Faeries Oracle

by Brian Froud and Jessica MacBeth

Welcoming to the family today is The Faeries Oracle by Brian Froud. I have wanted to get this deck for ages and when I had the opportunity to purchase cheaply on eBay I took it! There is something about the artwork that speaks to you, even if one never intends to use it as an oracular tool, the meditative value alone is worth it – especially if you are a fae worker or wish to become one.

Brian Froud is the creative visionary behind films such as Labyrinth and Dark Crystal; he is an extremely talented artist whose faery images are both evocative and visionary. I don’t doubt for one minute this man is on intimate terms with the Fae and Otherworld. He lives in Devon, England (the West Country), a very magical and mystical place with his wife Wendy who also builds and creates the magical creatures seen in the movies and art.

The Faeries Oracle has 66 cards; it even has a blank one for you to draw a picture of your own faery guide. The cards are tarot sized with golden borders and have all manner of brownies, boggarts, faeries, pixies, goblins and more. Some of this art you will recognize if you have read his book ‘Good Faeries/Bad Faeries’. It has stunning 208 page hardcover book (I love that it is a hardcover) with text by Jessica MacBeth. The cards have the Topsie Turvies as the back and the names of the cards are written in a lovely script style font (although on some cards it can be hard to read properly).

The beautiful thing about this deck is that no matter how many times you look at a card there is so much more to see. You will never take it all in because each and every time there is something new to see. I have looked at each card a couple of times and I always spot a new face, a new friend in the cards.

Take for instance the card ‘The Faery Who Was Kissed by the Pixies’. There is a lot in this card, so much so that every time you think you’ve seen the entire picture, something new jumps out at you.

One of my favourite cards in O! That Gnome. So funny and so cute but also powerful because gnomes are earth creatures and they know so much, have so much to offer and to share.

It also has some nice sketched cards like Geeeeeooo the Slooow, giving the deck a quieter and different dimension.

Overall this is really a fabulous deck and I am looking forward to working with it both an as Oracle deck and as a meditative tool. I’ve been feeling the pull of the Fae for some time now and so I look toward that path with both excitement and trepidation because when it comes to the Fae, one never knows what they will discover.

I am also looking forward to getting ‘Heart of Faerie’, this deck is by Brian and his wife Wendy. It should be here next week!!