Customer Reviews

The Celtic Shaman's Pack: Exploring the Inner Worlds/Book and Cards

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This deck is not a standard tarot meant for divination, and thus can be difficult to use well for that purpose. For a practicing Celtic shaman, they are indispensible for planning and focusing a journey into the Otherworlds.

If you are a Celtic shaman, this deck can become a truly sacred object. Those seeking to use it as a regular tarot should have some tarot experience first; even then, it may not work as you expect it to.

These cards have a special format that is not like any other card/rune set that I have ever encountered. You have several families of cards to deal with and must draw from all of them. Happily, they are set out to provide a full reading. Also, the artwork on them is bright and energetic. Not if you are feeling in a meditative mood

as an oracle...
dear celtic shamans,
... we only occasionally use this pack alone, preferring to use it in conjunction with the Druid Animal Oracle and the The Celtic Tree Oracle: A System of Divination, for we find the three together give a very effective reading. Our main use for this oracle however is more often in support of some magic we are doing or experiencing, either using the cards to focus on a particular energy or helping us understand some sign or omen that has occurred. Of course, divination tools are very personal. We've had decks we've loved that others have hated and vice versa, so trust your intuition, if you feel drawn to this deck, get it. We just drew a card from it about this review and got The Ferryman, the "guide and guardian of the threshold between the worlds". Are you ready to enter the Nether Realms?
kyela,
the silver elves

This beautifully drawn set of cards is definitely not a tarot deck. Nor is is an oracle deck. I still havent figured out how to use it other than as a shamanistic set of flashcards. John Matthews launched this 17 years ago to encourage his revolutionary brand of Celtic Shaman revivalism. Chesca Potter is the artist behind the images, who is most famous for the Greenwood Tarot that has become legendary. This deck is more linear with the symbolism.

The workbook is mandatory if you want to make sense of bold, at times cryptic effort. It is a reconstruction thats not "Wicca" or anything contemporary. It relates more to Celtic legends from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany. It remains hands on while providing an authentic background. It will not appeal to most outside of the Celtic reconstruction. To those insiders, it is required.

My personal experience with it is peculiar. I bought it used and originally counted a 4 cards missing. I set it aside for several years and recently counted out a complete set! It was if the cards came back on thier own! Talk about a magical deck...