Playing Card Oracles ~ Alchemy Edition

MoonGypsy

Hiya Squeeji! :D

i also soooo love Ana's writing! And also :heart:her videos, etc. i find her a very good
teacher, and her voice is so calm and soothing. i always feel very centered and
inspired after Watching and listening to her. What an amazing father she had in CJ Freeman!
A great team they were, and in many ways--still are!;) :love:

i am as excited for you to get your biggin' :p as i am for my little guy! :D

Did you listen to Ana's latest Podcast? So cute regarding her new "uber magnified" reading glasses...:D

http://k003.kiwi6.com/hotlink/s2vylamvpg/feb_2015.mp3
 

Madrigal

Oh wow, both these decks and the book looks fascinating. I spent some time on her site. What a remarkable and enterprising woman! I've got both decks in my cart, as well as the book and am trying to justify both the price and learning a whole new divination system.

Folks who bought this deck, please post back on how the deck feels and works for you. Much appreciated.
 

Madame Squee

Arrived!!!

I am DELIRIOUS!!!!

My PCO Alchemy Edition arrived on Saturday before the snow started sticking! (We only have 12 inches at the moment, not 22 yet. :D) I immediately felt a bit rotten for crabbing about the price of postage. The deck was packaged beautifully and carefully in a sturdy box. The contents were protected by a blanket of paper confetti, and the addresses were handwritten. It felt like a lot of thought and care and good energy went into the preparation of this package.

An Ace of Hearts sticker, a hand-stamped muslin bag, and a thank-you card were included in the package with the deck.

I wanted to post sooner, but I was (and still am!) having trouble finding the best words to describe how much I am in love with this deck of cards!

First of all, I am a huge fan of the original Playing Card Oracles deck. C.J. Freeman's art appeals to me on every level, and I love the original subdued, monotone coloration, punctuated with red. Having said that, the infusion of jewel-like colors into this deck is one of the most exciting aspects of it for me. However, it is Freeman's new characters and scenes that excite me the most. They are mesmerizing -- magical! This is the deck of cards I would take to my desert island.

Eight is my favorite number, but I cannot decide between Diamonds and Spades for my favorite suit. The Jokers are magnificent! I have been propping them up against my reading lamp to oversee the readings and keep me company. Such interesting people! :love:

The quality of the printed image is very excellent, all of the details are there. I really appreciate the unobtrusive artist's signature sans copyright symbol. The card stock is smooth as silk with a satin finish, thin, flexible and easy to shuffle. I've had the deck out for almost 2 days, and it is keeping its shape and still shuffles in the right direction. (Often, new decks will bow up in the wrong direction after they've been out overnight here in Colorado, making them very difficult to riffle-shuffle.)

I will be ordering a poker-size deck, too, as soon as I can!
 

MoonGypsy

Oh Squeeji, thank you so much for such a lovely review. :love: i am chomping at the bit for my shipping notice...:p
i have been totally immersed in my book, vintage Playing Cards Oracle deck, and Ana's videos...
i have fallen even deeper in love with she and her late/great dad's system.
It is really very deep and magical. It just feels so right!

i can't wait until my Alchemy Poker sized edition arrives!
 

Madrigal

Thanks for the report, Mme Squee. I've been checking back on this thread since I posted to see if anyone had actually received theirs yet.

I read a few reviews on Amazon for the original and there was some mention of it being a 'dark' deck, that the answers and guidance it gave was heavy in a goth kind of way. Heavy is okay for me but I'm not keen on dark. Do you find that to be the case with either of these decks, the dark aspect? I feel very drawn to this deck, the Alchemy edition, for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. It's not my usual style but there's something about it...
 

Madame Squee

Thanks for the report, Mme Squee. I've been checking back on this thread since I posted to see if anyone had actually received theirs yet.

I read a few reviews on Amazon for the original and there was some mention of it being a 'dark' deck, that the answers and guidance it gave was heavy in a goth kind of way. Heavy is okay for me but I'm not keen on dark. Do you find that to be the case with either of these decks, the dark aspect? I feel very drawn to this deck, the Alchemy edition, for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. It's not my usual style but there's something about it...

You're welcome, Madrigal.

