Deck Review: The Esoteric Astrology Oracle: A Living Current of Wisdom

• Author: Tess Whitehurst
• Artist: Ana Novaes
• Publisher: Blue Angel Publishing
• Publication Date: 2026 / August 2026 (UK)
• RRP: (AUD) $36.95 / (UK) £19.98
• ISBN: 978-1-922574-68-8
• Country of publication: Australia
• Reviewed by: Kim Goldsmith Cosmic Snail Tarot

I wrote a lot about this deck in my journal, and probably spent way too much time mulling over its meaning and considering what place it can hold in my tarot practice. Astrology and Tarot do go hand in hand historically, particularly if you are using more esoteric decks like the Thoth tarot. And there is now a plethora of oracle and tarot decks that have an astrological slant. So what is different about The Esoteric Astrology Oracle? What can it add to the conversation that hasn’t already been said?

This oracle deck centres on some principles of Esoteric Astrology espoused by Alice Bailey (1880 – 1949), a well known British-American Spiritual author and Theosophist. Bailey published numerous books and is said to have coined the term ‘new age’. She claimed some of her books were dictated to her by a higher being she called ‘The Tibetan’. If you are interested in learning more about her work, then her books are mostly available online. Some of her ideas in books like Destiny of the Nations have been criticised for potentially racist content. To her credit, Tess Whitehurst is quick to point this out on p. 11 of the deck guidebook: “Alice Bailey had some excellent ideas and some not-so-excellent ones. Specifically, her teachings on race were alarming and problematic. The wisdom in this deck includes many of her useful and unifying perspectives while excluding her hurtful and divisive ones.” I do appreciate the author has drawn attention to this history rather than glossing over it, so we can do our own homework on the topic and at least be aware of the controversies surrounding the forerunners of Esoteric Astrology.

Alice Bailey wrote A Treatise on the Seven Rays which includes a whole volume on Esoteric Astrology. She appears to have had a future vision of astrology moving away from a focus on self-interest, and towards community-building:

“the personality which is individual, separative and self-centred will recede increasingly into the background, and the soul, non-separative, group conscious and inclusive, will come more and more to the fore. Interest, therefore, in the individual horoscope will gradually die out, and increasingly the planetary, the systemic and the universal picture will stand out in the awareness of the individual; he will then regard himself only as an integral part of a far more important whole and his world group will interest him far more than himself, as an individual.” 1. Three Basic Statements – Part 1.

And in regard to Esoteric Astrology she posits that it is “dealing with the Life and Lives which inform the “points of light” within the universal Life. Constellations, solar systems, planets, kingdoms in nature and microscopic man are all of them the result of the activity and the manifestation of energy of certain Lives whose cycle of expression and whose infinite purposes lie outside the comprehension of the most advanced and illumined minds on our planet.” 1. Three Basic Statements – Part 1.

There is a lot to digest in these meaty volumes. However, you really don’t need to know anything much about Bailey’s writings to enjoy and immediately use The Esoteric Astrology Oracle. The main point Whitehurst emphasises in the guidebook is that this deck and associated philosophy is about striving towards spiritual awakening and seeking your higher calling.

If you have read my recent review of The Symbolic Tarot on my website, and reviews of The Feminine Myths Oracle and The Tarot of Secrets on the TABI blog, you may notice I am becoming a fan-girl of Ana Novaes’ artwork. My new favourite go-to oracle decks illustrated by Novaes are Ask the Canine Sages and Ask the Feline Sages which I bought a few weeks ago and have yet to review. Stunning and personal artwork that any animal lover would adore, and so on point with the guidebook messages! I realise that three of my favourite decks illustrated by Novaes are also authored by Tess Whitehurst so that just shows how getting the right balance of writing and artwork is crucial in designing a deck. With this duo the art and words come to life and are so relevant. The somewhat abstract concepts behind The Esoteric Astrology Oracle could potentially alienate a wide audience but I find that the deck is sympathetic and approachable whether you use the cards with or without the guidebook. On their own, the cards offer beautiful artwork that incorporates familiar astrological symbols, but in typical style, Novaes paints real women and familiar objects, so that we can connect immediately.

Tarot readers or astrologers may not need to defer to the guidebook straight away because of their familiarity with the attributes of the planets and zodiac signs. Whitehurst does point out that there are some differences between esoteric and mainstream astrology. Mars typically rules Aries, but in the Esoteric Astrology deck Mercury is its ruler. The cards include the 12 zodiac sun signs but also 12 cards that represent the zodiac symbols. For instance, there is a Cancer card and The Crab card, the former looking at the qualities of that sun sign, and the latter exploring the symbolism of the crab. I am not entirely sure what the conceptual reason was for designing these cards separately, but I do enjoy the artwork on each. Zodiac Woman featured on the guidebook cover is a kind of scientific diagram that points out which organs of the body are related to which zodiac sign, which is handy. She represents “Wholeness and Destiny Fulfilled” because she encompasses all phases of the zodiac calendar.

