This is a cute bright yellow deck - all things tree related. Each card shows an image and a title, and in the guidebook, there is a number, title and subtitle, and a few keywords. These are followed by text that explains the meaning in 300 words that applies to both the tree and to YOU or the one you are reading for.
In conclusion: “Standing tall, shining and thriving is your birthright. Growing more towards the light with each breath you take, through each life situation, you become more deeply wise. Finding yourself well rooted, yet flexible, you experience the seasons of life as they come, we cannot control what happens to us, but we can control and choose our response to what life brings. This is empowerment itself, to respond to life with strength and fortitude, no matter what the season. Use the Tree of Life Oracle to centre yourself and be reminded of your natural inheritance, which is to explore the meaning of life, as you live the days of your life. Live and celebrate your potential to learn, to expand, and to reach out to possibility and greatness.” From the guidebook.
Here we have a Tarot with vibrantly painted images by an Irish artist. The 78 cards come in a magnetic fliptop box with the guidebook. Detachment is suggested for readings without bias, prejudice or emotion. A preparation method is given for highly individual personal readings for yourself. No spreads are suggested, but shuffle the deck and ask your question, lay down one card as an answer. Look up the meaning provided in the guidebook. And look at the card - what do you see immediately? What personal meaning does it have for you? What does it remind you of? Write these answers down. An example of a one card reading is provided and there are a variety of exercises. I like the method presented in this Tarot.
Provided along with the card image, number and title, the Majors have association with the Priory of Sion, all have a quote, an explanation of the card and its symbolism, the keywords and meaning in a reading, in addition to its archangel, astrology sign, Cabala path, element and Hebrew letter. Plenty of new material here for the general Tarot reader.
The Court Cards are Novices (Pages - Earth), Initiates (Knights - Air) Adepts (Queens - Water), and Mages (Kings - Fire) all are given a quote, an explanation and keywords, and their individual Nature, Element, Tetragrammaton and Card Persona. All Pips have keywords.
Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Healing Tarot - 78 Ways to Wellness, by Juno Lucina, illustrated by Monica Knighton. Presentation box containing 78 cards and guidebook. Published by Schiffer Publishing. RRP US $39.99
Spreads suggested are Acute Illness 4 cards, Healthy Zodiac 12 cards, and Diet/Fitness 7 cards.
Crazy, weird, eccentric, whimsical, all the wildest adjectives suit this tarot deck - and what a pack! 78 different characters all with a story, and a message of advice and encouragement. How do you feel about animal heads on human bodies, and wearing tasteful fashion? There is more than a hint of power animals in this deck! These are photo realism people, computer graphics to make you laugh and have fun. You will find your Curious Creature Guide, meet them on Pathworkings, enjoy some new layouts, working with Major, Court Card and Minor 'interesting' messages.
The creator, Chris-Anne is an experienced card deck designer. Her other card decks are: Lightseer’s Tarot, The Muse Tarot, and The Sacred Creator’s Oracle.
A magnetic flip top box opens to display a comprehensive book and 78 cards. Size: 13.5 x 10.5 cm. Caitlin Matthews has translated, edited and provided additional material to revive an original, lost Tarot deck by Francis Rolt-Wheeler. The artwork is produced by Wil Kingham from originals by Christian Loring.
A fascinating story begins with the highly praised Christian Loring who is a specialist in medieval art, and knowledgeable about Qabala. She meets with the esoteric teacher and L’Astrosophie magazine publisher, Francis Rolt-Wheeler to produce a Tarot deck but during WW2 it is becomes lost.
Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Tarot of the Kingdoms by Paige Ozma Ashmore. Published by REDFeather, a subsidiary of Schiffer Books. £31.99 Boxed set of 80 cards with full colour guidebook.
Solid card stock in an attractive box. All 80 cards are pretty pastel crayoned artworks. The deck’s creator, Paige Ozma Ashmore, is a mural artist and creates Soul Portraits. She worked on the film, Eleven, as a film artist. Sample from the book: Ace of Fire - The Phoenix rises from the ashes of an old dream.
Divinatory Meaning: A birth of something new. Sometimes a troubling birth, but it rises brilliantly. Direction to Take: An action on your part is required. Take that step.
This deck is designed to dispel negativity, and to help you find your higher purpose. Majors, described as Archetypes, are rainbows. Air is pink, wands, east, and of the fairy kingdom. Fire is red, swords, south, kingdom of the phoenix. Water is blue, west, and kingdom of the merfolk. And Earth, green, north, pentacles, kingdom of the tree spirits. The fifth element is a card titled Spirit. Another addition is a card titled The Universe. Animals are well represented as are women, nature and multicultural influences.
