by Nemia » 05 Mar 2018, 15:33
I have both books as e-books (I live in a corner of the world where shipping is sky high). The Playing Cards Oracle book stays closer to the cards. I read it some time ago and found it inspiring. Actually, I really wish I hadn't neglected my art so because I'd love to buy a simple deck and illustrate it myself. I still would love to do that.
And the chapter about Geomancy is great; I've always wanted to learn that. (I Ching and Geomancy, will there be time in my lifetime to learn all i want to learn?) The author has such a deep understanding of it, wow, I don't think I could ever match that, no matter how much I learn
This book is a key to Cortez/Freeman's decks but it is also a fascinating entryway into the world of playing cards and what they can tell us. This book can stand well alone. It's a very rich offering of knowledge - numerology, colour symbolism, geomanty, spreads, reading techniques... it's true to its name, a sourcebook of divination.
I'm so soaked in tarot that I still didn't really jump into the world of playing cards, and I'd probably struggle with the elemental associations in Cortez' books, at least at first - but I guess the secret is to learn to live with different explanations and associations and just let them be.
And the Oracle Alchemy book, which I'm reading now, is even more independent of the decks. Of course, I'm sure if you have the decks you get even more out of the books, but no book can save you the work to connect personally to a deck and make it speak. The dense web of personal life and cards that is spread out in this book is relevant to every card reader. I made me think of my own life, past, decisions, pains and hopes, and how they're reflected in the cards. That's not new for me, with tarot, I do it all the time - but I was for some reason not aware that playing cards can't reach so deep. (Probably didn't even think about it)
So much wisdom, written very clearly, and what is best: books that evoke an inner reaction, a kind of inner dialogue about divination with an experienced, creative and respectful cartomancer.
I have both books as e-books (I live in a corner of the world where shipping is sky high). The Playing Cards Oracle book stays closer to the cards. I read it some time ago and found it inspiring. Actually, I really wish I hadn't neglected my art so because I'd love to buy a simple deck and illustrate it myself. I still would love to do that.
And the chapter about Geomancy is great; I've always wanted to learn that. (I Ching and Geomancy, will there be time in my lifetime to learn all i want to learn?) The author has such a deep understanding of it, wow, I don't think I could ever match that, no matter how much I learn :icon_lol:
This book is a key to Cortez/Freeman's decks but it is also a fascinating entryway into the world of playing cards and what they can tell us. This book can stand well alone. It's a very rich offering of knowledge - numerology, colour symbolism, geomanty, spreads, reading techniques... it's true to its name, a sourcebook of divination.
I'm so soaked in tarot that I still didn't really jump into the world of playing cards, and I'd probably struggle with the elemental associations in Cortez' books, at least at first - but I guess the secret is to learn to live with different explanations and associations and just let them be.
And the Oracle Alchemy book, which I'm reading now, is even more independent of the decks. Of course, I'm sure if you have the decks you get even more out of the books, but no book can save you the work to connect personally to a deck and make it speak. The dense web of personal life and cards that is spread out in this book is relevant to every card reader. I made me think of my own life, past, decisions, pains and hopes, and how they're reflected in the cards. That's not new for me, with tarot, I do it all the time - but I was for some reason not aware that playing cards can't reach so deep. (Probably didn't even think about it)
So much wisdom, written very clearly, and what is best: books that evoke an inner reaction, a kind of inner dialogue about divination with an experienced, creative and respectful cartomancer.