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Created By: Cheyenne Zarate
Publisher: Rockpool Publishing
Number of cards: 36
Card size: 5 x 3.5 in
Box size: 5.5 x 4 x 1.25 in approx.
Guidebook pages: 122
Purchased or gifted?: review copy gifted by Rockpool Publishing
Absolute favorite card: Ixchel - Protector of Women
Other favorites: The Handless Maiden, Akhilanda - She who is never not broken, Stevie Nicks - The Legend, Dia De Los Muertos, The Nutcracker and Clara’s Dance
Notable detail: matte grey edges
Season: winter
Sabbat: yule
Sign: Capricorn
Element: Earth
Tarot Deck compliment: The Wild Unknown
Collective Pull: August Eve

First Impressions

The first thing I thought of when I saw this deck is Yule, winter and Christmas. Something about the green gave me all of the yuletide vibes. I loved the minimal color palette straightaway. It makes everything feel so much more calm and at the same time earthy. I love the packaging as always with Rockpool decks and on a first pass, I have to see I’m pretty pleased with it. So let’s dig into my review of the Wise Woman Oracle.

The Packaging

Packaging is pretty standard to Rockpool Publishing. The box is solid, full color print, inside the cover features a nice owl motif and some areas of the box have a matte print in contrast to the rest of the shiny print. The cards are also pretty standard to Rockpool. They are a good thickness though I found them a little challenging to shuffle. I’ve noticed that some of the gilded edges make the cards a little stiff. The cards themselves are fine but you can feel the tension on the edge which will soften over time.

The edges are a matte grey which is unexpected but I rather like it. It reminds me of pencil drawings which makes sense. The artwork appears to be in pencil or pen so I would say the grey edges match perfectly. The backs of the cards feature owls which you’ll see little touches of them throughout the deck.

The Guidebook

The guidebook is full color as Rockpool books always are. I love the branch detail on the card pages. I actually would’ve liked to see that same detail on the backs of the cards with an owl in the center but that’s just me. Inside the guidebook, you’ll find the introduction, a section on how to use the cards and two spreads. Each card meaning has a question, an introduction, a paragraph on the symbolism of the card and then what’s called a reflection which seems to be the divinatory meaning. It's a fair bit of information and the book is pretty thick so I think you’ll get a lot out of it.

The Artwork

I love how the artwork has an almost metallic look to it. It's very striking against the green background and even though the green is a brighter spring green, every picture looks as though it's nighttime.

The wise women of the deck are varied and quite interesting. You have familiar goddesses like Hecate and Psyche next to pop culture icons like Stevie Nicks and Cinderella. There are cards for the sabbats as well as some more random ones like Dia De Los Muertos and a representation of Practical Magic. All of them in some way represent the wise women across different generations.

“The Wise Woman Oracle is a tool for self-reflection, self-awareness, and personal and spiritual growth that aims to assist you in reconnecting with your inner wise woman.”

My two favorite cards are Ix Chel, Protector of Women and Akhilanda, She Who is Never Not Broken. I resonated with Ix Chel’s energy right away. Her sense of serenity, her grace and her strength. Something about this card makes me feel at ease and I love the representation of the moon phases as she is said to control the moon cycle. I love Akhilanda for her cracks and how the author relates that to reinvention. I think as a human, I am never not reinventing myself. Each offers me a new opportunity to be something different, learn something new or find additional ways to express myself. To be broken feels reclaimed here in a positive way that hits home.

I also wanted to point out how much the art reminds me of another artist called Lady Viktoria. I found the styles to be very similar, especially the images that feature homes and witches with pointed hats. So if you’re a fan of Lady Viktoria, then I think you’ll really enjoy this style.

Purchase Wise Woman Oracle

Reading With this Deck

I’ve been pretty inspired by the readings I’ve done so far. I started working with this deck just after a two hour intensive therapy session where I transformed what’s called an exile in Internal Family Systems—the type of therapy I’m engaged in. This process basically involves taking a part of you that feels broken and giving it the tools it needs to let go of an old, traumatic identity and embrace a new empowering identity. Well, just about all of the qualities my exile took on in its empowered form were present in the reading which I did just a few hours after my therapy session.

Nearly every keyword from every card I pulled were the exact words the exile said it wanted to be and that honestly brought me to tears. I couldn’t have gotten more confirmation from the universe and funny enough, the whole reason I was working with that exile is because it had an issue with seeking validation. It's like the reading summed up, confirmed and integrated the session all at once and I’m so grateful for that experience.

And ever reading since has felt authentic and confirming. I truly don’t believe any deck is inaccurate but there are some decks that just seem spot on and this is one of them. Every reading feels right and exactly what I needed at the time. I also love how empowering the messages are. You really feel the presence of feminine wisdom with every card’s meaning.

Collective Pull

I have pulled August Eve for you. This card guides you to celebrate the here and now. To remember nothing lasts forever. Don’t waste time focusing on what you’re missing out on when you already have so much to celebrate. Recently, I was chatting with a friend who is feeling old because she’s in her thirties. I told her, one day you’re going to wake up in your forties and realize you weren’t old at all in your thirties but wasted all that time worrying about being old. So much that you actually missed your chance to be young. The same thing is true in all parts of your life. You could miss out what you already have by worrying about the things you don’t have. Celebrate, give thanks, be present and you will find you have so much already to be thankful for.

Season, Sign, Element and Sabbat

I just see the holidays and Yule when I see this deck even though it isn’t related to Christmas at all. I have always associated green and black with Capricorn so I guess this color combination makes me think of that time of the year. I could have easily chosen Ostara or Beltane but I feel strongly pulled to the winter season in addition to Yule and Capricorn. I think the energy of the wise women feels deeply earth element, deeply winter. I pick up a grounded, ancient, healing energy that invokes this time of the year so well. I’m really looking forward to working with this deck a little more come December which is when I think it will really shine.

Who is this deck for?

If you have Wild Woman Wisdom Oracle and you’re a fan of that then you’ll like this one since it's the same creator and is in the same style. I also think if you’re looking for a feminine wisdom deck that isn’t necessarily a goddess deck, then this is a good bet. There are familiar feminine figures, some of which are goddesses but they aren’t the main part of the deck at all.

And of course if you like a more minimal deck then give this one a try. I’d call it a minimal maximalist deck. It's busy in the sense that there’s a lot of layers and detail to the images but you only get the charcoal and green for color so it feels quite minimal in style.

Tarot Deck Companion

More than a decade later and I still find The Wild Unknown to be a stellar deck and I think it matches this deck quite well. The line drawings and minimal colors instantly reminded me of TWU. I love how TWU feels a bit more masculine which balances out the feminine energy of Wise Woman Oracle. Not to mention, I would consider TWU to be a winter deck as well.

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