Deck Review: Ritual Earth Oracle

• Deck title: Ritual Earth Oracle.
• Author and artist:       Andres Engracia and Selena Moon. 
• Publisher:                   Rockpool Publishing Australia.
• Publication Date:       October, 2025
• RRP:                           AUD $34.99
• ISBN:                          9781922579591 
• Reviewed by:              Kim Goldsmith, Cosmic Snail Tarot 
  
  

The core theme of the Ritual Earth Oracle by Rockpool Publishing is “how festivals and ceremonies unite us through similar traditions, creative expressions, and emotional passions” (p. 1, Guidebook). This unique oracle deck includes 36 cards that focus on specific festivals, rituals or ceremonies practiced across the globe. The aim of the deck is to preserve cultural traditions and highlight how throughout history it is in human nature to develop rituals, and these are what help shape cultural identity. On a personal level, the Ritual Earth Oracle can enable you to understand yourself and reflect on the significance of your own cultural traditions.

The card stock is glossy (I usually prefer a satin finish), however it is well chosen for this oracle because the finish amplifies the colours in the deck. It is very easy to shuffle, although a little slippery. The 36 cards each measure 9 x 13cm which is a bit wider than a playing card, but still easy for small hands, and the edges have silver gilding. The box is compact to fit the deck exactly and has a snug removable lid. The size of the box makes it portable, and is smaller than a typical Rockpool oracle deck. I actually like that there isn’t any extraneous packaging.

I must confess straight away that I am not typically attracted to decks made with digital illustrations because the art sometimes looks cut-and-paste and superficial. Digital art has fast become part of the standard visual language for oracle decks, so I am rather selective about what I choose to use. Despite my initial reservations, I find Selena Moon’s artwork for this deck well considered. The foundation images are constructed around photos of familiar things, like the Sydney Opera House on Card 13. “Here we are”, but then transformed seamlessly into something ethereal and creatively sophisticated. It was not until I lined up some of the cards to photograph them for this review that I realised they glow due to the vivid colours and use of moon, constellations and fire imagery.

I appreciate Selena Moon’s ability to use colour to convey the meaning and emotion behind the ritual depicted in the card. The photographs are not used descriptively – they capture the essence of that place, the people, or the intention of the event. Card 12: “Colours of Life” is a typical example. At first glance the card looks like a moon bursting out of a multicoloured sky. On closer inspection the sky is in fact crowds of people celebrating the divine ‘Holi’ festival in Nepal and India. People gather to spray coloured water at each other to signify the end of winter and the start of Spring, and it is held on the last full moon day of the Hindu calendar. Selena has used discretion and research to pick the key symbols or images that encapsulate the message for each card.

The deck is inclusive in that it encompasses a spectrum of rituals from around the world. People are sparingly represented in the deck. Instead, symbols, objects, colours, and buildings are the emphasis making it a deck that most people could use and relate to. I have been drawing a card from the Ritual Earth Oracle for final advice after a tarot reading, and the messages in the guidebook have been on point every time. The guidebook includes an explanation of how to use the cards, cleansing rituals, plus it has four tailor made spreads. The most interesting suggested use for the oracle is the “Energetic Home” spread. Lay out a card to represent every room in your house, or every level of your apartment. Each card drawn reveals the energy of that room, whether it is yours or residual from previous tenants. The spread can help you cleanse energy and Feng Shui your furniture in your house. Using an oracle deck as a means to assess the impact of space on your habits or feelings, is an approach I have never considered before and I find this so inventive. It makes perfect sense since there are many studies on the impact of our environment on how we behave, think and feel.

The card descriptions in the guidebook also provide lots of ways to respond to and interpret the cards. Each page has a card title, ceremony, country of origin, and keywords that capture the feeling of that event. The meaning of the card and a description of the event is also included. My favourite part of the card pages is that they include a ‘Ritual’ that you can do that corresponds with the card theme. I was having a bit of a stressful time the other day, so I was delighted to pull Card 3: “The Seeker” (personal krewe, faith and resilience). Not only was the message reassuring – “You can’t change their opinions; you can, however, change how much you give a f***”, but the ritual was actually a recipe for a frozen Irish coffee that is a compulsory celebratory drink at the Mardi Gras, New Orleans. That certainly improved my mood! Just as a side note, the rituals aren’t all cocktail recipes. Card 30: “Chasing Demons” also uses alcohol, but the sake is thrown away along with any negative thoughts you say out loud, and is connected to the Namahage Sedo Festival in Japan. There are visualisations, meditations, drawing and journaling activities to name a few. Combining a reading with an activity is an excellent way to reinforce and work with the energy in the card, and this is what I enjoy the most about the guidebook (not just the cocktails).

What I appreciate about this deck is that the cards are not all light and cheery. In fact there are many that look sinister and dark, because rituals in many cultures are about warding off evil spirits, demons or energies. Card 15: Soul Return (gloom dispelled, renewal and responsibility) immediately reminds me of The Tower card from the Tarot. The message is candid: “Down crashes the tower of doom and gloom. You must not stand for this kind of negativity in your life”. The ritual for this card is Burning of Zozobra, USA in which a 15m effigy stuffed with divorce papers, old photos and letters from the community is burnt, with the intention of cleansing away negative energy. The personal ritual invites you to declutter your old paperwork, bills and things that are feeling a burden in your life. Card 27: “Reap what you sow” (rage, revolution, materialism) looks really scary first thing in the morning before a coffee, but the card is all about keeping check of your vices so they don’t get out of hand, much like The Devil card in the Tarot. The card depicts the legend of Krampus who was St. Nicholas’ evil counterpart who would beat naughty children with sticks before carrying them away in his sack to the underworld. Much more sinister than just leaving a lump of coal on your doorstep! Krampusnacht is celebrated on the 5th of December in some parts of Germany and Europe and is a festival where people dress up like Krampus to scare away bad vibes.

The Ritual Earth Oracle Deck invites you to consider your personal situation, culture, and context in a specific place and time in history. It is evident the creators have invested time in researching ceremonies and turned this information into a tool that is insightful, practical, and fun to use. I have learnt so much already about traditions from other cultures by using this deck, and I am starting to see common themes that unite us. I am surprised to say that this is so far one of my favourite oracle decks produced by Rockpool Publishing in 2025. I usually prefer hand drawn artwork, but the vibrancy of the cards is very attractive. The oracle card also functions independently, or alongside tarot cards, in a reading. Learning about people’s traditions has been very enjoyable, particularly incorporating small rituals inspired by these traditions into my daily activities. I highly recommend the Ritual Earth Oracle to anyone who wants to explore ritual making as part of their everyday life.