Halloween Oracle ~ Better Late then Never

Now that the semester is winding down I am trying to get caught back up. I took three finals today and it drained me! I have one more left tomorrow morning on American History and then I am done until the end of January.

So here is the review of the Halloween Oracle. The deck is 36 cards of vivid artwork. All of the cards feature a Halloween theme, but also features some less traditional elements. Sure, there are witches, black cats and skeletons but there is also the harvest, apples and even a sweet loaf of fruity bread.!

The deck is another one published by Blue Angel. The box is sturdy matte black with glossy halloween icons peppered over the surface. The companion booklet is about 80 pages long and is written by Stacey Demarco. There are some spreads, basic info about how to dedicate your deck, and then the meat and potatoes of the book. Each card has it's picture, some keywords and information and the divinatory meaning of the card.

The cards themselves, in addition to being illustrated by the amazing Jimmy Manton, are really nice quality. They are about 5.5" x 3.75" and are just glossy enough to bring out the vivid artwork, but not too glossy. The cards don't stick together and shuffle pretty well. I say pretty well only because I have tiny hands and a lot of decks are too big for me. The back of the cards are not reversible, but have a pattern of small grey Halloween icons.

Here are a couple of my favorite cards from this deck ~
The Underworld
"Where all things pause and begin again"
This card shows a lush, dripping pomegranate in front of a skull. Many cultures throughout the world - Sumerians, Incans, Maori and the Greeks - all have concepts of the underworld. This card and it's pomegranate remind me very much of the story of Persephone and Hades.

Eternal Love
"Love is love is love and it transcends physical death"
This card shows a pair of skeletons laying side by side with hands clasped. It is a great reminder of the enduring legacy of love. Even when people are gone they are not forgotten - we will be together again someday.

Scrying
"Intuition"
A crystal ball on its stand - simple and yet powerful. Scrying can be done with water, a mirror and yes even a crystal ball. Scrying requires you to release control and to relax. I find this card pops up when I am having trouble with focus. A great reminder to tune out all the distractions!

Overall this is a really nice deck. I'm not 100% sure that I would use it outside of the Halloween time period but I think I'll have a heck of a great time with it at parties!