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Follow in the footsteps of the Priestesses of Avalon and
the Goddesses of the Ancient Welsh pantheon. This is a deck for true seekers of
mystery, shadow and light. All things Avalon have a very special place in my
heart. I had a strong guide in Morgan Le Fay, and fell in
love with Marion Zimmer Bradley’s book The Mists of Avalon. It was where I started my own "path"
and remains at the heart of my spiritual life. So it truly is a divine
privilege to review this deck.
Cards carry a title in Latin, an affirmation, a poem and a message. The box contains a fold up board (mat), a transparent acrylic indicator, and a guidebook with full instructions. Around the board 5 wheels of crystals, the moon, letters, words and numbers. Details are provided in the guidebook on how to use it.
There are 15 master crystals, along with moon phases, numbers 0-9, 8 directions, letters, and words of power. These represent symbols with meaning and for, a grid of wisdom that provides answers within the guidebook. These stones are created through millions of years within Mother Earth, they hold great power to help us connect to our higher self. I visited my local gemstone shop to buy the required crystals, and these helped with readings, but the spirit board works well without real crystals.
This is a quality book with glinting printing on the cover, the reader will be impressed by this excellent material written by two specialists in the area of ecology and how it relates to spirituality. We o-ao-author can all learn a lot from this presentation. Dana 0’Driscoll is an Anamist Druid, currently serving as Grand ArchDruid in the Ancient Order of Druids in America. She authored the book ‘Sacred Actions’ and she is a Permaculture Practitioner. Her co-author, Nate Summers is an ancestral skills teacher and survival expert , and he authored the book, ‘Primal’ and ‘Shadow Survival’.
Dougall Fraser is a Los Angeles life coach and workshop facilitator. He has an ability to see auras and has added interests in meditation, chakras and colour healing. Here he explains how to incorporate colour into our life and includes exercises, affirmations, meditations and suggestions on how to align ourself with colour energies. Colours can create positive and negative reactions so we need to find which colours work for us and he provides a simple course to work with a different colour each week. Dougall Fraser provides examples from his personal experiences and those of his clients. Each colour has a positive and a negative aspect and colour can help us to meet our goals, increase energy, influence and wellbeing. We can imagine a beautiful meditation such as imagining a ball of colour above our head which bursts into a shower of sparkles which rain down over us. He has a radio show on Hay House Radio and offers a blog on his website. White, gold, silver, blue, emerald green, purple, ruby red, orange, pink, mint green. 
This is a workbook for all lovers of the land. It is transformative - and when healing the land, we heal ourselves. For healers, who want to increase their healing activity and extend it to nature, this is ideal. Whether you live in the countryside, town or city, this is an excellent book to increase awareness with deep listening and careful observing.
For many years, spirituality has mean many things to many people; but spirituality is now being defined by working with nature, our enjoyment of it, and the ways in which we care for it. In this book, there is excellent food for thought, meditations, blessings, rituals, sigils, visualisations, knowledge of sacred timing, herbcraft, guardianship of holy space, creating sacred items, such as a fire ceremony, a Crane Bag, smoke and prayer bundles, seed balls, and a sacred grove.
Consider your origin: you were not born to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge. Dante.
Magnetic and drawer pull box reveals a new Tarot journey using 60 cards to portray the human condition (though my drawer could not be pulled and I realised the sleeve needed to be removed so the box would open!) The cards backs are The Fool in the midst of his journey, surrounded by clouds, moving full circle, half a mirror image not to show which way up the cards have been dealt. There are some exceptional spreads, a Two-Card, a Three-Card, and a Five-Card.
These cards have extraordinary fabric and collage images, created by Amy Zerner, an award winning artist. Her husband and co-creator has supplied the text, which I can recommend as insightful and wise in helping to get the best from a reading. Together they have produced other excellent tarot publications: Enchanted Tarot, Instant Tarot, Enchanted Love Tarot, Creativity Oracle and the Enchanted Worlds Book.
“The three candles, that illuminate every darkness, are truth, nature and knowledge.”
We are given a direction by the author, “May your immram make you glad in your soul, and may its blessing ripple through the world.” If I had a criticism, it would be that the Lenormand size cards are somber in colouring, and computer graphics rather personal artworks, so I was a bit disappointed. There is a folded card insert in the box for a card spread - I would have preferred a larger sized, and more colourful deck of cards.
