Deck Review: The Ofrenda Oracle: Celebrating the Day of the Dead
- Creators: Nancy Hendrickson and Carrie Paris, Artwork by Angelica Castro
- Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser
- Publication Date: 17-Sep-24
- RRP: US $24.95
- ISBN: 978-1-57863-849-9
- Reviewed by: Mary du Plessis
System: Expanded Lenormand/Oracle – 60 Cards
Card stock: Mass-market, good quality, Bridge size deck
Packaging/guidebook: Sturdy box, guidebook incorporates Lenormand and deck specific interpretations
I’m a huge fan of both Nancy Hendrickson and Carrie Paris’ ancestral divination work. I find their approach practical as well as mystical (not always easy to pull off) and grounded in research as well as drawn from their own experience. I primarily use tarot when ‘talking to the dead’ and was excited to learn this method of expanding the Lenormand system to incorporate and honor Day of the Dead symbolism and historical context.
There are two ‘main character’ cards: The Ofrenda (the offering) has no card number and is laid to the top or side of each reading as a reminder of all the ancestors. There are specific ways to use this card noted with some of the other cards, and in the suggested spread.
The Storyteller, card number 37 at the beginning of the expansion to the Lenormand system appears as the family historian card, and as a messenger in some of the other card meanings.
“If I am remembered, I live” is The Storyteller’s purpose.
What Works (for me):
I live in Houston, Texas where a large percentage of the population spans several different Latino countries. Day of the Dead altars are common beginning in early October in local restaurants, bakeries, and bodegas (corner shops). The shrines are often dedicated to someone connected with the family business and patrons are often encouraged to add their own throughout the month and into early November. Some are simple, others more elaborate a pattern I see mirrored in these cards.
Angelica Castro’s artwork is as immersive and encompassing as any Dia de los Muertos celebration I’ve experienced in the US and Mexico. It’s meant to transport the reader into the world of the dead and succeeds brilliantly.
The guidebook is everything I’d expect from Nancy Hendrickson and Carrie Paris, and more. The addition of Spanish translations seems almost expected, given the way the three creators honor the loving way in which the Beloved Dead are remembered.
The Ofrenda Oracle combines respect and appreciation for these cultural practices and along with my dedication to remember and honor the dead (my own and whoever else turns up), I was intrigued to see how the direct nature of Lenormand reading might enhance my own work.
What Doesn’t Work (also for me):
This is more of a conundrum than a criticism, but I’m torn between using only the 36 Lenormand cards within the established structure, and the entire 60 cards as intended to expand the potential for clarity and specificity of the messages received. I may try separating the deck, but for now I don’t want to miss a thing.
I found the spreads included in the deck somewhat basic and not a great fit for the way I work, but this is a matter of personal preference.
In Summary:
I’ve worked with many seasonal tarot and oracle decks, and most either gather dust on my shelf, or have found other homes. The exception to this is Carrie Paris’ The Relative Tarot and Beloved Dead Oracle, and Nancy Hendrickson’s Ancestral Tarot Divination kit. The Ofrenda Oracle has now surpassed all of these in my opinion. It’s strikingly beautiful, simple to understand, easy to shuffle, and delivers effective messages as I’ll share now.
This year, I’ve been working with the spirit of Mallie Doby, a young woman who died in 1931, at the age of 23. She found me through a Find-A-Grave request someone posted for a photo of her headstone/gravesite. I’ve written about this on my blog, so I’ll spare most of the details here, but after researching her story I visited her grave yesterday, bringing flowers and uploading the requested photo to document her memory. The Ofrenda Oracle was at my door when I got home. Coincidence? Maybe. Probably not.
I started with the Conversation with the Beloved Dead spread included in the guidebook. After I laid the cards, I realized the spread meanings weren’t a good fit, but the cards conveyed Mallie’s message quite clearly anyway.
I drew: The Salt, The Marigold, The Scythe, The Whip, and The Birds. Please note that traditional Lenormand readers may have a different interpretation, but as I am working with the Beloved Dead, I’m listening to what Mallie wanted to say by using the oracle meanings provided in the guidebook.
The Salt is purification (as is used in many magickal practices) and The Marigold reflects the flowers for the dead this time of year. I left yellow/gold flowers at Mallie’s grave. These two begin the combination that tells me she wants to clear up some misinformation surrounding her death, which was ruled as a suicide. Aside from this message, my research into her life and death leads me to think this wasn’t the case.
The Scythe and the Whip say that she was in a lot of danger towards the end of her life, combined with a passionate, possibly volatile relationship. She tried, unsuccessfully, to break free.
Unsuccessfully in life, anyway. The final card is The Birds. There was a lot of talk, gossip, after her death but that’s faded over time, as the people who knew her and the situation passed on.
Now she’s free to tell her side of the story to whoever will listen. I’m her storyteller.
Your mileage may vary!
About the creators: Angelica Castro is an illustrator born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Mexico. Growing up around a family of artists, drawing always came as second nature to her. After starting her illustrating career early in college, she now specializes in creating dynamic and colorful art for a wide variety of projects. If she isn’t expanding her drawing skills, you can find her dancing or reading historical romance books.
Nancy Hendrickson is the author of Ancestral Tarot and Ancestral Grimoire, both of which focus on connecting to and working with your ancestors. Her published works include several genealogy books and magazine articles. Nancy writes about many types of divination, including tarot decks of the past as well as tarot from a cultural perspective. Find her at sageandshadow.com.
Carrie Paris was in the first class to receive a master’s degree in the cultural study of cosmology and divination from the University of Kent, UK. She is the creator of The Relative Tarot, The Sirens’ Song oracle, and other decks. Carrie offers classes and divination services to a global clientele in the US, Asia, and Europe. Learn more at carrieparis.com
