To All the Cards I've Loved Before...

I'm not feeling especially deep this week.  Today's topic:  Divinatory toys.

I recently acquired a new oracle, and it has got me thinking about the various decks and tools I've had over the years and why I loved them (or why they stayed in the box). 

It's pretty well-established among people of my ilk that a deck of Tarot cards doesn't just tell you the unchangeable future--far from it.  My opinion has always been that divination functions as a contact lens for your Third Eye, allowing you to see and understand messages from the Sacred that you might otherwise have ignored/denied.  Tarot, Runes, and other such toys facilitate communication between yourself and Deity as well as yourself and yourself.  No future is set in stone unless you chisel it yourself through inaction. 

What's important about oracles is that they speak to your inner self, the self whose language is all pretty pictures and symbols and sensuality.  Oracle decks in particular tend to be such astonishing works of sacred art that a great many people, myself included, become default collectors over the years, moving from one to another in search of that deck or tool that "talks to them."

Usually you can tell right away if a deck is going to talk; cards jump out at you, you get a fantastic reading right out of the box, you find images that have appeared in your dreams, et cetera.  Unfortunately the only way to know for sure is to get the cards and try them out, which also contributes to collecting; the sample cards were gorgeous, but the rest of the deck is flat and uninspiring. 

Some stores, like Whole Life Books here in Austin, have out half a deck or more of a wide variety of decks that you can sit and play with--in the end, though, the only way to really see if you and an oracle will have a good relationship is to buy it and take it home.

Thus, I have a box of mostly-unused decks who have yet to find new homes.  I like to keep a few to use as examples for my students, and sometimes one will fall into the hands of someone who clicks with it, but mostly they just wait in their box, sighing, as I reach again and again for the same two.

I am proficient (and occasionally adept) with the Brian Froud Faery Oracle, which I reviewed here a while ago; and with the Elder Futhark.  I can't cast the Runes for myself, and I primarily use the Faery cards to read myself or people in my innermost circle--it's always been a very personal (and pretty hardcore) deck.  Lately I have been branching out; I recently bought The Llewellyn Tarot (the image of The Fool you see is from that deck) and am working my way slowly through Mary Greer's Tarot for Your Self as well as Joan Bunning's Learning the Tarot. 

Why?  Mostly because there are two decks out there I am waiting for:  the Gaian Tarot by Joanna Colbert, and the Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Law.  Both are exquisite works of art and call me irresistibly.  I have a particularly hot and squishy lust for the Gaian deck.  Since both are works-in-progress, I figured the thing to do in the meantime was acquire another, more generic Tarot, and learn on it so that when I got the two objects of my desires I would spend less time learning card meanings and more time becoming intimate with the cards themselves.

I plan to post a full-on review of the Llewellyn Tarot after I've worked with it more, but so far my overall impression has been positive.  We talk pretty easily, though the Welsh mythology is lost on me (all those y's...and apparently no other vowels).  I chose it mostly for the lush watercolors and wonderful composition of the Major Arcana; the Minor are less realized but still beautiful.

At any rate, the following are oracles I've known before, and how I felt about them.  If you're a Tarot or other divinatory enthusiast, feel free to tell me what deck/tool you use and why; I'm always fascinated by the endless variation in how people do that thing they do.

Non-Tarot Decks

The Faeries' Oracle by Brian Froud, of course.

Medicine Cards - one of two animal decks I have; this one is Native Americanesque.  The artwork isn't exactly evocative, but people have had good results with it trying to figure out their "power animals."  I think the book is actually more useful than the cards.

Druid Animal Oracle - the second animal deck, this one Western European in slant, meaning that several of the animals don't live anywhere near Texas.  The artwork is lovely (it was created by the same people who brought you the DruidCraft Tarot), but the cards are huge and unwieldy.

Celtic Tree Oracle - another attempt on my part to force Celtic symbolism, this time the Ogham, into my practice, back when such things still mattered to me.  I mean, how could I not love an entire alphabet based on trees?  Nevermind that half the trees in the Ogham don't grow here and I've never seen them in real life.  I got this deck for next to nothing because it had no book; I found the book later at Half Price.  Neither inspired me.

The Rune Cards - though the pictures on the cards are evocative and the deck makes a great learning tool when you're starting out with the Runes, the idea of putting the Runes on a deck of cards always seemed a little wrong to me.  This deck was also created by Ralph Blum, who took it upon himself to screw with the order (of an alphabet, for Pete's sake) and add in the Blank Rune, which anyone who knows me knows I think is utter bollocks.    Eventually this deck found a new home.

Goddess Guidance Oracle - a compilation deck featuring Goddess art from many artists, it manages to commit two cardinal sins of oracle decks:  first, it has too much information on the cards.  The new-agey affirmations on each are supremely irritating.  Second, like so many Goddess-related collections, it glosses over the darker aspects of Deity, managing to turn Kali into a serious but ultimately nice Mommy figure.  Can I get a WTF?

(The third cardinal sin of oracular decks is having a bad border--too much, too busy, too intrusive, and so forth.  Many otherwise-lovely decks are spoiled by bad borders and bad fonts.)

