THE FALLEN ANGEL ORACLE

Here is a deck for those of you attracted to darkness. The Fallen Angel Oracle by Nigel Suckling promises you will discover the art and wisdom of prediction. I’ve had these cards for a few years already and feel this oracle deck works as its own system. The concept it is based off has stood the test of time and hast my respect. The names of the fallen angels in this deck were taken from Johann Weyer’s On the Illusion of Daemons. This was a detailed argument against the Malleus Maleficarum.

If you are sensitive to peoples true nature through your interactions with them, I think you will really enjoy working with this deck. It promises you a look into archetypes from the psyche. The real self that people keep to themselves, not the self they want you to see. Anything with the underlying tone of the psyche will interest me. I am fascinated by the interior self that we hide from the world.

I don’t think life is all positivity. Many of the truths to people can be somehow dark or ugly. Being that I am accepting of that life aspect I find this deck to be helpful in representing other people as they really are, with their strengths just as present as their flaws.





If we wish to strip these cards of their more personable qualities and down to concepts of emotion they can also read well and prove helpful. You can go off the card and the keyword like in most other oracles if you want to keep it simple. The important thing to keep in mind is that if you want a more in-depth system to go along with the cards, that’s an option too. If you read cards this can only be good for you in developing your intuition.

With the brisk weather settling in and the end of autumn looming, the discolored leaves and the days growing shorter I find myself comforted by a deck that will match my inner stirrings with the outside weather. The moods conveyed by the textures in the cards sit perfectly with this type of weather. I feel as comforted as if I was bundled under blankets, enjoying tea and candle lit readings while the wind blows outside. It quiets the mind and grounds me somehow.

I feel like sharing my insight with you.

★ This deck is a left-hand path deck if you couldn’t already tell from the 72 cards in the deck named after demons, also known as fallen angels. ★





♡ What is your most important characteristic?
Amon. Vision, diplomacy. Element: Air. Planet: Moon.
This fallen angel is said to have a great view of the past as well as the future, which translates to ease in understanding your circumstances if you can clearly look to the past and to the future. This helps in your decision making.

The wise owl’s blank stare seemingly peers right through you. I like the implication that a deck of cards can see right through you. How we interpret the outcomes is really up to us.

♡ What are your strengths as an oracle deck?
Andrealphus. Persuasion. Element: Earth. Planet: Moon.
Using the power of persuasion to convince, basing the strategy of being calculated. If you play to your strengths you have a much higher chance to win, apparently.

♡ What are your limits?
Furfur. Evaluation. Element: Water. Planet: Mars.
Even with the best of intentions you will often find conflict and problems to solve. The key is in having the disposition to work through it, seeking to help and to motivate. Problems tend to arise along the way, so accept this aspect of life with grace and you will be able to keep moving forward.



♡ What are you here to teach me?
Orias. Inspiration. Element: Water. Planet: Moon.
How to use logic and the artful practice of divination to tell accurate and enlightening fortunes.

I mean, I’ll take it.

♡ How can I best learn to collaborate with you?
Buer. Help and healing. Element: Water. Planet: Mercury.
Use your logic to cut through all distractions. Tune into the real arcane secrets and choose to keep people around you who are attracted to you for spiritual purposes and who seek answers in similar ways. These are your equals. If you grow, they grow. Have that same attitude towards your divinatory tools.

♡ What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?
Sabnock. Discretion. Element: Air. Planet: Moon.
Knowing to temper your strength and using it conditionally. The deck seems to think that self restraint will win your battles for you because you’ll get to camouflage or somehow observe your adversaries before your moment to act comes. So with time passing and circumstances changing ever so slightly, you are promised the upper hand if you wait before you strike.


♡ Which card do you want to show off?
Gusion. Choice. Element: Water. Planet: Venus.
When you gain a better understanding of the past as it spills into the present and influences the future, you can bring solace to those in doubt, eliminate enemy bonds and distribute rewards to those who have waited for them.

