An Oracle With Teeth

[Barleywine]

I'm looking for an oracle deck that has some "teeth" to it and isn't all about bland, breezy New Age affirmation (but also isn't too dark or sinister). I'm going to use it in combined readings with the Thoth tarot deck, so I want one that can deliver a poke in the chops as readily as a caress. (I already own the Messenger Oracle, the Earth Wisdom Oracle, the Sacred Geometry Cards for the Visionary Path and the Oracle of Visions, and I'm looking for a substitute for that last one). At the moment I'm considering Madame Endora's Fortune Cards, the Enchanted Map Oracle (although I understand the new card-stock is crappy), and Lynn Andrews' Power Deck (but I'm not too keen on photographic decks, especially in a postcard format). I may just get the Dreams of Gaia (yes, I know its a tweaked tarot deck, not an oracle) since it's by the same artist as the Messenger Oracle. Oh, and I'm steering clear of botanical and animal oracles, which don't do much for me.

 

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I've been mining the AT library of older deck reviews but haven't struck gold yet.

Edited July 30, 2019 by Barleywine

[Raggydoll]

Let’s see... Earthbound oracle. And since you were looking and madam Endoras - maybe the Wychwood oracle. Not sure how you feel about animal or nature/shamanic themed oracles. I like both those with realistic artwork - like the Birds oracle deck, plus those with primal and cave painting style artwork. Like the Dreamtime Reading Cards by Laura Bowen. Also, vintage fortune telling style decks can be good too. Like the Grimauds Parlour Sybil. It’s very straightforward although not what you’d ever call an inclusive deck. 

[katrinka]

Why not just shop around for a good I Ching oracle? A google image search shows a lot of them available. A few look like they may have gotten the new age neutering and lobotomy. so caveat emptor applies, but there's some decent ones available.

When I was doing email readings, I had an I Ching deck on Orphalese that I would use as a single card to follow the main reading, and it always dovetailed nicely. I Ching works, it has a great track record. All of that was several hard drives ago, but I found one of the old readings and grabbed a card image. I don't know if the deck is still in print, or even the name of it, but this is the kind of thing you look for, something that expresses the meaning of the hexagram. So you want to look for something similar:

 

 

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[Raggydoll]

1 minute ago, katrinka said:

Why not just shop around for a good I Ching oracle? A google image search shows a lot of them available. A few look like they may have gotten the new age neutering and lobotomy. so caveat emptor applies, but there's some decent ones available.

When I was doing email readings, I had an I Ching deck on Orphalese that I would use as a single card to follow the main reading, and it always dovetailed nicely. I Ching works, it has a great track record. All of that was several hard drives ago, but I found one of the old readings and grabbed a card image. I don't know if the deck is still in print, or even the name of it, but this is the kind of thing you look for, something that expresses the meaning of the hexagram. So you want to look for something similar:

 

 

42 Increase

 

Reminds me of that new deck Benebell wen is offering for free at her site (you can download the images and print your own deck). It’s called Chinese oracle bone script divination cards. Might be worth checking out as well @Barleywine

[katrinka]

Nice one, Raggydoll! I may get one printed up for myself. It's not sunshine, lollipops and denial!

[Barleywine]

15 minutes ago, katrinka said:

Why not just shop around for a good I Ching oracle? A google image search shows a lot of them available. A few look like they may have gotten the new age neutering and lobotomy. so caveat emptor applies, but there's some decent ones available.

When I was doing email readings, I had an I Ching deck on Orphalese that I would use as a single card to follow the main reading, and it always dovetailed nicely. I Ching works, it has a great track record. All of that was several hard drives ago, but I found one of the old readings and grabbed a card image. I don't know if the deck is still in print, or even the name of it, but this is the kind of thing you look for, something that expresses the meaning of the hexagram. So you want to look for something similar:

 

 

42 Increase

 

I have the very one you've posted here: Anthony Clark's I Ching Pack with book by Richard Gill. I decided yesterday to use it until I find something that blends better visually with the other three. Crowley has quite a bit to say about the I Ching in the Book of Thoth, so it may work well with the Thoth deck.

