Review: The Playing Card Oracles

First of all: this is not tarot. Also, this is not your "usual" playing cards system with so-called "traditional" divinatory meanings (as if there even were such a thing). If you expect a book on traditional cartomancy or a tarot-like system, then I'm sad to inform you that The Playing Card Oracles is not for you.

Now... if what you want is a system that is deep, unique, innovative and different from everything you ever saw before, then this is definitely the book to get. Really! The Playing Card Oracles is one of the rare divination decks & books that actually thinks outside the box. It teaches you things you didn't know. It doesn't recycle knowledge from other sources. It gives you something new.

The book is amazing - an interesting and rich mix of images, poetry, fairy tales (all original) and divination. Ana Cortez' writing style makes you feel as if you were talking to her. I must have read this book dozens of times already and I never get tired of it. It always gives me food for thought. Also, the way it teaches you to read common playing card decks, usually used for games, is amazing. The meanings given by Ana Cortez are at the same time intuitive and complex. They bring together numbers, colours and images. And they even include Geomancy, which is a fantastic addition to the system.

This is not 'cartomancy 101 for dummies'. The PCO requires proactivity - it asks you to rise to the challenge of deciphering its many layers. You need to read the book, open yourself to its myth, practise with the cards and see what works for you and what doesn't. Ana is not inflexible or bossy: she gives you the basic meanings, but you are encouraged to come up with your own. This book really explores the world of the playing cards - its legends, its mysterious history and its usage as an oracle. It's a complete system on it's own, and what you cannot learn from the book, you'll learn from the cards themselves.

As for the cards, they are beautiful. Some pictures are, indeed, a bit dark - but that's what they are meant to be! They are evocative. Don't get put off simply because it doesn't conform to the standard definition of beauty, or because it's not yet-another fluffy bunny deck with colourful art. Give it a chance and the deck will certainly grow on you. But if you do not care for C.J. Freeman's art style in particular, keep in mind that you can still use a common deck of poker cards, with the same results. The system is designed to work with any 52-card playing card deck.

It's sad to see that some people have misunderstood the purpose of this book, and rated it badly here. What they see as a problem, I see as being this book's greatest accomplishment: being different from all other playing card books out there. The Playing Card Oracles is not meant to be a pale companion to the tarot. On the contrary, it is a revolutionary system that goes way beyond mere 'card reading', and teaches you a whole new way of understanding divination itself.

Here are some of the cards: