Messenger Oracle

When I work with oracle cards as part of my readings, I like them to match in with the Tarot deck I’m using. So, when I saw the new edition of the Messenger Oracle it seemed like a great fit for the Dreams of Gaia Tarot, and it is. There’s definitely a huge overlap between the two decks. The dragons and the Gaian influence are definitely there as is a familiarity with the art style overall. There are some definite new additions too. For instance, several close up animal cards, which I love, and two pastel coloured fairies are part of this deck.

The Messenger Oracle Deck

This new edition comes with an additional five cards not seen in its predecessor. I wasn’t overly taken with the first edition as I felt the images got lost in the huge borders, but there’s really a lot to love about this new incarnation. For starters, they’re borderless so the images really stand out. And, they’re matt which is a nice change up from the super-reflective, yet awesome, tarot deck.

One card I initially found odd was the “Become a Shapeshifter” card (pictured below). It just felt really out of place to me. Maybe that was the idea all along. The card is represented by a kitsune and it has a real anime feel about it which didn’t seem in keeping with the rest of the deck. I always liked the look of the card, it just felt like a ring in to me. Fast forward to when it showed up in a reading I did though, and it felt perfect.

I think that is one of the things that comes up with oracle cards. Tarot decks follow a pretty standard set up and so within reason you know what to expect – 22 Major Arcana with four suits that tie in together and make up the Minor Arcana. Oracles are generally theme based in some way but outside of that they can be, and contain, whatever the creator thinks is appropriate. This is not a tarot deck (I know that should be pretty obvious but hang in there with me). Due to the commonalities between it and The Dreams of Gaia Tarot, (itself not a standard Tarot deck), I initially found it difficult to separate them and see this one in its own right. Doing the readings in the book, part of what I do with every new deck, helped me to change my way of thinking and then this deck really came into its own.

I love both the message and the imagery on the “Follow the Moon” and “You Were Born to Create” cards pictured above. I also like the message in “Embrace the Dark”, “Focus then Act”, “Seek the Lesson”, “Do Not Fear the Unknown”, “We are all Connected”, and that the “Know Your Fears” card is followed by “Know Your Power”.

As you can see, the Messenger Oracle cards are not numbered, but they are arranged alphabetically in the book so they’re easy to find. This isn’t as common as you’d like to think for un-numbered cards. The cards themselves are 7 x 12 cm which makes them smaller than the Tarot cards. They’re also quite thick. Now whilst they still shuffle okay, they definitely don’t fan. They move in chunks rather than sliding and trying to select a single card isn’t a quick and simple process. But, as I have said several times before I can overlook that when I connect with the deck.

One thing that does bother, and continues to bother, me is the packaging. The book measures 10 x 14cm and therefore so does the box. Fair enough. But, there is no internal packaging to stop the cards moving around. I can’t work out why. This isn’t the case with the Dreams of Gaia Tarot which is also published by Blue Angel. I’m not the only one with this complaint. Hopefully they address it if they bring out a third edition. These cards are worthy of that attention to detail.

The Messenger Oracle Book

The book begins with a message from Gaia which felt a bit forced to me but I imagine others will love it which is great. I believe in taking what you connect with and leaving the rest behind. We’re all different and we come at things from many different perspectives. I think that’s great. Preferably we do so with an open mind though and we dismiss things consciously rather than just because they aren’t how we’d normally do, or think about things.

But, moving on, or maybe not. The book suggests how to connect with your cards. If the method suggested works for you then again, that’s great. If not – move on. She was not nearly so prescriptive with this step in her Tarot guide book. Let me say though that I do believe it’s important to connect with your cards. I also believe how you do that is up to you. When it comes to the section on how to use your cards, I wholeheartedly agree with her advice:

“The instructions for use of these cards are simple – do what feels right.”

The guidebook itself is 76 pages long and provides a single page for each card. The card image and title are followed by a short paragraph which outlines the card’s message. There’s definitely enough to get you started.

Spreads

There are three spreads in the book:

The Guide Spread (1 card)
The Soul and Shadow (3 cards)
The Gaia Tree Spread (12 cards)

The Gaia Tree Spread will be familiar to those of you who have the Dreams of Gaia Tarot. It’s the same as the Dreaming Tree Spread. I find the spread flowed better when I didn’t focus on the idea of branches, leaves and roots and instead focused on the purpose of each position. Then I found it a useful spread. Overall I think this deck has something to offer both on its own and when used in conjunction with the Tarot deck it aligns with. If you like the artwork it’s definitely worth considering.