[katrinka]

You might want to go with a plainer one, then. But even the plain ones I see online don't really complement the Thoth visually.
Just use some nice coins.
Yarrow sticks if you're feeling fiddly. 😉

[Barleywine]

1 hour ago, Raggydoll said:

Let’s see... Earthbound oracle. And since you were looking and madam Endoras - maybe the Wychwood oracle. Not sure how you feel about animal or nature/shamanic themed oracles. I like both those with realistic artwork - like the Birds oracle deck, plus those with primal and cave painting style artwork. Like the Dreamtime Reading Cards by Laura Bowen. Also, vintage fortune telling style decks can be good too. Like the Grimauds Parlour Sybil. It’s very straightforward although not what you’d ever call an inclusive deck. 

Thanks for the suggestions. The artwork on those two doesn't do much for me, and I'm also not into animal decks of any kind. Do you (or does anyone here) have the Enchanted Map? Apparently Hay House reissued it with much thinner (as in paper-thin) card stock. It does look to be ideal for my purpose.

[Barleywine]

22 minutes ago, katrinka said:

You might want to go with a plainer one, then. But even the plain ones I see online don't really complement the Thoth visually.
Just use some nice coins.
Yarrow sticks if you're feeling fiddly. 😉

I had three Chinese coins that I used for years, but now it seems I only have two of them. They aren't expensive to buy. But I'm really after cards to use in a special tarot/oracle spread I created.

[Therese]

Hi Barleywine,

 

maybe these oracles at etsy would be of interest: Whisper in the Ear Oracle or Illuminated Earth Oracle?

[Barleywine]

1 hour ago, Therese said:

Hi Barleywine,

 

maybe these oracles at etsy would be of interest: Whisper in the Ear Oracle or Illuminated Earth Oracle?

Thanks! I like the Illuminated Earth but it's a little too pricey.

[PageOfCups]

OMG. When i read your thread title I thought you were talking about using human teeth like you’d use Runes (because there’s a lady on YouTube who reads sea shells and another who use small tumbled crystals like Runes). 😂

 

freaky-deeky! Need to stop taking things literally.

 

although I bet you if you did a reading with teeth, it wouldn’t be very photogenic either!

 

sorry I’m not helping am I? 🤣

Edited July 30, 2019 by PageOfCups
*am not aren’t. I can’t speak English today. Hate it when I can’t blame autocorrect.

[katrinka]

OMG. Now I want to read human teeth.
I mean, a lot of people use animal bones, right? And you wouldn't even have to kill people to get teeth.
It might be tricky, though. I had a wisdom tooth pulled and the dentist wouldn't let me take it home. He said teeth are hazmat.
EXCUSE ME, I brush! My teeth are NOT hazmat! 🤣🤣🤣

[Barleywine]

1 hour ago, katrinka said:

OMG. Now I want to read human teeth.
I mean, a lot of people use animal bones, right? And you wouldn't even have to kill people to get teeth.
It might be tricky, though. I had a wisdom tooth pulled and the dentist wouldn't let me take it home. He said teeth are hazmat.
EXCUSE ME, I brush! My teeth are NOT hazmat! 🤣🤣🤣

My teeth are definitely hazmat, full of old mercury-and-silver fillings, and will stay that way until they're all crowned. You could always become a forensic examiner or coroner and have lots of human teeth from unidentifiable corpses to look at. Don't think I'd try to pocket any, though. Hey, I have an idea! You know those things the dentist has you chomp on to check your bite? Maybe they could be read like tea-leaves. 😁

[katrinka]

I'm sure I could make contacts at the morgue or the funeral home and acquire teeth, but I wouldn't have the blessings of the owners. I don't mean ritually asking permission, I mean living people saying "Here, you can have my teeth." I should go on facebook or something and ask.

No baby teeth. I want teeth with roots.

Then I could use them at psychic fairs and the angel card readers would head for the hills. It would be GLORIOUS.

[Katie]

Why not use Fin de siècle Kipper as oracle cards? There is no new-age "being gentle" about them.

 

Katie

[katrinka]

Yes, Kippers, Lenormand, or Sibilla would work if you're at least going to lay a line rather than a single card draw.
The Deste is a beautiful pack, and it could hold its own on the table with the Thoth. https://cowriemoon.wordpress.com/2013/11/24/your-destiny-in-the-deste/

[Decan]

 

I found this online, they call that osteomancy, therefore with bones and also teeth... how horrible!