We are in a time of recognising the importance of trees in our world. So many entire forests and species are under threat. This book is a joy to read and there is much here to learn from. Tree lore is an ancient wisdom and the author writes about her own personal story, then invites us to walk with her in this enriching journey using the seasonal calendar to cultivate a relationship with trees. The Major Celtic trees are detailed, we are given guided meditations, astrology and runes information, 23 ogham letters, and tree honouring ceremonies. You will develop greater understanding of many common trees and how you can work with them to build a personal relationship with them.
There are full explanations on what a spirit guide is, how to recognise the various types, to see what is wrong and make changes, set high standards, find out what specialist spirits can teach you. There are 7 types explained in this book, i.e., deities, ancestors, ascended masters, nature spirits, animal guides, star beings, and angels. Other explanations are of god, how to align with your higher self, how to avoid egotism, how to serve, to live your life purpose, what are the dangers, are there evil and random spirits, what is cultural appropriation, and what is spiritual bypassing, etcetera. All important points!
The life of Mary Magdalene is examined by the experts, with contributions from Elaine Pagels, Margaret Starbird, Merlin Stone and a host of other writers and researchers throughout all time. Each provides from their perspective who this enigmatic woman was, what do we know about her from the canonical gospels and the many other traditions that describe her as a provider, lover, outcast, harlot, wife, teacher, priestess, healer, apostle to the apostles, and in poetry, painting, fact and fiction. This book has it all!
It is my favourite book about the Magdalene. It''s brilliant! Easy to read, with broad, fascinating, often new and exciting content. Recommended.
Extract: “A woman who needed to earn an income could extend her domestic activities into the marketplace where she could sell clothing, farm produce and bread (the bakers were men)or she could be an innkeeper, letting out rooms in her house. Hairdressers, midwives, and professional mourners were traditional occupations for women. But a woman’s earnings were for the benefit of her family. She was not free to dispose of her money herself.
Kicking off, by page 4, the author is drawing attention to how far our society has degraded from the Grail ideology. The author promises to set out the Grail Code - which is one of service - of conscience, and therefore the grail transmits a true religious message across the world and across the generations. All credit to the late Laurence Gardner for recognising and teaching this ancient and vital knowledge.
The late Laurence Gardner (died 2010) was a controversial character, a writer, researcher and one time stockbroker. He believed that the Ark of the Covenant produced monoatomic gold, a white powder that has superhuman healing properties; that aliens from other planets brought us religion; that the origins of Judaism lie in Egyptology; and that Jesus married Mary Magdalene, had children and their offspring are in the House of Stewart. He worked closely with HRH Prince Michael of Albany, Head of the Royal House of Stewart, aka Michael Roger Lafosse who has been entirely discredited.
Mary Magdalene, as we know from original and earliest sources was a Jewish woman who assisted Jesus and the apostles with their finances. She had seven demons driven from her by Jesus, and was at the foot of the cross when he was crucified. And she is reputed to have been the first person to see the risen Christ. Even this last point about her life is debatable. Women were not considered reliable witnesses, especially one who had been affected with 7 demons. As a Biblical persona, she has been confused with Mary of Bethany, and Mary of Egypt, hence the accusation of prostitution - a terrible slur against her name.
This book is a NewAge/Fertility Goddess genre paperback. It’s about a pagan Mary Magdalene, coupled with assumptions and corruptions, and it’s about a different kind of Jesus to the one that is prophecies and documented in the Old & New Testaments. For 1,400 years, Mary Magdalene suffered a gross injustice, as she was accused by the Papacy of prostitution. There is nothing in the New Testament to associate her name with this way of making her money. Was Jesus a pimp living off immoral earnings? It is highly unlikely that this Mary was a prostitute, as Jewish women and the entire society were extremely sexually oppressed. At the time, with Roman soldiers in the city, disease would have been rampant amongst prostitutes and they would have been violently driven from the city.
Would an itinerant preacher have the responsibilities of a wife and children one wonders, especially as Jesus provoked ire from the powerful Jewish elite! The Essenes were celibate, and John, the cousin of Jesus, an ascetic, may have been an Essene. Maybe Jesus was too! There is question whether The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife is a forgery! Was Jesus married and if so, to whom? This is the subject of this study and unlike many sensationalised and lucrative accounts, it is dealt with in an academic manner by a scholar of Jesus and the time in which he lived, and with an open mind and without an agenda! It is written in a chatty and easy, modern style.
