🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙/5!
The Lunar Nomad Oracle is a set of keys for unlocking and understanding your intuitive side, your “lunar self.” As a nomad on the path of the lunar self, you will awaken your sense of wonder and discover your creative desires to facilitate introspection, awareness, and lasting change.
The Lunar Nomad Oracle is inspired by the traditional Lenormand system, but unlike the Lenormand, this deck comprises 43 cards and additional significator cards that are multiracial and multiethnic. The Lunar Nomad Oracle cards are rich with layers, colours, and imagery, all designed to speak to the intuitive self. The book and deck allow users to explore their inner depths, looking for clues and prompts to activate their lunar side—their creativity, intuition, and inner wisdom. The symbolism of the cards helps the user formulate a story or reading. The process will be familiar to followers of tarot, but because The Lunar Nomad Oracle does not have suits or a linear structure, readers have the freedom and fluidity to really explore the deck and add their own insights and interpretations. – Weiser Books
I love tarot and oracle cards. Actually, I love any system of divination that doesn’t involve entrails or bodily fluid, but cards have always been my favourite because of the artwork. I love seeing how different every deck is, I love having that glimpse into the mind and magickal beliefs of the artist and writer, I love the books that come with the decks and how they explain their choices. I love the personalities of each deck, each card. Even before I was a witch I loved my mom’s angel oracle cards and would regularly sneak into her room to ask them questions. My collection isn’t large, but every deck was selected for a reason.
I’ve mentioned, recommended, and even given away decks before, but never posted a formal review, so I’ve decided to change that. It’s In The Cards will review new and old tarot and oracle decks, tarot apps and digital sources, and share up-and-coming decks from big-name and independent publishers. I’ll talk about the art, the structure of the deck, how the cards work together, and the book the deck comes with. Today we’re stating with the Lunar Nomad Oracle, created by Shaheen Miro, and released earlier this year by Weiser Books.
The Lunar Nomad Oracle is gorgeous, let’s start there. The whole deck features dark blues and purples with bright spots of light, really sticking with the lunar theme. The large cards feature collage-style artwork using a lot of Victorian symbols or images. Those into steampunk will feel right at home, but honestly, I think the images are very universal. Since this oracle deck is based on a Lenormand deck and not the usual tarot (learn the difference here) the symbols on each card are different and each card has a singular symbol like KEY, MOON, SHIP or MAN/WOMAN. This oracle does an amazing job of taking these everyday objects and showing the magick behind them using colours, placements, and associated symbolism. Shaheen also made sure to include MAN and WOMAN cards that are used as significators from different races and ethnicities, which I loved. Not even just because MAN 28 is like, really damn fine. *fans self* Even the backs of the cards, dark blues and purples with a dark keyhole smack dab in the middle with a brilliant full moon peeking through, are gorgeous. I hung the “info” card on my wall above my desk to remind me to look for the magic in my life.
The book that comes with the cards is wonderful and written very poetically. The deck isn’t just a deck, this is kind of like a whole system of shadow work in one box. It describes our Lunar selves and Solar selves. Our solar side is the one everyone sees, the person that goes out there and works or cleans the house or raises the kids or whatever. Our lunar self is our shadow side and also our side that believes in magic and mystery, our witchy side. The book tells you how to read this different kind of deck, and I loved the description of using the cards and their symbols to create a story. You don’t just read every individual card on its own, every card is connected and influences the others. There are no specific positions to put your cards in, but if you draw a clover and a garden it will be a very different story than a clover and an anchor. Every card is described in detail throughout the book, and some cards also feature small meditations or exercises for getting the know the cards more, and many feature these amazing questions to ask yourself like “What can confusion teach me?”. This makes it really great shadow work or journaling companion.
The deck itself comes in a very nice box that houses both the cards (in their own box featuring a black cat!) and the book, which looks great and has also kept my cards in great shape. The cards themselves are big – like, very big. I have large hands and I need to turn the cards and shuffle them from the vertical position, which takes time to get used to but is worth it because it makes the artwork that much more visible.
I love this deck. It’s different from everything else I have, it’s even different than my other Lenormand deck because of the 7 extra cards in Shaheen’s deck. That’s exactly what I needed. It helps me think a different way, my interpretations are different, and I see messages I wouldn’t with tarot. I also love this deck for pulling a single card for a daily message, not only are they gorgeous and insightful, but the book features an affirmation for each card that I really love. I’m still learning to use it, and haven’t used it a lot for shadow work just because I’m still getting familiar with it but my fingers are just ITCHING to try haha.
I highly recommend it to anyone looking to use divination to get in touch with themselves, or the divine. Whether you already read tarot or oracle cards or not. If the wonderful book doesn’t illuminate your lunar self, the incredible artwork will. Consider this affirmation from card #22 – Pathways – today and see how your lunar and solar selves react. You won’t be disappointed.
Learn more about Shaheen Miro!
Website: https://shaheenmiroinsights.com/
Facebook: Shaheen Miro Insights
Twitter: @ShaheenMiro
Instagram: @shaheenthedream
If you’re more into using traditional Tarot to explore your shadow side, keep an eye out next year for Shaheen’s new book Tarot for Troubled Times, being released by Weiser. It’s definitely on my 2019 to-read list!
Tarot for Troubled Times: Confront Your Shadow, Heal Your Self Transform the World by Shaheen Miro and Theresa Reed on Goodreads.com
