After three years of almost daily use, the Lucid Dreams Tarot by St. Soleil is still my favorite deck. I have read tarot for around 20 years and this is the deck I reach for first.
Most deck reviews are written within days of opening the box. This one comes after three years of shuffling, so you get the long-term picture: what holds up, what wears out and whether I would buy it again.
First impressions
Lucid Dreams is a 78-card tarot deck by St. Soleil. The symbolism follows the Rider-Waite tradition while the artwork is soft, dreamy collage with celestial details. The current fourth edition comes in two colors, Beige and Black Eclipse. Mine is the [edition and color] version.
What the current edition includes:
- 78 cards in standard tarot size, 70 x 121 mm (2.75 x 4.75 in)
- Linen card stock with a soft-touch finish and gold foil details
- Matte gold edges
- A 200-page pocket guidebook with space for your own notes
- A keepsake box
Standard tarot cards are noticeably larger than playing cards, so shuffling can feel clumsy at first. I got used to it long ago.
Keywords printed on every card
The printed text is the main reason this is my favorite deck. Every card shows its upright keywords, its reversed keywords and its astrological, elemental and zodiac correspondences right on the face.
The reversed keywords are not simply the upright meaning turned negative. When the upright card is a difficult one, the reversal often reads as release: The Devil reversed points to recovery, detachment and reclaiming power. When the upright card is a positive one, the reversal shows that energy blocked or overdone: The Emperor reversed speaks of excessive control, rigidity and ego rather than a lack of structure.
St. Soleil markets Lucid Dreams as a beginner deck. After 20 years of reading I still find the keywords useful, because they give reversals the same weight as upright cards and spark connections I might otherwise skip.
How I read with it
I shuffle until the deck throws a card out. Whatever position it lands in is the one I read: upright, reversed or sideways.
Lucid Dreams prints keywords for upright and reversed cards but none for sideways ones. For those I use my own meanings, which you can find in my list of sideways tarot card meanings.
I also check modern meanings. When a question is something like why someone blocked you or went quiet, it helps to understand the social media and dating app context behind it. My guide to tarot meanings for texting, dating apps and social media covers exactly that.
After three years: worn gilding and hard-to-read gold
Two things show after three years of regular use. Neither has made me stop reaching for this deck.
The gold gilding has worn off the card edges. That is what constant shuffling does to gilded edges, so I count it as normal wear rather than a flaw. If you read often, expect the same.
The bigger issue is legibility. The keywords are printed in light gold foil and in certain light they blend into the card and are hard to make out. This is a deliberate design choice. On its product page St. Soleil explains that the low-contrast foil is meant to give subtle prompts that shift as they catch the light, helping you develop your intuition. It also says the deck is not recommended for people with visual difficulties. One buyer review I came across says the Black Eclipse edition is easier to read than the beige one. I haven’t tried it myself, but I would expect the gold text to stand out better on black.
Who it’s for and who it isn’t
A good fit if you:
- are learning tarot and want meanings on the card while you read
- read reversals and want them treated as their own meanings
- like astrological and elemental correspondences in your readings
- read often and want a deck that holds up
Probably not for you if you:
- need high-contrast text or often read in dim light
- prefer clean cards with no text to keep your intuition free
- want gilded edges that stay perfect for years
Buy the original, not a copy
Search for Lucid Dreams Tarot online and you will also find unbranded copies, including some shipped from China for under 20 USD. They are not the St. Soleil deck. The original costs 70 USD, but that price buys linen card stock that has held up through three years of regular use, the guidebook and the artist’s actual work.
With a copy you have no idea what card stock or print quality you will get. The money also doesn’t go to the independent studio that made the deck.
Verdict
Three years in, Lucid Dreams is still the deck I reach for first. Having upright and reversed keywords on every card makes it the most practical deck I own. All that use has only worn the gilding. If small gold text is hard for you to read, look at the Black Eclipse edition first.
Price: 70 USD (November 2026). St. Soleil sells the deck through selected retailers, which you can find on its stockist page.
