Mists of Avalon Oracle by Rose Inserra - A Review

illustrated by Nadia Turner

Through these cards it is hoped that a deeper and more meaningful connection to the ancient Goddess and the Otherworld realm will be formed. Here it it said that this Otherworld place is Avalon, combining the realm of the Divine, the enchanted Faerie realm and the Isle of Avalon itself. But whether you agree that all three realms are one and the same or three separate realms, all have strong links to Glastonbury, "our modern-day Avalon".

It is here in Glastonbury and its surrounding sacred sites that we are able to pierce the veil of the mists that separate our earthly realm from that of myth, legend and the beyond. Weaving together the stories of King Arthur and Avalon, the tales of the faerie folk as well as sacred Divine entities, in order to bring you closer to the great Mother Goddess.

The 36 cards in this deck are separated in the guidebook into three sections, the Landscapes of Avalon, the Mysteries of Avalon and the Guides of Avalon. Although the Landscapes and Mysteries may not be your typical advisors, the guidebook does well to offers just as much insightful information and thoughtful messages for these Landscapes and Mysteries cards as it does for the Guides found in this deck.

Landscapes of Avalon

Of the nine Landscapes of Avalon offered within the deck there are only two that are beyond the reach of our earthly realm, 'Camelot' and 'The Isle of Avalon'. There are also another two that are more abstract in location, 'The Holy Thorn', which can be found in any one of the Glastonbury thorn trees, and 'The Sacred Grove', also found in any grove of sacred trees. The remaining five cards are well known landmarks of Glastonbury steeped in myth and legend.

Mysteries of Avalon

The Mysteries of Avalon consist of six cards, two of these are the revered objects of legend, 'Excalibur' and 'The Holy Grail'. Another two of these are concept cards, 'The Dragon' as order through strength and power, and the 'Sacred Union' as joy through growth and vitality. With the last two cards being those intangible places of 'The Mists of Avalon' and 'The Otherworld'.

Guides of Avalon

It is, however, the Guides of Avalon that make up the majority of this deck with twenty-one cards featuring the individuals of King Arthur's court along with a handful of goddesses. Also included are the mysterious characters of 'The Lady of the Lake' and 'The Priestess of Avalon' alongside the elusive 'Faerie', the otherworldly 'King of the Faerie Realm' and the mystical 'White Hart'.

goddess cards

Being a deck devoted to the Goddess there are six goddess cards, five of which are said to be the revered goddesses of Avalonian tradition, Cerridwen, Rhiannon, Arianrhod, Branwen, and Blodeuwedd. The sixth goddess card in this deck is for Brigid, who is linked to Glastonbury through Bride's Mound, a place in Glastonbury considered to be a liminal space and said to have been visited by Brigid in her aspect as a Saint.

The Chalice Well & The White Spring, The Holy Grail & Excalibur

While there is a heavy emphasis on the Goddess within this deck, there are included a number of cards that carry masculine energies to help provide a more balanced feel to this feminine focused deck. The complementary cards of 'The Chalice Well' and 'The White Spring' as well as 'Excalibur' and 'The Holy Grail', unite both masculine and feminine energies within each pair. 'The Dragon', 'The White Hart' and 'The King of the Faerie Realm', along with 'Merlin', 'King Arthur' and his knights round out this deck nicely.

masculine cards

The guidebook offers a guiding quote for each card, a message capturing each cards essence, a couple of pages of information about each card and an affirmation for each card. There are also three spreads in the guidebook, as well as a bit of information about how to use these cards. Also included is a short sentence about number allocations for the cards having further meanings and a mention on reversal cards, but nothing about these are further explained in the guidebook.

three-card spread

While the messages and quotes are well thought out, inspiring and contemplative, and the affirmations empowering, I found that the general information provided in some cases felt not quite enough. In reading the guidebook I did wish for a little more about the cards inclusion in this deck, more specifically in their connection to the Goddess as stated in the introduction. Possibly a page of reference materials for further reading about this would have a nice touch.

Guinevere & Igraine share keywords Beauty & Feminine Power

The Lady of the Lake has keyword Otherworld, and card The Otherworld

The keywords on the cards fit the style and appearance, with each keyword being relevant and connected to each cards energies, but there are the same keywords repeated for several cards. Of the 36 cards in this deck only eight have keywords that are unique, all other cards shared one or more keywords. With several cards having similar energies, it would have been nice to have highlighted their individual traits with keywords of their own, or possibly synonyms could have been used to reduce the repetitiveness.

However the true magic of this deck is found within the cards themselves, for it is within these images we experience the guidance and wisdom of this enchanting deck. Whether you return to the guidebook again and again, use it as a starting point for additional study or just read it once and put it aside, it is within the images that you will further your understand and develop your relationship with this deck and, despite my skills with a camera, in person the beautiful artwork does not disappoint.