Moments of decision making can be some of the hardest for those of us who aren’t 100% assured in what we want our outcome to be. In these moments our best course of action is to set our uncertainty aside and to proceed with assurance.

♡ How do you see me?
Forneus. Honesty. Element: Earth. Planet: Moon.
Through your deep honesty and understanding of the subconscious can lead you to find respect even among your enemies. Speaking your truth even when it won’t be what others wish to hear keeps your hands clean.

♡ How do you see yourself?
Andromalius. Deception. Element: Water. Planet: Mars.
A stern advocate for justice. This deck suggests that if you leave people to their own devices they will show you which colors they are truly made up of. This deck delights in underlining which flawed aspects of their personality you are dealing with so you can rectify the situation and know how to defend yourself.



Fine day for a cemetery walk, don't you think?
♡♡

THE WITCHES' WISDOM ORACLE

I like that this deck focuses on the ancestry of the witch working with it. It is my personal belief that psychic gifts are passed down through family bloodlines much like you’d inherit medical conditions and personality traits or psychical attributes from family. In this oracle you’ll find vocabulary such as familiar, ceremony, spirits, the craft. The booklet explains witches “bring about balance between the worlds of spirit and the physical realm.”

The book explains that diviners have been met with betrayal instead of gratitude for their services. I digress, history has its darkness just as anything else. Diviners haven’t been portrayed in the most positive light, and this is something I knew before going into this profession. Those of us in the field who take it seriously strive to make it a positive and productive experience for the people endorsing our work. It is up to us to set the example to give the divinatory art of fortune telling a good reputation.

The Witches’ Wisdom Oracle has the kind of glossy card stock, oversized cards and metallic gilded edges you’d expect from most oracle decks that are from the mass market. While I have small hands and find it hard to shuffle these decks, I find I don’t need to shuffle them as thoroughly because they have considerably less cards than a tarot deck. Right out of the box these cards should be slippery and relatively easy to shuffle.




I like that the cards name concepts and juxtapose those concepts with an illustration and a keyword. While some won’t draw much from the card if they take it at face value I find that the real value of this deck lies in being skillful making connections and interpreting concepts in sequence. If this isn’t second nature at first, I assure you that it comes with practice. It is especially easy if you already read Lenormand cards. The manner in which Lenormand is read is very similar to how I’d approach these oracle cards. The exception is that I will also interpret these cards based off mood and message from the illustrations themselves.

I like that this deck is for magic minded people such as myself. It is for those that feel the change in the air when the veil thins and draw messages from the other side.





♡ What is your most important characteristic?
Fire. I like that the suggestion that fire burns up all the old and dying, leaving ashes from where new life can sprout. This implies the action of purification through burning in which we let go of old habits and patterns that no longer serve us, instead finding ourselves calling on new courage to fuel the flames.

The booklet suggests the fire symbolizes passion and love. It recommends working with fire in spellwork, tying in spiritual practices with the meaning of this card. Fire is seen as a transformative agent that brings about change.

♡ What are your strengths as an oracle deck?
Homeland. Intuitively I’d say the concept of the deck is based off witch lore. That knowledge has traversed through time and culture to mature into what it is now, and even then finds new embodiments in the different personal signatures it is practiced. Everyone does it their own way unless they are purists, so there are many ways to achieve a purpose through magic.

The booklet recommends connecting with your ancestry and your sense of home. It suggests you yourself are the map to traverse, which I intuit would be if you are using these cards for yourself. I put my cards and skills at the service of other people, so I’m not sure how often I will get the pleasure of using these cards just for myself.

♡ What are your limits?
Witch. As a seer you can only see as much as is already available in your environment. You must keep a sense of adventure if you’re going to traverse the psyche. With it comes risk and guesswork, but also intuitively feelings your way with your senses. That’s a journey for transformation the seer has alone. Cards are just cards and can’t do that.

I think this is also a card that can be used to emphasize your need to be present in the moment.



♡ What are you here to teach me?
Broomstick. This deck of cards is here to teach me how to clean up my own life, and that of others. Clearing out the muck and the uncertainty in order to practice the art of predictive fortune telling.

