The Key to the Universe

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Key to the Universe - A Toolkit from the School of Life by Joanna Crowson and Silja Winther is a boxed paperback book and card pack £16.99 Published by School of Life Publishing http://www.starof13.com/

 The 'School of Life' is an international educational charity based in Andalusia. It offers a training programme on ethics, ecology, spiritual awareness and creativity and is building a network of organisations that have at their core a belief in sustainable living. The pack includes a book (151 pages) and 53 full colour oracle cards that have been painted by Katrina Vrebalovich. A pack designed by women for women, the author of the Motherpeace Tarot, Vicky Nobel, describes this pack as 'a work of love'.


This is the first publication to be published by their publishing house. It is written by the school's director, Joanna Crowson and the founder of the school, Silja Winther. 

The concept of 'the key' was originally channelled in 1990. It involves a system of universal energies that comprise of a rhythm of thirteen movements, represented as a twelve pointed star with a circle in the centre, and fifty-three energies. A daily card can be chosen on which to meditate or, when an answer to a question is required, an oracle spread is suggested. The cards will not give a 'yes or no' answer and require an open question. Reversed cards do not signify a negative but an emphasis of the original energy.

For my personal reading, I chose at random, three cards: 'magic', 'manifestation' and 'wisdom'. Each card has a substantial write-up in the book, providing more depth of understanding than many oracle card decks that are currently available. My choice of cards highlighted directions, cautions and opportunities about projects I am working on and how I should progress for a good outcome. I felt I learned something useful from this deck and will continue to use it when an in depth reading is required. I would only use the deck for myself and feel a three card reading offers sufficient information. Reviewer: Wendy Stokes www.wendystokes.co.uk