Wisdom of Avalon: Yay or Nay?

Satori

Mathki said:
As I wrote earlier, I really like this deck (though I really get all of your points), but apart from that I'm not a great fan of Hay House - I think they are making money too easily compared to the quality of their products. Well, just an afterthought ;)

Mathki I could kiss you for that. I resoundingly agree with you about HH.
 

Manda

The bling strikes again! I got this deck because I love gilt, on anything. I am like a magpie; if it sparkles or glitters, I will take it! The edges of these cards drew me in.

I don't love this deck, but I do not love oracles in general. Most of the ones I use are playing card type oracles, or the ones that more closely resemble tarot. Some of the art in Wisdom from Avalon is gorgeous to me, and some of it is just "meh". Even though I have the second edition, I do not care for the markers, and they do not seem to fit the rest of the deck.

I love all things Celtic and Arthurian, so I really wanted to like this deck. I just can't connect with it, and it is likely to head to the trade forum soon. I am glad that some people seem to really enjoy it, though!
 

Mathki

Satori said:
Mathki I could kiss you for that. I resoundingly agree with you about HH.

You're very welcome, Satori!! :laugh:
 

Bernice

I'm not sure the 'renewed' deck is any better than the first one.
Hay House products are on my Never Buy From list.

Bee :)
 

motsa

I like the construction of Hay House decks for the most part (harsh fumes aside), but I agree with the comments about Hay House in general. I dislike how, well, money-grubbing Hay House frequently appears. But it doesn't stop me from buying some of their products. With this deck, I wanted to see the changes for myself. Whether I'll actually use the deck now, I don't know, but I'm glad I have both versions.
 

faunabay

hmmmm.....just had a look at your scans. (shrug) And am not sure I like the new one better. I mean what does mushrooms have to do with forgiveness? Am I missing something?

I wondered if I'd do this. I complained about the sameness of the marker cards but now I'm used to them and the new ones look......wrong. :laugh:
 

Miss Divine

From the 2 scans I've seen, I can't really say I like the new version better than the first.
 

motsa

The other "new" card images are as generic as the two I scanned previously. My guess is that they just commissioned some general outdoor scenes to fill in the cards without giving a great deal of thought to how much the scenes embodied the actual marker concepts. The updated booklet doesn't explain the reason behind the images. They're nice illustrations but pretty much of the same nondescript calibre as the all-the-same original marker cards. Maybe that was the intent. I got the impression from the very short conversation I had with Colette that she would rather have just had the original version and perhaps that affected the actual implementation of the new version -- if she was defensive about her original vision, perhaps she didn't take a great deal of care choosing images for the new one (or maybe she didn't even get to choose). That being said, I like the new marker images more than the original ones and that in and of itself will probably make it easier to tune into the deck. For me, anyway.
 

Mellifluous

Thanks for posting the scans, motsa! Think I'll stick with what I've got. lol

bengalwood said:
I don't plan on buying these because, like many of you, I find the marker cards to repetitive. I do like the artist, though. Only I can't find out who it is. (unless Baron-Reid is the author AND artist, which I doubt). Can somebody who has this deck see if the artist is credited? Thanks in advance, Bengalwood

There are two:

Gary A. Lippincott - www.duirwaighgallery.com
Denise Garner - www.towerwindow.com

(Links came from info on the copyright page of the booklet.)
 

Golden Angel

Wisdom of Avalon YAY!

Okay,

After reading all of your reviews on this deck, I was too afraid to post my own! Unlike many of you, I am not into the Celtic stuff at all. I don't relate to it, so that is why I never thought of buying it when I saw it before and one day I was drawn to it.

I get the BEST reads from this deck. I totally click to it, probably because I come to it with different expectations than what many of you do in the hopes of getting a true Avalon reading. I just wanted a deck that worked and that's what I got. We all know not all decks work for everyone. There were many decks I didn't vibe with before I found this one.

I like this one because its a small little Tarot deck... kinda tones down the complexity of the royal court cards. Yep, some of the marker cards are repetitive or weird... but I am sure they make sense to someone who's into the Avalon thing. Like I always get The Mystery card for my personal readings. Not for others. I don't know what the Mystery means. Maybe someone can help me with that one.

Downside, my readings with this deck doesn't always predict a final outcome because of how things are worded in the LWB. So you always have to refer to another Oracle or Tarot deck for verification but Satori's tip is good to look at the Marker cards for the theme in a read.

I really do love this deck. The keywords are useful, you don't have to pull out a big Tarot book for help, I think this is the most accurate Oracle deck I've ever had (I've been a Doreen Virtue junkie before and her cards aren't always consistent in giving clear cut reads that pertain to your question).

I hope everyone has a better time with this deck.