The Oracle That Made A Liar Out Of Me - Part 2
Well there goes my well deserved reputation as a Tarot Purist...shot to buggery in a matter of weeks. First it was The Magpie Oracle, mellowing me to seamlessly blend the Lenormand charms with a Tarot card reading, and then I saw these beautiful (not Tarot!) cards. My usual approach would be to say "well, they're pretty, but I'll never use them because they're not Tarot cards", ego would say "move along, nothing to see here, they're not Tarot!", and intuition would sigh wistfully, say "but they're so pretty!", and maybe convince ego that we should look to invest in another new Tarot deck instead...but there was something that just *clicked* when I looked at these cards, and saw something that was beautiful, linked positively to intuitive responses and really appealed to my aesthetic!! My intuition did a bit of minor prestidigitation ("as you can see there's nothing up my sleeves, except a credit card and a laptop! Cake! Cake would be lovely! You could bake one, i bet you've got everything in that you need! No, no, no need to worry about that email about a processed payment, I'm sure it's nothing to do with an oracle deck at all, you'd never do that...because it's not Tarot after all! How's that cake coming along?") and the next thing I'm signing for a parcel at the post office thinking "when did I order this?!" with intuition doing what can only be described as a 'girly twirl' and cooing "they're so pretty!"
And I must say. Intuition was right on the money - they are stunningly beautiful.
(I'm also very grateful that my intuition has decided to use its powers for good, limiting nefarious activities to the occasional smash and grab on my bank balance, rather than attempting destabilisation of world powers and going all out for global domination...I worry, in the dark of night, that it would be startlingly efficient at it...)
I spent a couple of weeks just luxuriating in the imagery of the cards, day on day, soaking up a card or three and just getting to know them, in between seeing how they respond to various reading types (and the answer there is very well!). They've jumped through every hoop I've given them, inspiring a eureka moment in an otherwise taciturn and cross-armed querent who was determined to remain stony-faced, and yet succumbed to "well, yes, I can see that, and i understand now that what I need to do is..." *boom*!!
I've used them for several months now, and even taken to double-decking on some readings, which I do so very rarely, because it's not often that decks resonate with one another, and aren't too jarring in their contrasting imagery. The Alchemist's Oracle works so very well with The Wild Unknown Tarot deck, for example...so much so, that they're rarely separated from one another in my (man)bag of tricks!
It's a deck that I've recommended to friends and Tarot colleagues, who have also glowed with appreciation and recommendations for its beauty, its accessibility and its positive messages. The 133-page, black and white (but colour bound) companion booklet goes well beyond "little white book" standards, and is a great starting point to understand the symbology chosen and give you some ideas for interpretation of the cards, but it's purposely created without an index, so that you're not tempted to use it as a 'lookup book', and instead rely on your own intuition and the message that the cards bring to you personally.
There are 50 cards in the deck, supplied in a slightly oversized two-part box (a snug fit for width and length, but oversized for depth, allowing the storing of small or flat crystals or charms with the cards), with rounded corners and a reversible back design, which is black with a white logo from the Inner Hue website. The cards themselves are a great size for the artwork that is on them, coming in at 2.94 x 4.06 in. or 7.4cm x 12.8cm, and each image has a thin black border around the edge, which doesn't detract from the artwork. The card stock is possibly the only minor issue with the deck, as the card is a little too stiff, and doesn't lend itself well to a riffle/casino shuffle, and I found my deck to be slightly 'sticky' straight out of the box, needing some attention with a cloth and some work on the edges, but it's not a problem that my friend had with her version of the deck, so it's very possible I just got one with a splodge of something extra from the print run!
I would highly recommend the deck to any reader, whether a Tarot Purist or an Oracle Adventurer! What are you waiting for?! Trust your intuition (no, about the deck, not about the world domination thing!!), and dash over and purchase a copy for yourself right now!
The amazing Alchemist's Oracle is available from rather swoon-worthy, and incredibly sweet Lauren Aletta at her Inner Hue Website http://www.innerhue.com (along with lots of other lovely content and positive vibes galore!) - what are you waiting for?!
[Images used courtesy of and © Lauren Aletta at Inner Hue]
