• Deck Title: The Magic Lantern Sibilla: Learn to Read the Vera Sibilla Oracle
• Author: Caitlín Matthews
• Artist: Anastasia Kashian
• Publisher: REDFeather – Imprint of Schiffer Publishing
• Published: August 2025
• RRP: GB £36.99 / US $ 39.99
• ISBN:   978-0-7643-6897-4
• Reviewed by:  Margo Benson

The Magic Lantern Sibilla is the much anticipated and welcome card and book set featuring these wonderful cards. The substantial, full-colour book (351 pages) is a complete 52 week course – a thorough study, grounding and practice for anyone wishing to learn this insightful, chatty and gossipy divination system.

The author, Caitlín Matthews, a doyenne of the cartomancy world, has published many books on tarot and oracle decks, as well as sacred and shamanic traditions of Britain and Ireland. She is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars, and runs a healing practice from her home in Oxford, UK.

Another creation for cartomancers to look forward to (coming in January 2026), is The Original Petit Etteilla: A Cartomancer’s Guide to Divination – where Caitlín Matthews has joined forces with artist, designer and cartomancer, Rebecca Birrell.

Illustrator, Anastasia Kashian, is an artist who has been reading tarot since she was a teenager. Many readers will be familiar with her work in the wonderful Dinosaures de Marseille Tarot, and will be eagerly awaiting The Marginal Lenormand, which will be published June 2026.

The system of Vera Sibilla comprises 52 fully illustrated divination cards and is one of several small oracle decks that were read in Europe from the 18^th century onward. The Vera Sibilla became well known in Italy around 1850 during the unsettled times of reunification. During this time, magic lantern men travelled around the country displaying colourful images and scenes by projection shows. Hence the title of this set. A magic lantern show brought information and knowledge of other places and societies that many people had never seen before.

The book and deck arrive housed in a sturdy box, all of which are a very high quality. The book is beautifully illustrated in full colour, and takes you through every detail of the Sibilla system, from understanding the suits; the importance of reversals; the array of characters featured, and much more. It is arranged in four parts, plus an appendix.

The cards are numbered Ace to Ten, then the Jack, Queen and King of the four suits: Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds and Spades. Each card is examined and explained over 2-3 pages. The information includes a description of the image, the upright and reversed meaning (very significant in this system), plus examples of the card’s meaning in various contexts. For instance – work, love, family, community, health, and so on.

Once the reader is familiar with the flavours of the cards, the 52-week course is presented. Caitlín Matthews has created a year-long study plan beginning with a single card with dates in which to study. The reader/student is encouraged to draw cards for daily and seasonal readings, and is also presented with lessons covering every scenario you can think of. These are superb studies, which isn’t surprising given the intense research Caitlín Matthews brings to all of her work.

The answers to the lessons are found in the Appendix. There is a small misalignment with matching the lessons to the answers, for example, the answers in the Appendix for Lesson 8K, are actually answering Lesson 8J, but this is something which will, no doubt, be ironed out in future editions of the set.

The cards themselves are stunning. Anastasia’s art is exquisite and all the colours and characters dance in front of the reader’s eyes. I’ve watched this deck emerge online but nothing prepared me for seeing the images in real life. The scenes are full of detail, I’ve spent hours exploring them! Underneath each image is the corresponding playing card suit and number, and the card title in English.

The cards themselves measure 63mm x 95mm, so just a little longer than a standard playing card. The images are bordered in black and the texture of the cards is smooth with a soft gloss. The backs resemble elaborate, colourful tiles.

I dipped in and out of the year’s exercises in order to write this review. Something to note when getting to know the system is how delightfully dramatic the cards can be, so be ready to dial back some alarm. The three-card spread below depicted a day when I lost my shopping list and became discombobulated in an unfamiliar store!

The Magic Lantern Sibilla is a wonderful addition to any cartomancy arsenal and a great way to expand one’s divinatory skills.

To purchase The Magic Lantern Sibilla, please visit the REDFeather/Schiffer store here:

https://schifferbooks.com/products/the-magic-lantern-sibilla

Or any good online bookstores.

For information about the creators, please visit them here:

Caitlín Matthews – www.hallowquest.org.uk

Anastasia Kashian – anastasiakashian.com; anastasiakashian.wordpress.com