When I first received the “Wisdom of Avalon Oracle” I was so excited. After all, the legend of King Arthur and the Lady of the Lake are among my favorites.

The author of the deck is Colette Baron-Reid. I’d heard many good things about her, and was looking forward to reading her interpretations of the characters of Avalon.

Gary A. Lippincott is the artist for the deck, and I have to say, his artwork is absolutely beautiful. He’s one of the featured artists on the world famous site for the Duirwaigh Gallery (a favorite site for those of us who love faery and fantasy artwork).

The deck itself includes 52 cards, and is divided into four groups. The first 31 cards are done in a soft watercolor. The last 21 cards look they could be a photograph of a trail through the forest. These cards are all the same, except for the journey marker sign than is specific to that card.

The Messengers of Avalon contains eight cards and includes the Merlin, the High Priestess, the King, the Queen, the Novice, the Grail Knight, the Bard and the Lady of the Lake.

The Animal Guides of Avalon contains 18 cards, and includes the Eagle, the Raven, the Hawk, the Swan, the Owl, the Frog, the Spider, the Bee, the Stag, the Cat, the Dog, the Cow, the Wasp, the Deer, the Serpent, the Dragon, the Butterfly, and the Horse.

The Guides of Faery contain five cards, and include the Earth Faery, the Water Faery, the Wind Faery, the Fire Faery and the Goblin.

The largest grouping is the Sacred Journey Markers, which contain 21 cards. These include Partnership, Focus, Wealth, Restriction, Movement, Joy, Protection, Disruption, Risk, Communication, Perception, Burden, Letting Go, Love, Death, Trust, Fear, Forgiveness, Birth-Rebirth, Truth, and the Mystery.

Where the characters aren’t actually from the legends of King Arthur, they are still definitely of Avalon and the realm of the faery folk. I was especially pleased with the section on animals, as this deck includes many animals sacred to the Celts that aren’t included in other Celtic oriented decks I’ve seen.

There is a 109 page guidebook that goes along with the deck that gives a more detailed description of each card, along with a chapter on how to use the cards (including how to do a single card reading, and a three and five card reading). I found the book to be very well written and highly enjoyable.

I’ve already given several readings with this deck, and have to say they have been very insightful. The more I work with this deck, the more I enjoy it, and the deeper the insights seem to go. And one does not need to be a pro to enjoy reading with these cards.

Whether you are a beginning reader, or a seasoned intuitive, or just someone who loves to collect Celtic inspired decks, I would highly recommend “The Wisdom of Avalon” to anyone interested in the realm of Avalon.