Tarot Decks

The Goddess Tarot - the first deck I ever bought, which unfortunately turned me off of Tarot for a long time.  It's beautiful--or, at least, the Major Arcana are--but the Minors are stilted and seem incomplete.  I did a bit of work with just the Majors and had good results, but eventually it ended up in the box.  I love Kris Waldherr's work but the deck just never did it for me.

Tarot of Transformation - I longed for this one for months based entirely on sample cards I'd seen online, and when I finally received it as a gift, well...not so much.  It features some wonderful art and some rather ridiculous themes--too many dolphins, too much New Age, and a card called the "Drama Queen" which, when thrown in with huge archetypal themes just comes off as really cheesy.  Also, there's one card where in the details you can see a drawing of an imp of some kind that is very obviously Brian Froud's work--I couldn't find any mention of the artist getting Froud's permission for this, and it upset me.  I never bonded with the deck, but I think someone else might someday.

The Llewellyn Tarot - as I said, review forthcoming.

Other Oracles

Pendulum - I was given a rose quartz pendulum long ago that I thought was quite possibly the most beautiful of its kind in existence...but it turns out I can't use a pendulum at all.  I have essential tremors in both my hands that make it pretty much impossible to hold anything perfectly still, so I could never get a solid answer out of it. 

The Elder Futhark - all things considered, this is my oracle of choice for reading others.  I tried several sets of Runes over the years and never really got into them until I chanced up on a Tara Hill set carved in European Ash at Ray Buckland's shop in New Orleans.  From the moment I touched them, they were alive in my hands, and I spent the first couple of weeks sitting with my hand in the bag just letting them clatter over my fingers.  (I still do this, in fact.)  If you are looking for a set of pre-made Runes, I highly recommend Tara Hill; Jennifer Smith is also the author of my absolute favorite Rune book, Raido: the Runic Journey, which you can only buy via her website.

Comments

[Sonja]

I also recommend the book Tarot: History, Symbolism and Divination by Robert M. Place. A truly intelligent and fascinating book on all aspects of Tarot, especially history.

[Sharon]

I guess I'm a default collector--I've bought several decks just for the artwork. My current favorite is the Mythic Tarot, by Juliet Sharman-Burke, and Liz Greene, and Tricia Newell, because it's based on the Greek mythology that I grew up with and am most familiar with. I'm working my way through the accompanying book, which explains each card in each suite of the Minor Arcana in terms of a particular mythological story arc.

[margaritaspirit]

I have the standard Rider-Waite deck and an accompanying book both given to me by a friend of the family (who happens to have written the accompanying book -- Tarot for Everyday Living by Norma Cowie I hope I haven't misspelt anything) and it actually works quite well for me. I enjoy her system and by now am very comfortable with the cards.

My aunt told me to pick up The Witches' Tarot and so I did after looking through hers but it just doesn't work for me. I keep going back to my Rider-Waite meanings (it doesn't help the book that came in the box set describes the associated Rider-Waite card!) and the body building men just don't work for me.

I have wanted another oracle though, and since the Witches' Tarot didn't work for me primarily since I was basically reading the Rider-Waite with different cards (so what's the point, really?) I decided I needed a NOT-Tarot deck. After looking at your review and looking through a friend's deck I bought the Faery Oracle and it's going okay. We're getting along alright, however as I don't do daily readings or anything the getting-to-know-you process with a deck takes a long time for me.

[Sonja]

I use the Gilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti. It's exquisite. Being a heathen I of course study runes but I enjoy both tarot and rune divination equally :)

[Hecatedemetersdatter]

I read with the Robin Wood, lust for the Lunea Weatherstone, bought a handpainted set of Tarot of the Crone. I have three or four others that I bought and like but don't much use. I'd love, love, love someday to get the Aqarian.

[Luighseach]

I use the Ancestral Path tarot. I fell for it (hard!) in 2000 and I have been using it pretty exclusively ever since.

[Racu]

Now you have me seriously lusting after the Shadowscapes cards. I just hope they are not going to be too large. I am seriously not at ease with anything larger than 3x5.

I might buy a couple of her prints for my altar area, though...gorgeous!!

[Amy]

This was timely! I am also currently working through Greer's Tarot for Your Self and Bunning's Learning the Tarot (which I think is especially good for a beginner, and I am really enjoying). I have tried SO many decks (Llewellyn was a recent try of mine, too--I loved the watercolors), but finally settled on the Universal Waite. The colors are better than the original, the images speak to me, and I finally feel VERY happy with my deck! However, thanks for the Shadowscapes Tarot mention--I just took a look and I really like the artwork. If the court cards work for me once they are done I may have to try that one next!

[sravana]

Wow.
That Shadowscapes deck is definitely a must-have! I have a huge collection of decks, most recently acquired the MAAT. That is one amazing deck...

[mama kelly]

I'm another default collector. I have a number of decks that I bought because I was "sure" Id love them. I have 2 that I break out when I need to do a reading.

Ive often talked about scanning my favorites from all of the decks to create a hodge-podge deck that speaks just to me.

Mama Kelly