The artwork brings the Landscapes of Avalon to life, portraying a feel of wonder and enchantment about them, that I imagine would be present at their real world locations in Glastonbury. The Mysteries of Avalon has beautifully rich artwork that conveys a depth of feeling and magical influence. But it is within the artwork of the Guides of Avalon that we are able to observe the unique characteristics of each individual so subtly and skilfully presented, revealing their wisdom to those ready to listen.

Created by Rose Inserra, with illustrations by Nadia Turner, this deck is a walk-through of the many sacred sites, myths and legends associated with Glastonbury and its surrounding areas. The vibrant colours of this deck are enhanced by the smooth, easy to shuffle cards that are housed in a quality two piece sturdy box. With cards measuring about 5in x 3.5in, and at AU$29.99, this Rockpool Publishing deck is a powerful link to a place rich in history and lore, creating a keen experience within these cards of the magic of Glastonbury itself, for those unable to visit in person.

This item was sent to me for review from the publisher. This review reflects my personal thoughts and opinions. Your opinions and experiences may differ to my own.

Forest Fae Messages by Nadia Turner - A Review

Within this little box you will find, as promised, "Curious messages of enchantment" from the Forest Fae. These unique creatures found within this mini deck are a wondrous blend of both the natural world and the fantastical. These are creatures who live on the threshold between our world and theirs, inviting us to cross the boundaries and glimpse into the magical world of the forest to learn from its wisdom. All beautifully brought to life by Australian artist Nadia Turner.

Through each of the 40 cards in this deck you are introduced to a new and distinctive Fae creature who is ready to offer you their words of inspiration, encouragement and insight. Some of these messages are simple and to the point, such as "Take pride in yourself". However other messages are more nuanced and require more thought and reflection, as can be seen in the message "Watch the shifting shadows and be a caretaker of silence".

These Forest Fae cards come only with simple instructions found under the magnetic lid of this sturdy solid box. Sit quietly, shuffle the deck and ask your question or the Fae for guidance. But there is a warning found here too, for the Fae are often as willing to help as they are to confuse or even to ask questions of their own. The design on the back of the cards gives the impression of looking up from the forest floor to the moon high above, as mysterious as the Fae who dwell beneath.

For the past week since these cards arrived I have pulled a card a day to discover what messages the Fae had for me and it has been a joy to see the new Fae creatures that have met me everyday. This deck contains Fae that are a mixture of fauna and flora, such as 'The Witch Hare' and 'Owl Song', as well as the 'Mandrake Spirit' and the 'The Green Man'. There are also more traditional Fae figures included like 'The Troll Fae' and 'The Gnome'. But then there are also Fae that are altogether something other, such as 'The Sentinel' and 'The Silent One'.

This is a whimsical, magical deck that lovers of faeries will enjoy. There are so many uses for this deck, whether you just want to look at the images and enjoy the little messages, or work with these cards on a deeper level. Such as using these cards for daily inspiration, as an insightful oracle deck, as a means to communicate and receive messages from the Fae, as journaling prompts or as a tool to enhance other oracle or tarot readings. I recently used these cards to inspire my latest creative project seen HERE.

There is a very grounding, earthy feeling to this deck despite the airy nature of these Fae creatures. The card are smooth and shiny bringing out the vibrant colours in this deck and allowing for easy overhand shuffling. Newly published in the last few months by Rockpool Publishing, this 40 card mini deck measures about 10cm x 5cm and is only AU$14.99. It really is such a lovely deck to own and explore, or would make a wonderful gift for both adults and children.

This item was sent to me for review from the publisher. This review reflects my personal thoughts and opinions. Your opinions and experiences may differ to my own.

Harmony Tarot by Harmony Nice - A Review

illustrated by Laura Shelley

Harmony Tarot Rider/Penguin

I made the decision to purchase this deck after it had been published and I had had an opportunity to see all the cards. Even with half the reviews I have seen for this deck talking about using this as more of an oracle then a tarot deck. At first I shared this sentiment about the Harmony Tarot being not so much a tarot deck but more of an oracle deck that happens to have 78 cards with majors and minors in 4 suits. But looking deeper into this deck I am now not so sure this is the case.

major arcana

The reason so may have decided that this deck is more oracle then tarot, in my opinion, comes down to the major arcana cards which have been altered to represent magical elements and the natural world. These major cards are not instantly recognisable which has thrown most tarot readers who have come to expect some sort of visual recognition within each card, no mater how diverse and altered the art may be.

