Froud's Faeries and Other Faery Decks

I received a new faery oracle deck...Selina Fenech's decks...both Oracle and Philisophies....I was curious about the Froud faeries and their reactions to the new decks...First off I do not feel like I have connected with the new faery decks at all like I did Froud's Faeries...even though these decks are much more like what I originally "pictured" faeries as.

As soon as I opened the Froud Faeries I felt an immediate connection and engagement with the personalities of the faeries. I think perhaps it is because of the thought and communication with the fae themself that went into the creation of the deck. However after playing with the faery decks I am starting to be a bit more in tune with them.

Then of course I wondered what the Froud Faeries thought...hmmm...I was pondering that in my head....how they felt about a new bunch of faeries...and how these new ones "fit" into the scheme of things...so I reached over to the deck and flipped a card....It was Unity...we are all one...so I guess thats my answer.

Over the next few weeks I am going to continuing working with all the decks and will post additional observations here. What have your experiences with Frouds Faeries and other faery decks been...or even other decks in general???

Well check out the Dragonfae thread and see what Jewel and I have said about the Dragonfae deck and the Froud Faeries. It's quite a story. LOL

But with my other fae deck the Froud bunch don't seem to think much, one way or the other, about them. I think they realize I'm not going to connect with them like I do the Froud Faeries.

Like I said though, the Dragonfae's a whole 'nother ball game!

The Froud deck was the first divining deck of cards I ever got, so now I compare all other decks to them, and none of them quite come up to snuff. I think the best thing about the Froud fae is their diversity. Other decks, including Tarot decks, that I've come across, always seem so limited when I compare them to the Froud fae.

For example, the Enchanted Oracle (by Jessica Galbreth), though beautiful, only has four cards (or 36) depict masculine figures, and two of those are 'couple's cards', so it offers a very lopsided view of the world, in my experience, and Faery tarrot decks... well, they are limited by the percieved meanings of the Tarot: the classifications of major and minor arcana and the "court cards" which put men and women into a hierarchy that (as far as I'm concerned) is a bit backwards (In some of my decks I've had to switch the order of the kings and queens, but that's for another discussion, I think). Oracle cards are more open to interpretation, in my opinion.

I think the Guide card also helps us connect with this deck. It personalizes it to each of us, and tells the faeries how best to communicate with us, for we all interact with the fae differently, and that one blank card sets the tone for their relationship with us. At least, it did for me.

Froud FO was also my first divination deck, and still the most special to me. So far, I have found the way it works to be pretty unique, and am yet to come across another deck filled with 'personalities' like this one.

Froud has devoted his life to an understanding of the fae, and has a unique skill when it comes to depicting his spiritual experiences in forms we can all understand. He describes his work not as 'fantasy art', but faery portraiture. They are real spiritual beings, and he depicts them as such. This comes across in the liveliness and personality of the cards.

I've had a lasting interest in faeries so I usually check out the scans when a new fae-themed deck comes along. Most of the decks seem basically 'just nice'- more like 'pretty girls with wings' than fae as I see them. This is not to say they don't work for divination or that they have no value but they're not for me.

fae-themed decks I DO own and enjoy are Faery Ring Oracle, Secret Forest Tarot and Fey Tarot. They all have their strengths, (for example, the Faery Ring depicts faery folklore with accuracy, not shying away from the dark side) but none of them have the personality and humour of Froud. I have a lot of his books and he certainly has enough 'spare' art to make another deck one day- but thats just my wishful thinking!

The Froud Deck works very well with Medicine Cards, as animal energies seem to flow well with the earthy natural energies of the fae. I love both decks, but the Froud Fae are truly the ones that work best and most deeply for me. I have seen some other "fairy" decks and I either thought the art was gross, or there just wasn't any connection.
While Froud's depictions aren't always "beautiful" in the traditional sense, (I might not put a poster of the Bodach on my wall, for example) I always see the beauty in each card because they are who they are. I find a purity in the Froud cards that I have not found in any other deck.

My Froud's are a picky bunch. They did however befriend the Hertz Faeries and two German oracle decks on the "wee Folk" and Bach flower devas.

Right now, I have the Travelling Faeries deck with me, which is the Fairy Pack by Claire Nahmad. Kahlie's Froud Fae didn't seem to connect, but mine did! Those two decks work together in a really deep way which I wouldn't have expected. Most of the time, I assigned complementing position to them, like Light/Shadow, different perspective, active/passive advice and it came out on spot every time.

You can check out some of the combined readings in the Traveling Faeries log if you like.