MaeWasteland
So, I'm sort of in the market for a deity oracle. I'm not entirely sure which. I'm Jewish with pagan/polytheist leanings, currently exploring various deities, not sure 'exploring' is quite the word but learning about/cautiously reaching out to. Anyway, I'm thinking that perhaps an oracle deck would be a good 'jumping off point', so to speak. I've been looking at a few, mostly goddesses because, well, that's what's mostly out there, though I'd be interested in any good ones that deal with male, female and particularly genderless/genderfluid/etc deities together. Also quite interested in the Morrigan, if anyone knows of any decks that feature her. Ditto Sophia or (seemingly not in any I've found) the Shekhinah (Jewish divine feminine, kinda). Not into a lot of stuff about wombs and periods and such. I don't really see uteruses as a crucial element of femininity. Like a good guidebook, preferably with a decent bit of info on each deity in question.
So, any recommendations? Currently looking at:
The Goddess Oracle by Marashinsky/Janto. I like a lot of the artwork, the diversity of the goddesses pictured, and the fact that they haven't all been kinda whitewashed into slim, pretty, European looking ladies. It has a Morgan le Faye card, but AFAICT it looks pretty Morrigan-y which is good, ish. I am not so keen on the huge amount of white space - has anyone trimmed or perhaps done pretty doodles on the white space? Is it glossy so I wouldn't be able to draw on it (probably with either coloured pencils or fineliners)? I'm also not super into the poems bit. Kali and Shelagh na Gig cards are *awesome* in particular. (In the literal as well as slang type sense!)
Oracle of the Dragonfae. Not strictly speaking deity-based, but quite a number of the entities featured are deities from various cultures. Includes the Morrigan, a big plus (though I'm not entirely sold on the specific image). Strong preference for the first edition card backs, but largely prefer the second edition's replacement artwork, though see Goddesses & Sirens deck for some reservations...
Goddesses & Sirens Oracle (Demarco/Manton) Quite an interesting range of beings (not all deities, includes some humans, noch). I really like the overall art style BUT I'm not totally into the whole "nearly every single entity pictured is slim, young, north European-looking (but sometimes slightly dark skinned) with long hair and often not many clothes" aspect of Jimmy Manton's art. Baba Yaga, Qetesh, Kali and Oya are bloody incredible, though, and definitely exceptions to the rule. I like the badass-ness of a lot of the pictures. Like the fact that there's a 'brother deck', so to speak.
Isis Oracle (Fairchild/Manton) I'm not *especially* into Isis, but she seems intriguing and worth putting some time into. I'd really prefer a more general Kemetic deck, though, but I don't think there's any out there. Again, I find the images of Isis fairly north European-looking. I like that it seems to delve into many different aspects of one deity as opposed to the other decks which, of course, pick a different deity for each 'message' or whatnot which I think might feel a bit 'one note'...
So, any recommendations? Currently looking at:
The Goddess Oracle by Marashinsky/Janto. I like a lot of the artwork, the diversity of the goddesses pictured, and the fact that they haven't all been kinda whitewashed into slim, pretty, European looking ladies. It has a Morgan le Faye card, but AFAICT it looks pretty Morrigan-y which is good, ish. I am not so keen on the huge amount of white space - has anyone trimmed or perhaps done pretty doodles on the white space? Is it glossy so I wouldn't be able to draw on it (probably with either coloured pencils or fineliners)? I'm also not super into the poems bit. Kali and Shelagh na Gig cards are *awesome* in particular. (In the literal as well as slang type sense!)
Oracle of the Dragonfae. Not strictly speaking deity-based, but quite a number of the entities featured are deities from various cultures. Includes the Morrigan, a big plus (though I'm not entirely sold on the specific image). Strong preference for the first edition card backs, but largely prefer the second edition's replacement artwork, though see Goddesses & Sirens deck for some reservations...
Goddesses & Sirens Oracle (Demarco/Manton) Quite an interesting range of beings (not all deities, includes some humans, noch). I really like the overall art style BUT I'm not totally into the whole "nearly every single entity pictured is slim, young, north European-looking (but sometimes slightly dark skinned) with long hair and often not many clothes" aspect of Jimmy Manton's art. Baba Yaga, Qetesh, Kali and Oya are bloody incredible, though, and definitely exceptions to the rule. I like the badass-ness of a lot of the pictures. Like the fact that there's a 'brother deck', so to speak.
Isis Oracle (Fairchild/Manton) I'm not *especially* into Isis, but she seems intriguing and worth putting some time into. I'd really prefer a more general Kemetic deck, though, but I don't think there's any out there. Again, I find the images of Isis fairly north European-looking. I like that it seems to delve into many different aspects of one deity as opposed to the other decks which, of course, pick a different deity for each 'message' or whatnot which I think might feel a bit 'one note'...