Oracle Deck Review

The Inspirational Visions Oracle

by Judy Mastrangelo

Published by Red Feather

Published on September 28, 2020

50 cards, 120 page guidebook

 

 

The Inspirational Visions Oracle is an Oracle deck, created by Judy Mastrangelo, artist and illustrator (copyright 2020 by Judy Mastrangelo), and is published by Red Feather Mind Body Spirit, an imprint of Schiffer Publishing, Ltd, 4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19301.

The Inspirational Visions Oracle comes in a 6” x 6 1/2” by 1 3/4” inch thick sturdy cardboard magnetic box that looks like a bound book and could easily be stored with other books in a bookcase. The box has a glossy finish with full-color images on the front, deck name on the sides, and a brief description of the deck on the back. The box cover has a magnetic closure that opens like a book cover. On the inside of the box cover is a bio of the author.

The first thing we see after opening the box is the 120-page guidebook, a matte finish full color soft cover book, 5” by 5 3/4”, with the same cover image as the box cover. The guidebook is beautifully done, containing substantial paper stock with a glossy finish and black easy-to-read typeface. There is a brief Introduction followed by Instructions for Using the Cards. Judy includes instructions for creating Mind Paintings and a Secret Sanctuary, and The Method for using them. The next 100 pages are dedicated to the cards themselves, and include a full-color full-page borderless image of each card, paired with card information such as the name of the card, keywords, and a few paragraphs describing the possible visions, feelings and correspondences each image could evoke within the Mind Painting being created.

Beneath the guidebook in a secure pocket are the 50 cards of the Inspirational Visions Oracle. The cards are are brilliantly colored and radiant, 3 1/2” by 5” in size with a glossy finish, a flexible yet sturdy card stock, and a nicely-neutral light blue card back with small white flowers and vines that does not distract from the card images themselves. The card edges have a pretty blue foil finish; my cards were a bit difficult to separate into individual cards, but once that was accomplished they shuffled nicely and felt good in the hand. Each card image is a beautiful fantasy creation, with the card title and key words at the bottom. Some card images touch on traditional fairy tales and stories, such as Alice and the White Rabbit, Jack and the Bean Stalk, and Excalibur, some are about Fairies, Spirits, Angels and Dragons, and every card image radiates joy and recalls a child-like awe of the magick around us. I love jewel-toned illustrations and their vibrant and alive colors and this Oracle deck offers the palette I enjoy, colors used to create images that are fun, uplifting and inspiring.

This is not necessarily an Oracle deck for someone who favors a more structured learning situation. There are no formal spreads or keywords to learn and no reversed meanings to understand. However, that makes this deck a good one for a beginner. The cards are not numbered, but they are presented in the guidebook in alphabetical order so they are easy to find. The card descriptions are nicely worded and act as an effective catalyst to the creation of a story to go along with the beautiful card images, and the reader is encouraged to use their own imagination and inspiration rather than card descriptions in order to work with this Oracle. If you love getting to know your cards by entering into the card images within a meditation, or if you love creating stories and images within your mind, this Oracle deck will encourage you and enhance your skills and abilities. Every image just begs you to tell its story; yes, the images are that effective!

Judy Mastrangelo is a lifetime artist whose work spans many genres, including Realism, Impressionism, Abstractionism, and Fantasy including Fairy Tales, Myths, and New Age Art. Judy is inspired by great artists throughout history, as well as Greek and Roman Myths, the Spirits of Nature, Deities of Trees, Water, Earth and Air, and Gods and Goddesses. Her art has been licensed for use in prints, posters, wall coverings, puzzles, calendars, and embroidery kits, and she has illustrated several children’s books and is currently writing and illustrating several new books on Fairies, Elves, Angels, and others. You can find more about her work at her website.

 

The Inspirational Visions Oracle Deck on Amazon

 

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About the Author:

Raushanna is a lifetime resident of New Jersey. As well as a professional Tarot Reader and Teacher, she is a practicing Wiccan (Third Degree, Sacred Mists Coven), a Usui Reiki Master/Teacher, a certified Vedic Thai-Yoga Massage Bodyworker, a 500-hr RYT Yoga Teacher specializing in chair assisted Yoga for movement disorders, and a Middle Eastern dance performer, choreographer and teacher.  Raushanna bought her first Tarot deck in 2005, and was instantly captivated by the images on the cards and the vast, deep and textured messages to be gleaned from their symbols. She loves reading about, writing about, and talking about the Tarot, and anything occult, mystical, or spiritual, as well as anything connected to the human subtle body. She has published a book, “The Emerald Tablet: My 24-Day Journal to Understanding,” and is currently working on a book about the Tarot, pathworking and the Tree of Life. Raushanna documents her experiences and her daily card throws in her blog, DancingSparkles.blogspot.com, which has been in existence since 2009. She and her husband, her son and step son, and her numerous friends and large extended family can often be found on the beaches, bike paths and hiking trails of the Cape May, NJ area.