Oracle of the Egyptian Gods by Silvana Alasia features portraits of Egyptian deities painted in tempera on papyrus in the ancient Egyptian drying method.

It was the art style really captivated me, and then as I explored the deck further, it turns out to be of the most well-done Kemetic-themed decks I’ve seen in a while.

This is a deck of 36 cards, each bringing messages of wisdom, warnings of danger, advice, and protection. Each card features a god or goddess from the Egyptian pantheon.

The meaning of the word “god” in hieroglyphics (Neter) represents the instrument through which a force that is not directly visible manifests to us, revealing its nature through the occurrences of its effects.

Per the Egyptian Genesis, in the beginning there was chaos. Then from the depths of the primordial waters came Nun and Nunet. Upon their union a phoenix alighted and thus Ra, the Sun was born, the Father of All Gods, and from Ra came Amon-Ra, god of Creation. The ordering of the cards are inspired by the Creation story. After Amon-Ra came the Ogdoad.

The layout of the cards is perfectly well done for operability as an oracle deck. The beautiful painting occupies most of the space, and at the bottom, you have a card number, to easily look up the reference in the guidebook, the deity name, and then a prophetic keyword.

Card 1, Ra, bears the keyword Enlightening. Ra is the sun god, “He who rises up, climbing high in the sky,” and corresponds with knowledge as attained and witnessed by the third eye.

Card 7, Isis, the Mother Goddess, bears the keywords “Faith and Wisdom.” Her name means “throne” and the headdress she wears is in the shape of a throne. She is the goddess of Great Magic, and when you align with faith (in the spiritual universe) and wisdom (of the material universe), she will reveal to you secret knowledge.

Card 9 is Horus, for Stability and Equilibrium. Card 11 is Anubis, for Transformation, And Card 12 is Thot, for Wholeness. Thoth is the Lord of Time, protector of scribes and the inventor of writing, god of magic, clairvoyance, and the laws.

During a battle with the god Seth, Horus lost his left eye, which Thot then healed. Thus that eye became the talismanic Eye of Horus. This is the card of order and harmony, bringing sound advice and to help you advance to higher ground.

Heka, the god of magic, and also of healing medicine, brings vitality, magnetic strength, and guides the successful development of your accomplishments. His namesake means “the first work.”

Mertseger, whose name means “She who loves silence,” is a punisher goddess who poisons evildoers and oathbreakers. She represents authority, intelligence, and helps you to guard against those who bear ill-intentions against you. Selkis (card image slightly cut off above, but which appears below) is the goddess of magic and occult powers, often depicted as a woman with a scorpion on her head. She reigns over all poisonous creatures, representing both the poison and its antidote.

My one critique would be not providing translations of the hieroglyphics featured on each of the cards and whether the paintings were inspired by any historical sources in particular. Feels a bit like a missed opportunity.

While this might not be a deck I’d try to do practical readings with (though you most certainly can, and the guidebook will help with that), I would consider it a must-have among deck collectors. It’s beautifully done and I love Alasia’s selection of the 36 deities to portray in these cards.

FTC Disclosure: In accordance with Title 16 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 255, “Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising,” I received this deck from the publisher for prospective review. Everything I’ve said here is sincere and accurately reflects my opinion.