Mind Body &Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Sacred Earth Oracle by Toni Carmine Salerno & Leela J Williams. Artwork by Helena Nelson-Reed. Published by Blue Angel. Boxed set of 43 cards and guidebook.
Sample card from the Guidebook: 8 Forgive Keywords: Compassion, Healing, Forgiveness. “I allow compassion and forgiveness to flow through me.” This card invites you to embrace the transformative power of forgiveness. When you forgive, you do so for yourself and for others. You are standing at the threshold of healing, only blocked by your commitment to hold onto what wounds you. Don’t allow your heart to be hardened by the hurt you have sustained. Instead release the burdens, resentment and pain and open your heart to compassion for yourself as well as for whoever needs your forgiveness at this time. You may not always feel that someone is deserving of your forgiveness. This card serves to remind you that when you allow yourself to forgive and allow yourself to say “I won’t carry this pain anymore. I deserve to be free of this weight. It’s no longer mine to carry.” Be firm in your boundaries to prevent future pain, while releasing whatever binds you to that wound. Make space for peace within. With your heart open and your spirit brimming with love, you create space in your life with positive energy to flourish. Over time you’ll see your growth and you will blossom, free from the shadows of resentment.
“Unlock the mysteries of the rose, connect to the divine feminine, nature, beauty. May Her healing mysteries call you home to your true nature.”
The rose is an ancient symbol of love and perfection. It is known as the Queen of flowers. The cards call us to meet the Mother Rose, connect to the goddess, to beauty, and to nature. Its perfume, soft velvet petals and beauty have provided great joy across the generations and across many countries of the world. The cards help us to reconnect with the garden, the Earth, the divine feminine, with seasons and cycles.
This is an enjoyable deck of cards. It introduces us to 40 high ranking angelic icons who act as Divine Guides through the messages they transmit to us about spiritual evolution, of ‘ascension’ and ‘enlightenment’. The cards are divided into 17 different suits that relate to chakras, colour schemes, and frames and includes a balance of male and female energies.
Through these, we connect to our inner truths, our authenticity, to move to a place of deeper and higher consciousness. A similar on each card is to assist with attunement and to purify us so we can live to our greatest potential. By working with angelic qualities you can strengthen your connection to the divine.
The topic of planetary welfare is of utmost importance, and this card deck helps us to focus on the planet as our birthplace, our home, our provider and our Mother. It reminds us to reconnect to the Earth, and to ourselves and to respect and appreciate the healing we are offered. Indigenous people have handed down knowledge that we have forgotten about the Earth and its wonders. The importance of the Earth is detailed within the deck’s messages, and the deck can appeal to women (and men) of all races, genders, sizes and skin tones - all are children of Mother Earth.
Sample Card - Archeia Haniel 6 Moon Magic. “Archeia Haniel, grace of the goddess, is the angel of the moon and the twin ray of Archangel Nathaniel. Among many things they can help you manifest abundance and understand the feminine cycles within nature. Crystals: moonstone, selenite and white howlight. You have an affinity with the moon, which is why Archeia Haniel is attracted to your luminous light. You are a priestess at heart, a healer and lover of the natural world. Happy and contented in your own skin, you no longer seek reassurance from anybody as you have nothing to prove to the world. Archeia Haniel acknowledges you as an asset to the spiritual community. Continue illuminating the path for others by setting a shining example. Be a living testament to how spirituality enriches lives. If people turn to you for guidance, lead them gently. Allow them to discover their own insights as this is the true essence of a great spiritual teacher. Remember to recharge your batteries after providing a listening ear, otherwise your psychic insights could become distorted. Bask under the moonlight and ask Haniel to wrap you in her brilliant white light so your aura remains crystal clear. Additional meanings: you are sensitive to the phases of the moon and are a natural born healer, psychic and mystic. Join or create a sisterhood circle. Keep your next moves to yourself. Retreat inward. Track your menstrual cycle, if applicable. Actions: make a wish on the next new or full moon. Affirmation: by the power of the moon upon this night, I embrace feminine wisdom and glean insight.”
Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Earth Medicine - Ancestors' Ways of Harmony For Many Moons by Jamie Sams, published by Harper. Paperback 383 pages
Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: Chelsea Physic Garden Herbal - The Essential Guide to Herbs for Living by Deni Bown, hardback, published by Pavilion.