I like the insinuation that when you clear out negativity or crippling darkness that you are cleaning up your life. I associate many daily chores with the practice of magic and find myself thinking with this mindset in both my cleaning and cooking. When you live a life of intention, just about anything can be used to spring your intentions forward. In cleaning out objects that remind you of the past, you clear your mind and make room for new tasks and goals. The space you use carrying junk around can be repurposed to clean your life up of what holds you back.

♡ How can I best learn to collaborate with you?
Witches’ Cottage. I’d intuit this as using the deck to learn to make your surroundings and general lifestyle cleaner and more in tune with natural order. In keeping your spiritual life and your mundane life in order you will find your life improves and stabilizes. You can breathe in peace knowing that the flow of your life is in harmony.

Healthy self-care practice keeps you aware of the state you are in on the inside and how you react to the world around you because of it. Alternatively, it could be seen as keeping your living quarters clean to allow them to be a sacred ground. Whether that be a state of mind or a physical place is up to you.

♡ What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?
Hearth. The fireplace in this card would connect this card to the very first question of the interview for me, leading to interpret this situation as creating space for our passions and what transformative tools we use to be clean and purposeful.

Finding in this deck a mental space fit for reassessing your life and finding comfort. Support manifests in different ways, and sometimes it can manifest as a message for you.



♡ Which card do you want to show off?
Athame. Another card pointing towards the first which is the element of fire. An athame is a tool used in crafting magic. I’d intuit this as being emphasis to stick to the plan and to your tools, crafting as you go a sharp tool to bring upon wisdom and self-reflection.

Use moments of mental clarity to cleanse your mind of negativity. Anything holding you back from achieving your sense of purpose is not something you want to keep around.

♡ How do you see me?
Scrying Mirror. I mean… yes. I am a channel for messages. Where those messages come from? Your guess is as good as mine. I’m going to go with the sense of intuition. I don’t ever have an idea of what will come through until it does. Practicing the divinatory arts is as much second nature to me as it is a challenge every time.

I think this card is trying to suggest that there is something you aren’t seeing in the situation you asked about. If it is, I’d intuit this card is meant to make you conscious of the possibility. I think it starts getting abstract if we limit ourselves to dismiss what we don’t see as something we can’t understand.

♡ How do you see yourself?
Tarot Cards. As a fortune telling deck.




And there you have it! Some card interpretations to season your day with some magic.
♡♡

MESSAGE FROM THE CARDS

Cards, what have you got for me today?

The Hope — The Question — The Lady of Faith

The mirror reflects outwardly what is happening inside. A rainbow prism highlights an outside presence gracing me with light. My faith is restored and I seek my own answers within, crowned by logic and perception.

The struggles of the shadows past are left behind. So then starts the journey of asking questions and receiving the answers through divine means.

This is part of maturing, letting go and embracing an absence of color. Only those who look within are able to see and feel that color still there, inside themselves.

Answers come when we most need them to. We just need to shield ourselves from the loud opinion of those who aren’t involved and don’t matter. Answering the call of spirit.

♡♡

MALPERTUIS LENORMAND

The Malpertuis Lenormand was illustrated and published by Neil Lovell. I have followed its progress closely since the start, but the deck has been out for a few years now and I had still not managed to save funds to set aside to be able to purchase it. Until now! I love it dearly, it is definitely beautiful and it reads really well. What I enjoy the most about it is that it makes my reading experience much more pleasant.

I am entitled to decks number 330 and 331. There is an extra card: The Happy Squirrel. I appreciate this joke whenever I see it in a deck. There are also extra Gentleman and Lady cards.

I love everything about these cards: matching unobtrusive borders, gorgeous illustrations and playing card inserts, and beautifully framed numbers. The backs match the Tyldwick Tarot backs, which makes this Lenormand a companion deck to the original tarot. The card stock is stiff semigloss with lightly gilded edges. The shuffle is somewhat crunchy, but the cards are also somewhat slippery. They won’t go gliding out of my hands and off the table, so I can appreciate that.



