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Created By: Stacey DeMarco
Art: Kinga Britschgi
Publisher: Rockpool Publishing
Number of cards: 44
Card size: 5 x 3.5 in
Box size: 5.5 x 4 x 1.25 in
Guidebook pages: 106
Purchased or gifted?: gifted a review copy
Absolute favorite card: Solar Cycle 1 - Purpose
Other favorites: The Sun - The Centre, Saule - Welcome, Your Year - Progression, Amaterasu - Recovery, Solar Cycle 8 - Contentment, Solar Cycle 4 - Focus
Notable detail: Companion stone or metal
Season: Autumn
Sabbat: Beltane, Litha, Lammas and Mabon
Sign: Virgo
Element: Earth
Tarot Deck compliment: tbd

First Impressions

I really liked this deck right away. There are so many moon decks but very few sun decks so I appreciated the concept. And I’m a long time fan of Stacy DeMarco’s work and instantly felt a connection here. Immediately, I noticed how moody this deck is and what a blessing. I love that it doesn’t hit you over the head with yellow and orange. It still feels sophisticated and energetic just without an overwhelming sense of brightness. When you look down at the photos, you’ll notice it's rich in blues, greens and even blacks that help to balance out the yellow, giving an overall feeling of warmth.

The Packaging

The packaging is standard for Rockpool which is to say, it's lovely. It's a rigid, two piece box in full color on both the inside and outside. The cards and the guidebook fit neatly inside. There isn’t anything special about the box but Rockpool consistently makes better packaging than every other publisher in my opinion so you can expect that same level of care from this box.

The cards have gold sides which isn’t a super unique color but matches the deck perfectly and I don’t think any other color would’ve made sense for the sun. The cards are really easy to shuffle and that’s something else Rockpool does well. They’re just thick enough to still feel luxe but not so thick that you can’t handle them. I shuffled these in a variety of ways and so far have stood up just fine.

The Guidebook

The guidebook is full color as is the Rockpool way. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a guidebook from Rockpool that wasn’t full color. It really makes a difference in my opinion. Inside, you’ll find an introduction, a section on how to use the cards, several spreads, instructions on how to dedicate your cards, and a section on working with crystals. Something I found interesting is the section on companion decks. I’m seeing a lot of people offering these suggestions now. I did the same in the Witching Hour Oracle which was released last year. I think a lot of people don’t realize you can combine decks so it's great to see the encouragement to do so. There’s also one page introducing the card meanings which further explains some information on the sun.

The one thing I didn’t like about this deck is perhaps the guidebook meanings. I found many of the card entries to be stories rather than guidance, especially for the cards which feature deities. I found myself asking what exactly is the message here more times than I’d like to admit. All of the concepts are pretty easy to understand and if you have experience reading cards without the guidebook then you’ll be totally fine. But if you’re new to oracle cards or if you’re someone who relies on the guidebook meanings, then I’m not sure the book will be very helpful for you. Having said that, each card has a short paragraph right at the top of the page which does have what I would consider a clear divination meaning. The rest however, is probably more information than guidance. It's a lot of information, I certainly learned a lot of things but I do want to be honest about what to expect.

The Artwork

I love the artwork and I don’t usually like photo manipulation art. I find it to be a little too cutesy and whimsical most times but this one is really well done. As I said earlier, it's moody and sophisticated which I really enjoy. I always love the thought of a witchy/mystical like Anthropologie store and if it did exist, I feel like this deck would fit in with ease.

The art is very earthy as well despite being about the sun but I’ll talk about that more when we get to the season, sign, sabbat and element. My favorite card is Soul Cycle 1 - Purpose. I love images of a door that leads to something else. It instantly feels like you’re ending one chapter and starting another. Also on a more personal note, I’ve been talking to my therapist for the past several weeks about purpose and then I opened this box and that was the first card I saw. This card really resonated with me deeply. And, the sun in astrology is associated with purpose so there’s a lot of alignment here for me.

