By Lo Scarabeo & Paolo Barbieri
Review
Today I take you with me on a new enchanted journey, uncovering the Fantasy Cats Oracle deck. Not only is this deck designed by one of my most beloved illustrators ever – Paolo Barbieri – but it is also published by Lo Scarabeo publishing house, which I adore for their constant attention to inventiveness and detail in their wonderful artistic creations. A perfect combo ?
Born in 1987 in Turin – one of the most magical and esoteric cities in the world – Edizioni d’Arte Lo Scarabeo have established themselves internationally for their unique taste in art and illustration: emotional, suggestive and rigorous at the same time. From this passion for graphic art, the publishing house has gradually specialised above all in the field of tarot cards, oracles, and sibyls, showcasing important collaborations with some of the best known Italian and foreign artists and experts. I myself own several oracle decks by Lo Scarabeo, which I have collected through the years: for instance the Wiccan Oracle and the Earth Wisdom Oracle, with their evocative simplicity and clarity, still represent two decks to which I often turn for my oracular readings – and they are never wrong.
Wiccan Oracle, Lo Scarabeo – Picture Credit: Olga Noyda
But let’s get to the brand new, wonderful Fantasy Cats Oracle. As soon as I opened the box and let the cards flow in my hands and on my wooden table, my first impression was dreamlike and otherworldly. I immediately felt transported into a fairy forest, as only Paolo Barbieri‘s skill is able to do. The central theme of this oracle deck is indeed the cat in a fantasy key, in all the mysterious facets of this ancient animal, revered as a god by the Egyptians and considered to be the witches’ familiar par excellence.
The Fantasy Cats Oracle has an innovative and very interesting structure. It is made up of 15 cards, each containing a message inherent to cats and their personality: for instance, Grooming, Cuddling, and Ruling. And in addition, two other sets of 4 cards each: the first refers to the four seasons – Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter – , while the second refers to four attitudes: desiring transformation, intimacy, balance, or belonging. The three card spreads proposed in the accompanying manual allow readings that include these three oracular elements, that provide answers not only to the ‘what’, but also the how and when.
Here above are the cards I loved the most in this deck. Climbing, with its evocative birch-man climbed by a ginger cat; Enchantment, with its Renaissance witch and cat-flame inside a lantern; Fall and Winter, with their suggestive forest and stellar representations; Dreaming, with its black cat immersed in a lunar landscape; and Cuddling, with a white cat and a fairy united by the female symbol.
I give full marks to this deck, both for the incredible beauty of the illustrations and for the interesting reading format. I love it!
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To journey with me with this deck, for a truly enchanted oracular reading …Contact me!
