Way of the Horse

The book throws out heavy psyche terms like "learned helplessness" and "dissociation" as if the average person knows what those terms mean.

She writes from the background of benevolent slave holder and doesn't seem to see anything wrong with owning horses, making the writing a little confusing to me. I feel like there is a part of her that thinks it's wrong to enslave these creatures but is not willing to give up her way of life. A sense of denial and I'm not sure what came across in some of the readings I read.

I'm not saying here that owning horses is wrong. I personally have decided to never own another animal for personal reasons, based on my own experiences of feeling enslaved, but respect that it's just a personal conviction.

It's just that I can't make sense of where the author is coming from. Maybe she only thinks certain kinds of labor and treatment is slavery. I'm almost sure she used the word "enslaved" along with animal of prey many times :-0

The cards have no labels, just numbers, so it is easy to totally rewrite the meaning of the card, or at the very least, read what she has to say and then do your best to add your intuition.

For me there is one card that disturbs me with the animal all covered in whatever those restraints are called. I would have to rewrite that card, because I am sickened and it stands out to me amongst all the cards showing free looking animals.

This deck reminds me of what it must have been like for people who had a RWS deck in the 70s and just Waite's book. What came forth from those amazing people who persevered it just well...amazing. It will be interesting if people decide to put forth that same effort towards this deck. The deck has amazing potential...but...it's going to take effort, maybe group effort to see hurting people healed with this deck. Serious effort!

And the cards are fragile and cannot be bought separately, at least as far as I know. $30.00 plus tax is a lot if you need to replace these every year. And if the publisher stops publishing them...so much work to no longer be able to read with them, at any price.

I have this set and love it, I find it more of a personal development and healing tool than an oracle deck. I have not used it in a few months, but I love journaling with it and exploring. I did one of the speads and then analyzed the cards both in terms of the imagery alone, their interrelationship, then looked at the book and journaled about the whole thing. This then lead me to seeing what other cards the cards in my spread were associated with (in the book it correlates some cards to others), then cross referenced that with cards not in the spread but shared as a correlation between cards in a spread, and what an incredible and beautiful journey it was. I need to do it again! The whole experience really empowered me to make some changes and improve my life and attitude (and it has worked).

I doubt I would ever try to use this deck to do a reding for someone else. Somehow it became very personal to me, and provides me with insights that help me help myself. I really think it is a treasure, but one you have to be willing to put in time with.

I actually have done a couple readings with this deck and had really good results. One of the readings I did was about myself and another person and how/if we'd had past lives together. Boy did I get alot of information out of it.

So yes, it's a very good deck for personal introspection, but it also can be used to do certain types of readings as well.

I bought the deck.

I'm interested in a study group if anyone else is.

I scanned the book so can copy and paste portions if need be and if allowed here. With my mobile lifestyle I just cannot hang onto the hardcopy of book.

I've wrapped the deck in a gold bandanna. I was so happy to find one today. I'm really drawn to the Lionheart card, the first one I picked, and knew nothing but a golden wrap would do.

Hi Hunter, I would be interested in a study group but am saturated in study group activities at the moment (I'm active in 4 right now). I hope you do get one started, I think the deck is definetly worth that type of exploration. I would certainly follow the work of the group and jump in when my load lightens a bit.

hunter said:

I'm really drawn to the Lionheart card, the first one I picked, and knew nothing but a golden wrap would do.

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That was the first card that truely drew me as well hunter. I love that card. The more you get to know them the more the other horses become favorites too. It really is a nice deck.

I too would love a study group, but am not sure how much time I'd have to devote to it. Like Jewel I'll beable to pop in now and again but won't beable to give my whole attention to it.

I've been considering this deck for a long long time, since I've always loved horses.
Well... last week I finally got my own (horse.. not deck), so now I HAD to have it of course. Ordered from Book Depository and should be here in about a week or so (they aren't fast!!!) and I'd be very interested in a study group as well.

I don't know how to start a study group. I'll go the study group forum and see if there is info.

I'm going to start posting even if there is no response. It will help me focus. I really need a shortened/adapted text that I can print out.

I love these cards more and more every day. I brought them to a friend, today, to see and she is going to buy the deck, willing to plow through the text. She is an elderly trauma victim who is being denied proper trauma recovery care due to her age and disabilities, and just thrown into geriatric programs, and she was just blown away with the info in this book and the illustrations on the cards. There is serious healing in this set.

Hunter, the first thing you might want to do is open a general thread to see who would be interested in studying the deck. Then start doing a thread per card.

One of things I do to get to know my oracle decks and use in my posting in the oracle studies group I am currently in (Victorian Flower Oracle) are the exercises from the Faeries Oracle book. They are fantastic for getting a personal feel for the cards and getting to know what the decks means to you:

LOOKING ONLY AT THE CARD, NOT USING THE COMPANION BOOK
1. Describe the card
2. Describe the emotional atmosphere of the card. What emotions does the card evoke in me?
3. What would a physical manifestation (in you) of this card be? (i.e. tingling, gasping, smiling, headache, makes me want to run, etc.)
4. What are the mental characteristics of the card?
5. What are the spiritual characteristics? (if any)
6. What I find most appealing about the card
7. What I find least appealing about the card

After writting this down I then write a blurb about what the card means to me and then go to the companion book and read what it says about the card. Then I write down how that makes sense to me in terms of my understanding of the card, key things from the book I really liked, and determine its meaning to me personally. All of this usually takes me between 15 to 30 minutes depending per card and the length of the text in the companion book. I usually only do one card per day, so that I can absorb what that card means to me.

Hope this helps you

Thanks this is really good info. I heard the Faerie Oracle Book had some universally great info in it. I really appreciate you typing it out for me! Thanks