The Awakened Soul oracle cards by tarotist Ethony and artist Danielle Mulligan are a treat to behold. It is the divination deck for the modern witch. It is evident to me that these deck creators have called upon the spirit and consciousness of 21st century Gaia and channeled Her messages to us. So much of Ethony’s energy and blessings have been infused into this deck that it’s quite the honor to work with these cards.

Let’s start superficial, of course, with the box. Oh gawd I love the box. I love the matte finish, the sturdiness, the interior bee design, an incredible symbol for how Mother Earth nourishes life by calling upon the services of Her children and a call to each one of us to channel the spirit of the bee in our own endeavors and in how we nourish our society.

Not only have I been using the oracle deck for daily ritual and rumination, but many of the clients I read for have, too. It was quite surprising to me the number of clients I work with who also had this deck, so it was great that they could follow along with their deck when I provided oracle readings with the Awakened Soul.

That’s right. I’ve done professional readings with the Awakened Soul oracle deck. I broke my own rule. As some of you may know, generally I do kind of get elitist and poo-poo use of oracle decks in professional reading sessions. I stick with tarot and as a client, would prefer to go to readers who stick to tarot. Lenormand decks are okay too, but I had avoided the oracle-oracle decks. Yet something about Ethony’s deck called to me, and I really, really wanted to share its energy and power with those I was working with.

Check out the card backs. You have reversible card backs with that bee and flower design, once again a symbol of how Gaia sustains life by calling upon each one of us, her children, to work in service toward nourishing and perpetuating that life. When we work for ourselves in alignment with our higher purpose, like the worker bee, we also are working toward a greater good and toward service of others, and of course, of Gaia.

I adore the silver metallic gilding. This deck is just absolutely beautiful to work with. It handles very well and I love the glossy finish. I will note, however, that some of the glossy finish has begun to wear already, after about a month of use, but I understand totally that manufacturing logistics for independently published decks are what they are. Sometimes these production issues can’t be helped no matter how hard the creators have tried.

Now let’s check out the cards. Some call to mind tarot, like that Judgment card, though the imagery seems to be a provocative synthesis of the Judgement card in tarot and maybe, I’d say, The Devil. I love the keywords, which can be used in divination as themes to focus on.

Danielle Mulligan’s art is feminine, soft, yet powerful. Each work of art tells a story. Diversity is depicted effortlessly and, remarkably, in a way that doesn’t feel forced at all. I see myself pictured in the deck. Maybe even literally… check out the “Guidance” card in the above photograph, bottom row, second card from the left. Tell me that isn’t me! =D Come on! That looks exactly like me, from how I wear my hair, length of the hair, the sitting position, and the card spread! And coffee! Of course, coffee!

(No, of course, it isn’t actually me, in case anyone got confused. I am not affiliated with the creation of this deck in any way. I’m just saying humorously–that chic definitely looks like me.)

Although the gender energy here is predominantly feminine, there is still masculine energy to balance it out. I love the animal symbolism, the depictions of nature, depictions of personal ritual, and what I find most intriguing of all, the sentimentality. Mulligan’s art captures emotion with such dexterity and skill.

At least around where I live, I’ve been getting an infux of clientele who are highly-accomplished millennials, many of them public figures and well-known personalities by way of social media, and who are interested in adding a dimension of spirituality to their daily practices, but aren’t sure exactly where to start.

I’ve been recommending to them to get this deck. The Awakened Soul oracle is really the perfect deck for the 20- to 30-something educated urban-dwelling woman in a high-professional industry who is seeking to deepen her sense of meaning for life, is intrigued by the art of divination as a form of personal reflection, but might not necessarily be ready for, you know, like, blood, rituals with daggers, midnight candlelight liturgy for summoning the dead, or etching sigils to invoke otherworldly beings.

I hope Ethony and Danielle have sent copies of this deck to Glamour, Elle, Allure, The Oprah Magazine, Latina, and the other popular women’s and fashion trend magazines out there. Every facet of this deck appeals to today’s young urbanite woman. And men, too, of course!

The accompanying guidebook is wonderful. It’s got a matte finish on the cover and is perfect bound, which seems to be the trend these days, a step above the little white booklets we were all used to in the 90s.

The guidebook has a lot of quality content. It explains the premise and purpose of the deck, basic workings with an oracle deck like cleansing and charging, and further exposition on each card’s meaning. Several wonderful and effective spreads are taught as well.

Above you’ll see a sample page spread from the guidebook. The symbolism in the card imagery is provided, along with keywords to reflect on. Then the story for the card’s energy is given, the card meaning, shadow aspects of the card, affirmations, and personal reflections. It’s wonderfully organized.

The Awakened Soul oracle is a brilliant, beautiful, soft deck to work with and helps me to get back in touch with my feminine side. It provides a nurturing, calming, assuring, and compassionate energy that I’m often not good at harnessing in readings for people, so this deck definitely helps me channel that better.

I’ve got to do a close-up zoom on the card backs again. Look at that white on black mirror-image etching!

I’ve found that in terms of working with the deck for divinatory purposes, when a particular card comes up, it often depicts the action the seeker needs to take, often quite literally, in a mimicking way, and so it’s an easy deck to read. For example, the Mirror card shows up and what the seeker needs to do, perhaps physically, is to look in the mirror at herself. When the Meditate card comes up, the solution to the issue that the seeker is experiencing will come to her when she meditates. It’s really quite remarkable how in-tune this deck is and how it functions in personal readings.

It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Ethony‘s vibes and I love what she’s putting out there into this world. If you don’t know her already, then let me tell you about this incredible person. She’s a professional tarot reader, psychic, author, and the headmistress of the Tarot Readers Academy, where I taught a course this past summer. She coaches spiritual entrepreneurs, has an incredibly meaty and engaging YouTube channel, is a mother, and a practicing eclectic witch, having been on her path for over 18 years. She also runs the Awakened Soul Coven.

Danielle Mulligan is the kindred spirit who illustrated this deck. She is an Australian artist and mystic who has just done an incredible job manifesting the vision for The Awakened Soul.

If you place your order right now, you can still get this deck in time for the winter holidays, I believe, so get on it, asap! This deck is a treasure for the spiritual seeker who wants to begin working with an oracle deck for personal guidance and also for the seasoned cartomancer who could use a dose of femininity and the essence of Gaia in your practice. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.

Click here to order your deck today.