My latest card decks were released on the 1st of October and I am thrilled to say that The Classical Mythology Oracle Deck is one of them! I had such a lovely time creating this Oracle kit last year. I have always loved mythology and folklore, so after the success of my Celtic Magic Oracle Deck, it made sense to continue with other aspects of world mythology. We began with The Egyptian Book of the Dead Oracle, which was published in spring this year, and now my Classical Mythology Oracle, based on the legends of Greece and Rome, is out and it is gorgeous!
Just look at that beautiful cover, featuring an angelic depiction of the goddess Nike! I love it. It is everything that I envisioned as I was writing the project last year. Working on these oracles kits is always such a pleasure. It is a privilege to know that people will be using my oracles to gain insight and guidance in their lives, so it comes with a weight of responsibility too. I want my decks to be valued tools of magic and reassurance for my readers, so I try to avoid any scary interpretations or symbolism. This wasn't easy with the Egyptian deck as you can probably imagine, because the Egyptians were basically a death cult! But I think I managed it. That deck is certainly the spookiest I've created and written so far though.
The Classical Mythology Oracle on the other hand is light and bright, featuring some of the fine art and Pre-Raphaelite style prints, that I love, as part of the deck imagery. This is something of a dream come true and to have my work partially illustrated by the works of John William Waterhouse and similar artists, is something I have dreamt of for years. When I first suggested the idea to my editor, she was non-committal, saying that it would make the deck very expensive, due to paying licensing fees, if we were to use all fine art images, but I'm delighted that we got to incorporate a few of them in the deck, with other cards being the silhouette art that I like too. Now some of my favourite Waterhouse witches, such as Circe and Medea are in my Mythology deck and I couldn't be happier. I've had Waterhouse prints hung on my bedroom walls for decades so I'm thrilled to have such beautiful and well-known examples of his art incorporated into my own work. It feels like such an honour.
I took a fairly scholastic approach to creating this deck, because I wanted it to reflect the Homeric and Ovidian texts that are so closely associated with Greek and Roman mythology. To that end I did a lot of reading and research, looking for ways to lend the deck the same mysticism as these ancient texts. I chose to incorporate several quotations from the Homeric texts, specifically The Iliad and The Odyssey. These epigraphs help to make the past feel that much closer, bringing an ancient echo into the deck, almost as a guiding spirit.
Another reason I love this deck so much is because it is the very first project I have worked on where I have not included any magical spells or rituals. I felt that it was far more important to give an overview of the folklore itself, rather than assuming that all readers who pick up the deck already have a sound knowledge of classical mythology. To that end, this is the project where I got to indulge my love of storytelling, and I was able to recount the myths and legends in my own words. Writing prose is something I love to do and it was great fun exploring legends such as Eros and Psyche, Hero and Leander, Boreas and Orithyia, Apollo and Daphne, Persephone and Hades, Perseus and the Gorgons, Artemis and Actaeon and so on, re-telling them in my own authorial voice. In addition I have touched on the legends of Medusa, King Midas, Pygmalion, Pandora and the Minotaur. It was tremendous fun to write and to lose myself in the rich world of ancient mythology. I had a great time creating this Oracle and I'm delighted that it is finally published and people can enjoy it, just in time for their Samhain divinations.
My only gripe with the deck is that there is a typo on the interpretation of the last card. The first paragraph has been printed twice! This is an error that happened in typesetting, and when the proofs were ready for correction, I was lying in a hospital bed recovering from a riding accident, so I couldn't go through them myself. It just goes to show though, that a copy editor will never care as much about a project as the author does! My apologies for the error, but there's not much I do about it now. Hopefully it will be corrected for future editions. Other than that, it is a gorgeously evocative and mystical oracle deck and I hope that you all enjoy performing readings with it, as much as I enjoyed writing it.
The second deck I had published on the 1st of October is The Practical Witchcraft Book and Card Deck. This a collection of spell cards, featuring all new spells and it is perfect for neophyte witches and those who are new to the Craft. As part of this kit, I also created a handy poster of correspondences that you can hang on the wall in your ritual space, so if you need to make a quick adjustment to a spell's ingredients, you can use the correspondence tables to help you. The poster also features moon phases, crystals, colours and magical days of the week too, so it's a great beginner's kit to get started with.
Finally, I hope you like the new look to my blog. It's been the same for a few years now so it was time for a refresh. I wanted to create a more ethereal, whimsical place that you can escape to and enjoy spending time in, and I think that the stunningly beautiful new background does just that! It certainly makes my heart soar when I see it, from the pastel pink and mauve colourway, to the Gothic arch surrounded by my favourite pretty pink roses, the burning candle and the gentle, pure white dove coming in to land - it's just so me! It's perfect and I love it.
I also added the image of Pegasus at the top of the side bar too, as a nod to the triumph of my Classical Mythology Oracle, but also because I've been dreaming of winged horses and unicorns a lot since my riding accident. I feel like they are watching over me. They're definitely my spirit animals, so I wanted to give them a space on my blog. Winged horses are meant to be lucky too, so its nice to have Pegasus looking over my posts and watching over us all, as we spend time in the magical, ethereal space on the internet that is ShimmerCast Dreams.
I hope that you enjoy spending time in the pink, feminine, whimsical world I have created, and that you take comfort and joy in my books and oracles.
Bright Blessings
Marie x
AD: This post features my own products and books.
The Practical Witchcraft Book, Poster and Spell-Card Deck
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