Deck Review: Angels and Ancestors Oracle Cards

Kyle Gray (author) and Lily Moses (artist), Angels and Ancestors Oracle Cards. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2018. ISBN: 9781788170017. (Link to publisher.)

Genre: oracle cards

Subgenre: spirituality, angels, ancestors

Format: Kit with 55 cards on the deck and a small guide book

Source: I own this one

 

Elder card

I first used this deck in February 2023 and kept it through March 2023. This kit includes 55 cards and a companion book in a small solid box. The box is nice, and it includes a couple of quotes inside the box, a small nice detail. 

The book has 147 pages. The book is arranged as follows: 

• Introduction. The author introduces the deck's theme, defining briefly angels and ancestors and their wisdom that we can learn using the deck. 
• How to use your Angels and Ancestors Oracle cards. In this section, the deck is explained. The cards have no particular order, but there are categories: the Sacred Ones (30 cards), Guardians and Messengers (12 cards), Warrior Symbols (9 cards), and Seasons (4 cards). In this section, you also get how to use the cards and four spreads to try out plus some advice on reading the cards. 
• The card entries arranged in the categories listed. Each entry includes a small black and white image of each card, card name and card keywords, message, about (a bit of card description and definition), and extended message (divinatory message and interpretation). 

The book overall is useful and informative. The introductory material offers easy instruction to learn how to use the deck and bond with it. It addresses some basic questions for beginners such as storing and cleansing your deck.  You also get some simple suggestions for rituals and ceremonies. The text is accessible. The author writes with a nurturing and encouraging tone; you feel anyone is welcome to use the deck and learn from it, finding comfort from it. The card entries offer plenty to help readers learn and reflect on the messages. The messages are simple, kind, and straightforward. There are no complex esoterica here. These are messages for everyone. 

Spirit Fox card

The card art is great. It's a realistic style, colorful and soft. It's not gaudy. It's warm, a bit comforting. For folks who look for diversity in their decks, this deck has it. It includes images from Celtic, Native American, Aboriginal, and other spiritualities and cultures. The art can appeal to various folks. I found that I can read these cards intuitively with relative ease. The images offer some depth, and are easy to interpret. The cards can be good to use for a daily or weekly message. I really like and enjoy Lily Moses's art, an I would consider seeking more of her work based on this deck. 

My only issue with this deck is the matte finish on the card stock. It's that excessive matte finish that makes the cards stick together. As a result, the cards can be very difficult to shuffle, making the deck a bit hard to use. The card stock is thick, so it feels durable, but may be hard to riffle shuffle. 

The cards measure about 5 inches by 3 1/2 inches. The art is borderless. The cards have a small banner that is not obtrusive with the card name and keywords. The card back art is nice but not reversible. 

Overall, I really like this deck. The text is good, and the art is excellent. This is a great kit overall, and this is a deck I am glad to own and recommend. For me, this is a must have deck you can use for many situations and good advice overall. 

5 out of 5 stars. 

This kit qualifies for the following 2023 Reading Challenge: