Froud's Faeries' Oracle- memorization vs referencing the book

DaughterOfDanu

I've been a fan of Froud's decks but struggle a lot when using the original FO as unlike other oracle decks there are no keywords, and unlike RWS based tarot decks the artwork doesn't always illustrate the card's meaning. To my eyes there's mostly portraits of different faeries rather than scenes. I

So for those who use the FO frequently do you rely on the companion book? Or did you rely on it heavily until the cards were very familiar to you?

For those who don't, how do you go about interpreting the cards?

I think a lot of my trouble comes from forgetting that it's okay to use a companion book. Tarot is my primary type of divination and I read without any references which makes for a smoother reading experience for me.

With the FO I don't feel like I can give myself a quick reading when I have to reference the book (Which the entries are delightful to read, but still a little long) and then interpret how it fits into the reading and my life. I wonder if it's possible to do quick readings with them

When Feelion responded to my post in another FO related thread, I was reminded that the companion book is there for a reason and was curious how others go about reading frequently with this deck.
 

theFeeLion

I'm pretty interested to see how other people use this deck too.

When I first bought FO I already had the Good Faeries Bad Faeries book (which was the reason I bought the deck in the first place :D ) and I noticed that a lot of the cards were from the book. I ended up putting sticky notes through the whole book to make it easier to find them. I wish I still had it because some of the descriptions helped me to get to know the cards better.

I've found that sorting them into different piles can help. Like the five sets of 13 from the book, male and female (I ended up with about six or seven piles for that one!), and the elements (each of the elements ended up being split into four with and extra pile for balanced cards. I wrote this one down if you would like to see).

I don't know if that helps you at all but thought I would put it out there :)

Fee
 

DaughterOfDanu

<snip>
and the elements (each of the elements ended up being split into four with and extra pile for balanced cards. I wrote this one down if you would like to see).

I don't know if that helps you at all but thought I would put it out there :)

Fee

It does! I have one of Froud's books but I'm unsure which I'll have to check when I get home. I'd love to see your example as well when you get a chance :)
 

celticnoodle

I have this deck and I love it! I love the Faeries in it! However, I don't use it that much for the reason that I also have to leaf through the book to find the meaning. But, every now and again, I will grab it and give it a go and lug that book with me and the deck.

I hope more people respond to this with some good ideas as to how to get use to the faeries and each of their meanings.
 

theFeeLion

It does! I have one of Froud's books but I'm unsure which I'll have to check when I get home. I'd love to see your example as well when you get a chance :)

So here's how I split them among the four elements.

Each element I split into four, as I discovered some (read: most) cards were usually a combination of elements with one element being more dominant than others.

Water - 12, 37
Airy water - 7, 38
Fiery water - 5, 56
Earthy water - 10, 16, 21, 39

Air - 4, 6, 36, 40, 45, 60
Fiery air - 41, 62
Earthy air - 25, 29, 33, 34, 50, 65
Watery air - 28, 30, 32, 63

Fire - 8, 11, 13 44, 52, 57
Earthy fire - 59, 61
Watery fire - 54
Airy Fire - 9, 27

Earth - 23, 26, 42, 43, 47, 49, 51, 58, 64
Watery earth - 3, 14
Airy earth - 15, 19, 24, 46, 48
Fiery earth - 17, 18, 20, 22, 35, 53, 55

Balanced - 1, 2, 31

I think if I was to do it again I would get a different result. But I think that's part of what makes these cards great.

Faeries are always in a state of flux. Froud can only paint a moment of their time, and the name each has chosen to go by for this deck is only one name of many. A faerie's true name isn't given lightly, and is a great gift, as name have power.

I've learned they like to play on words and with words. They have a habit of giving me images and feelings to work with when I give readings because, as the saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words.

I've found that the more I read and the more often I read with them the easier it is for me to remember their key aspects. Maybe it would help you to go through each card with the book and write down the main thoughts for them. That way you could swap the book for a little note book if you want to take them out with you. Hmm maybe I'll do that too lol

Fee :love:
 

DaughterOfDanu

So here's how I split them among the four elements.

Each element I split into four, as I discovered some (read: most) cards were usually a combination of elements with one element being more dominant than others.

Water - 12, 37
Airy water - 7, 38
Fiery water - 5, 56
Earthy water - 10, 16, 21, 39

Air - 4, 6, 36, 40, 45, 60
Fiery air - 41, 62
Earthy air - 25, 29, 33, 34, 50, 65
Watery air - 28, 30, 32, 63

Fire - 8, 11, 13 44, 52, 57
Earthy fire - 59, 61
Watery fire - 54
Airy Fire - 9, 27

Earth - 23, 26, 42, 43, 47, 49, 51, 58, 64
Watery earth - 3, 14
Airy earth - 15, 19, 24, 46, 48
Fiery earth - 17, 18, 20, 22, 35, 53, 55

Balanced - 1, 2, 31

I think if I was to do it again I would get a different result. But I think that's part of what makes these cards great.

Faeries are always in a state of flux. Froud can only paint a moment of their time, and the name each has chosen to go by for this deck is only one name of many. A faerie's true name isn't given lightly, and is a great gift, as name have power.

I've learned they like to play on words and with words. They have a habit of giving me images and feelings to work with when I give readings because, as the saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words.

I've found that the more I read and the more often I read with them the easier it is for me to remember their key aspects. Maybe it would help you to go through each card with the book and write down the main thoughts for them. That way you could swap the book for a little note book if you want to take them out with you. Hmm maybe I'll do that too lol

Fee :love:
That's a really good idea. I can tell you've spent a lot of time bonding with the fae and these cards. Thank you so much for the insight. I have a little notebook that's been looking for a purpose so I'll get right on that :D