“This deck also features goddesses and gods of the sun from all over the world - all beloved and experts in their spheres - and all are full of wisdom and so amazing in their power.”

that I love that doesn't have any people at all. It's the Sun - the Centre which depicts the sun in the middle of our solar system’s planets and down below, you see what appears to be the earth. The reason I love this so much is because just like how the sun is the center of our universe, your sun sign is the center of your personality. I found this card to be such an excellent illustration of this idea and I strongly encourage you to sit in meditation with this image, contemplating what your zodiac sign means for your life’s personal orbit.

You’ll also find a fair amount of men in this deck. One of the most common pieces of praise I’ve gotten for my decks is gratitude for including men. A lot of men feel as though they are left out of mysticism and witchcraft and I agree. I understand why, obviously men have been given plenty of space for thousands of years and women deserve their spotlight but that doesn’t mean we should leave our men behind. And frankly, it's a sun deck which is a masculine energy so I’m happy to see men getting a strong presence here.

Purchase Queen of the Sun Oracle

Reading With this Deck

I have pulled Solar Cycle 8 - Contentment several times already and I can’t help but feeling that is the general message. It was the first card I pulled, I pulled it in the deck’s interview and then several more times since. I have to say, it must be accurate because just yesterday at the time of writing this, my therapist mentioned the need to find contentment and I was just blown away. I mean she basically repeated the message of this card and it felt like this deck knew exactly what I needed.

As I mentioned earlier, I don’t think you get a lot of guidance in the guide book but the way the cards are titled gives you enough to go on. And I have found the cards are clear once you focus on the keywords and the short paragraph in the guidebook. So if you are trying to read oracle cards without using a guide book then this is a great deck to practice with.

Collective Pull

I pulled Solar Cycle 8 - Contentment for you. Rather than trying to seek perfection or even happiness, this card advises you to seek contentment. To be content doesn’t have to mean your life won’t be exciting or that you’ll get bored. It really is just another form of peace and being ok with the state of your life, exactly the way it is. It means knowing who you are, what you want, what your values are and what makes you feel good. When you’re content, you no longer have a need to compare yourself to others or to seek greener pastures. So as you read this today, ask yourself what it is you need to just be ok. To be in a state of having enough, doing enough and being enough.

Season, Sign and Sabbat

I feel like the season should be summer and it does have some summer energy but I would say late summer into fall. It feels like a fall deck to me and it photographed that way. There’s a lot of lush energy about it even though it isn’t super bright. Just like with the season, I wanted to choose everything related to the sun like Leo and Lammas but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. First of all, I see a lot of Beltane energy here, I also see a lot of Mabon and really everything in between. It feels like that time of the year when it's sunny but not scorching. I think this deck would be beautiful to work with starting with Beltane and then I’d use it through Litha and probably put it away on Lammas. Or I’d take it out on Lammas and put it away just before October.

The easy answer for the zodiac sign would’ve been Leo but that just didn’t feel right either. I picked up a lot more Virgo energy especially because there’s a lot of what I consider to be late summer tones featured. Virgo occurs during the last weeks of summer, just as fall is starting to creep in. This time of year always makes me think of Demeter and this deck reminded me of Demeter’s energy as well. Of course, Demeter is often associated with Virgo so, I selected Virgo for this zodiac sign. Virgo is also very earthy which leads me to the element.

I went with earth on this one. Again, the easy answer would’ve been fire but that just didn’t feel right. The sun is almost solely responsible for life on earth. All the green, lushness of our planet is because the sun continues to feed our terrain. When I look at the cards, I see that lush bounty more so than sunlight and honestly, I don’t mind.

Who is this deck for?

If you have a whole bunch of moon decks then get this one if for no other reason than to have some balance. But also, if you’re looking for a deck that pushes you to use your intuition more so than relying on the guidebook then I think this deck is perfect for you.

Tarot Deck Companion

I never thought I would ever say this but I really need more tarot decks, lol. I haven’t found one that fits this deck yet but I am working on a tarot deck that would probably match this perfectly although it won’t be ready anytime soon. However I’m on the hunt for the perfect companion tarot deck. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks for reading all the way through. If you found this review to be helpful, informative or entertaining in any way, please be sure to leave a comment down below. It really helps me know what you’re enjoying so that I can provide more content based on what you love. In the meantime, please enjoy a variety of photos from this deck.

And of course, if there is something you’d like me to consider reviewing, please comment below or email me at hello@spiritelement.co