I find the Alchemy Edition devastatingly beautiful. The pictures send shivers through me and bring tears to my eyes. Is it Goth? I don't know, but I will ask my daughter and get back to you. She has a BFA, and I trust her to know the answer. (Yes, I'm a proud momma!:D)

Someone on the forum categorized the art in the original PCO deck as "creepy", whereas I find it absolutely extraordinary and couldn't bear to live without it. Truly, C.J. Freeman's visions appear in my dreams.

I definitely do not find darkness or heaviness in my PCO readings, and I find Ana Cortez' descriptions of the meanings to be uplifting and helpful in a very constructive way. Take this, for instance:

"3 of Diamonds: The Severed Head
A shocking portrait of a woman who went to every length to achieve her desire, ultimately destroying that which she loved most. Even people for this lady became things to possess. So there is a warning attached to this card. Be tenacious, go after your dreams and hold steadfast, but beware the ravages of the Element Fire. (See Diamond/Fire description in “Essential Suit Meanings” of this PDF, pg. 3, and story in The Playing Card Oracles, A Source Book for Divination, pg. 80)" ~ Excerpt from the Alchemy Edition pdf.


I would say that if the Alchemy images are calling to you, Madrigal, go with your gut!

In the end...

“Art and life are subjective. Not everybody's gonna dig what I dig, but I reserve the right to dig it.” ~ Whoopi Goldberg

(Plus, there's always the trading forum.;))

Squee:love:

ETA:

Okay, I checked with my daughter and found out that "goth" is not an art term, but "Gothic" is, and the artwork in these cards is not Gothic. She would describe it as "Fantasy", which is what I was going to say! I need to go with my gut more often! :laugh:
 

Madrigal

How cool that this resonates so deeply with you, Mme Squee. That's great! I'm going to sit tight with it for a bit and see whether the pull to this wonderful deck stays with me.
 

Nica

I first learned about this deck through Prince Le Normand's journal. He had his father draft him some cards with the names. The typography was stunning! A real work of art!

Anyhow, down the rabbit hole I went and now I'm an Underworld member. : ) I LOVE the PCO and how passionate Ana is. She's a wonderful teacher and she really truly believes in the concepts, which can be contagious.

I got the large version today plus a backup in the mail. It shuffles beautifully and I feel like I can really connect with the artwork in this way. Its been nice to take out my vintage PCO and compare it with this one.

Honestly, it's hauntingly beautiful. I showed it to a client and like mentioned before, they thought it was dark and gothic. I told her it was a deck that encompasses everything from joy to despair, in all of its shades.

What is true is that they are POWERFUL, oracular images. I would love to have you guys in person to talk to and study with, because you GET IT. Not many people would be drawn to this system because it is not tarot or lenormand, but it doesn't need to be. It is a calendar and it makes me aware of why I felt playing cards were talking to me when I was a little girl. Even though I could not understand what they were saying, I still felt there was something more there.

I keep a journal while I work with Playing Card Oracles, but I'm not comfortable enough with card meanings to memorize that as well as geomancy. One day at a time!

When the new book comes out soon we will have tons to get immersed in, and I could not be more excited!!!

I just ordered the pocket edition with a backup to make it more portable. My table is very small, but I think I'll keep the large one out to admire and to shuffle mindlessly for a 3 card spread.

Cheers! Please PM me if you wish to talk more or exchange readings with it. We should keep in touch!! :)
 

Dark Victory '39

small version arrived in the mail yesterday. I'm slowly comparing the new download of meanings w/ the book form the other edition; i honestly love it when deck creators come back w/ a new take on earlier meanings; some are darker some are lighter, but the point is that it reminds me how flexible the whole system is. It's really pretty shrewd though; provides such different answers than tarot, in a way, more precise, especially if you use some of her layouts in the older bound book version. I'm v. new at this oracle though. And still reading the book. I would love to say this sort of system will some day be automatic for me; but it is certainly not a cookie cutter oracle (if there is such a thing); i'm struck at the depth, and yet i did a couple of super fast single cards draws and they were shockingly helpful.

For anyone who can only afford to get one size at this time (like myself), i'll say i'm quite happy w/ the small. I feel like i can see the art well, and like how it handles; will be easier to have the small for larger spreads. Would totally recommend investing in the full book, even if it's the old one. Personally, i dont know if i would have connected w/ this deck as much if it wasn't that i saw the depth of the whole system that the book conveys. Hope this helps anyone on the fence.
 

MoonGypsy

Oh rapture! :D i just heard from dear Ana, and my deck was shipped today!

And i am bundled up in bed today with a cold, so this really was a pick me up. :D