Customer Reviews

Graven Images Oracle

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I agree with the other reviewers that this is a must have Oracle deck except for the issue of card quality. The cards are unevenly cut and have some dents and other imperfections. Even a cheap deck of $2.00 playing cards has better edge finishing, etc. On top of that, I paid more for this oracle than I did for others I've purchased. All that being said I still think its a unique and wonderful must have oracle, but the publishers should learn how to make a better quality deck of cards and lower the price.

This an exquisite and very profound oracle, as well as being very unique in the world of oracles.

It consists of 71 cards and they are divided into 5 catagories: Spirit Divine, Physical, Mental, Social and Emotion...with each catagory having 14 cards each. & cards are the "light" interpertations or more positive meanings and 7 are "shadow" meaings, the darker events, emotions and happenings in life.

The photography is excellent! The images jump right off the page and capture the haunting sense of each card perfectly. The images consist of statues, gravestones, tombs and the like from cemeteries everywhere. If you enjoy and love graveyards, you will definately love this oracle. I've done 1 reading so far and it was just astounding, quite blew me away!

This whole sytstem is so well thought out and executed. One can clearly see and feel this set was created with devotion, tender care and love. It's very profound and complex...aI can see these cards really opening up to encompass many things.

It comes with a 110 pg. book that is really well-written, there are many spiritual, practical and inspirational thoughts and interpertations within! The cards themselves are, in my opinion, the perfect size. Longer and a bit wider than playing cards, they sit very comfortably and feel at home in my hands. The lamination used is more of a matte type. It feels silky to the touch and shuffles like butter. The back is a no border close-up of a gravestone with a Willow relief. It's a very striking back!

When many cards are layed out, it creats a sumptous montage of visions, I just love it! All my life I have enjoyed and loved cemeteries....for their art, history, serenity and calm. When I need true peace and to unclutter my mind, I go to a cemetery. So when viewing the cards and their images, I connected instantly and deeply with each image I saw, and a feeling of intense calm, warmth and "coming home" washed over me.

This is going to be an oracle I am going to turn to again and again, for it's immense beauty and it's depth. This is a not to be missed set!

"Tomb images carry weighty traditional and personal symbolism and lend themselves as independent tools of meditation and divination. Indeed, the images bring us closer to that portal from which we have become estranged, but cannot avoid." - From the Graven Images Oracle companion book

With unique vision and stark yet riveting funerary photos, Natalie Zaman turns her lens to stone memorials, revealing an unusual glimpse into the power of monument symbolism on the human psyche. Whether to access insight or information, comfort or closure, the Graven Images Oracle is a comprehensive, innovative tool for uncovering the answers to questions both mundane and profound.

Coupled with the divinatory expertise and explanations of pagan teacher Katherine Clark, the tombstones captured by Ms. Zaman are a myriad of mystical markers--from weathered friends to alabaster countenances, stoic marble to engraved ciphers, each has a story to tell and a whisper to overhear.

Stars, flowers, cherubs and wheat--pointing fingers, wreaths, columns and religious icons--all timeless symbols pointing to deeper truths and the foreverness of spirit grace the black-bordered cards of this unusual oracle.

Ms. Zaman and Ms. Clark have divided the Graven Images Oracle into five "suits" of 14 cards each: Divine, Physical, Mental, Social and Emotional. Within each of the suits are two continuums: seven cards dedicated to the "light" (positive) progression of the suit with seven cards reflecting the "shadow" (negative or baser) progression. In addition to these 70 cards, there is one called The Wall--a card instructing querents to stop the reading immediately.

Further adding to the nuance of this oracle, there are several spreads included in the 110-page companion book--most notably the 6-card Pentagram Layout. In addition to the funerary photo, each card depicts a title and letter/number code corresponding to its interpretation in the book. A simple but attractive tree engraving serves as the card backing.

Although I attempted to use the Graven Images Oracle several times over three months, unfortunately I found it be inaccurate...indeed, way off the mark (even when attempting to interpret the message metaphorically). Once, I was feeling upbeat and expansive and thought I'd draw a card for general insight. I drew a very negative card that didn't reflect my experience or demeanor-- neither at the time nor even into the future.

Given its novel design and attractive cards, I truly wanted this deck to work for me, which is why I gave it months to try it out. However, the nuts and bolts for comprehensive divinatory insight seem to be all there--so if you're drawn by the imagery and subject matter of the Graven Images Oracle, by all means consider acquiring it. At the very least, you'll have an inventive deck like none other on the market.

(To see 13 card images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing)

This is probably one of the most accurate decks I've ever used. Nat and Kat have done an outstanding job putting this wonderful oracle deck together and I highly recommend it.

The images in this deck evoked a feeling of familiarity, as though I had held the cards before. They are photographed in soft, muted colors which conveyed the atmosphere of the tombs and graves they portray.
The three card reading I did was right on the money.
This is a unique deck which Nat and Kat have designed with a very spiritual connection.
This would be a wonderful deck to use for meditation and introspection.

Can I just say, "Wow!"

I can say with certainty that the scans online do not do the actual cards justice. The vividness of the photography just leaps right out at you. I feel like I should be able to run my hand across a card and feel the texture of the stone, rather than the smoothness of the card itself!

And looking at some of the images gives me chills (in a good way)! A couple just leaped out at me right away, like The Arrow and The Willow. Those I need to look into more.

The deck isn't sticky like some of my recent small press purchases, the lamination is light and smooth.

The book that accompanies the deck is interesting and I enjoyed reading the introduction and the first part.

I've had the pleasure of having readings performed by Nat and Kat in person a few times over the past year with this deck, and I was thrilled to finally get a copy of it for my self!

To begin with, the photography and symbology in this deck is absolutely wonderful - and Galde Press did an excellent job in reproducing the cards. The accompanying book is very clear and well written. The pentacle layout they created especially for use with the deck is really nice, simple and more detailed than a three card spread, and not as time consuming as a celtic cross spread.

Finally - this deck is spooky in its accuracy. Whether you are are a seasoned tarot/oracle reader or just starting out, the messages are clear and to the point. The unique inclusion of the "Wall" card is a great feature - when this card appears, you need to do the spread again because your intention/question wasn't clear. If it comes up in a second reading, it's a sign to stop asking about that topic for the day. There are many nuances to this deck so while it's easy to use, the possibilities for growth/interpretation are endless.

Nat and Kat are both extremely talented, and this oracle is a wonderful collaboration between the two of them.

I first encountered these cards as an online oracle - computer generated - but still very accurate. This is why I decided to purchase the deck. They are very concise and to the point, with the Author's meanings clear and brief, in language that is easily understood. This would have to be one of the best oracle decks that I have worked with for revealing what one most needs to know. There is no candy coating but nor are they harsh in their delivery. They tend to tell it like it is, hitting the mark. I was a bit concerned about the imagery when reading for clients,wondering if they might be put off by the sight of tombstones, but the images are so beautiful I am prepared to take the chance. A lot of love has gone into this deck - both from the author and the photographer. A deck they can be proud of.

I am in love with the imagery of these cards yet do not find myself using them much. The card stock really is of a low quality; the cards don't slide easily over one another and are clumsy to shuffle. My deck arrived with a distinct curvature that time has not corrected, so they don't lay completely flat. Not a deal breaker, but kind of a distraction.

In addition, interpretation hasn't come as easily to me as it has with other decks. Usually I pick up on the symbology pretty quickly but with these I have to refer to the book fairly often. I'm an experienced reader, so maybe it's just that there are other symbols from other decks dancing in my head. A novice might adapt more quickly to them.

On the plus side, they are as accurate as any cards I've used. They are also intriguing to some of the younger crew (like my teen niece and her friends - "the vampire set"!). As a history buff I have very much enjoyed learning more about early tombstone symbology, which the book describes well. It's a cool deck for a lot of reasons and I like having it in my repertoire. I would use it more if the quality was better and the symbology not quite so arcane.

And the art work is indeed beautiful. I was so excited about receiving this deck. And very disappointed when I did. The quality is appalling for the price of the cards. Wow. Had these been 9.99 I would have almost thought I got my moneys worth. Like I said, yes...the cards have gorgeous imagery. But they will not hold up to continued use. I wonder if that is why the Author warned us off of Riffle shuffling in the beginning of the book. Shame on Galde Press for putting such a high price on low quality.