Sacred Earth Oracle

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: The card of Discernment. Earthly Meaning: "The books, films and people you choose to spend time with, subtly feed your beliefs about how the world works. Choosing good food means your body can absorb all the nutrients that it needs for optimal health. The same applies for the information and attitudes you surround yourself with. Be selective about the movies, books and the conversations you have. Give yourself the opportunity to absorb higher thinking, greater visions and deeper love. Spiritual Meaning: Breathe in the Divine Mother’s love for this world. Surround yourself with the works of peace and compassion. Take on the beauty and joy of living. Increase your concentration of love, and it will naturally flow out into the world, from high to low, following the channel to where it is needed most. The energy you foster in yourself and in the world is a choice. Be selective. Choose love. Insight: When particles move from areas of high concentration to a low concentration, it is called diffusion. 

The Rose Oracle

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Rose Oracle by Rebecca Campbell, set of 44 cards and Guidebook. Published by Hay House US $26.99 : Can $35.99 : UK £22.99 (March 2022) 

“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. 

Goddess Power Oracle

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review.: Goddess Power Oracle by Colette Baron-Reid. Pack contains 52 cards plus guide booklet. Published by Hay House. £30.99 Card size: 15cm x 20cm. 

"Who could we become if we reclaim our power".

Each card in this deck represents a goddesss from across the world. It is packaged in an elegant box which will make an impressive gift.

The author, Colette Baron- Reid, is an oracle card specialist who has designed many decks to her credit. She has a TV show in the US. The booklet provides information on how she created this deck. There is also useful information for the reader on how to prepare for a reading, to create a sacred space, and it supplies a prayer to recite before a reading. Upright and inverted readings are both provided. Each card is numbered, titled and subtitled, and the guidebook provides information about each goddess. There are several spreads suggested: 3 card spread, 4 card Special Guidance, 4 card Full Moon Spread, 4 Jewels.

The Light Seers Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: The Light Seers Tarot by Chris-Anne, published by Hay House. 

‘Into the Grey we follow like a thousand flickering stars. And there in a sunlit hollow we lose and find what is ours.’

This deck is versatile. You can read for yourself or others, work with archetypes that you make your own and bring new meanings to them. The cards can be used for meditation and you can converse with the characters. Upright and Reversal meanings (light and shadow) are provided in the Guidebook. How to connect to the cards and other full information is provided, including questions to ask. Suggestions for spreads are a Daily Message; Light & Shadow 2 cards; Light Worker Illumination 3 cards; Calling in Love 4 cards; and Soul Joy 3 cards. Each card has keywords for both upright and reversed and an affirmation. All 78 cards are individual full colour art. The Court Cards are Page, Knight, Queen and King, and the suits are Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles.

Your Life in Colour

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book review: Your Life in Colour - Empowering Your Soul with the Energy of Colour by Dougall Fraser and published by Hay House, paperback £12.99 Author website: www.dougallfraser.com

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. 

The High Priestess!

I have chosen a comparison between four cards which have the same title ‘the High Priestess’. Firstly from Ciro Marchetti’s Gilded Tarot, the High Priestess is a dreamlike sylph which floats by a sliver of a new moon. It tells us to “pay attention and recognise that there are different ways of knowing. While the star and planets of the night sky can be charted and understood rationally, the same sky inspires us in ways foreign to our sense of reason.”  The Chinese New Year 2020 falls on 25th January and it is a Metal Rat Year (every Chinese Zodiac sign depicts an animal). Take a look in the dark sky and watch out for the new moon. 

The Master Game

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Master Game - Games Worth Playing by Robert S de Ropp 

Dr Ropp's Master Game emerged from 1960s human potential movement, and a number of philosophers and psychologists are at work here, including Gurdjieff’s influence. It answers the question we all ask “What shall I do with my life?” That is, how can I find a meaningful and fulfilling life for myself and my loved ones? This self help book, by scientist de Ropp sold 200,000 copies and is ideal for seekers who want to make the most of their time and live a good and flourishing life. It covers the nature of low, neutral, high and then Master Games! 

This ticks all my boxes! Highly Recommended!

A manual on how to give nice strokes! Create a safe environment. Appreciate the familiar and the commonplace!  De-escalate and manage problems. “We are resourceful -we can deal with this”. Co-operation. Building Bridges. Enabling health and well-being. Giving loving support. Moderation in all things, avoiding extremism. 

Spiritsong Tarot

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Spiritsong Tarot by Paulina Cassidy, published by US Games Inc. Boxed set of 78 cards plus information booklet. Cards size: 3" x 5" Price Point: UK £15.34 US S17.99  website: www.paulina.ws

All 78 cards (Major and Minor Arcana) are individual artworks where animals rest in a fairyland bower of swirls, flowers. leaves and dots, like sand on a dreamlike seashore. The deck unites the traditional wisdom of tarot cards with the shamanic tradition, where animals provide spirit guidance and learning. The intention of this combination is to provide empowerment and insight, and connection to our higher self through the traditional wisdom of animals.

