Review by Terri Clement
Chakra Wisdom Oracle Cards by Tori Hartman, illustrations by Gretchen Raisch-Baskin
Published by Watkins Publishing, www.watkinspublishing.co.uk
ISBN: 978-1-78028-751-5
Retail: US $19.95
If you are looking for an interesting and unique way to set intentions and accomplish goals, then the insightful Chakra Wisdom Oracle Cards deck might be the ticket.
The Chakra Wisdom Oracle Cards set is a 49-card deck with a 96-page paperback companion guide. The set is housed in a beautifully illustrated, heavy duty card board box with a pull out “drawer.” The deck is seated in a recess under the book. The drawer has a white ribbon pull tab.
The deck was supposed to be held together by a plastic sleeve but it had broken, lodging several cards under the card board recess, making them very difficult to remove from the bottom of the box without causing damage to the cards. The glue that was supposed to hold the inner frame work of the box has failed, creating a gap underneath, so if you choose to store the cards loose in the box, several will go under the frame work that is supposed to house the deck. There was a heavy ink smell upon opening the box, but that is expected to dissipate with use.
The cards are printed on a stiff cardstock with minimal lamination. The cards stick together a bit and could use some fanning powder. The edges of the cards are sharp, but should diminish with use. The deck itself is so inflexible riffle bridge shuffling is almost impossible. The deck will take a lot of handling to relax it.
The cards measure 3” wide x 4 ½” tall. The card faces have 1/8” borders with colors indicating the associated chakra. There is a ¾” banner inside the border at the bottom of the card that houses the title of each card. The card backs feature a woman in a brown dress and purple cape, carrying a lantern and staff, walking down a meandering path through chakra colored foothills. There are crystals matching the hillsides to the left and right of the path.
The 49 cards are divided up with 7 cards representing each of the 7 major chakras. This set is designed to be used many different ways. The querent can choose to shuffle and use a random draw in spreads or consciously pick cards to focus your energy with for specific situations.
Here is a look at a couple of randomly chosen cards:
Joy - This card represents the 3rd chakra or solar plexus chakra. Here a blond woman called “Dancin’ Daisy” is dancing with her arms in the air. Her eyes are closed. She is wearing a blue dress with a pattern of yellow daisies. The same flowers are floating in the air around her.
The key phrase for this card is - “Let’s jump in and see what happens.” Keywords are “joy, playfulness, and delight.”
Release – This card represents the 7th chakra or crown chakra. This card shows a woman standing in a cemetery during a rain storm. The sun is trying to peek through the clouds in the background.
The companion book states in the Inspiration section - “This is about personal responsibility and release of blame.”
Trickery – This card represents the 4th chakra or heart chakra. This card features a squirrel that has been gathering nuts for the coming winter when he happens upon a large green dragon. The dragon is holding a very large acorn with his tail.
The Personal Inquiry portion of the companion guide says “Am I afraid to tell the truth? How does that fear make me manipulate others? What do I really need to say?”
Looking through the companion guide, the beginning gives a very nice introduction to the Chakra Wisdom Oracle Cards. It also provides information about setting intentions with the cards and how to meditate with the cards. Then the guide moves to the card section. For each card there is a small color version of each card, there are legends that coincide with each card, an inspiration, personal inquiry, key ideas, keywords, and a meditation. There are 11 spreads in the book that will assist the querent with setting intention for wealth, intention for love, and removing blocks, just to name a few. There are sample readings included as well.
This deck can provide a fun and different way to transform areas of your life, set and stick to goals and can also be used for affirmation work.