Deck Review
The Amenti Oracle Feather Heart Deck
Created by Jennifer Sodini
Illustrated by Natalee Miller
Published by RP Studio, Hachette Book Group
42 card deck and 129 page guidebook

 

 

The serene and beautiful 42-card Amenti Oracle comes in a very sturdy 5 1/4” x 6 1/2” by 2” thick cardboard box with a magnetic closure. The box has a full color matte finish with a card image on the front, deck name on the sides, and seven more card images and a brief description of the deck on the back.

The first thing we see after opening the box is the beautiful lid lining with a star and crescent moon motif on a black background. The Guidebook, a rigid softcover with a black matte finish illustrated with the same style as the lid lining, is 4 1/2″ by 6” with 129 pages. Entitled “Living with a Feather Heart,” the Guidebook is beautifully done, containing substantial paper stock with a black easy-to-read sans serif typeface. There is a brief Introduction by Cory Allen, host of The Astral Hustle podcast, followed by an Introduction that explains the Egyptian traditions and philosophy that inspired this beautiful Oracle deck. Next we begin to delve into the significance of the deck name and the number of cards included in the deck, followed by a description of how to use the cards and several card spreads. Sprinkled throughout these introductory sections are lovely full-color images taken from the cards themselves.

We begin the actual card descriptions with The 42 Ideals of Ma’at, each an inspiration for one of the 42 cards in this Oracle. Then comes over 100 pages of individual card descriptions, with a page and a half to two pages of text offering detailed meanings of each card image, the Ideal associated with the card, and suggested methods for honoring each Ideal in our own practices. Like the initial portion of the Guidebook, the card information section is also sprinkled with more full-color images from the Oracle deck cards.

The cards themselves are stored in a protective cardboard box with the same black motif as the Guidebook cover, nestled safely in a black velvet interior support. The cards are 3” by 5” and are printed on a nice and sturdy cardstock that is flexible and easy to work with. The finish is smooth and low-gloss, nicely slippery. The cards have an off-white background with beautiful Egyptian themed Art Deco style artwork surrounded by a black frame border, with the card name at the bottom. The card backs are similar to the design on the inner box and the cover of the guidebook, offering a dramatic foundation to the ethereal and meditative card images. The palette is jewel-tone, my favorite, and the card images are compelling yet soothing at the same time.

Combining the card image with the writeup offered in the Guidebook brings life to the 42 Ideals that are the foundation of the deck. These Ideals offer timeless insights that can bring the principles of truth, balance, order and harmony into our daily lives. The card images invite a meditative state, and the information about each card provided by the Guidebook encourages us to personalize the messages presented.

My only issue with this deck is that the cards themselves are not numbered. In order to find an individual card meaning, I had to go to the list of 42 Ideals, find my card in the numbered list, and then using that number, find the card meaning.

This is a beautiful Oracle deck. Natalee Miller’s images are incredibly attractive; each one could easily be enlarged, framed, and hung in any home. Jennifer Sodini’s exploration of the 42 Ideals of Ma’at is presented in an easy-to-understand-and-absorb manner, making the teachings accessible to every user, no matter what level of experience. This Oracle deck and Guidebook would work well for someone just learning how to use an Oracle deck for divination, and it would also work well for someone with experience performing readings. If you are interested in Egyptian traditions, spirituality and culture, or if you enjoy the Art Deco or Art Nouveau styles, the Amenti Oracle deck will enrich your mind and soothe your soul.

Jennifer Sodini is an artist, writer, public speaker, and organizer. She writes for Rolling Stone Magazine as part of their invitation-only Culture Council. Besides the Amenti Oracle and its Living With A Feather Heart Guidebook, she is also co-author of the Modern Nirvana Oracle, a collaboration with the founders of the spirituality and wellness platform, Modern Nirvana. This forthcoming deck, also illustrated by Natalee Miller, will release in October, 2022. You can read more about her at her website, jennifersodini.com.

Natalee Miller is an East Coast artist and illustrator whose work explores the female experience through a nostalgic lens. Her work draws heavily on the themes of mysticism and divine feminine, and her work is influenced by the sub-cultures of the 80’s and 90’s, the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements, ancient civilizations, and astrology, among others. You can read more about her and see her work at her website, nataleemiller.com.

 

The Amenti Oracle Feather Heart 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.

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