I love that the symbols are in their natural surroundings. I love the artistic depiction suggesting the cards echo to vintage or antique quality. There is something very special about this deck that captivates me. I have found myself keeping it on my work desk and thumbing through it regularly just to admire it. This isn’t something I do very frequently, since I prefer to get to know my cards as I use them to read. With these, though, the dynamic is different. I am drawn into them and I like to imagine what would happen next in this scene.

This deck makes me think about the transition from summer to autumn in the Netherlands. It evokes the nostalgia of days long past, and there is a romantic quality in the cards that I can’t seem to want to free myself from. Few things bring me more satisfaction than being entranced by a beautiful deck of cards.




♡ What is your most important characteristic?
Stars. You connect cards into messages like connect the dots. It all adds up in a step by step way and reads as one. When you look at it all laid out, it starts to make more sense for you and you can trace connections from one subject to another. (Referencing the Grand Tableau.)

♡ What are your strengths as a Lenormand deck?
Child. Interest in this cartomantic technique is new. The field is not saturated, which means there is room to grow. Spending enough time with this method could help you mature new techniques of reading. You don’t just have to knight them or criss cross; you can also try other ways to interpret the patterns woven in the spread.

♡ What are your limits?
Key. You can get ahead where there is opportunity, but there are some doors your key won’t fit into. Lenormand isn’t appropriate for every type of reading you wish to carry out, but it can be great for relevant avenues of exploration.



♡ What are you here to teach me?
The Happy Squirrel. This deck has humor! And it’s reminding us of just that. It’s okay to have fun with your card reading. Try new things even if you have to have a margin for error. That’s how you learn, by taking risks.

♡ How can I best learn to collaborate with you?
Letter. Read back through older interactions to understand how you have gotten to this point. A reading is an exchange between the reader and the cards, and then the reader and the querent.

♡ What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?
Paths. You can make your own choices based off what you end up finding in your readings with these cards.



♡ Which card do you want to show off?
Mountain. Strength that is unshakeable and often passes the test of time. This deck states it is robust and strong, and no matter how strong the winds, it won't be flimsy in any sense. There is a great sense of inner strength in this!

♡ How do you see me?
Cross. The one who carries the burdens of others, while still dealing with their own burdens. Heavy hitter...

♡ How do you see yourself?
Clouds. Parting the confusion with clarity. Terse!



I really look forward to use this, both personally and for work. These grainy, nostalgic cards evoke such strong feelings in me. I strongly recommend them. Would you like to purchase a copy?
♡♡

PIXIE'S ASTOUNDING LENORMAND REVIEW

Pixie’s Astounding Lenormand was made by Edmund Zebrowski, who also made the Day of the Dead Lenormand. Edmund's work is quality across the board. I love his creativity and artistic visions! It feels like he sees opportunity where many others don't think to look. He is currently working on the Lenormand de Marseille.

Pixie's Astounding Lenormand is currently on its third printing in its mass market form. I previously owned the second edition, but passed it forward a few years ago and later came to regret my decision. It was so good! I was just too concerned with how precious it was to feel safe while using it daily. A mass-market edition takes the fear away from me for good.

The conception of this idea was in my opinion very brilliant. It filled in a huge gap that was missing. Once it was out, I noticed that the system was so cohesive that it had brought new life to Pamela Coleman Smith’s illustrations. It’s a gorgeous deck of cards! The packaging of the tin and the thoughtful wrap with a blue P (for Pixie) seal are really stunning. I gasped when I took it out of its light blue tissue paper because it is such thoughtful presentation. It got me very excited to use the deck. The quality of the card stock is very good and thin. They fan out nicely and they have lovely card backs. A great new design choice!



Reading with the cards is great. They have a very straightforward quality of reading that is a necessity to read the Lenormand. They’re very terse and to the point, also. They read exactly as a Lenormand should and will provide great accompaniment to a tarot deck. I like that if you spend time with them, you can find out exactly what they mean to say and you can weave a thoughtful story for yourself.

