Deck Review: Dark Mirror Oracle

Ricardo Minetti (author) and Laura Sava (illustrator), Dark Mirror Oracle. Torino, Italy: Lo Scarabeo, 2018. ISBN: 9780738759807. (Link to US distributor Llewellyn.)

Genre: oracle cards

Subgenre: dark, mirrors, shadow work

Format: kit with small companion book and 32 cards deck

Source: I own this one

I first used this deck on September 2023. I wanted a darker deck as we moved into fall season, and this one worked out well. 

This kit includes a small companion book and a deck of 32 cards. In typical Lo Scarabeo fashion, the book is written in multiple languages: English, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Russian. The book overall has 128 pages; the English text is 46 pages. The book includes: 

• What is a dark mirror? This is a definition and how the dark mirror is part of our lives. 
• Five concepts. The book explains that each card has an aspect relating to one of these concepts: the Moon, Grief Processing, Visual Seed, Sentence, and Going Dark. 
• A simple way to read. This is doing a single card draw and a short reflection. 
• A more advanced way to read. This looks at three kinds of questions you can ask the oracle, or rather the oracle may yield. The three question types are briefly explained in the book. You do not get a list of questions but rather the types of questions you can explore with the deck or that the deck may inspire in you.
  
• Questions you don't like the answer.
• Questions which force you to change or deal with something.
• Questions which make you deal with pain and pressure. 
• Walking the cards. These are the card entries. Each entry is a page long. Each card entry includes: 
• Card name and number.
• Moon phase.
• Grief process stage. These are one of the five grief stages: denial, anger, bargain, depression, and acceptance. 
• A short quote or affirmation.
• Visual seed. This is a description of the card. If you share cards on social media, you can use part of this as your alt text. 
• Sentence. A single sentence providing a reflection on the card's meaning.
• Going dark. This is where you look into the dark. This expands on the card's image and meaning, prompting your shadow work. 

The book overall is good. It is not substantial, but it packs a bit for what it offers. I do like the material for the card entries; you get enough to get you working with the deck and doing some good reflective work. I wish the advanced way to read part was developed a bit further and added some sample questions. Still, the material offered is good, and it can be good for journaling. 

The cards' art is mostly in dark tones with a good amount of color. The art is detailed in a fantasy yet realistic style. The images are very expressive, and they can be moving at times. Images often can make you confront questions and issues. The card art is framed by a sort of mirror frame, which adds to the dark mirror theme. Cards can work well for intuitive readers. Cards certainly worked well for me, stimulating my intuition. I found I responded well to the cards. 

For shadow work, these cards can work very well. The deck also works well if you want a deck for the dark part of the year. I would not use this deck year round, but for certain times and moods, it works well. Very good deck for reflection and journaling.

The cards measure about 4 3/4 inches by 3 1/4 inches. The cards have a soft gloss. They slide and shuffle with ease. The card back image is reversible. 

Overall, while I wish the book was expanded and further developed, this is a good package. I really like the cards, and this is a deck I see going back to work with it. You can likely match it with darker Tarot decks. I do recommend it. 

4 out of 5 stars. 

This kit qualifies for the following 2023 Reading Challenge: