The Magickal Botanical Oracle: Plants from the Witch's Garden (The Magickal Botanical, 1) Cards – November 8, 2022

I'm a professional Tarot reader, and with a name like Christopher Penczak attached to these exquisitely illustrated cards, I'm shocked I'm the first to review this!Penczak is the author of the world-renowned Temple of Witchcraft series of how-to books for all things witchcraft, which countless witches worldwide have used to start and hone their Craft. In fact, Mat Auryn, author of the recently popular Psychic Witch book, studied under Penczak's Temple of Witchcraft, and basically wrote a wonderful miniature version of Penczak's Inner Temple of Witchcraft book.Penczak also wrote The Plant Spirit Familiar, which was a huge inspiration to Maxine Miller, the illustrator of these cards, plus Coby Michael, author of The Poison Path Herbal. These cards and guidebook thankfully combine BOTH benevolent and baneful plants into one deck, which is unfortunately a rarity in both decks and post-1970s books dealing with the magical aspects of plants. Where this differs from Southern Botanical Oracle is that the poisonous plants aren't sold in a separate expansion, and where it differs from Fez Inkwright's Seed and Sickle Oracle is the guidebook includes a wonderful bibliography for further study and cross-referencing.Miller has created the most magical plant deck I've ever laid eyes on with 33 ethereal depictions of Plant Spirits. The crisp linework and occasional bursts of color remind me of grimoire drawings of old. The large size, elegant text, and easily referenced Hermetic elemental and Western planetary correspondences (please note Eastern elemental and planetary/Astrological correspondences may differ) on each card make these ideal for readings, spells, rituals, altar art, meditation tools, etc.Penczak's 224-page color guidebook is phenomenal. Each plant entry includes the Latin name, planetary and elemental correspondences, magical meaning, plant spirit medicine, divination meaning, reversed divination meaning, and affirmation. There are also several wonderful spreads, rituals, a meditation exercise, and a sprinkling of beautiful poems honoring the plant spirits you may come to know working with this gorgeous deck.The Magickal Botanical Oracle truly is an amazing resource regardless of your experience level with Withcraft, Shamanism, and Plant Spirits.For further reading to expand your personal growth and relationship with these plant spirits, I highly recommend Penczak's The Plant Spirit Familiar, Coby Michael's The Poison Path Herbal, and Paul Beyerl's The Master Book of Herbalism, which I've found to be much more comprehensive than Scott Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs.

From Cassie: I want to frame every picture and page but then I couldn’t use them!!I cannot even scratch the surface of how intrinsic, beautiful, mysterious and alluringly powerful this deck is..and I’ve only looked at cards and read only a few of them so far!!So deeply “rooted” in true old western information, lore, medicinal history, spiritual properties and the perfect parallels for the esoteric mysteries of life.The Best of the Best came together to pack a truly magickal punch that an Oracle Spread can deliver, without over complicating the message!!I was overcome with the power and detail in just the cards themselves, with the tiniest little details being so subtle and hidden but so accurate to the plants properties, almost scarier (in a good way) the longer you look, on some. It’s like a “Where’s Waldo” of hidden messages and symbols on Oracle standard size cards, I KNOW how much care and time was put into these depictions with each being so unique and a piece you’d hang on your wall by itself.THEN I started reading the book. RARELY do you ever get a book that does the cards you see justice in one package. But with Christopher Penczcak being the author no petal, root, seed or meaning goes unexplained. But perfectly summarized for maximum effect.When you put Maxine Miller and Penczak together it’s like pulling two masters of trade together and blasting that knowledge and deep hidden beauty into one small but powerful box.This is my first Oracle. I’ve been collecting and exploring Tarot for years now and am also IN LOVE with Botanicals and the more magickal plants even more so.Now, I’m not versed in Oracle yet, so I can’t stack against any other packages.I started by looking for a Tarot deck that could scratch that itch of vintage, beautiful, dark and extremely symbolic Botany and am SO glad I ended up here instead.Hands down amazing! If you love the dark allure of the botanical world and you love poems, stories and using spreads or plants for your own tools, this is the deck for you.

I've been waiting for this one: this is a wonderful deck, which I saw at NWTS, the Portland Tarot meeting in October, but it was not yet for sale then.The art is by Maxine Miller. It is beautiful, intricate, and full of power. Some of her work reminds me of art deco, which I love about it. There are a fascinating variety of symbols on the cards indicating elemental and planetary signs, whether the plant is toxic, and more. Maxine has beautifully hand-lettered the words on the cards.The book is by Christopher Penczak. While the deck is published by Lo Sacarabeo, they have printed Christopher's 220 page book, giving information, ritual suggestions, poetry and folklore about each plant. English is the only language, a big change from their usual few sentences of brief card meanings in six languages.Christopher is extremely knowledgeable about plants. One of his books is The Plant Spirit Familiar, which I also highly recommend. I have taken two plant-focused workshops with him over the years at festivals, and really enjoyed his insights. He is an expert at working magick in partnership with plant spirits.While there are any number of high quality Tarot and oracle decks featuring animals, there are relatively few that feature plants. This marvelous deck will go into my cartomancy library next to Joanna Powell Colbert's Herbcrafter's Tarot, and Philip & Stephanie Carr-Gomm's Druid Plant Oracle, with art by Will Worthington. So glad to add another stellar work to the botanical section of my cartomancy collection!Highly recommended. Extremely Witchy, in a beautiful, even magnificent, way. I love it. It reads very well, too, and has given me much to ponder in the short time I've owned it.