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Enhance your divination practice with this 24-card pocket oracle deck featuring Nordic rune interpretations and majestic animal companions. Owls, ravens, snakes, and other magical animals dance across these cards. Each animal embodies the meanings, qualities, and energies of the various runes they have been chosen to symbolize. These cards are perfect for daily divination practice or as a tool to focus energy during rituals and ceremonies. Ask the cards for guidance, luck, protection, or new love.
From Witch’s Familiar Runic Oracle product description
Runes are a common method of forecasting in certain circles. Nevertheless, for some reason, I had no previous experience with them. Unless you count listening to Heilung, but I doubt it. I figured someone must have combined runes and oracle decks, so I bravely searched through the catalogue of a trusted bookseller’s website. It wasn’t long before I found Witch’s Familiar Runic Oracle. What caught my attention were the beautifully drawn animals and the mysterious green colour. Let’s explore what this deck is all about!
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Small size makes it easy to take with you + Good and comprehensive guidebook | – The deck box might have needed a magnet to make it more suitable for travelling |
About the Creator
The author of this deck is Athene Noctua, a pseudonym and a species of owl. The guidebook tells us she is the artist and creator behind several oracle and tarot decks. Her creative process is deeply meditative and forms a key pillar of her spiritual practice. She aims to work with spirits to craft divination tools that open a communication channel between us and the Divine. She lives deep in the English Countryside on a renovated canal barge. Her art is inspired by the energies and cycles of life.
Cards and the Artwork
The Witch’s Familiar Runic Oracle is a deck that has 24 cards. The cards are based on the meanings of the Elder Futhark, which is a type of Nordic rune. The runes are combined with beautiful animal companions to help you understand the meanings better. I personally like the idea because the combination of runes and animals adds a layer of relatability to the deck.
The deck’s overall color scheme is emerald green. It’s mysterious and suits the deck well. I was expecting it to be the other way around, but the backs of the cards are light green while the fronts are darker. Either way, the colours look great.
The main focus of the cards is the familiar featured in each one. They are at the centre, surrounded by radiating light, which makes the cards feel magical. At the top of each card is the associated rune. The feel is right, and nothing feels glued on. The artist did a fantastic job with all the artwork, making this probably my favourite animal-based oracle deck.
The Guidebook of Witch’s Familiar Runic Oracle
My favourite part of this deck is the guidebook that comes with it. It is surprisingly good for such a small and cheap deck. In fact, the guidebook is better than the guidebooks of many of the more expensive decks. I really wasn’t expecting that.
The guidebook is structured in a way that eases you into the world of the deck. It begins with a welcome, introducing you to the background and ideas behind the deck. Next, you’ll find a concise yet informative section about runes. This is followed by a selection of spreads that you can use with the deck. Once you’ve explored these sections, you’ll arrive at the main part of the guidebook, which is dedicated to providing detailed information about all the cards in the deck.
After these initial sections, you reach the main part of the guidebook, which contains detailed information about each card in the deck. This is the section I like the most. The guidebook provides fascinating details about the significance and symbolism of the featured animal, allowing you to understand the card’s meaning on a deeper level and connect with its energy. Alongside this, insightful information about the rune associated with each card is provided. This dual focus on animals and runes enriches the interpretive possibilities of the deck.
You also get the keywords and reverse keywords associated with each card for a quicker glance. This is good for more experienced readers, but beginners will also find it informative. At the end, the guidebook gives you a suggestion on how to use the rune in magic. This is an excellent addition.
Conclusion
If I had to summarise Witch’s Familiar Runic Oracle in a few words, they would be runes and animals. The pack is the perfect size for your travels, especially if you are familiar with Elder Futhark. The comprehensive guidebook in this deck will provide beginners with all the support and guidance they need to get started. Despite its small size, this deck is filled with a surprising amount of valuable content.