The card illustrations themselves really impressed me. I love that they are so cohesive in style, and while they are familiar, they also pack great surprises. Some of the more creative decisions made sense to me and even made me smile. The card stock is very sturdy and will hold through just fine when used. It comes very thoughtful booklet, this one is autographed by the artist. Usually I tend to side step the booklets that come with decks, but this one has a lot of useful information. You can apply all of the cards to romance and finance, as well as whether they are positive, negative or neutral. Lastly, you get time suggestion and sources for the art.

Using this deck has an element of nostalgia because of the style. It makes me feel as if I’ve gone back in time to enjoy a delightful summer vacation, spending time reading cards. The evocative quality of this deck makes it very pleasant to use and helpful in grounding yourself for a reading. Simply thumb through the cards and enjoy the grounding experience. These cards take me to a very pleasant place where it's always Saturday morning and an adventure is not too far. I can hear waves crashing in the distance, and gentle blowing of the wind.




When I compare color schemes, I feel like Pixie’s Astounding Lenormand fits best with the Centennial Edition of the Rider-Waite Smith. I personally enjoy the colors of the Original Rider-Waite Smith Tarot with the checkered cerulean backs. That is the version I most prefer for use side to side with this Lenormand deck.

The truth is that you don’t need a tarot deck to deliver strong readings, and this deck will prove that effortlessly. The Lenormand is a robust system that can provide hours of reading time as you work your way across a complete Grand Tableu spread. Even the Square of Nine spread is going to provide you with more than 15 minutes reading time once you get past the obvious connections and into the deeper messages contained in the spread.





♡ What is your most important characteristic?
The Cross. Starting with a heavy hitter! It is important for people using this deck to understand that it is not a tarot deck, and all of the myths surrounding card reading should be put to rest. Instead, approach this deck with a clean slate upon which to build new experiences if you are not yet familiar with the Lenormand. See this as a new starting point in your experience as a reader. End of the comfort zone.

♡ What are your strengths as a Lenormand deck?
The Moon. There is beauty contained in these cards. A shroud of mystery goes away as you look into the tableau and work your way through the magic of the cards. Get creative with how you approach the cards, enjoy the mystique of the experience. That same mystifying quality is what will attract people to your reading table. They won’t be able to resist their curiosity!

♡ What are your limits?
The Lady. Limits, if any, will be imposed by yourself. You are free to do as you like with these cards. There are possibilities without limits. You are to become your biggest enabler and best representation.



♡ What are you here to teach me?
The Fox. These cards will help you quicken your wits and provide easy identification of the aspects in the readings that work agains the querent. Using these cards you will have a great understanding in picking out what does not work.

♡ How can I best learn to collaborate with you?
The Child. Approach the deck with a fresh mind, as if you were taking your first steps in the journey of cartomancy. Look to re-learn what you already know and enjoy the experience as one that will help you grow and mature. Enjoy the process.

♡ What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?
The Key. Keys open doors to opportunity. This deck can be an assertive tool to find out the truth. Keys stand for unlocking hidden wisdom and secrets. This can be interpreted as a tool to unlock secrets about your life and that of the people you read for.



♡ Which card do you want to show off?
The Dog. The overall mood of this deck is friendly and non-threatening. There is no nudity or offensive content. You can spread the cards out over any reading space and delight your querent with this pleasantly universal deck. Using these cards will help you bond with your future querents.

♡ How do you see me?
The Fish. I see in you an independent person who works arduously in the craft of fortune telling. You wish to sustain yourself with your efforts in card reading and you work very hard to make connections with those who respect your work.

♡ How do you see yourself?
The Mice. I do not wish to be used for the wrong intentions. I do not wish to feed the ego, I wish to be used in a constructive way. I want to have people identify key issues in their life to help them feel empowered. If anybody feels like something is being taken away from them, I am there to expose the situation and bring them clarity.



I loved the general reinforcement of these cards providing you with a reliable source of information. This is a really great deck! If you wish to get your own special edition copy, please visit Delphi’s Chamber. I'm getting myself another copy too!
♡♡