This non-tarot crystal oracle deck is visually sumptuous and a feast from the moment you lay eyes on the packaging to the very last page of the book inside the set.  It doesn't hurt that the box is my favorite color, purple.  Subtitled "The Crystal Path to Self-Knowledge," this set is designed to help the user bring crystals into their everyday lives to enrich and empower them for a better life.

The 55 cards come in their own smaller box inside the set, which as many of you know, is one of my regular bones to pick with boxed sets.  This one definitely scores a plus in this category.  The book which comes with the set is a very nice 286 pages of illustrated excellence, another plus since many sets have poorly typeset or bound books.  This one is in no danger of coming unglued or having pages falling out with use.  A styrofoam spacer fills the space next to the cards to keep the box contents settled in place.

Since this is not a tarot deck, there are no Major or Minor Arcana, no court cards and none of the cards are numerically valued higher than any other.  However, the cards are broken into five "suits" correlating with the elements; there are eleven cards in each "suit" of Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Storm.  Each "suit" contains ten crystal cards plus an "ace" card for the element itself.  This puts this deck closer to a traditional deck of tarot than any other crystal oracle out there.

Each card is done in brilliant full color with a special image border.  For example, the Wind card opens the "suit" of crystals associated with the element of Air, or Wind.  The Wind card therefore shows a full image of windblown skies and sunlight and there is a line separating the center image area from the border area.  In the next ten cards, showing the crystals associated with wind, this border area will still show the windblown skies, but the center graphic area will have the image with the crystal.  The cards feature beautiful computer manipulated imagery and at the bottom of each card is the name of the crystal which is featured.  At the top there is a keyword meaning for the significance of the crystal in the card.

The cards themselves are larger than standard and are printed on a glorious glossy cardstock that was completely stuck together when I opened it.  That means I got to hear that satisfying *crack* when I broke the deck open.  Ahhhhh, the pleasures of a new deck.  The edges are smooth and the corners rounded nicely.  This deck is somewhat awkward to shuffle and handle but breaks in nicely.  The back design is a solid purple (yay, more purple!) with a white outline of a double terminated crystal point on it; this is reversible.  This system does use reversals so this matters.  Since there is a nice book with the set, there is no little white booklet.

The book begins with explanations on how light and earth magic work, with an introduction to crystal resonance therapy and ways to use the crystal ally cards, including meditation and affirmations, healing grids and other types of layouts.  Five different layouts are offered.  For each crystal, the picture is shown, a full and lengthy explanation of the meaning of the stone, and then there is a "message" of that crystal and the chakra to which it aligns.  In the back of the book there is a form where you can order the crystals which accompany these cards, individually or as a set.  A meditation audio tape by the author, including some of the meditation work in this book, is also available.

I absolutely recommend this deck and book set to anyone who is seeking to work with a crystal oracle for self-empowerment; it is excellent for teaching the crystals, and uses many new crystals that I have not seen in any other oracles.  One of the nice benefits of this set is that you can purchase the entire set of crystals to go with the cards from the publisher, Heaven and Earth Publishing, who also deal in crystals, jewelry and metaphysical books.  I've seen the offerings in their catalogs and their quality is extremely good.  The bookstore I do my readings in carries most of their book line, and they too are of good quality.  I can happily recommend this set for either a beginner or for someone who has worked with crystals for a long time and who wants to bring a new dimension into their use of crystals in their lives.

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Review Copyright 2000 by Gina M. Pace

Crystal Ally Cards by Naisha Ahsian, 1995
published by Heaven and Earth Publishing, Marshfield, VT
ISBN 0-9621910-1-9