paracelsus oracle

I bought the deck out of a whim..

I have worked with it but I find it difficult to make a psychic connection. I guess one needs to have a different way of thinking.--Tao

Well, I have one TOO now! First oracle - The thin end of the wedge? I Found mine among the well-thumbed, mottley selection of decks in a mainstream book store - I felt sorry for it. But I think it looks rather COOL! And, despite being a random purchase, I'm VERY pleased. I was looking with a something vaguely... geomantic in flavour, and especially with medieval imagery and angelic sigils. Great!

I shall read the (many) links to this... Phillipp Bombast (heh ) von Hohenheim (no wonder he changed it to Paracelsus) with interest...

Greutzi,

Macavity

Thought Id resuscitate this rather old thread just to see whether - on the off-chance - anyone has been using this oracle over the last 4 years that this thread has lain dormant!

I have this deck, have had it for a while and never really used it. Found the LWB a bit too minimal. I like it´s alchemical associations and Ive invented a Paracelsus spread to do wth my Marseilles (well, Vieville actually. Mustnt mislead), and it worked very nicely. Gave a very accurate tone to the way I should see the rest of the reading. It´s an interesting deck. Looks like something a proper magician might use!

It´s system of reversals is interesting too. If upright, you are the agent, if reversed, the receiver.

woodcut illustrations- prophecies

I can't remember who passed this link on to me, or which forum/group, but this site shows the woodcut illustrations at the tops of the cards.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/pro/pop/index.htm

Does anyone know of a site or book that can identify the symbol/sigils along the bottoms?

Do you mean the domino-like figures? (I don´t have my cards on front of me, but from what I remember, the bottom half of the cards have sequences of dots). These are the geomantic figures; there´s a good chapter on this in Ana Cortez`Palying Card Oracles....

But maybe it´s not this that you meant...

No, I mean the sigils along the very bottom. They look like talisman or alchemical symbols.

I have Ana's PCO book, as well as a few geomancy books!

The Paracelsus Oracle cards are not to be used as a regular deck. They were developed around 1536 as a luminuous tool for Magus. More than revealing the future, they have a secret function that with adecuate knowledge the user (Iniciated Artist in Magical Studies with luminous intentions) can understand what the celestial forces have to say about the magical work that he would be about to perform.
Only in this manner they are transformed into a powerful oracle that allows the "Artiste" to know if his actions will serve for the good or if they will serve for a terrible formula of destruction or evil. It uses the Celestial Intelligences, the power of the Kabbalistic Concience, astrological forces, geomantic and arquetipal forces.
It can only become comprehensible by profound serious study.

The bottom Sigils were created following kabbalistic and numerology knowledge. The top drawings and name represent the arquetipal forces. Each card corresponds to an element, four cards to one and the same.

This information has been handed down to me from my teacher, I hope it sheds some light. I would think if one is so attracted to this deck, one might consider that in a previous lifetime one was familiar with these teachings.

This link might be of some help (scroll to the bottom for pictures):
http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/archidox.htm

Here are some links of either writings or bios of Paracelsus. For the most part, everything he left in writing is cryptic . His teachings have been handed down in different traditions and secret orders that still remain today, from teacher to disciples. Most of his books were published after his passing.

http://www.forteantimes.com/features/articles/248/paracelsus_the_mercurial_mage.html

http://www.sacred-texts.com/pro/pop/pop02.htm

http://theology101.org/grim/magus/ma268.htm

http://www.sacred-texts.com/alc/coelum.htm

http://www.paracelsus.uzh.ch/

http://www.magusmysteria.com/index.php

http://www.hermetic.com/sabazius/paracelsus.htm

http://www.sacred-texts.com/alc/turba.htm

http://www.alchemylab.com/paracelsus.htm

http://dodd.cmcvellore.ac.in/hom/11 - Paracelsus.html

Many thanks for those links greeneyesgypsy.

I've come across this deck several times when browsing online card shops - they facinate me as I have a little familiararity with geomancy etc. But I always end up hesitating to buy them. These links will prove vey useful.

Bee