Month: November 2015

The Arthur Rackham Oracle Cards

On By benebellIn cartomancy, deck review, divination, oracle deck11 Comments

Arthur Rackham Oracle 01 Card Set

The Arthur Rackham Oracle Cards is a self-published deck by Doug Thornsjo through his company, Duck Soup Productions. It’s one of several in his Playroom Oracles series. The oracle deck is conceived by Thornsjo using public domain prints of Arthur Rackham’s illustrations.

Arthur Rackham was an English illustrator with an artistic style that is now considered iconic of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. Rackham drew with pen and ink (my personal favorite in terms of media for tarot art), watercolor, and–as was common for many Western book illustrators of the time– blended European traditions with Japanese wood block art. You see this same influence in the illustrations of Pamela Colman Smith (who illustrated the RWS deck by A. E. Waite).

Most of Rackham’s art appeared in illustrated fairytale books, from Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (1900, republished 1909), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1908), and Peer Gynt (1936), which were three books that Thornsjo took most of the imagery for this oracle deck from.

This oracle deck is easily one of my favorites in its execution. I love the keywords, the italicized captions, the layout design for the cards, the selected Rackham illustrations, and the balanced levels of intelligence and creative artistry.

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Review of The Raven’s Prophecy Tarot

On By benebellIn cartomancy, deck review, divination, tarot11 Comments

Ravens Prophecy Tarot - Box Set

Maggie Stiefvater seems like one of those really cool girls that you totally want to be BFFs with. She comes across as down-to-earth, chic, and intelligent in every interview with her I’ve read. She is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author but has somehow remained free of any diva mentality (that I could sense out). Not only is she a gifted author of young adult fiction, and now a tarot author– as both creator and author of the companion guide– but she is also a talented artist. She illustrated this deck as well. *rolls eyes* Geez, is there anything she can’t do? No, but seriously, as soon as I saw images of the tarot art, I knew I wanted this deck.

Ravens Prophecy Tarot - Box

Per the companion guidebook (hereinafter referred to as the LWB even though it isn’t a “little white booklet” but rather, a beautiful perfect-bound glossy-covered book), the conception of The Raven’s Prophecy Tarot began with a series based in Welsh mythology that Stiefvater was writing, and that involved the tarot. That led her to create and illustrate her own tarot deck.

The theme of ravens comes from the “curious and cunning Welsh ravens” that “symbolize our logical, conscious minds and emphasize the traditional fire of the wands suit to represent creative force throughout the entire deck.” (from the LWB).

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Living Magick Learning Cards Series: Palmistry Learning Cards

On By benebellIn book review, deck review, divination, oracle deck5 Comments

Learning Cards Series (All Three)

The Living Magick Learning Cards Series is one of those brilliant “now why didn’t I think of that” cool ideas that Jadzia and Jay DeForest have brought to life. The series is published by Living Magick Publishing and distributed through Devera. You can order these Learning Cards over at DeveraGifts.com. They’re basically $25 each, which is a great deal.

As you can see from the above photo, I currently own the Palmistry, Tree of Life, and Tarot cards from the series. I’ll be reviewing each deck in turn.

Palmistry Cards - Box and Cards

This review will be on the Palmistry Learning Cards: The Art of Chiromancy. They’re marketed as self-study flash cards. Since I’m a beginner when it comes to palmistry, I’m an ideal subject to be reviewing the deck to see if it can teach me palmistry.

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Tarot Reader Compassion for the “Am I Pregnant” Question

On By benebellIn divination, professional tarot, tarot15 Comments
St. Anne Conceiving the Virgin Mary, by Jean Bellegambe (1480 -1535 )
St. Anne Conceiving the Virgin Mary, by Jean Bellegambe (1480 -1535 )

Tarot readers often jest about the inevitable reading request, one that most tarot teachers instruct to be outside the bounds of tarot ethics to answer matter-of-factly, that one question that is so easy to postulate as the stupidest possible question to ask the tarot, and that is the question, “Am I pregnant?”

Inside, we smirk and giggle, and ask, “Why don’t you just take a pregnancy test?” and hoot a little at how ludicrous it is for someone to ask that question to the tarot, or to any divinatory medium. Even I have been guilty of thinking that response when such a question is presented. I mean, who in their right minds would go to a tarot reader and ask “am I pregnant?” How stupid do you have to be?

About as stupid as me.

Okay, actually, I’ve never presented that question to a tarot reader. But I am here to ask all of you tarot professionals who might not have experienced this side of life to hear me out and maybe, in the future, in your head and among your emotions, be sincerely able to show compassion.

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What Your Favorite Tarot Deck Says About You

On By benebellIn cartomancy, deck review, divination, tarot, tarot symbolism, Uncategorized59 Comments

lotsadecks

Let me tell you what your favorite go-to tarot deck says about you. That’s right. I think I know you better than you know yourself. And all from knowing which tarot deck you like.

Visconti-Sforza Tarot by U.S. Games
Visconti-Sforza Tarot by U.S. Games

Tarot de Marseille

You’re kind of an elitist snob. You think your tarot deck is more authentic than other people’s tarot decks and so that makes you better. When you’re talking about tarot, you make sure to emphasize that you read with the Marseille (no, you would say “TdM”) deck because you’re pretty sure that fact alone conveys the depth and breadth of your tarot knowledge.

Oswald Wirth Tarot by U.S. Games
Oswald Wirth Tarot by U.S. Games

Esoteric Tarot Deck Pre-1900

You’re an elitist snob. You’re probably a voracious reader of obscure books, especially books bearing titles that begin with “Liber.” You get all academic and historian-y when talking about witchcraft or ceremonial magic.

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