a pip deck – but would I recommend it?

If you already have an understanding of numerology, or you’d like to learn it, I believe you’d really love reading pip cards. Knowing the significance of the numbers 1 to 10 will help you work out what each of the cards means.

Either way, whatever Tarot deck you have, you want to learn what each of the suits represents – and numerology is helpful when reading any deck, too.

So, the cool thing is, if you have a solid understanding of numerology and of the suits, you’ll be able to pick up any card from the minor arcana of any Tarot deck – whether it’s a pip card or not.

How the card is presented, how the images are formatted and displayed, all of that will still help too, even if the illustrations appear to be simple. There are no coincidences! How the artist of any card deck has chosen to present the elements of each card is significant and informs the meaning behind the card.

However, if you are not interested in numerology at all, or if you simply prefer to read intuitively based on illustrations, then pip cards may be a little more hit or miss for you.

Some pip cards, such as these from the Harmony Tarot, have more variety and symbolism in the illustrations. There’s a little more to work with visually! It may be enough for you, and certainly, the extra differences between the cards really are helpful as my first pip deck. I know some pip cards are certainly not as detailed as these are!

The final thing to consider is whether you even mind learning how to read intuitively at all, or whether you’re happy to consult the guidebook, even if it’s just for the pip cards. There is nothing wrong in working with a guidebook or google to decipher the cards. If you don’t want to dedicate the time and effort to memorising, practicing and so on, that’s perfectly fine. Do what makes you happy! As you may know, I have a lot of decks, and I adore reading what the creator of each deck has to say about the cards that they’ve designed themselves. So, if I’m feeling like an extra boost of inspiration, I’ll read what they have to say too, even if I already know the meaning of the cards!

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So, now I’d love to know – what do you think about pip cards? Have you tried using a Tarot deck with pip cards before?

If you’d like to learn more about the gorgeous Harmony Tarot, let me know if you’d like a full review in the future! I’m really enjoying getting to know this deck, it’s truly so lovely and the illustrations are beautiful. It has such a nurturing vibe, and I love the nature-based theme!

The Harmony Tarot, and all the other decks I shared today, are linked below, along with a few other resources and recommendations you might enjoy!

Also, if you’d like to see the Harmony Tarot in action, you can sign up for my free weekly newsletter that I send out every Monday morning, which includes a Charmed Tarot reading for your week! Simply scroll down to the bottom of this page to find out more and within minutes you’ll have two free PDF guides in your inbox, and so much more to come!

As always, please let me know in the comments, if you have any questions or requests, or find me over on Instagram @eboniehyland, I’d love to see you there too!

I truly hope that you’ve enjoyed today’s blog post and video. Thank you so much for reading this blog and supporting my YouTube channel, it really means the absolute world to me!

I create spiritual and self-development videos and blog posts here, every Thursday. So, if you’re curious, please consider subscribing to the channel, and be sure to ring the little bell to turn on notifications, so you never miss a video!

I hope you’re having a wonderful day, wherever you are in the world, and I can’t wait to see you here again next week!

So much love,

Ebonie xx 

Resources and Recommendations

Tarot Decks Featured:

✧ The Harmony Tarot by Harmony Nice. Available from Amazon.

✧ Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative Set. Available from Amazon.

✧ The Divine Feminine Tarot. Available from Cocorrina.

Read/Watch Next:

✧ ‘DIVINE FEMININE TAROT by Cocorrina | Unboxing & First Impressions!’. Read the Blog or Watch the Video Here.

✧ ‘The Benefits of Tarot Card Reading | WHY You Should Learn How To Read Tarot Cards’. Read the Blog or Watch the Video Here.

✧ ‘All of my Oracle, Tarot, Affirmation, Lenormand, and Fortune Telling Card Decks!’. Read the Blog or Watch the Video Here.

Tarot Books I Love:

✧ ‘The Tarot Bible’ by Sarah Bartlett. Available from Amazon.

✧ ‘Intuitive Tarot: 31 Days to Learn to Read Tarot Cards and Develop Your Intuition’ by Brigit Esselmont. Available from Amazon.

*Disclaimer: Please note that any recommended products from Amazon may be affiliate links. If any purchases are made through these links, I may receive a small commission - at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!