The Gospel of Aradia

Was she a Goddess or a flesh blooded woman?
To some she was the first witch,
to others the leader of a resistance movement
and still ti more, a wise teacher with female disciples.

~Quote from the box

 

 

Title: The Gospel of Aradia Oracle Deck

Author: Stacey Demarco

Illustrator: Jimmy Manton

Publisher: Blue Angel Publishing

• The Gospel of Aradia is a 34 oracle card deck that pays tribute to the legendary figure, Aradia, known as the Mother/Godmother/Creatrix of all Wiccans. Her essence is associated in each card that helps readers to reason with it.

• A card that I found so remarkable and captures Aradia’s essence is called “Night Woman” (Feminae Noctis). Here she looks ever so beautiful! She stands all alone with the moon in the background. She wears a veil that dose not cover her face. She wears a gold crown with a gold moon in front of it and adorned with blue and white flowers. She also wears a blue gown. This reminds me so much as the high priestess. This card indicates to clear all that is not needed, all that clutters and to make space for new things.

• The next card that looked so familiar is called “Fight” (Pugna). In this card there is a man who is dressed in green and wears a metal type of helmet. He holds a sack of arrows and a bow. Yes, he reminds me of Robin Hood. When this card appears in a reading, it is telling you to defend yourself from outside intrusions that serve no purpose to be in your surroundings.

• The last card titled “The Shadow” (Umbra) is one that also looks familiar and bears a strong resembles to Little Red Ridding Hood. In this card there is a woman who wears a long red hood. She is up against a wall and her shadow can be seen behind her. This card advises the reader not to live in the shadows of nobody. When you feel that there is a dark situation, do the best that you can to shin some light on it.

• The back of the cards is not reversible. The image for the back of the card display what appears to be a thick frame and makes it seem that there is a door in the center. The letter “A” is in the center of the image.

• The texture of the cards is semi-sturdy and shuffle well. The cards are glossy and feel really nice. They are approximately 5 ½ x 3 ¾ inches.

• The cards are stored in a is a box and lid package.

• The text booklet is written by Australian author, Stacey Demarco. The companion book contains 112 pages and is straight to the point, without overelaborating about anything. The booklet starts off with an Introduction with two subjects titled “In the Beginning” and “The Mythos of Aradia”. Then a section called, “How To Use This Deck” is included and it gives pointer as to “Dedicating Your Cards” and “Your Card Dedication”. Included are seven card spreads titled, “The Single-Card Divination”, “The Goddess and God”, “Maiden, Mother and Crone”, “The Flower”, “The Evil Eye” and “Aradia’s Journey”. After that, there’s the Card Meanings. In this chapter, there’s an image of the card, below that keywords in Latin and after that, a brief meaning of the card. Then there’s a chant/invocation followed by a much more extensive interpretation of the card.

• The illustrations for each card was done by Australian artist, Jimmy Manton. The artwork for each image appears to be done through chalk and other elements on a canvas.

• When I discovered this deck, I was so curious as to who exactly was Araida. At first I thought she was a Goddess, then other sources indicated that she was a Myth/Lore. SO I decided to get this oracle and read who she was. My own interpretation is that she is who we think she is. There is no right or wrong way to think of who she is. For all Wiccans, this oracle deck is idealistic for your collection. To purchase this oracle deck, click here!
  

The Faery Forest Oracle

The Faery Forest, a legendary Green World,
is older than human history, more ancient than language,
and its energy is gathering once again to reawaken all.

~ Quote from the back of the box

 

TitE: The Faery Forest Oracle

Author: Lucy Cavendish

Illustrator: Maxine Gadd

Publisher: Blue Angel Publishing

• The Faery Forest Oracle is a magical card deck that presents 45 beautifully illustrated cards that capture mystic folklore creatures in it.

• The first card that I found intriguing was the 11^th card called “Ragnarok”. In this card there is a being that looks as if she embodies flames/fire. Her eyes are green and pierce anything she sets her sight on. She has hair that practically looks like flames. While looking at her, she can be a perfect fit for the Queen of Wands in the tarot deck. The keywords for this card are, Destruction, Ending, and Final Moment

• Since this oracle deck revolves around fairies, and fairies are known to be females, there are some male characters in this oracle deck. A male character that I found is called Freyr. In this image he is a blond man with elfish ears. He wears a crown made of branches and leaves. On one note, he resembles the King of Pentacles. The keywords for this cards are, Abundance, Peace and Contentment.

• The last card is one that I like. It features a fey who is dressed in goth. She is pale and wears a black crown and dress that resemble a spider web. She kind of reminds me of an 80’s French singer by the name of Jeanne Mas. This card is called, Otherworld. The keywords for this card are, Veil, Illness and Transition

• The back of the cards is reversible. The image for the back of the card is a cottage that is entwined with a tree and a green goblin sitting on top of the tree

• The texture of the cards is semi-sturdy and shuffle well. The cards are glossy and feel really nice. They are approximately 5 ½ x 3 ¾ inches.

• The cards are stored in a is a box and lid package

• The text booklet is written by fame Australian author, Lucy Cavendish. As well all know that Lucy writes a great deal of information in most of her companion book(lets), so don’t be surprise that the book for this deck is well over worth 136 pages. The book starts with an introduction that contain two section. The first one is called “The Path into the Faery Forest”. Then there are sections titled “Enter the Great Tree, The Gateway to the Faery Forest”, “Who Dwells in the Faery Forest”, “Working with this Oracle”, “Can I Read the Cards for Myself”, “A Card a Day, the Path to Knowledge”, “Resisting the Message”, “Bonding With the Being of the Faery Forest”, “The Unique Qualities of this Deck”, “What do Reverse Cards Mean?” and “If Another Person Handles This Deck, Will Their Energy Be Transferred To My Cards?”. The second section in the introduction is called, “How To Work With The Faery Forest.” In this second part, there are subjects titled, “Blessings and Connecting With Your Cards”, “Dedicating Your Deck To A Magikal Purpose”, “Setting The Space For Your Readings with the Faery Oracle”, “Shuffling Your Faery Forest Cards”, and “Keeping Your Readings Flowing, Pure and In Integrity”. Then comes the good part, card spreads! The spreads are, Past, Present, Future, The Celtic Cross, The Cycle of the Moon and The Faery Forest Tress Spread. Then there’s the section called, “The Cards” where you’ll find the meanings for each card. On the upper left hand side there’s the image of the card, below it is the number, title and keyword to the card. Then there’s the lengthy paragraph that explains the meaning of the cards in detail

• The illustrations for each card was done by Australian artist, Maxine Gadd. The artwork for each card is not consistent, the art style and colors vary, but nonetheless, they are very beautiful.

• When I heard about this tarot deck and saw that Lucy was authoring it, I grew too curious to read and work with it. All I can say is that it is a magical oracle deck that inspires wisdom and true guidance to those who love to work with faeys. Since each image has a different type of illustration, it makes the characters unique. There is so much detail in the background of each image that can serve for divinatory purposes. This is one oracle deck that you must get if you love and admire the green world and all that dwells in a mystical forest. To buy your copy, click here!

© 2010 – 2016 J. R. Rivera
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

Divination of the Ancients Oracle Cards

Gifted oracles who spoke directly with nature,
interpreted signs and omens, and
communed with the Gods for messages.

~ Quote from the back of the box

Title: Divination of the Ancients Oracle Cards

Author: Barbara MeikleJohn-Free and Flavia Kate Peters

Illustrator: Richard Crooks

Publisher: Blue Angel Publishing

 

• The Divination of the Ancients is a well done oracle deck which features 45 magically illustrated cards that conveys tools that diviner use.

• While I was browsing through this oracle deck, I saw a card that has one of the most celebrated divinatory system that continues to be used today and I’m referring to tarot cards. Of course, the deck that was used for this card is the world renowned Rider Wait. In this image we can see the Fool card. The cards that circle the Fool and show a glimpse are the World and the Lover. In front of the Fool card, there are the four symbols that represent each suit, and those are, a cup, sword, pentacle and wand. The message for this card is “guidance”. And yes, this is self-explanatory. Tarot cards are known to give us guidance when we most need it

• Now, since Tarot is celebrated and world renowned, let me introduce you to a divinatory system that is notorious and controversial, and is one of my favorites – that is the Ouija Board. There are far too many myths and legends about this funky board. In this image, the Ouija is sitting on the table with chairs around it and with its planchette on top of it. On top of the board and table, there is a bigger image of the board. The keyword for this card is “caution”. Of course, there are sacred things that we must be careful with and that we must learn about before meddling with.

• Since I mentioned about Tarot and Ouija, let me introduce you to a divinatory system that is unheard of and uncommon. And I knew of this system and I have been wanting to study it. This system is called Phrenology. This here is the ability to conduct divination by reading people’s heads. Funky, huh? In this image there is what appears to be a pale Roman (or Greek) statue and on its head, there is what appears to be the brain, but is made up of squares with symbols on them. The key word for this card is “certainty”. This tells us that we have to be sure of what we do

• The back of the cards is reversible. It is not recommended that you read the cards in reverse. The image for the back of the cards is pretty simply done, but captivating. The image consists of space with stars forming inner circles with one another.

• The texture of the cards is semi-sturdy and shuffle well. The cards are glossy and feel really nice. They are approximately 5 ½ x 3 ¾ inches.

• The cards are stored in a is a box and lid package

• The text booklet is written by Barbara Meiklejohn-Free and Flavia Kate Peters. This book contains 119 pages. The book starts off with an Introduction and within this Introduction you will find sections titled, “Journey of Divination: A guide to Visualization”, “Divination through the Ages”, “Become the Oracle”, with two sub-categories, “How to read the cards” and “How to use the cards”. Then there’s the “Divination of the Ancients: Trio of the Simple Card Spread”. This features three cards spread called, “Single Card Reading”, “Three Card Spread” and “The Cornish Cross”. Followed by this are the “Card Meanings”. The meanings to the cards are written clearly and short. On the top left hand side, there’s the image of the card. Below it is the title of the card and keyword. Then there is the divinatory meaning. Following this, there’s an Incantation, an alternative divinatory meaning and the Revealed, which gives a brief background story of each divinatory system.

• The illustrations for each card was done by British graphic designer, Richard Cook who has done many other oracle decks. What I love about the art is that it has a touch of fantasy and surrealism. Also, the majority of the illustration consist of actual photos

• When I heard about this oracle deck, it peeked my interest even before I saw promotion pictures of the cards. I had to have it. I find this approach very interesting and unique, to say the least. I like that there are familiar divinatory systems, as well as those that are unheard of. There are of course other systems that I would have liked for them to be mentioned in here, but 45 systems is good for now. There are of course some that left me wondering, “Are they actually divinatory systems?” for example, Black Cat. When a Black Cat manifests in front of a person and in certain cultures, it is an omen of bad or good luck. Not so much for divination. But anyhow, it is a different approach. The companion book is rather keen in its writing, which is good, because it cuts to the chase and won’t distract the reader. I would have liked for it to give more information to the back story of each divination tool. But there’s good old’ Google. None the less, here are the complete divination tools that are included in the card deck. Arrow(s), Astrology, Augur, Black Cat, Book, Candle, Clouds, Coins, Crystal Ball, Crystals, Dice, Dictionary, Dowsing Rods, Dreams, Feathers, Fire, Flowers, Footprints, Fortune Cookies, Geomancy, Hydromancy, I-Ching, Lots, Numerology, Ogham, Ornithomancy, Ouija Board, Palmistry, Pendulum, Phrenology, Psychometry, Runes, Scrying Mirror, Shagai, Shooting Star, Smoke, Spells, Tarot, Tea Leaves, Thunder & Lightening, Wheel of Fortune and Wishbone. If you would like to own a copy of this oracle deck, click here!

© 2010 – 2016 J. R. Rivera
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

The Faerytale Oracle

Prince quest for true love,
Princesses dance in enchanted slippers,
and girls emerge from the ashes of the fireplace,
changed forever by the touch of a Faery Grandmother’s wand…

~ Quote from the back of the box

Title: The Faerytale Oracle

Author: Lucy Cavendish

Illustrator: Jasmine Becket-Griffith

Publisher: Blue Angel Publishing

 

• The Faerytale Oracle Cards is a beautiful and enchanted oracle deck that features 44 lovely cards. These cards feature popular and not-so-popular fairytales.

• The first card that I saw and feel in love with because of its dark depicture is called The Rose Elf. Here we have the character named Rose who is surrounded by two creepy sculls. The story behind the Rose Elf is about a sister who has a mean and possessive bother who forbids her to see the love of her life. Later on, he kills her true love and she is able to communicate with him through a pot thanks to the help of some fairies. This card foretells “revelations”. When it appears in a reading, it is telling that things will soon reveal themselves to you some way or another.

• The second card that I found interesting was Sleeping Beauty. Everyone knows this fairytale very well. Here we have Aurora who seems to be standing or siting down. She is with her eyes closed and holds these beautiful flowers in her hands. In this story, Maleficent (who we all know, love and hate) casts a spell on Aurora by sending her to her demise. With the help of some good fairies, the curse is changed and sends Aurora into a deep sleep. The keyword associated with this card is “awakening”. When this card appears in the reading, it is telling you that you will soon have to awake to the truth of the matter.

• The last card is a popular one and it is about Cinderella. The image for this card is cute and comical in some way. Here we have “Cindy” (lol) who sits on her knees and seems to be somewhat panicked. She olds her right hand up and she holds a watch in her left hand. Around her are three white mice and a pumpkin. A glass slipper stands behind her and her wears her old battered dress. We all know her story that she is not allowed to go to the ball and eventually she goes with the help of her friends and in the end she marries prince charming. The keyword associated with this card is “Magick”. When this card appears in a reading, it is telling you that something scared must be kept safe and that something sacred will soon manifest into something new.

• The back of the cards is reversible. The back of the cards has an image that is totally different than what Blue Angel includes in their oracle cards. If anything, the image has a middle eastern feel to it. Like those carpets that they use.

• The texture of the cards is sturdy and shuffle well. The edges of the cards are gilded. The size of the cards is approximately 5 ½ x 3 ¾ inches

• The cards are stored in a sturdy lid box.

• The text booklet is written by Lucy Cavendish. And this time, the companion booklet for this oracle is pretty lengthy! The companion book starts off with the Intro that includes many sub-categories such as, “What are Faerytales?”, Who Wrote the Faerytales?”, “The Value of the Darkness in Faerytales.”, “Is Faerytale a Myth or a Legend?”, “Faerytales, Initiations and Mystery.”, “On the Importance of Promises and your Word in Faerytales”, “How to Work with the Faerytale Oracle”, “Your Guide Book-Read it and take it to heart”. Then in this section are introduced with ways on how to use this deck. You are to see a small section called, “How to use Your Faerytale Oracle”. Then there is “The Questions”, “Shuffling and Cutting the Cards”, “Method Two-Reveling Blocks”, “A Note on Reversed Cards When Using This Deck”, “Caring for your Cards’ Energy”, “Caring for Your Reading Area’s Energy” and “Journal Your Reading”. Then you are provided 6 card spreads which are, “One Card a Day”, “The Leaping Card”, “The Three Times the Charm Spread”, “The Celtic Cross”, “The Happily Ever After Spread’, “13 Moons Forecast Spread” and “The Faery Cross Spread”. And finally, you have the chapter that gives you the information for the cards. In this chapter and for each card, you will have the picture of the card at the top of the page and below it the title of the card. Then there is a quote taken from the text where the fairytale originated from and then you will have a summary of the fairytale and the card meaning. What makes this helpful is that there are short phrases that summarizes the meaning of the cards.

• The illustrations are done by none other than Jasmine Becket-Griffith. It is known that Jasmine dose her paintings by hand and with the use of acrylic mediums. For this oracle deck, a few images had to be illustrated to modify the theme of the deck and other images already exited and borrowed from her collection.

• When I heard that this oracle deck was in the making, I could not wait or contain my excitement. I had to get it as soon as it was released. I feel very happy that Jasmine has used her artwork for fairytales, it seems to fit and it feels right. Looking through the cards and reading the companion book, there were stories which I was familiar with and there were other which I was not. I was surprised by how beautiful and meaningful each story was. What I was also surprised was that a few male characters are featured in this oracle deck! This is something new. Of all the Faerytales that are featured in this oracle deck, there were some that I wish had made the cut. For example, I was shocked that Beauty and the Beast was not featured in here (it does appear in the Oracle of the Shapeshifters.) Nor was Pinocchio and many others. Lucy dose a good job in gathering the stories and writing them in a short manner and entwines them with the meaning of the cards. I also give Lucy and Jasmine major props that this oracle deck leans a little bit to the dark side, because in reality, the real fairytales were never meant to be sugarcoated. If you are interested in buying this oracle deck, click here!

© 2010 – 2016 J. R. Rivera
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

Tarot Apokalypsis

Immerse yourself in the secrets of the Tarot
through the mystery religions, ancient cultures and
mystical practices of the world.

~ Quote from the back of the box

Title: Tarot Apokalypsis

Author: Kim Huggens

Illustrator: Erik C. Dunne

Publisher: Lo Scarabro/Llewellyn

 

• The Tarot Apokalypsis is a marvelous tarot deck that includes 78 plus 1 bonus card where the art and tradition of the tarot takes it to a new artistic point of view. This tarot deck is what could be called a sequel to the previous Tarot Illuminati. Erik follows a similar outline where he places different cultures/races into the major arcana and pipes, respectably that is. The majors introduce you to ancient religions and cults that are no long or still practiced. In the minor arcanas, the Wands features people from ancient Egypt, Swords features people Scandinavian Vikings, Cups features Greco-Roman and Pentacles features people from Cambodia. The courts (Kings, Queens, Knights and Pages) features deities from those cultures.

• Going through the cards, the illustrations are just beautiful, but there are too many cards to choose from, but one caught my attention right from the start. That card is the Devil card. The Devil card features The Imagined Cult of the Witches’ Sabbat. Here we have what appears to be a horned deity/creature with a group of nude women dancing and feasting around him.

• The second card is the 3 of Swords. This card dose not feature people or animals, but it does feature flowers. In this image there are three white roses that stand in the center of the image. Above them, there are three swords that point down below them. Blood from the swords flows on top of the white roses, and from the roses, down to the snow. Very symbolic!

• The last card that I found quit stunning is the Princess of Cups. In this card the Goddess Psyche is featured. Here she stands on top of what appears to be a lake and admiring a group of butterflies while holding two candles. Below and in front of her is a golden cup that sits on top of the lake, too.

• The back of the cards is reversible. The imagery used for the backs are jewels. The jewels are gold, emerald and sapphire stones. Behind is what appearing to be red cosmic skies.

• The texture of the cards is sturdy and shuffle well. Sadly, the edges of the cards are not gilded. If they were, it would have made a lovely addition and detail. The cards are approximately a little over “4 X 5”.

• The cards, along with the book are stored in the hard and sturdy box.

• The companion text booklet includes a total of 464 pages! That is a lot of information. This book is written by award winning British author Kim Huggens (who also wrote the companion book to the Tarot Illuminati. The book starts off with a lovely forward written by DonnaLeigh De LaRose. It then gives you an Introduction where you will find information such as About the Tarot, The Tarot Apokalypsis and Revelation and a clarification titled “A note on the word “cult”. Then there is Using Tarot and this provides the following, The Tarot Toolbox: Symbolism, How to Read a Tarot Card, How to Read a Tarot Spread, Finding the Keys-Approaching a Spread which will give clarifications on Types of Cards, Suits, Numbers, Gender, Colour, The Individual Cards. After that, you are provided with five card spreads. This card spreads are, Unveiling a Situation, Mithraic Initiation, Revelation of the Four Suits, Demeter’s four Seasons and Hekate Triformis Spread for Choices and Options. And then comes the meanings for each card that starts off with an extensive quote as if the characters in the cards or the author is speaking to you. The detailed History of the images is included with a short upright and reversed meaning.

• The illustrations are done by international award winning American artist Erik C. Dunne. Erik’s art can’t do any wrong. He illustrated all 79 cards. The medium used for the illustrations is a blend of hand drawings and CGI.

• I’m thrilled to own this lovely gift from Erik. When I saw the development of it, I had to have it one way or another. I do own the Tarot Illuminati (which is a wonderful deck), but I’m in love with this new deck. Some may have called it a sequel, while Erik call it the Tarot Illuminati’s sister deck. When it comes to the art, I just love how beautifully and coordinated the illustrations are. The art is not busy, and it is soft and gentle and blend in so perfectly. They are just so easy on the eyes. The art soothes your imagination and psych. It is as if it can take you into the art and live what those characters are living. As for the book, I’m in love with the companion book. It includes so much information that makes you understand the cards well. The book dose includes upright and reversed meanings for the cards, but they are too short. I wish they could have been longer, rather than phrases and keywords. But the information that explains the history of the images in each card makes up for it. Do not hesitate to own a copy of this deck. You will not regret it. To buy your copy, click here.

© 2010 – 2016 J. R. Rivera
Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.