The classic planets Sun, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Venus all have cards, and the ‘modern planets’ of Pluto, Uranus and Neptune. Whitehurst mentions that Esoteric Astrology is an evolving, experiential form of spirituality so there is space to incorporate new information and discoveries, and that is why there are additional cards of Vulcan, Chiron, Black Moon Lilith and Eclipse.  The cards unique to this deck are the Rays cards which correspond to each zodiac sign. The idea of rays is common in different spiritual fields like chakras designated to different parts of the body and different energies. Unless you read deeply about what rays are, I don’t think there is much depth in the explanation of the philosophy behind them but you can read the previously mentioned text by Bailey if you want to dive deep into the idea behind them. In an oracle reading I happily intuited my own sense of the card in connection to others in the spread, as well as the guidebook description and my knowledge of astrology.

Even if you know nothing about astrology, each card has a simple message printed under the card title that you could use as guidance for your day. For instance, Virgo “Create Space”, The Crab “Body Love”, Uranus “Blessing in Disruption”, Capricorn and the First Ray “Conclusion and new effort” and Black Moon Lilith “Bring home the exiled”. The numbers at the top of each card are faint and hard to read, but not that relevant for anything other than looking up the page number in the guidebook.

This deck will appeal to people who prefer black and white artwork and restrained colour palettes. Most of the cards are in black, grey and white with only colour tones rather than hues or tints. The borders are pale bronzy gold like the deck box. Colour is used to distinguish each ray card. There is a graphic quality to all the deck artwork that reminds me of old astrology books or manuscripts, which is quite cool.

The card stock is fairly flexible, the cards are about RWS size, so manageable for most people, and have a satin finish. The box is small and compact. The guidebook holds everything you need to do either a one card or more complex spread. After using this deck for a while and trying all of the custom spreads in the book, I think this oracle works best in complex readings with at least two cards, but not so much for card of the day pulls. Focusing on the given spreads enables a more immersive and layered reading that can educate you further about astrology and planets. The Five Card Aspect Spread assigns some astro-lingo to each card position which I had to look up properly to understand. The first card is Conjunction representing “beneficial dynamics and influences at work” and the definition of conjunction in astro speak is something similar in meaning.

The Moon spread is a great three card reading you can do for yourself.

1. The Moon card – is the obvious challenge and the possibilities present in your situation. How you are evolving, and how this issue relates to your spiritual path.
2. The Black Moon Lilith card – is the hidden or shadow aspects of the situation. It reveals your fear and shines light on what you have denied or refused to see. It is a potentially difficult message.
3. The Eclipse card – Offers transformation. Card 2 and 3 explain how you will evolve. How you will experience authenticity and forward movement. And how you will be dynamic, triumphant and free.

The spreads are fantastic and a strong selling point for the deck, because of the way they are thoughtfully crafted to educate the reader about astrological concepts.

If you are willing to spend a bit of time playing around with this oracle deck and testing various spreads and combining it with some of your astrological study, you are going to really learn a lot. Tarot readers could incorporate the oracle into their zodiac or 12 house spreads easily and astrology lovers could use it along with chart interpretation. The artwork is strong and graphic and the guidebook messages are thought provoking. The Esoteric Astrology deck isn’t as comprehensive as other Astrology centred decks like the Oracle of the Radiant Sun or The Numinous Astro Deck. I recommend it more as a supplementary deck to add the rays and zodiac symbols as another layer to a reading. It is missing cards related to the houses for instance, but this may be because Esoteric Astrology uses a different lens for viewing the stars.   I don’t know that the oracle alone helps me understand what Esoteric Astrology truly is without doing more background research. However, there is enough of a summary in the guidebook introduction to get the gist of it without over-intellectualising, so most people could appreciate it.

I will personally use this deck in a decan walk to study the zodiac signs and planets coming into play, and I am sure I will incorporate it into my year ahead spreads in the future. It works best in partnership with a tarot deck, or in complex spreads, and is less interesting as a stand alone oracle of the day reading. This new offering published by Blue Angel, illustrated by Ana Novaes and written by Tess Whitehurst is well crafted and offers a fresh approach to astrology based oracle decks.

Creator Bios:

Tess Whitehurst is a prolific oracle deck creator and author.  She teaches about magic and spirituality extensively online, via her website, TessWhitehurst.com, and her online membership portal, Wisdom Circle Online School of Magical Arts.  Tess lives in the Central Valley of California.  To find out more about Tess, please visit https://tesswhitehurst.com/

Ana Novaes, better known as Ltg.Art, is a Brazilian artist based in São Paulo. A professional creator since 2015, Ana uses a mix of techniques including ink, watercolour, gouache, muralism and digital illustration to delve into ancestral myths and stories. To learn more about Ana, please visit https://ananovaes.art/

The Esoteric Astrology Oracle can be purchased direct from Blue Angel here:

And from all good online bookstores in the UK from late August 2026.