Not exactly what you are looking for Barleywine, but just to note it.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/668099947/os-jet-oracle-add-on-osteomancy

 

ETA: there is also a web page on that on Seven Stars website, actually it's something I remembered (I ordered her deck of the bastard in a recent past).

https://www.tarotbyseven.com/bone-casting

Edited July 31, 2019 by Decan

[Starlight]

I have the Enchanted Map, @Barleywine, but I've never used it. Another deck by CBR that I do use is the Wisdom of the Oracle deck. The interpretations include a general Oracle Says section followed by a section for a financial question or a section for a relationship question. The last section is for reversed cards and it's for a  Protection message.

 

Les Vampires by Lucy Cavendish definitely has "teeth". I've found the interpretations in the guidebook to go way deeper than the keyword on the card initially suggests. The artwork is lovely, but possibly an acquired taste. I think @DownUnderNZer has got this deck, if you'd like another insight into it. 🙂

[katrinka]

2 hours ago, Decan said:

I found this online, they call that osteomancy, therefore with bones and also teeth... how horrible!

Not exactly what you are looking for Barleywine, but just to note it.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/668099947/os-jet-oracle-add-on-osteomancy

 

ETA: there is also a web page on that on Seven Stars website, actually it's something I remembered (I ordered her deck of the bastard in a recent past).

https://www.tarotbyseven.com/bone-casting

There's a great book and set available here http://www.luckymojo.com/throwingthebones.html

And you get a coon dong in that set. :)
I'd have taken the plunge, but it's got a dog ankle bone. They're scavenged, not killed for this purpose, but it would be like using a kid's bone for me. Just a personal quirk.
Other than that it looks like a the best set available.
 

[Decan]

39 minutes ago, katrinka said:

There's a great book and set available here http://www.luckymojo.com/throwingthebones.html

And you get a coon dong in that set. 🙂
I'd have taken the plunge, but it's got a dog ankle bone. They're scavenged, not killed for this purpose, but it would be like using a kid's bone for me. Just a personal quirk.
Other than that it looks like a the best set available.
 

Interesting and good to know where to buy in confidence a set if we are interested in this. Here and there I would be afraid that some unscrupous people kill animals for that purpose. Because of my relationship with animals I won't use bones either (from a dog or else), actually shells could be a better option for me.

[katrinka]

Or rocks. :)
http://www.luckymojo.com/lithomancy.html

[Barleywine]

2 hours ago, katrinka said:

There's a great book and set available here http://www.luckymojo.com/throwingthebones.html

And you get a coon dong in that set. 🙂
I'd have taken the plunge, but it's got a dog ankle bone. They're scavenged, not killed for this purpose, but it would be like using a kid's bone for me. Just a personal quirk.
Other than that it looks like a the best set available.
 

You really shouldn't show me these things. Put all of this stuff together in a roughly humanoid pattern and (according to Paracelsus) administer a few drops of human blood, then cast a spell and you could have your very own homunculus, like something from Beetlejuice. Maybe it would talk and deliver oracular predictions. (I realize that's not a very dignified shamanic outlook, but then I'm not being at all serious here.)

[Barleywine]

38 minutes ago, katrinka said:

Or rocks. 🙂
http://www.luckymojo.com/lithomancy.html

Thanks for identifying another source. I've used Gary Wimmer's book as an inspiration for a long time; there's no apparent hoodoo in it, rather it seems to have more of a classical European perspective. You can use various objects ("sorts") like buttons, thimbles, coins, shells, etc but I spent a couple of years finding my own set of stones on the ground during my daily walks in the woods.

 

http://garywimmer.com/writer/litho_book.htm

[Barleywine]

I probably should have made my intentions clearer. Here is an example reading showing what I'm trying to do with this.

 

https://parsifalswheeldivination.com/2019/07/07/mystical-motivations-a-weekly-meditation/

 

I'm looking for cards of roughly the same size, with at least nominal thematic similarities. I've been using the Oracle of Visions in the mix but I don't really like its "glitzy" images for my purpose, although it has delivered some remarkable insights. I'm looking for a replacement. Perhaps I should just dig out my DruidCraft; its large size has always put me off using it, but it's certainly close to my large-format Thoth. I'm really hoping to find an oracle deck, though; many of them seem to feature larger cards..