The Faeries' Oracle (Froud) - Least Favorite Card

Hi Peter,

The Glanconer definetly does show us a reflection of ourselves in many ways. He projects and we can also project upon him. They key to understading him, and other difficult cards, is to take them out of the context our societal norms and realize that the fey are what they are and there is no good or bad, there simply is. He is also about illusions, and if not careful can guide us on a path that is not real. Yet once you face him for what he is, he is not so bad as he cannot mislead or trick you any longer.

Least Favorite:#55 The Soul Shrinker

My least favorite card in the Oracle would be The Soul Shrinker.

1. The emotional atmosphere of this card to me is fear, darkness and danger. I feel like if I were standing in front of this creature I would be horrified, not in control, doomed.

2. The physical manifestations of this card might be, considering the name of the card, events that keep one from pursuing personal happiness or the soul's journey; Something that is capable of swallowing and/or crushing one's hopes and dreams; Something that makes us shrink away from the path we should be following.

3. The mental characteristics that I see in this card are worry, fear, self-doubt, disgust, distaste.

4. The spiritual characteristics of this card: This one is difficult for me because somehow I have trouble relating spirituality to anything that feels dark or oppressive. He may represent spiritual oppression to me I suppose.

5. I find the creatures size and teeth most uncomfortable. He reminds me of the creatures of nightmares. He certainly bites! His teeth are worn from gnawing on things, maybe bones, and he appears to be scowling.

6. There is nothing about this card I find attractive or appealing.

After reading the description of this card, I see that I was right on with the energy it emits. My strongest inner conflict may well be that I have always seen the world through rose colored glasses and the older I get, the more disappointed I have become in people that treat others with malice and plain old meanness. It has been such an issue for me that I became a hermit for a time and I still limit my exposure to others. Yes, I think I need to explore this Soul Shrinker some more and see what lessons it might have for me.

Moonmystic said:

After reading the description of this card, I see that I was right on with the energy it emits. My strongest inner conflict may well be that I have always seen the world through rose colored glasses and the older I get, the more disappointed I have become in people that treat others with malice and plain old meanness. It has been such an issue for me that I became a hermit for a time and I still limit my exposure to others. Yes, I think I need to explore this Soul Shrinker some more and see what lessons it might have for me.

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Soul Shrinker has probably won the award of Least Favorite card *LOL*. He was my least favorite when I originally did these exercises. I am glad to see you are willing to work with him, as through my work with him I have learned that he has many good aspects as well, and now consider him a friend. Something I never would have thought when I first met him. Give him a chance and see what he might teach you. I know he surprised me.

Gods, I hate conforming!

But I fell into the consensus here!

Soul Shrinker

I got my Faeries today, from the beautiful peace_pixie, and sat down tonight with them to get to know them. Fortunately, I began reading the book at the front for once and did the exercises as instructed. Later, when I couldn't sleep, I got up and now it's a quarter to one in the morning and I've got to work tomorrow. Oh well. I've glanced at the posts that speak about the two cards I *chose*, but not read the others. I read the book meanings for my two cards after I did the exercise.

I'd like to stress that this is not my least favourite card, but the one that makes me most uncomfortable.

1: The emotional atmosphere of the card is paralysing fear, that yawning horror and hopelessness in the face of a looming peril. Last night I was laying in bed and thought I heard someone in my house. I really thought I heard people whispering, and there were bangs and suchlike. The pounding, petrifying fear that I felt was the same fear that this card engendered in me.

2: The card is an intruder, someone you do NOT want to face at any cost because of the danger to yourself.

3: The Soul Shrinker is a multi-layered card, to me. At first, he is simply fear, yawning all-encompassing fear. But then one is driven to ask, "Why? Why fear that, or this, or the other?" He turned me, slowly, in the first few moments of our acquaintance, to face the figures of my fears and asked me why I feared them. I didn't want to admit why. I was too tired. I still am (not getting any less tired, not sleeping!)

4: SS is about my own illusions and therefore limitations. I don't even want to look at his face. He makes me face them, every time. It's like we're in a vacuum, a black universe where it's just me and him and my fears and he takes me by the shoulders and because I'm so paralysed with fear he turns me to face them . . . It's horrible.

5: Most uncomfortable - his hairlessness (hair hides people) and his liplessness (somehow untrustworthy) and his entirely black eye and espressionless face.

6: What appeals? He is sad I want to make him happy.

The fact that he turned me to face what I fear has significance for me today, as I received a bit of a blow in the love affair department and I've been struggling within myself to find the best way to handle it. I'm doing well, but I'm afraid of some things that are best left unsaid right now. He made me face them. He is not compassionate, or kind. He has no emotions. He does what he does.

\m/ Kat

thorhammer said:

I'd like to stress that this is not my least favourite card, but the one that makes me most uncomfortable.

