Review by Terri Clement
The Faerie Guidance Oracle by Paulina Cassidy
Published by Llewellyn Worldwide, www.llewellyn.com
ISBN: 978-0-7387-1968-9
Retail: $26.99 US/$31.50 CAN
The Faerie Guidance Oracle is a sweet combination of Paulina Cassidy’s whimsical fantasy art and the faerie realm. This 40-card oracle deck and 288-page paperback book titled Faerie Reflections are designed to be inspirational and encouraging.
The set arrives in a good size gift style box that opens like a book with a fold-in closure. The deck is sealed in plastic inside the box.
The cards measure 4 ¾” tall x 2 ¾” wide. The images have beige borders on the top that measure ½” with the title card. The bottom border is ¾” with a key sentence. The side borders are approximately 1/8” wide. The card backs feature a beige background with outlines of flowers, butterflies and dragonflies. They are not reversible-friendly.
The cards themselves are printed on a very flexible cardstock with light lamination. They shuffle and fan nicely.
As an inspirational deck, you will find The Faerie Guidance Oracle is what I would consider “positive” and “motivational” so if you are looking for something a bit more balanced, I would shuffle in a way that provides reversals.
I’ve come to love Paulina’s work and adore all of the images in this deck, but picked out a few to share:
One of my favorite images is Clarity. This card features a Fae in a yellow dress perched cross-legged on an orange flower. She appears to be taking a moment and gathering her thoughts and grounding herself. The key sentence here is “A mind of clarity is a mind of action.” The companion book states, “…Mental clarity reduces stress, improves memory, and decreases mood swings. If you feel a sense of information overload or live a too fast-paced lifestyle, take a moment to slow down…”
Another amazing image is Love. This card shows a little Fae all decked out in blue. She is surrounded by blue heart-shaped flowers and is hugging one close to her face. She has worked hard on this garden and can see her hard work paying off in the abundance of growth. The key sentence reads “Love is the base essence of our being, devoid of all pride and fear.” The companion book states, “…Love is giving fully of your heart’s truth without a doubt.” It goes on to say, “You have divine love flowing through you and your sole purpose in life is to know love…”
One last image that really caught my eye is Magic. This Fae has a Faerie Godmother feel to her. She is dressed in what looks like a very formal gown, carries a staff and has a glow to her. She wants you to realize that not all magic is from the “hocus pocus” realm. The key sentence reads, “Magic has a way of touching the heart and drawing power from the soul." The companion book states, “…The world around you is filled with magic, and when you put that energy into motion on the wings of intention, you’ve freed it to begin its work. Be sure your intentions are positive and harmless.”
The companion book, Faerie Reflections, is very well written and well organized. One nice feature is in the Table of Contents. Each card is listed alphabetically along with the key sentence. The book contains a short introduction and section about using the oracle. While Paulina does state that there are no rigid spreads that go along with this deck, she does recommend drawing what she calls a Facet du Jour, or Facet of the Day (Card of the Day) and she goes on to give some exercises that can be done on a daily basis. She also suggests a Crisis Spread, which really isn’t a formal spread at all, but again a one card draw to help you through difficult times. The remainder of the book is all about the cards with several pages dedicated to each card, along with a full size black and white image of each card. This book can easily be used for bibliomancy.
If you are a fan of Paulina Cassidy’s other work such as The Paulina Tarot, the Joie de Vivre Tarot or the Shadowscapes Tarot by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and are interested in focusing on the positive messages that one can receive from the Fae, then The Faerie Guidance Oracle might be right up your alley!