R E V I E W
Journey to the Goddess Realm Oracle Deck
by Lisa Porter
39 oracle cards; 48-page guidebook
Cards measure 3.5" x 5.75"
ISBN 978-1-57281-730-2
TOP LINE (formerly Bottom Line)
With its skillful blend of whimsy, substance, and charm, the Goddess Realm Oracle Deck is a feast for the eyes and the spirit. I found myself being drawn into individual images, feeling a connection with many of the goddesses, and thoroughly enjoying my interaction with them. Part of the beauty of this deck is that I am strongly attracted to some of the images and somewhat repulsed by others. I believe it will be beneficial for me to further explore both.
With Journey to the Goddess Realm, Lisa Porter has brought us high-powered feminine energy from pantheons in all parts of the globe, including Japan, Wales, Crete, Russia, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Egypt, India, Africa, Scotland, the Arctic, North America, Italy, and Australia. In my book, that gives her bonus points for being inclusive of many cultures. Also, I really like the snapshot Lisa gives us of the history and cultural background of each goddess and her comments on the symbolic details she has included in the images. I think this could be a great deck to use in conjunction with The Goddess Tarot by Kris Waldherr (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.) and I intend to give that a try. Stay tuned for a deck interview with the Goddess Realm oracle deck as well.
THE PUBLISHER'S PRODUCT SUMMARY
“As you journey with the Goddesses, call on these ancient deities for help with all your daily decisions and challenges. Inspiring you with their ancient wisdom, they will help you strengthen your intuition and guide you toward enhanced conscious awareness. Journey to the Goddess Realm 39-card deck includes 36 Goddess cards, three Confirmation cards, and a 48-page booklet. This pantheon of Goddesses depicted with vibrant artwork includes: Ishtar, Isis, Kali, Quan Yin, Rhiannon and others. Includes 39 cards and a 48-page guidebook.”
BASIC INFORMATION
This 39-card deck includes 36 Goddess cards, three Confirmation cards, and a 48-page booklet. The booklet is not illustrated except for a grayscale rendering of the Baba Yaga figure from Card 6. There is no Table of Contents. For each card, the booklet provides the name of the goddess, the card subtitle, a paragraph describing the goddess and explaining the illustration on the card, keywords for the card, and “shadow” meanings for the card.
Lisa Porter is a self-taught artist and illustrator. She was raised in the central wheat belt area of Western Australia, in the small farming town of Northampton. She has drawn and painted all through her life, employing a diversity of methods and techniques. Her creative explorations have also led her into many philosophical and spiritual areas.
In her Introduction to the guidebook, Lisa answers the questions “Who are the Goddesses?”, “How can the Goddesses assist me?”, and “How/Why do we use these cards?” Basically, her position is that “the goddesses are here to assist in activating your higher conscious awareness. Since your individual goddess resides in your spirit, it is necessary to reintegrate your spirit back into your body to discover your own inner goddess.” We can use this oracle to reveal exactly where our “conscious/subconscious energy field resonates the strongest.” Readings can be done with any number of cards in any layout desired by the reader, including the traditional Celtic Cross spread. Lisa notes that after using these cards for some time, we may find that we “begin to have visions, knowingness, sparks of inspiration, intuitions, lucid awareness, signs and deeper understandings of matters that once appeared confusing or meaningless.”
APPEARANCE, SIZE, QUALITY
The cards are printed on sturdy stock and packaged in a flip-top box. They measure 3.5" x 5.75", which is too large for people with small hands to “poker shuffle” but other shuffling methods, such as the push-pull method, will work just fine.
Card fronts feature an illustration centered on an indigo background. Each image is framed in a color that complements or matches a color in the illustration. The name of the goddess appears centered at the top of the card face in an attractive script-style font. Centered below the image are the card’s subtitle and number.
Card backs feature a mandala pattern in shades of red, orange, blue and green.
ART
Images are alive with vibrant color and symbolic details, many of which are explained in the guidebook. Many of the goddesses are depicted as tall and slim, with long, slender legs. Exceptions include my personal favorite, the Slavic grandmother Baba Yaga, who is drawn as a generously proportioned older woman flying through the air in a cauldron while smoking a pipe, and the bawdy Greek goddess Baubo, who raises her dress to reveal plump legs clad in striped stockings. All of these ladies have plenty of personality, poise, and power – just what we expect from goddesses.
In
accordance with the FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, I hereby
disclose that this product was provided by the publisher for free. Other than
the occasional review copy, I receive no monetary or in-kind compensation for
my reviews. The substance of my reviews
is not influenced by whether I do or do not receive a review copy.
Great review as always. I have some mixed feelings about this deck. Although I do love the artwork and the bright colors, I find some of the goddesses to girlish and lacking depth
ReplyDeleteI understand what you mean, Ellen. I do feel more depth in some of the cards than others. I am going to take the time to meditate on a few of them to see what sort of connection I feel. And of course, it makes sense that not everyone would have the same experience with any particular deck. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI went for this on the basis of your review, Zanna, and am not disappointed. While a lot of the Goddesses are girlish, there are some crones and big women, too. And I love the broad cultural range! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you weren't disappointed, Chloë. Although I do feel a connection to many of the young, thin goddesses (even though I am neither!), I do love Baba Yaga, Hecate, et al. :)
DeleteI ordered it when I saw it on Neopagan Priestess. Only one card shown and boom! Had to have. I love goddess oracles and I love colour, the price was excellent and so it was a no-brainer. I was sorry to see in Beth's review that the Hecate card has a spelling error -- the one I saw said 'Hectate'. Let's hope I saw wrong! But no matter. It still looks wonderful. Great altar decorations!
ReplyDeleteWell, I obviously need to get a new pair of professional proof reader glasses! I did not catch the "Hectate" typo -- but of course I was not proof reading the cards, either. I hope you enjoy the deck!
ReplyDeleteI thought maybe Hectate was just another possible spelling! Ah well, doesn't bother me, I always spell it Hekate anyhow :D
DeleteMy eyes will probably continue to see it as "Hecate" on the card.
DeleteI checked, and she uses the Hectate spelling in every instance in the book, too, so I'm pretty sure it's intentional :) As you say, Zanna, it doesn't matter, we can see it however we choose ;D
DeleteAh, well then! Right after Carla mentioned Beth's review, I googled "Hectate" and found nothing -- which suggests to me that nobody else uses that spelling. Interesting!
Delete