Relationships go better when:
1. We find a place for the other person, even if it’s difficult
2. We take responsibility for our own actions - it’s rare that anyone is completely blameless
3. We give more weight to the facts than to our personal ’truths’
4. We realise we grow more not by being better than others but by seeing we are simply equal
5. We honour the past but look to the future
6. We see the other person rather than our mental image of them.
These are some of the principles on which the Simple Truths ® deck of cards is based.
How it works
1. Choose your cards
Draw up to three red tangled cards to reveal the hidden thoughts, patterns, or dynamics that may be shaping your situation.
2. Find your counterbalance
Draw the same number of green untangled cards - these offer a fresh perspective, a shift in focus, or a gentle way forward.
3. Reflect & connect
Read all the cards again. Notice what resonates, what surprises you, and what changes in how you see things.
About the deck
Simple Truths ® is a deck of cards designed to help you think about your relationships. These can be relationships with people such as a partner, friend, family member or colleague; or they can be relationships with things such as money, health or career.
The deck is made up of two 'suits'. There is a suit of 100 'tangled' cards, and a suit of 100 'untangled' cards. Each card has written on it a simple sentence.
The sentences on the tangled cards are in red. They name a hidden dynamic or underlying issue that might exist in the relationship you are focussing on. For example, 'I am a little bit better than you' or 'I will take your pain for you'.
The sentences on the untangled cards are in green. They suggest a more helpful way of thinking about the relationship. For example, 'I played my part' or 'I will let you see me'.
You are invited to draw up to three tangled red cards and three untangled green cards. The sentences you draw will encourage you to reflect on the relationship and how it could be improved.
Red - Tangled cards
Green - Untangled cards
Simple Truths ® in action
In this short video, Miri introduces the Simple Truths ® deck - a simple yet powerful way to bring hidden issues to light and see your situation more clearly.
You’ll discover:
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How the Tangled and Untangled cards work together
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A simple way to start using the deck today
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Why people say it “goes straight to the heart of things”
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🎥 Press play and see why Simple Truths has been called “a secular tarot” and “a mirror for the soul.”
Why Simple Truths ® matters
We all carry hidden stories - old beliefs, unspoken rules, patterns we didn’t choose but somehow live by.
Some of them help us. Some of them hold us back.
Simple Truths ® is here to bring those hidden stories into the light.
Each tangled card names a dynamic you might be feeling but haven’t put into words.
Each untangled card offers a fresh perspective, a gentle shift, or a way forward.
By seeing both sides, you gain clarity. Sometimes you gain the freedom to step into a different truth altogether.
"This deck cuts through the noise. I pulled a tangled card and felt a kind of jolt - it named something I hadn’t even realised was shaping my whole dynamic."
Ruth
The story behind the deck
The Simple Truths ® card deck has its origins in the sentences used in Systemic Family Constellations.
Systemic Family Constellations is a practice that reveals hidden dynamics in family systems. Instead of analysing the individual in isolation, it looks at the wider system, ancestors, loyalties, losses, and the unspoken rules that echo through generations.
Philosopher Robert Rowland Smith first encountered systemic work while writing a book on Freud. Freud had helped him think about the self in isolation, but Constellations showed him how much of the self is not just ours. It broadened his thinking from the intrapsychic to the wider system of ancestors and loyalties in which the self is found.
Robert began practising Constellations in 2007, and has since guided hundreds of sessions for people around the world. He has also taught the practice to many students. With an academic interest in language, he was particularly drawn to the use of systemic sentences.
In 2022, Robert began working with Miri O’Connor. Miri's background in education and passion for making deep ideas accessible helped spark a new idea: what if these powerful sentences could live in a deck? what if people could work with them on their own? what if practitioners could use them with clients?
Together, Robert and Miri created Simple Truths ® - a card deck that delivers insight into your hands.
Carry insight in your pocket
The Simple Truths ® deck began life in digital form -
designed so you can carry insight in your pocket
wherever you go.
Available through the Deckible app, the digital deck lets you:
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shuffle and draw cards on your phone or tablet
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zoom in on each card for full clarity
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flip between tangled and untangled suits instantly
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keep notes and reflections alongside your draws
🎥 Watch the short video to see Robert walk you through the digital experience and how to get started.
