May Oracle Deck of The Month: Trees, Forest or Flowers

[DragonFae]

I am going to use a flower deck I already have (perfect for spring here where I'm at)

It's called Ask the Flowers by Beverly Russell and Gillian Redfern Rones.

It includes 36 cards with interpretations. I have used it before but it has been a long time so I guess it's time to dust it off!

Please let us know what deck you will be exploring in May!

 

[Mi-Shell]

This month I will join in again.
I do have the Flower Spirit Card
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/flower-spirit/
But the images are so brilliant and lush and up here we still have some snow in shady places and only now the very first buds on the Trees are opening, so I feel it is a bit early in the year for such vibrant images. They may be more suited for July....
Further choices are the
Tree Magic Oracle
Nature's Healing Oracle and
Nature's Pharmacy deck.

I think for the next few days I will draw a card from each of these and see, what messages will come up.

 

[2dogs]

Hello both, I'm glad we've got this month going and am looking forward to it once more. It's spring here as well and we have lots of flowers out .

The first tree deck I'm using is The Green Man Tree Oracle which being based on a Celtic alphabet has only 25 cards, and no reversed meanings are provided either, so on its own could be quite restricted. However the divinatory meanings in the book are very straightforward and helpful and have been contributing valuable wisdom to my mixed deck readings.

The other deck is The Wisdom of Trees which has 40 cards and reversed meanings, so a lot more range. Again the messages are clear and down to earth.

I don't find I get much from using just the one deck, they all have their own biases and agendas, so am continuing to use several together. Having done a number of experiments I've settled on a group of 6 decks and am going to continue using them all for readings, but they're mostly based in nature - arguably even The Shaman's Oracle which gives me the feeling of an original spirituality rooted in nature before people started inventing the more complex and abstract religions.

 

[Mi-Shell]

Hi 2dogs!
You got me interested in The Wisdom of Trees Oracle and I checked out the images on line.
Very nice indedeed! This may be something for my wish list

 

[2dogs]

Fortunately The Wisdom of Trees only came out in 2012 so is still widely available.

The art on the cards is nicely done and the hardback guidebook that comes with them shows them all again in colour, the same way as The Shaman's Oracle from the same publisher.

The trees included are a mixture from all over the world e.g. Baobab, Olive, Giant Redwood, Camphor, Ash. The book includes brief factual information and the botanical name for anyone wanting to do further research.

The deck has been divided into 4 suits of 10 cards each - Roots (Being), Trunk (Healing), Leaf (Wisdom) & Flower, Fruit and Seed (Power).

The divinatory part consists of a keyword, a message from the deva or tree spirit (similar to The Shaman's Oracle, an upright meaning and a reverse meaning. Picking a card at random as an example of each:

Sugar Maple: Versatility.

Silver Birch: "I am the mother of the forest. My trunk and branches look delicate, but I am strong because I bend with the wind. If you work with me I will teach you how to cleanse your body and your spirit to find peace and complete health".

Pomegranate: Use your intuition and instincts to tune in to the major themes of your life. Meditation will help you to still your mind so that inspiration can strike, and creative visualization will help you to plan your life's path.

Acacia: An important element is missing from your life, leaving you feeling incomplete. It will help to reconnect with nature in all her forms, but particulary by tending a garden or simply by being outdoors amid vegetation.

Well that is neat - as well as giving me a card from each suit - Leaf, Trunk, Flower..., Roots, those last two came out upright and reversed .

 

[Chiska]

Study Group Mod Note

Just a friendly note to let everybody know that this thread has been indexed under Study Groups - Deck of the Month.

Also, if you start a study thread for a deck that does not already have a thread, please let me know. I read the threads each day and do index the study group related threads as I find them, but sometimes I miss new ones! Just a quick PM is all that is necessary.

Have fun!

Chiska

 

[2dogs]

Thanks Chiska .

There's a current thread on The Voice of the Trees Oracle Here.

 

[2dogs]

Well I used my tree decks this month although didn't study them as such. I don't think studying really matters for me now, it's more a matter of practice and making sure to look with fresh eyes at what the cards are saying at the time.

Following my last Tarot exchange and some other readings I've decluttered all my Tarot decks and most of the Oracles, just keeping six of the more down to earth Oracles with clear meanings in the guidebooks that are well separated from any background fairy tales or waffle, plus my two decks of fact cards, "The Photographic Card Deck of the Elements" and "The Photographic Card Deck of the Solar System". These last two are double sided with images and text of a factual nature so I look at what they're describing then draw analogies with the questions in the reading. They work best in pairs so I can see things that match up in the cards e.g. in the linked image of a three position spread Iron is the element classically associated with Mars so this position strongly shows the attributes of Mars. The decks have 126 and 158 cards giving 19,908 combinations so could never be fully "learnt".

The fact cards seem to give the basics of what's going on, but in a rather sketchy or blunt way. The Oracle decks then point out what to look for in the fact cards to identify the appropriate wisdom in the guidebooks, stimulating more ideas and adding detail. To overcome any bias or limitations in the guidebooks I've been using all the decks together, either drawing a card from each for a single question, or a pair of fact cards for a multi card spread followed by just six Oracle cards to be matched up based on content. For example, in the attachment the Fire Dragon's breath has melted the lump of Iridium and its smoke has left the marks on Triton, the Dancer Of Joy shows the planet Mars, the beads of Manganese represent the eggs of the salmon in the Hazel card and the tufts of Fir Club Moss, the Ajoite crystal corresponds to the fin of this salmon and also the ice of Triton, then there is a match between the stripes on the Fire Dragon and the Dancer of Joy. Three of the decks include reverse meanings which can be quite different so I'm shuffling for reversals with these. In this case the Fire Dragon came out reversed but also had links to all three positions and in context it seemed the reverse meaning applied to one and the upright to another, giving a message of transformation.

I'm going to work on this technique now - having got rid of any other decks that could distract me should make it much easier so I'm feeling hopeful.

Fact cards

Oracle cards

 

[Mi-Shell]

I had a bit of a mixed bag with the 3 oracles I choose.
The Tree Magic Oracle some days was very inspiring and apropos for what was happening in my life, other days it was completely off.....
Then I only could use its messages as little affirmations for better days to come.
Nature's Healing Oracle kept insisting on repeats:
Coffee!
and Coffee!!
and Coffee AGAIN!?
..... and I have to shamefully admit, that each time I brewed myself one... with 1/3 cream and a spoon full of Honey, which also appeared 3 times. It helped. I was less tiered and could get through my day better.
Nature's Pharmacy was a daily delight as I am using most of the herbs and plants in my shamanic healing practice as well as on myself when need arises.
Have a good June you guys!
I will be working with my new Crysalis Tarot and am not sure if I will ad an oracle that fits into this monthly schedule.

 

[2dogs]

Coffee is fine but I want to know if you drank a glass of Olive Oil when it came up .

The messages on those Tree Magick cards are perhaps too long and specific, just the keyword and a discussion in the book might be more useful.

June is playing cards so that rules me out - I hope things go well for the rest of you .