This interesting oracular deck-and-book set was created by Caitlin Matthews, one of the creators of the Arthurian Tarot.  I never would have thought of the Book of the Dead as an oracle but she applies this concept well in this case.  Books of the Dead have existed for thousands of years, in many cultures, all with virtually the same belief behind them: that of preparing those who are about to die for the afterlife that awaits them on the other side.

The Celtic Book of the Dead uses the belief in the many "islands" that are part of the Otherworld as spirit guides to help you in your search for answers, for truth, for the Way to balance in your life.  As Ms. Matthews explains in her book which comes with the set, "The Celtic Otherworld is a mirror of this world, so our individual experience of the realm beyond death is influenced by our actions in this life."

The system is further aided by a series of 42 cards which each represent a stop on the journey through the Otherworld, which was called an "immram."  The specific immram described in this oracle is that undertaken by Maelduin.  The Voyage of Maelduin is actually described several times in the book, once in bardic poetic form, once in a modern retelling of it, and then in a separate two-page spread for each card.  33 of the cards represent Islands and stops Maelduin encountered on his way, the other nine cards signify people and items he interacts with on his journey.

This whole Voyage of Maelduin fairly smacks of Homer's Odyssey only in Celtic form.  I enjoyed reading it very much, in fact, read through it more than once.  Drawing a card for meditation to answer a question seems the best way of using this oracle; there is a story told, and a moral to the story, for each island in the Many-Coloured Land, and so to each question you seek guidance on, there is special relevance.

The book in the set is a hardbound edition which is extremely well put together and attractively packaged.  The cards are about the size and thickness of baseball cards but are coated.  The corners aren't rounded and that irritated me a little.  They do not flex easily so shuffling is stiff.  Since they come in a deck-and-book set, nothing is provided to house the cards, and the only way they fit in the box with the book is if you separate the deck into many smaller sections.  I recommend buying a box to put them in separately.  One of those plastic baseball card boxes will do nicely.

There is a two-part spread that is described to go with use of these cards; however, as I stated above, they can be used singly for meditation as well and I personally like this method better.  Of the 42 cards, 33 represent Islands, two are Guide cards and seven are Gifts for your shamanic journey.  This is not an easy system and not something I would recommend picking up lightly.  It is not a tarot and so there is no similarity between this system and a tarot deck.  However, it seems well worth the work and study involved in using it.

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also by Caitlin Matthews:
Celtic Wisdom Tarot

also by Caitlin Matthews, with John Matthews:
The Arthurian Tarot

Review Copyright 1998 by Gina M. Pace

also see Hallowquest Website