- Author: Danu Forest, Artist: Dan Goodfellow
- Published in 2023 by Red Feather
- RRP $29.99 USD
- ISBN 978-0-7643-6700-7
- Reviewed by Mayra M.F. Swann
Danu Forest has been involved with spirituality since she was a child. Raised in a family of psychics and seers, she grew up interacting with nature spirits, faeries and ancestors. When she was 23, she had already completed 3 initiations on the Old Craft coven she was part of and became a 3rd degree priestess. In her 30 years of experience she studied Gardnerian and Qaballistic magic and the Northern Tradition, as well as the Old Craft, but her personal focus was in studying Celtic traditions and Celtic “shamanic” practices linked to the Faery faith. It’s interesting to note that “Danu” is one of the goddesses featured in the deck, clearly the inspiration for the author’s name.
Dan Goodfellow (the artist, not the swimmer!) has worked as an illustrator in various fields, including theatrical backdrop painting, album cover design, instructional diagrams, comic books, faeries and mythological creatures, animation, and children’s books. In his free time, he enjoys drumming on Glastonbury Tor. He lives with his family in Somerset, UK.
Celtic Goddesses, Witches, and Queens oracle is a deck based on women from the Celtic lore and what they represent in our lives today. The author explains how these women’s stories have lasted over two thousand years, and how their devotion and wisdom are linked to the land, sea, and sky around us. They are each unique, but united by their everlasting power and instinctual understanding of nature and the human condition. The author aims to use the power of these goddesses, witches, and queens as a source of comfort and empowerment as well as to bring courage, wisdom, compassion and inspiration to those who use the oracle.
Goodfellow’s art is a great complement to the deck’s theme and feel. Their respective goddess, witch or queen portrayed in a way that reflects their nature as well as giving them a lot of expression and emotion.
This is a standalone oracle that can be used by itself or in conjunction with other oracles. The guidebook provides all information required to perform a reading, with detailed information about each card, including the origin of the woman in it, their history, divinatory meaning and a small prayer to them. It also provides spread suggestions, tips on how to formulate questions, and information about Celtic culture and historical notes on the role women had to play in it.
Though I wouldn’t say the cards are rich in symbolism, Goodfellow’s illustrations manage to pass a strong impression of each character in the deck. By looking at them, you get a “feel” for what they are about, and after reading the guidebook a couple of times, I believe one should be able to recognise the card’s meaning just by looking at it.
My first impression is that this deck reads very intuitively. The Goddesses have their stories and divinatory meaning, but what you end up asking is “what message do they bring?”. It’s almost as if they are talking to you to answer your question to them.
The deck is made of good quality cardstock, with the cards being thin but not bending easily. It’s a borderless deck, which has the risk of the cards losing definition at the edges with use, and the cards are quite sizeable, making it difficult to perform a riffle shuffle, but an overhand shuffle works fine. There aren’t that many cards as well, only 40 cards, so an overhand shuffle is more than enough to shuffle the cards well.
The card’s back is reversible, meaning you cannot tell from the back if the card is upright or not, and each goddess is easy to be identified since their illustration is so expressive. If just looking at a card won’t tell you who that is, each card shows the goddess, witch, or queen’s name in the bottom left corner in a little box that makes it easy to read.
I found this is a very interesting oracle deck to use. Anyone picking this up may be considered a beginner, since the oracle is not linked to any others. But if someone has some knowledge of Celtic lore and culture, they may already know many of these characters and be able to add even more depth to the individual cards.
I also find this is a great addition to the collection of anyone who enjoys Celtic culture and would like to learn more about it. I find that these goddesses, witches, and queens can become great friends to rely on when facing every day life challenges and setbacks.
Author Link: Danu Forest
Artist Link: Dan Goodfellow
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