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!