The Faeries' Oracle Hardcover – October 31, 2000

This is an excellent deck for Froud fans who like the playful nature of his artwork. (I can see why his other deck, which is out of print, is commanding such high prices right now.) I really enjoyed reading the book and learning the process behind making the deck -- there is a charming anecdote about a waitress's reaction to the artwork for the Faery Godmother card, for example.Although Froud professes to believe quite firmly in the Celtic sort of faery, these cards are not those. You will not find most of the traditional Celtic fairy types (with exceptions -- the Piskies are traditionally Cornish critters, for example) or dispossessed members of the Tuatha Dé Danaan in here. You get instead names like the Gloomish Doom, or the Fee-Lion, which I thought was just going too far in the twee pun direction until I thought about it and looked at the card. Some of the beings illustrated are abstract and beautiful rays of light. Some are gnomes that cause chaos. Some are types of fairy that are more obscure in mythology and that were interesting to meet.The backs of the cards, interestingly, use an illustration that is also the front of one card -- it can be looked at either upside down or right-side up, and the faces will look slightly different from either direction. Bear in mind that Froud designed all of the goblins from the film "Labyrinth" that weren't David Bowie. The card backs look a bit more like the goblins from that movie than like the currently popular "fairy" idea of pretty naked women lounging in flowers -- although, having said that, not all of these creatures do wear clothes, so if that bothers you, this might not be the deck for you. We don't really see any Naughty Bits (tm), but you can readily see how some of these creatures -- including, to be fair, the beams of radiant light -- would find it impossible to put clothes on (e.g. over wings, or frog-like feet). Even the long tails some of the more animal-like faeries sport would make frilly gowns a bit impractical.I have enjoyed doing readings with these. A note of caution, however. Play with the cards, lay them out, look at them, but these are disturbingly powerful. I would not recommend actually divining with these if you are young or inexperienced with reading cards. Get to know them a while first, in any case.That said, I hope with all my heart that his other deck, the Heart of Faerie cards, will come back into print and be available to the average consumer at a more usual price point, because the writing is really endearing, as are the majority of the creatures (I would use a different word than "endearing" for the first several cards, because you don't cuddle a light beam so much as you stand there in awe), and I was entirely pleased with my purchase. Remember that this is an oracle deck, not a standard 78-card Tarot deck, so there are no suits or Major Arcana. You just get whomever you get, which is a lovely assortment -- and I found this a valuable addition to my toolbox for reading for others, as well as cards to contemplate for myself.

I personally find the deck and book to be well made. The illustrations by Froud are gorgeous and dreamy, while the words from Macbeth serve as a great guide even for a beginner like me. Absolutely magical!

Bought these for a gift as I love Brian Frouds artwork and knew my friend had considered an oracle deck but didn't have one and likely wouldn't buy one for herself. The artwork on this is beautiful.

Amazing oracle, and an amazing journey. I can't say enough about how much I love this deck. If you are of Celtic descent and want to know of the lore and energy of the Anglo/Celtic lands, this is for you. If you feel drawn to the Faery realms, and the elementals and green magick, then this is for you. If you feel drawn to this oracle at all, get it, because this deck will transform you, and is no doubt calling out to you.A few things I think are important to mention: The beings in the Faery realm and elementals and the green world are absolutely real. The beings on the cards do exist. Many of the images on the cards depict the appearance and the energy of beings that do exist in another dimension of reality. The other thing I will say is: Just because you finish using the cards and put them away for the night, that doesn't mean the faerys are locked away. They may visit you, and interact with you in many ways, so be prepared. This is not something to fear. In fact, knowing the faery realm is like getting to know another culture or foreign country. The people there aren't bad, they're just unknown to you until you get familiar with them. Same with the faery realm. You will get to know the different characters in the faery realm, and just stand back and be prepared for an amazing journey of a lifetime.As for the readings, the cards are beautiful, and convey lots of wisdom. They will speak to you in surprising and wonderful ways, always enlightening. Work with this deck, and let it work with you, and the journey will be an enchanted one.

I bought this lovely book for my niece. She is in love with it.

The artwork! :D Wow! the artwork I love in this deck of oracle cards. Brian Froud must really have been blessed by the Fair Folk!! I also enjoy how Jessica Macbeth isn't dogmatic in her interpretations of the cards. She seems to really encourage the reader/diviner/Sighted-One to engage with the Fae and to develop one's own rapport with the Good People.That being said, this deck may not be for everyone. There isn't any of the familiar structure of the Rider-Waite tarot cards. None of the commonplace archetypes are here in these 65 cards. And the work (or play) of developing working relationships and friendships with the many Fae could prove to be overwhelming for some. Others I'm sure will blossom with all of the whimsy and creativity that is encouraged from learning from the Fair People.The cards are made from material that isn't the same as the card stock used for typical tarot cards. These feel more like playing cards because of how thin they are. It seems to bother some of the reviewers, but isn't a deal breaker for me.I would recommend this oracle deck for anyone to whom the Fae depicted in The Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal movies had an especial resonance with and who would love to develop these early beginnings of their relationships with the peoples of the FaeryLand even further. :) Bless and Blessed Be ;)

The book is amazing. I used to have this card deck when I was in high school and lost it over time, but I decided to buy another this year. I love the book. It’s the same quality as before, but the cards are really really thin. I feel like I could easily damage them. Still a decent price and awesome book and great artwork. Brian Froud is amazing. The cards are definitely too thin though.