The four suits are: Acorns for wands, Feathers for swords, Shells for cups, and Crystals for pentacles. Each card carries an image, title and a few keywords. Some cards have had a creative name change: The Fool is now The Traveller; the Hierophant is Shaman; The Lovers is Love; Death is Transformation; The Devil is The Shadow, and others, always erring on the side of a positive and uplifting meaning. The booklet provides greater information on how to use the cards, their more advanced meaning, and suggested spreads, such as: One Card Oracle Reading, Three Card Oracle Reading, The Spiritsong Star (6 cards); The Spiritsong Healing (6 cards) and the Spiritsong Tree of Life (10 cards). Reversed meanings are included and the card backs do not expose which way the cards are laid.

Goddess Oracle by Wicca Moon Review

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Goddess Oracle by Wicca Moon. 40 full colour cards and guidebook. 

This deck was created as an act of service to the Goddess by the High Priestess, Shirlee Moon, and features paintings of women that she has admired and is proud to know. The artwork is by a local female artist. Each card has a title and subtitle to accompany the image, and also has 100 words of text to explain each Goddess and how to convey the meaning in a reading. 

Some unusual Goddesses are profiled in this deck, for example, Al-Sharatain, Sulis, Mother Bircher, Acanthis, Naga, Penthesilia, Yemaya, as well as many more familiar, such as, Athena, Gaia, Cerridwen, Isis, Hathor, etc. 

There is further information available on videos, visit: www.wiccamoonuk.com

A thoroughly enjoyable deck that accompanies a previous deck by the same author. 

Wicca Moon Tarot Review

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Wicca Moon Tarot Cards - Set of Guidebook and 74 Cards. card size: 19.5 x 12 cm 

Wicca Moon Tarot was created by Shirlee who is a celebrant for handfastings, naming ceremonies and funeral services is also the owner of the Wicca Moon shop at 50 Well Hall Road, London, SE9 6SH. This is a very personal deck with personalities known to Shirlee representing each of the Major Arcana and the Court cards which are, unusually, Page, Knight and a combo of Queen and King cards, making 52 of the Minor Arcana - so in all with 22 Major Arcana, there are 74 cards in the deck. The Queen and King cards are occasionally one person, with their Anima and Animus representing their female and male inner energies. It has sold in the region of 800 packs. Because the book is designed for experienced tarot readers, there is minimal information about the card meanings, spreads, etc., which can easily be looked up online.   

Flower Therapy Oracle Cards

Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: Flower Therapy Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue and Robert Reeves. Boxed set of 44 cards and guidebook £13.99.

Enjoyable high colour cards featuring flowers from across the world. How to use the cards, how to clear them, consecrate them, invoke angelic protection, and how to ask a question. Choose a 3 card spread or multiple cards! Each card is explained with 100 words of information on insight and healing. Gold leaf edging on mine, enjoyable high colour photo quality card images! Hay House is always good value and excellent quality card stock. The cards provide guidance for yourself and others. A latin and local name are given for each flower and a slogan of advice. Friendly, easy, take them to the coffee bar to share the readings with friends and family. 

Review: Wendy Stokes www.wendystokes.co.uk

The Spiritual Roots of the Tarot

Mind, Body & Soul Ezine Book Review: The Spiritual Roots of the Tarot - The Cathar Code Hidden in the Cards by Russell A Sturgess. Published by Inner Traditions. US $24.99 : CAN $31.50 Quality paperback 339 pages. 

Many photos are included including full colour glossy images to illustrate the text which covers what is described as the Western Tradition of Mindfulness that has its roots in Christian Gnosticism, and includes the Medieval Theology of Love - sacred knowledge of the holy grail that leads to inner peace and enlightenment. The author, Russell Sturgess was conducting research into the Tarot when he realised that the Cathars, when accused of heresy, had hidden their Gnostic Christian wisdom teachings within the Major Arcana of the Marseilles Tarot card images. The Magician and the Strength cards hold keys to recalibrating Christ consciousness alongside particular cards within the deck that act as pivotal energies to take us from ignorance to awareness, and through to what the Cathars referred to as the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ which is presented within these cards. These are medieval mysteries for our modern day. 

The Creativity Oracle

Mind Body & Soul Card Deck Review: The Creativity Oracle - Visions of Enchantment to Guide & Inspire Magic Makers, by Amy Zerner and Monte Farber. A boxed set of 80 cards with full colour guidebook. £31.99

Amy Zerner provides us with her beautifully crafted fabric collages and Monte Farber provides the text for this very attractive deck that highlights and encourages us to add creativity to our lives. For a beginner or an experienced card reader, the cards can be used for oneself or to read for another person. The book includes information on how to use the cards which can be placed alongside a Tarot deck, such as The Enchanted Tarot or The Enchanted Love Tarot, both also produced by Amy and Monte. The Creativity Oracle can set a theme for a Tarot reading or used at the end of a reading for grounding. 

After Tarot

 Mind Body & Soul Ezine Card Deck Review: After Tarot published by Lo Scarabeo

“The river of time is constantly flowing.”

The images of the traditional Tarot card deck, the Rider-Waite-Smith (Radiant Wise Tarot) are taken forward in time, and After Tarot images are what happens next. We have new characters with new situations, the artwork all in keeping with the original deck. Some examples, originally Fool walks near a cliff edge, in the After Tarot, he is hanging by his fingertips on the ledge, Hermit has a dog, Star bathes naked in the water, a woman appears in Moon card, Hanged Man has a female helper, Temperance has a dove, and there are similar alterations to the Minor Arcana. 

I enjoyed working with After Tarot. It fleshed out my readings and gives new inspiration!