The Halloween Oracle

Loved the oracle deck, very appropriate, great artwork. I could only have wishes for a more in-depth guidebook from Lucy Cavendish.

Bought the cards for 9 year old daughter as she likes "something with skulls".Cards are big and glossy, very good quality, nicely packed in a thick box with a book.The cards look like paintings and they're not really scary as some dark decks. Even "Ghost" or "Vampire" cards look cute.My daughter and all the guests loved the deck. Also it's easier to use than Tarot.

I'm growing quite fond of oracles by Blue Angel Publishing. For one thing, they come in a standard size box of sturdy construction and the cards are of consistent style and quality. I like that. I like the way a line of Blue Angel boxes looks lined up on the shelf. We've all got our kinks.What's includedAttractive standard size Blue Angel oracle box, black on the outside with orange on the inside, a 36 card oracle deck and an 80 page companion book that fits inside the box. As usual, the cards are smaller than the box and a liner to make them fit is not included. The book fits over the cards and sits snugly inside the box. I was surprised that the deck is only 36 cards as Blue Angel usually includes 44 cards, and goodness knows there is plenty of Halloween material to come up with more than 44 cards! A curious decision.The deckThe deck attempts to take images and concepts associated with Halloween and give them a divinatory interpretation. The cards are rather large (typical Blue Angel size) and feature black borders and a black back decorated with grey jack-o-lanterns, witch's hats, ghosts, black cats and broomsticks. (The companion book cover is also embossed with these.) This suggests at once that the target market is younger and the tone of the deck is more along the trick-or-treat variety. That said, the subtitle is 'Lifting the Veil Between the Worlds Every Night,' Demarco does talk about being a pagan/witch and celebrating Samhain, and there are cards that fit both themes.The cardsI was really surprised to find out Jimmy Manton did the art for this deck. I used to own the Isis Oracle, and I must say I quite dislike that deck's art, which is similar to what he did for the Gods and Titans Oracle. The Halloween Oracle looks somewhat different, different enough that I didn't recognise him at first, though now that I know the artist I can see elements of his style. I much prefer this deck to those, as far as art.I like many of the card choices and am puzzled by others. We have familiar Halloween characters: Werewolf, Vampire, Ghost, Witch, Mummy, Zombie. We have Halloween traditions: Trick-or-Treat, Jack-o-Lantern, Black Cat, Graveyard, Barmbrack, Apple, and Skeleton. Then we get into the pagan/witch/Samhain side with: Cauldron, Ancestors, Hearth, Scrying, Spider, Owl, Lamp, Veil, Underworld. A few associated cards that fit: Death, Winter, Nightsong, Midnight, Dawn. Then there are some curious ones: Eternal Love, Forgiveness, Joy, Invisibility and Lady De Los Muertos. And finally the ones that puzzle me: Skull of Light, Skull of Flowers, Skull of Stars, Skull of Darkness.Which brings me to my next question -- what's with the skulls?? In a deck of 36 cards, 8 of them feature skulls. What is this, the Skull Oracle? There is so much evocative, eerie, resonant, haunting and beautiful imagery for this time of year and season. Why so many skulls, I ask! It seems odd and, I must say, somewhat lazy. I know Halloween is a festival for remembering ancestors, and we as human beings have a long history of using the skull and images of the skull for that purpose. But wow. That's a lot of skulls.The bookEach card gets roughly 1/2 page of explanatory text, and as usual with Stacey Demarco, an attempt at a rhymed verse. These are truly dreadful, I must say. Here's a sample:Stalking and stompingEyes shining and begging basketsFaces and bodiesthat are no longer oursLaughing, skeletons and candy caskets.AndTis not the endThough I may pass in the nightI get to do my time overThough you may get a fright!Really? I mean, really? Words fail. (Particularly in this case.)Other than the verse, each card gets a bit of explanation of the Halloween or Samhain tradition and a divinatory interpretation. To be honest, you don't need the book. The image, title and subtitle on each card will be more than sufficient.The verdictThis deck is not likely to lead to any groundbreaking readings, but it is pretty to look at and a nice addition to the seasonal subset of your tarot and oracle collection. (Don't tell me you don't have a seasonal subset!)

Just received this deck a couple of days ago. Ok I confess, I am a bit of an Halloween addict, well a lot. I wasn't sure what to expect since, in terms of Halloween themed decks (tarot and non, and there aren't many), all I own is the Halloween Tarot which I love.But this is a really, really nice oracle deck. Beautiful artwork, helpful and well written LWB. The meanings are given clearly and the imagery of the cards is explained. But, to be honest, one could let their intuition run riot with just these gorgeous images. Oh, and I love the size. I prefer medium to big sized decks and this falls onto the medium size (for me). Card stock seems of good quality. Looking forward to my Halloween readings with it.

A deck that Rocks... Very strong shadow vibes.. and a nice darker deck.. Artwork is amazing.. Love it.. very pleased to have this dack in my collection.. Want to see more oracle decks like this on the market.. Hint Hint

I decided to take a risk and buy these. I am glad i did. Absolutely one of the best decks i own

On a positive note the art work is lovely, the reason I got them. The meanings don't seem to match all of the cards and I have found them vague at best. I interpreted them as per the book, and they made no sense. I reshuffled them and tried a different spread, i used my own intuition and even this was contradicting and hard to read. I would need to use these with other decks to get an accurate reading.I feel that they would be great for a teenager or novice and not for a more experienced reader.I wish I had purchased a different deck as I doubt they will be used for anything except a "pretty deck" on the table.