6: What appeals? He is sad I want to make him happy.)

The fact that he turned me to face what I fear has significance for me today, as I received a bit of a blow in the love affair department and I've been struggling within myself to find the best way to handle it. I'm doing well, but I'm afraid of some things that are best left unsaid right now. He made me face them. He is not compassionate, or kind. He has no emotions. He does what he does.

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Spend time with him, he can really become a good friend. He was also my least favorite card when I originally did this exercise 7 years or so ago, now I see him totally different, and can actually see him smile. The coloring of him also shifts. He loves art by the way, and if you invite him to draw or paint with you he can be very helpful.

I find that he does have emotions, and they are a mirror of ones own emotions. He is a faerie, and they are not compassionate (for the most part), they are what they are - faeries. They are not constrained by human norms and in all faireness cannot be compared comparably. They don't really confirm to good or bad as we know it, it is hard to describe, but very fun to explore.

I really hope you continue to enjoy this deck, it is trully amazing, and the faeries really are alive. Get to know them and your life will change as a result of it (many will think you went bonkers *LOL*).

The Dark Lady

Q#1: Emotional Atmosphere: claustrophibic, as if the walls were closing in on me. fear anger rage.

Q#2: Physical Manifestation: Uneasy, it feels unbalanced dark night of the soul.

Q#3: Symbols: Crescent moon

Q#4: Spiritual Characteristics: shadow side of our nature, extremeties. dark side.
Q#5: Least appealing: the eyes look fierce, I found it hard to see a soul within her.
Q#6: Anything you like: the image looks real.
Q#7: Other ideas or impressions: avoidance of situation at hand. need to control emotions within, keep a check on things.

Input is welcome

I couldn't help but look at the posts on this last page and I too will join with the consensus. My least favorite card is the Soul Shrinker. So here's my go with the questions:

1. Emotional atmosphere? Cold and mocking. There's a feeling of belittling and cruelty because one can.

2. Physical manifestations? Turning into one's own worst enemy through abusive behaviour towards self and others.

3. Mental characteristics? Sly and cunning nothing is given away for free. He seems to measure you and find the empty spaces to fill with scorn.

4. Spiritual characteristics? There's questioning in the Soul Shrinker but I also sense knowledge.

5. Most Uncomfortable? I do not like that his eye is so far from his ugly nose and the nose is so close to his mouthful of ugly teeth.

6. Anything appealing? I had to look hard for this: There's a shape coloured violet and purple around his eye that appears to be a faery in flight.

7. Anything else? He's already told me that if I want to get to know the faeries I'll have to go through him. I find it distinctly interesting this is card #55.

I know from page 20 that the Soul Shrinker tells me about what I have the most trouble dealing with, my strongest inner conflict.

I'd welcome any further insights.

I am not too sure on The Soul Shrinker either Major Tom. I find the card a little creepy and it gives me shudders.I picked Gloominous Doom and was told to read The Soul Shrinker. I did find the following thread and perhaps it may be of use. I will have to read it later.
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=79403&highlight=soul+shrinker

My least favorite card is #51 The Topsie Turvets.

1) What is the emotional atmosphere of the card?
Cluttered. Smushed. Chaotic. Confused.

2)What might the physical manifestation of this card's symbols be in someone's life?
Living among chaos. Comforming; becoming just another face in the crowd. Being held down/back.

3)What do you see in the card's symbols that might represent the card's mental characterists?
Multi-layered but not in a good way. Jumbled and pressed flat; confusing and unclear.

4)What are the spiritual characteristics of the card's symbols?
I can't see anything spiritual here or find a message. The only thing it makes me think of is of everything that is wrong with organized religions, when they become a group with no purpose or cohesion; no direction. A group just being a group for the sake of being in a group.

5) What do you find most uncomfortable about this card?
The cluttered, skewed faces. The drab, muddy colors. Overall, this card is very unappealing to the eye and does not speak to me at all.

6) Is there anything you find appealing or attractive about this card?
One face near the bottom right is gentle, with a cute expression. He stands out among the bugling eyes and sharp edges.

7)Have you any other ideas about or impressions of this card?
It reminds me of the goblins in the closet in the movie Labyrinth: unthinking, blindly loyal followers, just living to do their masters' bidding. No personality or goals.

Least favorite

For me G. Hobyah was my least favorite. Even still it wasn't like I had an aversion to him, just none too pleased with the lessons he brings. Those claws..eek!! Like they are meant to just slash at those walls and barriers to what you are trying to hide. THAT is what bothers me about him. We all tend to like to hide sometimes and crawl under those covers and I just sense that he would rip those covers right off. He didn't really look manic to me just determined and focused. (As soon as I get home and have the cards and my journal in front of me I will answer the questions in more length.) =))))