Oracle of the Mermaids- Lucy Cavendish

Belinda2

I don't have this deck but it looks very pretty, decks like these I like to put on my deck during the day so I can look at them while working or beside my bed as the last thing I see before going to bed, I use these kinds of decks like this one for positive reinforcement , not for readings per say.
 

lalalibra

To my surprise, I've ended up returning this deck altogether. As seriously gorgeous as it was (those beautiful pale blue borders on the backs *sigh*), I just did not resonate with it as deeply as I wanted to. I really tried. I read the guidebook twice... But to be brutally honest, I just found some of the meanings to be too narrow or too repetitive. This has been stated before by others, but I just figured I'd work around it by getting to know the deck myself in order to discover more personal meanings, but wow, I just really didn't feel up to it with this one! Probably because there were multiple cards that were all essentially about the same thing: spending time alone in order to reconnect with your inner voice. A useful bit of advice, yes, but quite self-evident most of the time - and as a card, its rather vague when you're actually reading in the first place in an effort to do just that - to trigger more specific insight. It's just sort of saying, "Yeah, just feel it out, just think about it some more!" (Duh!) It's so pretty but I just don't think I'd be using it as much as my other decks.
 

lalalibra

To my surprise, I've ended up returning this deck altogether. As seriously gorgeous as it was (those beautiful pale blue borders on the backs *sigh*), I just did not resonate with it as deeply as I wanted to. I really tried. I read the guidebook twice... But to be brutally honest, I just found some of the meanings to be too narrow or too repetitive. This has been stated before by others, but I just figured I'd work around it by getting to know the deck myself in order to discover more personal meanings, but wow, I just really didn't feel up to it with this one! Probably because there were multiple cards that were all essentially about the same thing: spending time alone in order to reconnect with your inner voice. A useful bit of advice, yes, but quite self-evident most of the time - and as a card, its rather vague when you're actually reading in the first place in an effort to do just that - to trigger more specific insight. It's just sort of saying, "Yeah, just feel it out, just think about it some more!" (Duh!) It's so pretty but I just don't think I'd be using it as much as my other decks.

Ahhh I must take back what I said! I confess that I do feel like working with this deck after all. I really missed it once it was gone (even to the point of having dreamt about it lol) and I felt like I should have given it more of a chance because I didn't give it enough actual reading time. I also figured that since I didn't strongly connect right away with the Wild Wisdom deck and now it's one of my most beloved decks, that maybe the Mermaids just need more time & patience as well. Either way, I'm still in love with the art and the overall feel of the deck so I'll definitely be keeping it in my collection this time (whether I end up loving it for actual readings or not).

What I've found interesting is that so many of the themes I remembered from the deck have ended up coming up in my daily life lately in some very striking ways, particularly water/ocean conservation. And I do appreciate the ways in which this deck emphasized the importance of that because it is something that is highly relevant to us all and deserves a place in the forefront of our awareness (and it's fitting for a mermaid deck too, of course). I like that having this deck and even just looking through it will call that to mind. Overall, there's an interesting blend of themes in this deck, and its energy brings the feel of the ocean to heart no matter how far away from it you are physically...
 

lalalibra

It's an interesting journey with this deck for me. I can honestly say that I adore it now! :heart: I've been working with one card per day and I've been getting a lot out of it. I now enjoy the guidebook very much but definitely as more of a jumping off point. I find this is especially necessary with certain cards such as "The Return of Aphrodite," "Coral's Wisdom," "Experiments," "Honour the Masculine" - in such cases, the actual writing on the cards themselves (apart from the guidebook) seem to be very well crafted in such a way that they provide so much open space to dive into and explore on your own. For example, with "Conchomancy," one thing it says on the card after "Seashell divination" is "wisdom of shells" so it really guides you toward contemplating (or even researching) that whole part of the animal kingdom and how you can apply the wisdom shown in Nature to your own situation and way of being. I personally love how open ended that is. At first glance, that one card seems so 'simple' and yet its probably one of the deepest, most profound cards in the deck that I've explored so far!!

But this is one thing that I just love about Lucy Cavendish decks in particular - the specific words she chooses for her card titles are so... I want to say clever? Magical is the word. They are indeed very poetic and versatile; showing many different sides or avenues from which to go down in your approach to discovering what is being reflected back to you. They are alive with meaning and they seem to grow and expand alongside of you as you yourself are ever changing and growing.

I am finding that like the Wild Wisdom of the Faery, the Oracle of the Mermaids is a really personal deck for me; one that requires some deep reflection and discovery of the interpretations as they relate to my experience. In meditating upon the cards in this way, the artwork has been incredibly evocative for me. With Lucy Cavendish decks, I'm feeling as though I connect more to Selina Fenech's artwork than I do with Jasmine Becket Griffith's artwork - I love them both, but there's just something about Selina Fenech's artwork that really sparks my imagination and that I find inspiring and comforting to connect with at any time (versus only using the Jasmine Becket Griffith decks when I'm in a certain mood). So I work with the Oracle of the Mermaids and the Wild Wisdom of the Faery everyday and I find they blend well together. They take the subject that is being read about and each add onto it in very complementary ways for me, unfolding certain layers in an even deeper way. On Lucy Cavendish's youtube channel, she once posted a reading that used both of these decks in combination, and I can vouch from my own experience that they do go together so beautifully. I don't shuffle them together as she did, but I have been using them one right after the other and I contemplate both readings throughout the day as they relate... And I use them by themselves too, so I do love the Oracle of the Mermaids as a 'stand-alone' deck just as much.

So indeed, the Oracle of the Mermaids has grown on me so much and it's having such an impact on me that I am truly so grateful to Lucy Cavendish and Selina Fenech (and Blue Angel) for bringing it into existence. Now that I've opened up to wholeheartedly, it has truly wowed me. I find it to be a very powerful deck and really refreshingly centered upon the divine feminine in way that I personally resonate with. Another thing I appreciate about this deck is that it offers a lot of clarity during the times when you are unsure of whether you should act ("Wave of Power," "Endurance") or be still ("Reflections," "Time Out," "The Unseen," "Adrift"). I see a wonderful balance of light and dark in this deck, making it quite reliable to turn to. And it really does provide such a deep and delightful 'portal' into connecting with the Ocean and with mermaids (and with yourself really).

Next time I feel hesitant toward a deck as I had in this case, I'll take it as a very likely sign that I should brace myself as it may end up really stirring the inner waters. ;)
 

silvereye

I wish she came up with rituals for each card. I think the images of these cards can be used as focal points for rituals.