Oracle of Dreamtime vs Dreamtime Reading Cards

So the Oracle of the Dreamtime arrived. Sigh. Two words: card stock I know the content of its learning will make up for it...

It arrived already?! I ordered mine four weeks ago... still waiting... but that's chance, I guess.

This is the old OOP one which I ordered from Amazon marketplace. The Rockpool more recent one by a different creator just arrived shortly after It takes them awhile and I am near by! I suspect Rockpool is selling direct and distributing to places like Amazon as well at the same time which may explain the slight slowness

The Happy Squirrel said:

This is the old OOP one which I ordered from Amazon marketplace. The Rockpool more recent one by a different creator just arrived shortly after It takes them awhile and I am near by! I suspect Rockpool is selling direct and distributing to places like Amazon as well at the same time which may explain the slight slowness

Click to expand...

I have PM-ed you

Dreamtime reading cards have cardstock that I wish are a little thicker and a little less slippery. I shuffled the deck just now and I kept having a few of them fall off. So I read them. But they tend to fall out a bunch at a time when I usually prefer only 1-3 cards with oracle as they usually give you bigger brush strokes. I suppose this can be part of the process for this deck

AJ said:

Oracle of the Dreamtime is one of my favorite oracles to use on my blog.
The backstories are deep and the art is beautiful.
http://www.newagemultimedia.com/firebrace/page6.html

I've been watching the development of the Dreamtime Reading Cards
but lightning didn't strike twice for e. The first are based on Dreamtime and the only word on the card simply indicates the image shown. for instance Koala

The 2nd is keyword driven which to me makes it a garden variety oracle. Perhaps the book would make a difference, but Balance Beauty and Bare Feet makes me see this oracle is not deep enough to engage me like Oracle of the Dreamtime.

All that said, the Dreamtime images and stories are not part of my culture and I'd have a tough time reading for someone without referring to the book, never a good thing

Click to expand...

I think it is OK to spend some time with the book to start off with Or while, during, when we first started Aboriginal culture is not part of my culture either I actually found that the process of getting to know a deck which reference point is our own culture is similar to getting to know a deck which reference point is another culture. Each time we have to understand the context and where the creator is coming from. Since Euro-centric culture is our current proxy global culture, 'western' mythologies are known to even 'non-western' communities so I understand that it might be easier to take things up in that direction and not necessarily the other But I think if you carry on you will be rewarded with a view of a world you have never seen before, and that, is always a good thing!

As for the two decks, I have had the chance to quickly glance at both now. And you are right, I feel the book of the Dreamtime reading cards does make a difference. It may not feel as deep or complex as the Oracle of the Dreamtime, but it is very personal. The author's account of scenes from her memories of family and home, her descriptions of each of the subject of the cards and the message behind each which feels as if she is passing on to us what her grandmother and grandfather, mom, dad, aunts, uncles have recounted to her while growing up. They are not recounted like that exactly, but it makes me feel as if they were, if that makes sense. Compared to the Oracle of the Dreamtime, at a glance anyway, it feels warmer So it is rather nice actually.

The artwork of the Dreamtime also feels more naive in style. Which is not good or bad, just different. The Australian Aboriginal art style lend itself to that feel anyway. But compared to the Oracle of the Dreamtime, this one is feels more bold and innocent. I could argue actually that some of the artwork in the Oracle of the Dreamtime is a bit too ... 'complex' (for lack of a better term). But I am not too well versed in the Aboriginal art beyond what most people are familiar with. And those are painted by Aboriginal artists, so...

So these two decks are similar, but also very different I think. I am not sure if the Dreamtime was produced to fill the gap that the Oracle of the Dreamtime has left, or whether it is genuinely a new venture to explore this very rich spiritual culture. Either way, they are both good I think, just very different kinds of decks Although on the surface they look a bit like each other.

The keywords apparently was provided by Rockpool Publishing. Laura Bowen did the art and wrote the notes which came with each painting which then form the handbook. That might explain the 'garden variety' feel to them! Aren't publishing companies grand?

I am actually thinking of trimming the cards and removing all the words!

I am also thinking of trimming the round cards of the Oracle of the Dreamtime but I don't know yet... Because they are round! And because they are sort of vintage and OOP!....... But they are not rare, so we'll see....

daenys said:

Even if you do get through, $60 is pretty steep for this deck. I got a "Like New" copy from Amazon US for $41 AUD shipped. Try there, maybe?

e: I assume you're a Kiwi, so the shipping should be comparable.

Click to expand...

A lot of them are selling only the book. Is this price for the box set of both book and deck? I could not seem to find anything that cheap which include shipment on Amazon marketplace....

I have spend some time with the Dreamtime Reading Cards now and read the book as I draw dailies. I have to say one more time that the more I spend time with this deck the more I like it. Yes it may not be as sophisticated as the other one. But. These are the words that came to me with this deck (and book of course, the book sets the tone for the deck, obviously):

Unpretentious, simple wisdom.

No flowerly swirly over the top language. No airy fairy concepts. You don't have to struggle against webs of suffocating candy floss.

It's good.

I had the Oracle of the Dreamtime and I did not care for it AT ALL. Maybe I was being overly sensitive but it seemed like every card I drew was a major downer - stories of death, oppression and ecological exploitation. It didn't last longer than a week in my collection.

I do plan on purchasing the Rockpool deck. I enjoy Aboriginal artwork. I have the Aboriginal Goddess Chakra Oracle and enjoy that a lot. It's more of a multicultural deck, however.

desertrat said:

I had the Oracle of the Dreamtime and I did not care for it AT ALL. Maybe I was being overly sensitive but it seemed like every card I drew was a major downer - stories of death, oppression and ecological exploitation. It didn't last longer than a week in my collection.



I do plan on purchasing the Rockpool deck. I enjoy Aboriginal artwork. I have the Aboriginal Goddess Chakra Oracle and enjoy that a lot. It's more of a multicultural deck, however.

Click to expand...

Oh dear! I am keen to explore it more now and I will be sure to share my thoughts here

I honestly think there are too many decks out there which pick only the cosmetics of particular cultures and then either water them down or modify them into some unrecognisable form, and leaving only shells of the real deal in the process. I am not familiar with the one you mentioned but I think the Dreamtime Reading Card is one of those 'genuinely' Australian Aboriginal although the perhaps not as 'traditional' as the Oracle of the Dreamtime