This set of 40 cards features some of the loveliest angel artwork I've ever seen, in a meditation card format.  They are really very attractive.  The artwork was not painted expressly for this deck, but rather, the producers selected 40 of the most beautiful paintings by this artist and put them to card form.

The concept of the oracle is to use the inspirational passages which are printed right on the backs of the cards, in meditation or while going through the course of your day.  There isn't any little white booklet or anything with these cards, but there is a small instruction card which instructs the user to place the cards in front of them, image up, and select one based on what feels right intuitively at that moment.  Then you turn it over and read the message.  This could be applied in cases where you feel a need for some information to get you through a nasty problem, or you could draw one each morning to meditate on all day.

Since this is not a tarot deck, there are no Major or Minor Arcana, no courts or suits.  Each of the 40 cards is bordered in white, but the image takes up the whole card otherwise.  There are no titles used on the face of the card, and none of the cards are numbered.  On each card, the image appears in full color on the front, and a smaller, black-and-white version of the image appears on the back, accompanied by the Inspirational Title and the passage which explains it.  One example of this is the card titled "Contact" -- the passage which follows it reads: "There is nothing more natural than speaking with your Guardian Angel."  Another is "Relationship," which is accompanied by the following:  "In every union there is a mystery."

I thought more of the cards would be about actually working with angels, but the meditations seem to be more generally oriented than that.  Only 10 out of the 40 cards actually are about God in any way, and only 4 of those mention angels.  This is good news for those who might be concerned about the religious aspect.  This deck would not be limited to any religious group.  Anyone would be able to use them.

The cards themselves are small, not quite as small as a poker deck, but close.  Because there are only 4o they are easy to handle and shuffle.  The card stock is thin and flexible, and coated with a matte finish to protect the cards.  The edges are polished to a smooth finish.  There are two blank cards with the deck as well, you could use them to design your own additional cards, or discard them if you wish.  They come in a small box much like a poker deck does.

Out of all the angel cards I have reviewed, I actually like this one the best, cause it doesn't try to be so much as the others.  I think a lot of them reach and fall short.  This lovely, unassuming little deck has a lot to offer, without trying to be more than it is.  I would recommend this deck for anyone who is looking for a nice meditation-a-day type deck, particularly if they have an interest in angels.  The art would also be especially appealing to younger children.

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Review Copyright 1999 by Gina M. Pace

Angel Oracle by Sulamith Wulfing, 1996, 1997
published by BlueStar Communications  ISBN 1-885394-20-9