This unique oracle deck intrigued me enough that I requested a review copy. The publisher’s response was swift and the shipping incredibly prompt. When I received this deck, the first thing I noticed was the clever recycling of a video container. This plastic shell might have ended up in a dump somewhere but the forward-thinking folk at Vertical Publishing crafted a label and put it back into circulation as a case for this deck.
If you are looking for an oracle deck that mimics the images found in Tarot, don’t get this deck. There are some that echo some of the images in Tarot such as the Control Freak which, to me, seems to be a garish Hierophant. And there is Death but you would be hard pressed to find a resemblance to most traditional imaes of Death in this floating curtained door. My first thought was of a confessional. The meaning is “imminent change” which is in keeping with my own interpretations of Death in the Tarot.
Each card is a collage of many things. Some will give you pause–make you think. My advice is to take these cards slowly. Absorb them and let them sink into your psyche.
One intriguing thing is the game Antero Alli, the author, proposes.
Each player is dealt five cards. The object of this game is to
arrange your cards to develp a story or creation myth or to convey what happened to you today or to share your basic beliefs about how the universe works.
Who wants to play?
This deck definitely has a sense of humor as evidenced in the Futility card which shows a plunger poised over an ocean. When I drew a card to ask what I could learn from this deck, I drew “Unsupervised” which made me laugh hysterically.
From the description:
If your mind has become bogged down from too many convincing assumptions, your own and others’, it may be time to ask more questions.
It goes on but the final quote is what got me.
This card symbolizes the positive value of unknowns and comes with its own mantra: “I don’t know…” Repeat and rinse.
Do check this deck out. I think you will be more than pleasantly surprised.
The Vertical Oracle (2002)