Wisdom of Avalon: Yay or Nay?

[Satori]

So this one is new to me. Just picked it up and the marker cards are kind of throwing me for a loop. I've read the other threads about it, and yes I can use them like pips, except that Death popped up just now and it didn't feel Pip-ish.

I love the art on the picture cards. Just beautiful. And I think this is my favorite card back. The colors are so me, but those darn marker cards....

I need to use it more....but wondered, if you have this one, how do you like it?

Also, Butterfly as Beauty is a bit....well totally not what I see for butterfly. I get it, obviously. Just that I've spent so much time thinking butterfly as transformation, as a kind of transmutation really, that to relegate it as beauty feels like a demotion in a way.

I don't feel strongly about the book.

I'm still looking this one over and don't quite know what I think yet. Will be back with more input....

[Aulruna]

... same here, I've had them for a while though and still wasn't able to really make up my mind.

I don't mind the markers, though I'd sincerely wish there was an explanation about the structure of the deck. I just use them as jumping-off points for more questions, or as advice, depending on the spread and situation.

The "suit" that bugs me most is that of the Animal Guides, seems like you're finding some of the same stumbling stones I do. For example, the meanings assigned to the Frog seem to stem from Native American shamanism rather than Avalonian/Celtic.

The book is so shallow I wonder why they bothered printing it.

The artwork is gorgeous of course, and while the cards are a bit thick, that does bring out the gold edging and makes for a nice look.

The part I like best is the suit of the Messengers. I've started to use this part of the deck only, as advice cards or meditation theme, and that worked great. I don't think it will become one of my main reading decks though.

[Essjay]

I didn't really click with this deck and sold it on ebay. I loved the people/fairy cards but found the markers quite finite. I should probably have worked with them a little more but also found them a bit to big and thick.

The artwork is gorgeous, however, but for me it was gathering dust.

[Horace]

I bought this deck because I didn't know anything about Avalon. I thought having no pre-conceived notions of the stories, I would be able to find my own meanings a little more.

I can't get the box open... I even tried with a butter knife, but I don't want to ruin the box. so I gave up. LOL Guess they're not for me. Hh

[Satori]

I was thinking about the markers last night....when you are in the forest, at least if you were in Avalon and you were in the forest, a marker would come as a great comfort. Perhaps you are lost, you are not sure exactly where you are...and you find the marker. I imagine that would bring you reassurance. Knowing where you are, knowing someone else has been there before you and has cared enough to mark that place. Suddenly the forest isn't so eerily large or quiet or scary.

I think perhaps those cards are to remind one that when they do appear in a spread, you are on a journey, in a place that feels maybe isolating or that an issue is coming up that needs it's own space to be dealt with. Usually when you are in the forest you are travelling from one place to another place, with purpose. So the Marker cards are the signposts that pop up in the wild to aid you.

I think perhaps that might help when they come up...??

[rachelcat]

I just got the Wisdom of Avalon this week. I'm in the same boat as everyone here. (However, I had the box-that-wouldn't-open problem with the Celtic Messages. Broke 3 fingernails and got fingernail marks on the box, but I finally got it open!)

The cards are beautiful. The owl is breathtaking. And who couldn't love that dog? The cat is kind of scary, even though not on the attack like in the Druid Animal Oracle.

And the keywords seem a bit off especially for the animals. I have ignored the keywords and the book so far . . . The Messengers seem like a truncated tarot deck--Emperor, Empress, Priestess, Fool, Knight of Cups, etc.

On how to deal with the marker cards. I recently got Orphalese, and there is a great deck on it--a deck of questions. It helps you figure out what you should read about. I was thinking we could use the marker cards in the same way--draw one of them first and then use the rest for a reading on that subject. (But that leaves only 31 cards to read with. Or maybe you could shuffle the rest of the marker cards back in??)

I tried it last night, but didn't have much success. I drew "Joy" so I read on "What brings me true joy?" I drew three cards (since I only had 31 to choose from). I don't even remember what I got because I couldn't really make much sense from them.

But anyway, I just wanted to offer the marker-card-as-question-card idea. Maybe someone will have better luck than I did!

R.

[Mellifluous]

I got this one last month. I've only done a couple readings with it and so far I'm not impressed - with the artwork or the accuracy. However, that's happened to me before and eventually I come to enjoy and appreciate every deck, one way or another. I believe I'm drawn to buy the ones I buy for a reason, even if it's not clear at the beginning.

I should probably use it more before saying anything about it, lol, but I'm not enthusiastic about using it at this point. One of the readings I did with it seemed fairly kinda sorta accurate. The other one was at least half gibberish. The booklet entries for some cards definitely seem a bit rubbish to me. Maybe eventually I'll ditch the booklet or something. We'll see.

I don't like that some of them are basically tarot cards, only not. I already have plenty of complete tarot decks I like much better. Guess that's what I get for skimming threads about this deck. It was probably mentioned somewhere.

The marker cards don't really bother me so far.

I should probably just use it a bunch of times and see what's what. I might come to love it (hope so). But meh for now.

[Storm82]

where can I see more pictures of this deck?

[Adjustment]

Originally Posted by Storm82

where can I see more pictures of this deck?

Here are some pics.

http://www.tarotchest.co.uk/pic.asp?uniq=1271

[.traveller.]

I went out today to buy this because several people have been using in the One card/One sentence game thread and it sounded pretty cool. The store didn't have it so I had to buy the Dragon Oracle and a bag made from a sack that used to hold fish crap instead.

Guess it wasn't meant to be.