The Winged Enchantment Oracle

Hello, soul friends!

Today's review is features a deck that I found very interesting when I saw it in a local shop here in Houston last year. I like that they have "Demo Decks", so you can open the decks and look through them to see if you are drawn to all of the images. This deck stood out to me and it was different than what I had already, so I treated myself (birthday fun) and thought it would be an interesting addition.

I hope you enjoy my review and generous pictures!

I purchased this beauty locally and found it to be interesting enough to not want to put back! At the time I did not realize that it was a bird-centric deck. I know. I know. How did I not put two and two together? I have no idea. But I didn't. Not until I got home and really started looking at each card. It all kind of clicked and made sense to me (although the name should have tipped me off).

Amazon's description is:

Inspired by the majesty and mythos of birds great and small, The Winged Enchantment Oracle invites us to spread our wings as we venture on our own soul journeys. Mesmerizing shape-shifter artwork beckons us to see multiple levels of meaning and new perspectives on our earthly experiences. The set includes 39 oracle cards and a 48-page illustrated guidebook with custom card spreads.

About the author

Lesley Morrison (Vancouver, Canada) has studied animals within religious, spiritual, and multicultural frameworks for over fifteen years. She is also an avid bird watcher and wildlife rescuer.

About the Illustrator

Lisa has generated a vast body of work including the Celtic Dragon Tarot, a deck that has sold over 100,000 copies worldwide. Her work has been translated into numerous languages and has been described as "guideposts through the psyche". In addition to Lisa's divinatory work, she authored and illustrated a full-color book entitled Celestial Goddesses (Llewellyn). Her art has appeared in numerous periodicals, book covers, calendars, collectible card games, and books. Lisa holds a Masters degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Vermont College/Union Institute with an emphasis on Jungian Psychology/Art & Drawing, and has devoted the last 20+ years to researching, writing, and painting animals, fairy tales, myths, legend, and lore. Lisa's work has garnered numerous awards including a COVR (The Coalition of Visionary Resources) award, Best Oracle Deck by both Tarot Reflections and The Tarot Association (Tarosophy), and about.com Readers' Choice Award for Best Tarot Deck. Celtic Dragon, Animals Divine, Ghost & Spirits, and The Fairy Tale Tarot and Fairy Tale Lenormand are all available as apps for iOS and Android mobile devices (via The Fool's Dog). Lisa's latest release, Fairy Tale Lenormand was the Winner of Best Lenormand Deck 2016 by the Tarot Association. Lisa is currently working on her 9th card deck project with author Lynn Araujo (US Games). Lisa lives at Fairy Tale Corners in South Florida.

My Personal Review

The Winged Enchantment Oracle is a 39-card deck includes a 48-page booklet. This deck reminded me a lot of the Journey to the Goddess Realms. As I didn't initially put two and two together that this deck was based on only birds and such, I just was drawn to the powerful artwork. It reminded me a lot of Josephine Wall's artwork.

The images are so striking and each card tells it's own story. "If you want to fly, let go of everything that weighs you down." - From the introduction. Lisa Hunt has joined forces with Lesley Morrison to merge the human spirit with nature’s winged spirits. Her 39 subtlety dynamic watercolors pay homage to the creatures sometimes referred to as the messengers of God. Birds often have played a role in me receiving messages or paying attention the messages I receive. This deck was like finding a new feather daily! I could connect to it and realize what I needed to refocus on or where I needed to invest my energy.

Whether you use the cards for divination, meditation, or just enjoy the beauty of the paintings, these cards will prove uplifting and inspirational. The companion booklet by Lesley Morrison is beautifully written and explores the metaphor of bird as elevated human spirit poetically but with a clear eye. Each bird represented has it own haiku-like heralding statement - “You are presence. You are survival. You are bold ambition. You are Blue Jay.” From condor to hummingbird, the strength of each unique bird is highlighted in both word and paint. This deck will take you anywhere you are ready to go.

I love the shape-shifting art. I felt that it invites us to spread our wings and venture on our own soul journey. The guidebook/booklet contains the descriptions for each card, listed in alphabetical order. The card faces have the card number and the name of the bird located the bottom center. Although the card back design allows for reversals, no reversed meanings are given in the description.

The spreads designed for this deck are The Single Card Draw, The Classic Three-Card Spread, The Hidden Influence Spread, The Grounding Spread and The Bird In Flight Spread.

This deck will appeal to anyone wishing to increase intuition and to get in touch with bird energies, or to see how certain birds can bring intuitive healing into our lives. It’s shape-shifting art is powerful and detailed. The deck goes beyond a simple oracle deck and can be a great tool for your spiritual journey, especially when trying to connect to avian energies. The size of the cards is quite a bit larger than a traditional tarot card and the overall product dimensions: 3.7 x 0.9 x 5.9 inches. U.S. Games Systems Inc. is who publishes the deck.

The card stock is not super thick, slight matte, and allows you get a nice bend without cracking the card stock. They don't bend too much, or hold the bend. I also love that these beauties are great to take pictures of since they are a slight matte finish that doesn't take away from the beauty of the artwork. I find it to be a beautiful and a unique addition to any collection.

I disliked the box. Tuck boxes are not my favorite, as they end up getting really beat up if you like to keep your decks in their boxes. Plus, there is hardly any space to get the cards and guidebook to fit perfectly each time, but that just may be my own personal problem. I dislike ruining my tools.

The guidebook was simple, haiku styled information, so I didn't really connect with it as much as I could have. I feel that this deck is perfect for someone who is comfortable enough devising their own meanings and is also into avian messages. I really like the way Lesley Morrison wrote the accompanying guidebook, using first person to give us the feeling that each bird is speaking directly to us about itself. At the end of each bird’s self-description, the reader is addressed as “You,” encouraging us to identify with and own the qualities we have just read about. So I found that to be a bit more of a different way to communicate in the guidebook.

One excellent way to get to know the deck is to study the card for a few minutes, then read the page in the guidebook, then study the card again, and read the guidebook page again. From Blackbird to Wren, you will see and understand something new and valuable each time.

Overall, I found this to be an exceptionally beautiful and different Oracle deck. The artwork is simply breathtaking. I could look through each card and still find missing or hidden elements that weren't visible the first time I used it.

My overall opinion is that this deck is a 3 star choice.

Artwork - 5 stars

Card stock - 4 stars

Ease - 2 stars

Guidebook - 2 stars

I hope that you enjoyed my deck review, and also enjoy other deck reviews that I add to this site. I have a passion for exploring new decks and also finding various ways of connecting to my intuition. I appreciate you checking out my site and taking the time to read my review.

Happy Reading!