Heart of Faerie Oracle Review

At the edge of our world, at the edge of the otherworld, the beautiful and mysterious faeries stand, watching and waiting to greet us, inviting us to journey with them as our guides while we walk the infinite paths of the Faerie. From the book.

I was first introduced to the work of Brian Froud in 2000 when he released his Faeries’ Oracle, a collaboration with Jessica Macbeth.

The Heart of Faerie Oracle, created with his wife, Wendy, and of course the faerie, takes us a step beyond the world of faerie, and into the heart of faerie.

The Heart of the Faerie Oracle is an absolutely gorgeous deck which embodies the beauty and shadow of the faerie realm. The deck contains 68 cards (3 are unnamed), and comes with a book which gives a detailed description of each card. The book itself is beautifully done; a hardcover with parchment-like paper which features antique style pictures of each card.

The cards are divided into categories:

The Faerie Queens
The Queens’ Consorts
The Archetypes
Sprites
The Ladies
Tricksters
The Journey

The book also contains an introduction and a couple of examples for doing readings; “The End is the Beginning” (page 107) and the “Three Wishes Reading” (page 125). There is also an interview with Brian and Wendy. The book itself is 137 pages, and has several blank pages at the end for notes.

What I love about this deck is its connection to both the aspects of shadow and light. Through the darkness we discover our fears and learn what holds us back. The faerie truly embrace both the light and dark aspects, and we should also embrace that in ourselves for it’s an opportunity to grow; it’s a chance to learn who we are.

I have found the readings with The Heart of the Faerie Oracle to be powerful and provocative, just as I did with Brian’s original deck, (and one of my longtime favorites) The Faerie’s Oracle.

In short, I LOVE this deck, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in journeying with the faerie folk. It’s a wonderful introduction to those not yet familiar with the territory of the faerie realms, and also a wonderful companion to those who already have an intimate connection with the faerie.

The Heart of the Faerie Oracle helps us to return to the shining lands that are both strange and familiar, welcoming and frightening. Through the heart of faerie, we strengthen our relationship with the faerie, the natural world and those we see in the human realm everyday.

Deanna received The Heart of Faerie Oracle from the publisher, upon request, for the purposes of reviewing.