Lunaea Weatherstone (Portland, Oregon) is a priestess, writer, teacher, and tarot counselor who has been serving the Pagan community for more than twenty-five years, since her days as owner/editor of SageWoman magazine. As Grove Mother for the Sisterhood of the Silver Branch, she offers year-long programs in goddess spirituality. Lunaea has been working with the tarot for more than forty years.
Antonella Castelli is a fine-artist based in Italy.
Summary: The Astrological Oracle shines with the brilliance of the
stars, both literally, with its silver metallic ink and gilt edges,
and metaphorically, with its cards representing the starry
constellations and heavenly bodies. Since we all have a little
cosmic stardust within us, this deck will resonate with anyone
interested in astrology. Review: The Astrological Oracle is very
nearly what I think of as a perfect package as far as oracle decks
go. Although with tarot decks, I don't put much emphasis on
packaging, since I like to keep them in bags. But oracle decks are
different. They are like (or should be) little treasures unto
themselves. And so, I want the packaging of oracles to be special.
The packaging for The Astrological Oracle made me anticipate
sparkly beauty and shining brilliance inside. The art nouveau style
art that graces the small, sturdy box is highlighted with sparkly
silver. The silver isn't just a flat metallic; it is textured and
twinkly. The box includes an attached ribbon so that it is easy to
remove the small book and cards. The cards, which are, of course,
also art nouveau in style, have shiny silver gilt edges and matte
silver highlights. It is easy to be heavy-handed with metallic
inks, but these are exquisitely done with just enough to add a
touch of magic and elegance. There are 22 cards: the 12
astrological signs, the sun and moon, and the nine planets. The art
is lovely, well executed and just so pleasing to look at. The
images on the planets reflect the gods and goddesses, which they
are named after. The signs are a bit inconsistent. Seven of them
show a beautiful woman as the main picture with a small inset of
the sign's associated symbol (such as a lion with Leo and a set of
scales with Libra). While the inset image certainly reflects the
sign, the images of the women (at least to me) do not. For example,
the woman on Leo looks shy and demur. Although, I like that Leo is
shown with a sunflower and poppies, flowers that seem to fit this
sign's powerful and charismatic energy. Five of the cards (Virgo,
Gemini, Sagittarius, Pisces, and Aquarius) do not have inset
images. However, the women on the cards do seem to better reflect
the sign's meaning. Gemini shows twins, Sagittarius shows a centaur
with a bow and arrow, Pisces is a mermaid, and Aquarius is holding
a water pot. Virgo made me laugh, for she seems to be fussing with
a button on her dress (which she isn't even wearing). The booklet
is 192 pages, with 54 of those pages in English. The last two pages
list the glyphs for all the astrological signs and planetary
bodies, which is very handy. The text for the signs includes the
name, the nickname (such as "The Ram" for Aries), the element, the
planetary ruler, the motto (such as "I control" for Capricorn), and
a short meaning. The planets just have a meaning. Also included is
a description of the Houses in a natal chart. This is not just
useful information, but necessary, as one of the divinatory
techniques is based on the Houses. One thing, not mentioned in the
booklet, that these cards can be used for is to learn astrology.
Using the cards as flashcards, along with the little booklet, can
aid in memorizing what the signs and planets mean. There are two
fun (and useful, based on my experiences) methods for using the
cards included in the booklet. The first is the Divine Dialogue
Reading wherein you select two of the planetary cards to answer a
question. The book includes special meanings for all possible
combinations. This is also helpful in learning astrology in general
because in a chart, more than one planet can be present, so this
helps you see how they can be combined. The next method can be used
as a general reading, since it is based on the Houses in an
astrological chart. You select on of the signs at random. That card
goes in the position of the first House. Then you place the cards
in the rest of the Houses in order, so that it mimics a natal
chart. After you read the chart/spread, you can pick an area that
you are particularly interested in and add up to three of the
planetary cards. The booklet also includes meanings for each of the
planets in all of the signs. All of the combinations of meanings
makes this not only a very useful oracle but also a great way to
start learning astrology. If you like art nouveau, anything pretty
and sparkly, or are interested in astrology, you will surely enjoy
this deck. Deck Attributes
Name of deck: Astrological Oracle Cards
Reviewer's Byline: Barbara Moore
Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
ISBN: 978-0-7387-3504-7
Creator(s) name(s): Antonella Castelli
Artist(s) name(s): Antonella Castelli
Name of accompanying book/booklet: Astrological Oracle Cards
Number of pages of book/booklet: 191, 54 in English
Author(s) of book/booklet: Lunaea Weatherstone
Available in a boxed kit?: Yes
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