Viola Lux Umbra Review

By: Nicole Rallis
Publisher: Leila Olive - Independent
Number of cards: 78
Card size: 4.75 x 2.75 in
Box size: 5 in x 3 x 2 in
Guidebook pages: 120
Release Date: August, 2023
Price: $60 usd
Purchased or gifted?: Purchased myself

First Pull: The Fool

Absolute favorite card: The Devil & The Hanged Stem (close but 2nd favorite)

My favorite cards: the lovers, the magician, the sun, death, queen of swords, six of cups

First Impressions: I’m a huge fan of Nicole’s work and have been for years. I have all of her decks except volume two of Pythia Botanica oracle. The Ophidia Rosa tarot is in my top three favorite decks of all times and probably the deck I use the most. So there was no question I would get this one too when she announced it. And the reason I love these decks is the aesthetic. Muted colors are my space. I have a lot of colors on my Instagram because publications have a lot of color but in my personal life, I rarely drift too far outside of neutral colors and when I do, they are in very earthy, muted shades. You can’t get much more neutral than tea stained backgrounds, soft black illustrations, and minimal pops of gold, maroon, violet and dusty rose.

The cards are top quality as always. One of the benefits of being independently published is that she can control every part of the printing process, something most authors don’t get to decide when you’re published. The cardstock is super thick, again, like all of her decks, and have matte gold gilding on the edges. The box is a nice sturdy two piece with gorgeous details along the sides and inside of the box (see below). The guidebook is small but equally gorgeous with plenty of illustrations, although the internal pages are black and white. It would’ve been lovely to see the same backgrounds from the cards carried through but also not a big deal as that would definitely cost extra so I understand.

My absolute favorite card is the devil (P.S. I’ve pulled this card for my life purpose more times than I can count). This card is about feeling trapped by temptation and not wanting to take responsibility for your choices. You really get that from this card. There are a variety of botanicals and fungi covered by what appears to be a terrarium top of some kind with cracks along its sides. So it’s very easy to break and ultimately, the contents can be freed at anytime. This is a very abstract deck— there are no people at all. So while beautiful and accurate, sometimes her illustrations (in previous decks) don’t always fully capture the meaning of the card, at least in my opinion. Which is fine. That’s the point of having different decks. But this card, the devil, is one of the most beautiful representations I have ever seen in any deck, people or not. I would love to have a print or mug or bag or something with this image. It really speaks to me.

My second favorite card is the Hanged Man, renamed the Hanged Stem here. I’m realizing how much I have identified with the hanged man recently but that’s a story for another time. I love the renaming of the hanging stem. It reminds me of my own practice of hanging and drying flowers, something I’ve done for years. Much like the devil card, it perfectly captures the heart of this card’s meaning. The Hanged Man is about taking a pause to gain a new perspective and possibly find a new path. Dried flowers really represent this meaning because its a chance to breath new life into something most people believe are past its prime. There’s actually a dried flowers card in Seasons of the Witch Lammas Oracle with this exact interpretation. So seeing the Hanged Stem really felt like a full circle moment for me and confirmation of something near to my heart.

One more card before I talk about the guidebook— the sun. This card features a pitcher of marigolds pouring water out onto the sun. This seemed counterintuitive at first but I’ve interpreted it as nourishing your solar energy. Around the sun’s image are stems of chamomile, one going in the direction of the water and the other going the opposite direction and pointing back to the pitcher. To me, this represents karma, what goes around comes around, and how when you nourish your light, it will support you in return. Honestly, this one might be my favorite too. The major arcana cards in this deck are especially beautiful and I’m almost brought to tears by how much I’m resonating with the artwork.

So I lied, because I also want to talk about a few more cards. There are a ton which feature snakes and I love it. Snakes represent rebirth and transformation but are of course associated with the devil from the story of Adam and Eve. I think snakes are beautiful and so representative of deeper spiritual work. Nicole has always used a lot of snakes in her work but again, this deck really feels like she has reached a new level. I think this is her best work yet.

I wanted to keep the guidebook for last because it’s the one thing I don’t care for. First of all, there are a nice selection of spreads, including a spread for each season which I might borrow, Nicole! I think it’s a great idea and I’m looking forward to using them season after season, year after year. Each card corresponds to a botanical which you will find in the card’s interpretation as well as a selection of keywords. But the interpretations themselves are more like poetry than meanings. Beautiful poetry but I don’t think they are very accessible for beginners.

In Seasons of the Witch Samhain, Juliet had written beautiful poetic invocations but many people had a problem with them. They found them too abstract and difficult to apply to their readings and I believe the same will be true with these interpretations. It's a shame because her words are beautiful but one thing you learn very quickly when you’re working with a publisher is that you have to consider beginners when writing. There are going to be people who are using your work to introduce them to tarot and oracle and if it’s too abstract, it may overwhelm them before they can get started. So we changed this practice in the rest of the SOTW decks, keeping in mind, people are coming to us to learn.

The guidebook is totally ok for me because I’ve been reading for so long and actually, I used the Ophidia Rosa tarot as a challenge deck when I was ready to stop using guidebooks all together. But if you’re just starting out, and still love this deck, I would highly recommend getting a separate tarot book with interpretations to help you until you’re further along in your practice and more comfortable relying on your intuition.

Who is this deck for?

As I’ve said above, I think this book is for advanced readers or readers who are looking to evolve from intermediate to advanced. You won’t find the traditional symbolism from the RWS (Rider Waite Smith) decks, there are no people after all and this deck is very abstract. But if you’ve been reading for a while and ready for a challenge, I couldn’t recommend this deck more.

Or if you are drawn to its aesthetic, then go for it. I think feeling connected to the deck is more important than the words in the guidebook. Unlike an oracle deck, you can find a book or use a guidebook from a different deck if needed. So don’t let that put you off if you genuinely enjoy it. Trust what you feel, these might be your kind of messages and if so, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Is this deck for you? Whether you're a seasoned oracle reader or a beginner, I'd love to know what you think about this deck. Drop your comments below and let's connect!