Every month, Amazon, Etsy, crowd-funding platforms, and bookstores release numerous tarot and oracle decks. There are now thousands of decks available, ranging from new releases to out-of-print ones. Reviewing a deck helps readers decide whether to purchase it, focusing on factors like card quality, artwork, and guidebook usefulness. This month, I’ve chosen to critique the Mausolea: Oracle of Souls cards by Rabbit Stoddard (writer) and Jason Engle (writer/artist).
The Cards
From the Booklet
“Death comes to all mortals and when their time is upon them, it is but a beginning, a door to another world.
Mausolea is a vision of the world beyond, the place our souls may travel to after death. It is a place that is knit together from many of the stories that exist in all corners of the ancient world, full of heroes and gods of myth and legend. It is the true essence of these personalities and the stories they inhabit, that is intended to lend insight and reveal hidden truths of our own lives and the path we travel.
The spirit world of Mausolea is comprised of countless realms, and this deck includes 6 of these great kingdoms, each a reflection of our own world. And from each of these has been selected 6 inhabitants who best represent certain qualities and ideals, it is the power of these personalities and traits that illuminate the path before you.”
Card Stock and Shuffling
The card stock is medium and good quality, with a semi-gloss finish and rounded corners. They are manageable for riffle shuffling because they are only slightly larger than standard tarot cards. If you have small hands, you may have to side shuffle them. The cards do stick together when first removed from the box. So, shuffling is a somewhat challenging until the cards lose their stickiness.
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Artwork and the Visual Accessibility of the Deck
The artwork in the Mausolea Oracle features a dark color palette that creates a moody, dramatic tone. Each card is visually rich, and beautifully rendered. Jason Engle is an exceptional artist. Additionally, the images are strong, intense, and powerful, focusing on heavy tones that make each card impactful. Clearly thought provoking and emotive, the artwork offers a well above-average aesthetic that supports intuitive readings of the deepest plunge.
The artwork is not attempting to convey a message, but rather represent the key figure of the card. Therefore, each card has key words across the bottom to help the reader understand what energy each figure rules. As a result, the accompanying booklet becomes an essential reference for more in depth readings. To be sure, the deck functions best as a meditative or guided oracle rather than a spontaneous, image-based quick answer tool.
Mother of Dawn: The Emissary
Meaning:
From the Kingdom of Hades.
“Once a mortal woman of legendary beauty, the Mother of Dawn now represents the populous of Hades, communicating their interests to the powers of the realm. In life, her beauty was used as a prize to be granted to others for their deeds and valor, irrespective of her own wishes. In death, she is free of these constraints, and chooses to exercise the agency that she was denied in life in service of others. The Mother of Dawn illuminates the path of compassion and kindness, demonstrating that the difference between service and servitude is the power to choose. It is in this power, and ensuring that it is available to all, that true beauty is found.”
Domains: Beauty, Agency, Compassion
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Abraham: Justice of Pandemonium
Meaning:
From The Republic of Pandemonium
“Known for his wisdom and his dedication to justice and truth in both life and death, the once-mortal Abraham is the Judge of Pandemonium. He can see through any falsity or subterfuge, and determine the worthiness or unworthiness of those who come before his court. Although he arrived in the afterlife ragged, broken, and stripped of himself, that which was most real in himself persevered: his moral integrity, his dedication to justice and duty, his personal honor. Abraham shows the truth of our temporal selves; what in us is worth keeping, balanced against what is unworthy of our future selves, and best abandoned in the wastes.”
Domains: Justice, Truth, Duty
Jeanne the Maid: Guardian of Saints
Meaning:
The Realm of Sheol
“The shepherd of Lost Souls in Sheol. Jeanne was a noble and pious hero in life. Martyred for her trouble, she prefers to avoid the politics and machinations of Mausolea on the whole, serving instead those who need her help, and who cannot help themselves. Jeanne demonstrates the world-weariness of those who have given as much as they can; that it can be wise to eschew the larger more cynical conflicts for doing real, tangible good in a local way. A champion does not require a global stage.”
Domains: Humility, Disillusionment, Champion
Explanation of the Cards
This deck comes with a simply written booklet that provides good descriptions and straightforward meanings for each card. The booklet includes sections: The Way of Paths, The Great Wheel, and the Realms: The Republic of Pandemonium, The Kingdom of Hades, The Afterworld of Anwyn, The Empire of Irkalla, The Dominion of Duat, and The Realm of Sheol.
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Usefulness
The Mausolea Oracle is an excellent deck for shadow healing and deep inner work. The art is powerful, and readings require the booklet for proper interpretation. This is an advanced deck, one to work with for personal transformation and intensely guided insight. With time and practice, it becomes a trusted companion for your soul work. Then with practice, if you seek it, it is a powerful deck for working with others.
Rating
The Resonance Oracle is a solid deck with medium-quality cards and intriguing, dark-toned artwork. The guidebook offers thoughtful explanations, adding depth and meaning to readings. However, since the artwork mainly represents the figures of the realms, the keywords and booklet are necessary for interpretations. While it provides value for meditation and guided readings, it falls short of full accessibility. Overall, it earns four out of five stars for being insightful yet challenging to use independently of the booklet.
Where to Buy this Deck
If you like this deck and wish to purchase a copy, you can do so online.
The post Deck Review: Mausolea-Oracle of Souls appeared first on askAstrology.