So most reviews I have seen for this deck fall into two categories, either they are massive fans of Harmony Nice, the author, and her deck because she created it, or they are somewhat disappointed that it's not more 'traditional' and will use it as an oracle. There were also a lot of people who seemed disappointed that this was a pip deck, but most of these people seemed to be the ones who pre-ordered this deck without knowing exactly what they were buying.

knight's of the minor arcana

If you have seen a few of Harmony Nice's videos on YouTube about tarot, then you may be able to see some of the influences that went into the creation of this deck. The guidebook actually mentions that she stared out with a Rider-Waite deck before being given her great-grandmothers tarot deck, which in one of her videos is shown to be the 1JJ Swiss Tarot, a Marseille tarot deck.

suit of spring court

A lot of people, from what I have seen, have assumed that the 'traditional' tarot the Harmony Tarot is based on, or not based on, is the Rider Waite Smith tarot. However I believe that she has instead used her great-grandmothers Marseille deck, the 1JJ Swiss Tarot, as inspiration and bases for her deck. This can be seen in the Star, Moon and Sun cards having French titles in her Harmony Tarot as they do in her 1JJ Swiss Tarot, and in both decks being pip decks.

suit of spring minor arcana

There was also some talk about people not liking the numbered pip cards having no suit names but just the numbers alone, but this too is seen in both the Rider Waite Smith tarot and the 1JJ Swiss Tarot. As she associates her suits with the 4 seasons and each season is represented by a plant, I have found it easier to remember the sun placement in the minor cards for each season and associated that to a suit/element, so for me Spring is wands/fire with the sun on the right, Summer is cups/water with the sun at the top, Autumn is swords/air with the sun on the left, Winter is coins/earth with the sun at the bottom.

aces of the minor arcana

As mentioned, I believe that this deck does follow a traditional tarot structure, it is just going to take some time working with it to see clearly how the majors do, in their own unique way, represent the 'traditional' major tarot cards. Only here these cards have an emphasis on growth and healing, in much the same way other decks focus on themes of love or shadow. I plan to write more about this and each individual card in future posts, links to each to be found HERE.

major arcana

One thing that I would have found more helpful was if the majors had been numbered, I am tempted to just write the numbers on these myself but I don't really want to spoil the beauty of these cards. The card stock seems to be ok, if a bit stiff, although I am no expert on this. However they are not cut cleanly as you can feel the roughness along the sides of these cards. When shuffling, they overhand fine enough, but I find it a little difficult to riffle shuffle these due to their stiffness and when I do they clump together a bit.

The box for this deck is beautiful, it's sturdy and solid but it is not something I am going to be using to store this deck in. The cards and guidebook are set side by side in this box, with a bit of cardboard used to balance out the hight of the guidebook with the cards next to it. But there is too much room for the cards to move about and get damaged, so I will be finding a new home for these cards. However I may just use the box to store crystals or other such items.

Harmony Tarot U.S. Games

Before I purchased this deck by Rider/Penguin, I did see that U.S. Games was also releasing a copy of the Harmony Tarot. When I looked into what the differences between the two decks might be I was torn as to which copy I should buy. The U.S Games copy had the deck and guidebook on top of each other in a box, which I much preferred to keep the cards stored more safely. I assumed it would also have the standard U.S. Games card stock which would be decent.

On the left is Rider/Penguin, on the right is U.S. Games

Also, I saw that the U.S. Games minor pip cards would have full titles on them, for example 'four of summer' or 'nine of autumn', as opposed to this Rider/Penguin copy just having the 'IV' or 'IX' on the same cards. But after working with this deck a bit I have found that this does not really bother me so much, as I said both the RWS and Marseille decks already use this numbering and I have now memorised the seasons of each card.

On the left is Rider/Penguin, on the right is U.S. Games

Ultimately I decided against the U.S. Games copy because they numbered the major cards. Actually, as I said I would have liked the major cards to be numbered, however the U.S. Games copy has numbered the cards '1 The Goldfinch' through to '22 The Orchard'. So because I can see the traditional majors in this tarot deck, this way of numbering has thrown me. I would have numbered 'The Goldfinch' as 0 and putting 'The Lovers' as card 7 and 'The Orchard' that is to me clearly 'The World' as card 22 does not make sense to me.  This may be another reason for people to dismiss this deck as non-tarot and more oracle.

U.S. Games major arcana

Both copies include the same guidebook, I know because I asked. There is quite a bit of information in the little guide book, a section for beginners, though I do not personally believe this to be a beginners tarot deck, a section on using the cards, about reversals but not reversal meanings, a number of spreads, and the card meanings themselves. Being a pip deck I would have liked to have seen numerological associations and possibly also court associations, however suit associations are given at the beginning of each suits chapter which is nice.

U.S. Games major arcana

The one other thing I wish was included but is clearly missing in both copies is more information in the guidebook about each card, especially for the major arcana. Although each card has keywords followed by about a page of information about the meaning, there is nothing more about the cards image. I would have loved it if there was included why each image was what it was and the symbolism behind it. For example what the Goldfinch symbolised, or why the plant forget-me-not was used for the High Priestess.

I was so tempted to purchase both the Rider/Penguin copy as well as the U.S. Games copy in order to do a more thorough comparative review, but with a price tag of AU$35 and AU$40 respectively, that was just not going to happen. Overall I have found this to be a beautifully unique tarot deck whose art work just calls to me. Laura Shelley did a wondrous job illustrating these cards but I know I will have to spend some time studying the meanings given as well as in further study before I become more comfortable with this tarot deck.

This review reflects my personal thoughts and opinions. Your opinions and experiences may differ to my own.